Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1752: Two Avenues of Advance

The Gallant Federation withdrew decisively from this subspace battlefield, and the Magus Civilization advanced with equal resolve.

Beyond the artifacts recovered from the ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, the vast reserves of inert crystals discovered in this subspace region stood as one of the Magus Civilization’s greatest gains from the war.

After “rescuing” the angel robots, Sein joined Gregory, Bernice, and the others in the subsequent campaign.

Bernice and Gregory both maintained close ties with foreign deities of the Magus Alliance, as well as several knightly orders that had been dispatched to support their respective divine towers.

Their combined force numbered close to twenty million, including nearly thirty Rank Four and Rank Five combatants.

Such a colossal force represented a formidable presence, both within the subspace battlefield and beyond it.

After swiftly concluding the war in subspace, Sein and his group advanced into the stellar battlefield beyond, following Feylis’ instructions.

“The Gallant Federation’s retreat has been extremely swift,” Bernice observed. “Not only within subspace, but they are also pulling forces out of the surrounding star domains.”

“Perhaps they intend to abandon this entire sector,” she added thoughtfully.

Bernice was usually more analytical, unlike Gregory, whose approach could often be summed up in a single word—reckless.

Despite being a mage, he could be tougher than knights at times.

“What are Grandmaster’s thoughts?” Sein asked.

“The Magus Civilization’s high command hasn’t issued any explicit combat directives recently. However, based on discussions among Master Feylis and the others, any nearby star domains within our operational range must be reclaimed in the coming days,” Bernice replied. “After all, the Gallant Federation has made it clear they no longer want these territories. We cannot simply stand by and ignore such an opportunity.”

“As for which directions to advance, and which planes to reclaim first... Master Feylis and the others have granted us considerable autonomy. This is a privilege only groups like ours can enjoy,” she added with a soft chuckle.

Sein fell silent in thought.

Now that they had left the subspace and entered the Astral Realm’s void, only two possible avenues of advance lay before their group.

One was to head to the Shadowbat Civilization, join their war effort, and help them reclaim the planar worlds they had lost. After that, they could advance toward either Planet Aquaria or Arid Expanse World.

The second option was to return to the Marvelous Plane. From there, they could proceed directly to Planet Aquaria and assist Orric in reclaiming his throne. Once that was accomplished, they would be free to either join forces with the Shadowbat Civilization against their enemies or move on toward Arid Expanse World.

The difference between the two routes lay solely in the order of operations.

The real question was whether to help Darian or Orric first.

As leaders of their respective legions and Rank Five beings, Darian and Orric were technically qualified to participate in Sein’s strategic discussions. In practice, however, they mostly observed and followed instructions, leaving the core deliberations to Sein and the other Magus World knights and mages.

When Sein’s expression grew contemplative, both Darian and Orric turned their eyes toward him.

The two shared a strong personal bond and had even recently formed an alliance with Beatrice, Auron, and Karl.

However, the decision of this magnitude concerned the fate of entire civilizations, and each hoped Sein would lead his forces to their own home star domain’s battlefield.

From a purely strategic standpoint, the most logical choice was for Sein and his forces to head to the Shadowbat Civilization battlefield.

The war situation in that star domain was relatively clear. Once there, they would receive full logistical support and troop reinforcements from the Shadowbat Civilization.

By contrast, the situation on Planet Aquaria remained largely unknown to Sein.

Orric had been absent from his homeworld for far too long. Although a handful of powerhouses had defected to his side, there was no guarantee that the native species or the remaining powerhouses within the star domain still recognized him as their king.

Whether in terms of risk or potential gains, the Planet Aquaria front simply could not compare to the Shadowbat Civilization battlefield.

That said, Sein undoubtedly shared a stronger relationship with Orric.

Unfortunately, a decision of this scale could not be guided by personal sentiment alone. Sein represented not only himself, but also Gregory, Bernice, and the others.

In the end, Sein had to make his decision.

“We will proceed to the Shadowbat Civilization battlefield first,” he said. “After helping them reclaim their entire homeplane, we will then consider advancing toward either Planet Aquaria or Arid Expanse World.”

“From my personal perspective, I think attacking Planet Aquaria would be more advantageous than advancing into Arid Expanse World. What do you think, Master Bernice?” Sein asked.

Although Sein directed his question at his elder, it was actually meant for Orric.

Orric showed a brief hint of disappointment at Sein’s words, but quickly regained his usual composure.

Helping his good friend Darian resolve the conflicts within the Shadowbat Civilization was not an outcome Orric found hard to accept.

Watching this exchange, Bernice smiled and said, “Following your lead is always the right choice. Seeing how you reached Rank Five at such a young age and reportedly possess two world-class secret treasures, I almost wish I could follow you from now on.”

“By the way, when will you show me your other world-class secret treasure? Lorianne mentioned something called a Magic Cube. Was that what you used to turn that Rank Six angel?” she asked.

“Ahem. When the time is right, I’ll be happy to show it to you, Master Bernice,” Sein replied quickly.

With the deployment plans finalized, their group wasted no time in starting their preparations.

Darian promptly dispatched a Rank Four subordinate to the Shadowbat Star Domain to inform the mother star domain’s forces to make ready.

Sein’s massive group was by no means the only force heading to the Shadowbat Star Domain. A significant number of Magus World powerhouses and Magus Alliance members active on the subspace battlefield would be heading there as well.

The remaining question was whether the Rosen Dynasty’s legions and their overlord would also move toward the Shadowbat Star Domain.

Since the Gallant Federation’s main fleet withdrew, the Rosen Dynasty’s overlord-level psychic had stopped pursuing them aggressively.

Occupying the subspace battlefield and minimizing losses among the Magus Civilization’s legions had been the mission assigned to Moraia, the Rank Seven Psychic.

The Magus Alliance had never ordered her to annihilate or severely cripple the overlord-class war fleet under Rommel’s command.

Moraia herself had no intention of taking on such a tough target—she was not that self-sacrificing.