Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1808: Undisguised Curiosity

The “domain” mentioned here was not the same as the divine domains wielded by law-level beings.

Rather, it referred to a deeper transformation of one’s laws.

Most Rank Six Magus World knights and mages possessed this ability.

Even some exceptionally powerful peak Rank Five powerhouses could begin to touch upon that threshold.

Different law-wielding knights and mages followed different paths. No true high-ranking powerhouse ever reached such a height through simple imitation.

Each person’s path was unique, and so the form their domain took naturally differed as well.

“You’re Sein, right? Impressive. Is that your magic puppet?” Welks asked midway through the battle as he flew closer, lending his strength while speaking.

Naturally, Welks was referring to Fermera, the eight-winged angel. He had not recognized at a glance that she was actually a special robot created by the Gallant Federation.

That was because angels like Fermera made up only a tiny fraction of the Gallant Federation’s vast robotic forces.

The Icarus Group was merely one of several robot manufacturers that worked closely with the federal military. It did not control the federation’s entire robotics industry.

Angel-type robots were generally far more advanced than most models in the federation.

“Yes. She is my robotic battle servant, Fermera. Her main structural core is still based on the Gallant Federation’s technology, though I’ve also integrated some magitech into her,” Sein replied with a smile.

His gaze shifted toward the Molten Steel T-Rex King fighting in the distance. “Is that your Molten Steel T-Rex, Master Welks? It’s certainly impressive in combat.”

At that moment, Sein and Welks wore exactly the same expression—both were staring intently at the other’s prized mechanical servant.

Welks was absorbed in the secrets of the angelic combat construct that was Fermera, while Sein was no less intrigued by the deep mechanical principles at work within the Molten Steel T-Rex King.

Compared to Fermera, the Molten Steel T-Rex King was a lifeform that had undergone far deeper modification through the Magus Civilization’s magitech.

Before long, their undisguised curiosity shifted to each other’s world-class secret treasures.

Welks did not recognize Sein’s Faceless Mask. His attention was drawn instead to the blue-violet Magic Cube floating beside him.

Sein, meanwhile, was just as curious about the mechanical eyes around Welks.

As fellow seekers of truth, both of them felt the same impulse at that moment—they wanted to take apart the other’s masterpiece and study it on the spot.

“This thing is called a Magic Cube, right?” Welks asked.

Sein, who had already activated his Flame Demon form and was in the middle of blocking an incoming energy beam, gave a slight nod in response.

“I saw it once before at my mentor’s place. Why does it feel like... it has changed so much since then?” Welks asked again.

After bringing the Magic Cube back to Magus World, Sein had indeed handed it over to the Magus Civilization once.

By the time the cube was returned to him, it had already been raised to the level of a world-class secret treasure.

This meant Viktor, the only soul-level mechanic in Magus World, had taken part in researching the Magic Cube during that period.

When Welks asked the question, Sein simply played dumb. Only after casting Ashen Breath did he turn and ask, “Hm? What did you just say?”

Sein’s response noticeably cooled Welks’ earlier excitement.

Glancing at the battlefield ahead, Welks replied, “Nothing.”

Only after a long pause did Sein give a simple answer. “After the cube came into my hands, I modified it a few times.”

“Perhaps some of its core laws mutated and evolved in the process? I’m not a professional mechanic, so I can’t say for sure,” he added with a small smile.

Welks gave Sein a long, intrigued look. Then he said something rather thought-provoking.

“To modify a piece of equipment capable of containing a Rank Six along with a million magic puppets, and then push a world-class secret treasure through another transformation... if that still doesn’t count as professional, then I doubt there are any real professionals in Magus World.”

Sein chuckled at that.

“You flatter me, Master Welks.”

***

The war on Flame Star-5 lasted a total of twenty-one years.

Throughout that time, the Gallant Federation legions suffered defeat after defeat on this battlefield.

One Rank Six federal war fleet lost more than eighty percent of its forces there.

In addition, a Rank Six federal mobile suit also crashed in that region.

In the end, the remnants of the Gallant Federation forces, reduced to less than one-third of their original strength, were driven deeper into the heart of the Golden Rock Worlds under pursuit by the legions led by Sein and the others.

The outer perimeter of the Golden Rock Worlds had now been completely sealed off by the Magus Civilization’s four main forces.

For the Gallant Federation legions, continuing to retreat deeper into the Golden Rock Worlds was simply a road to ruin.

Meanwhile, after a brief period of rest following the end of the previous battle, the legions led by Sein, along with those under Viktor’s command, continued pressing into the heart of the Golden Rock Worlds.

Under the command of Feylis, Fathis, Celloza, and White Stella, the Magus Civilization legions had no intention of giving the Gallant Federation’s garrison forces within the Golden Rock Worlds even a moment to recover.

***

“Your Ashen Flame is even more extreme than my Cinderbone Flame, and its adaptability is unbelievable too. Just what kind of... monster are you?” Leena, dressed in a pink dress, looked up at Sein in astonishment.

The “Leena” before him was, of course, not Leena but Mikaeli.

When he left Magus World, Sein brought Leena with him to the frontlines. Part of the reason was to continue researching her condition of having two souls in one body, and part of it was to keep a close watch on Mikaeli.

At the moment, Mikaeli was the one in control of Leena’s body.

Although her soul had already been suppressed to an extreme degree, she still had a limited amount of freedom from time to time.

During Sein’s earlier battles, she had remained under strict confinement, with Yuri and the Burning Flame Unit assigned to guard her.

Now that the fighting had temporarily died down, Sein could loosen those restrictions a little and allow her some freedom.

“What did you say?!” Sein’s demonic claw came down sharply on Mikaeli’s backside.

With the physique he had forged through body tempering, the slap landed with a loud smack that echoed through the laboratory.

The long period of body-tempering experiments he had conducted on Leena had clearly produced results.

Her body, once extremely frail, could now withstand a blow like this from Sein.

Still, that did not make it hurt any less.

Humiliated and furious, Mikaeli rubbed her aching backside and glared at Sein.

Usually dressed in black robes and radiating a dark, oppressive aura, Mikaeli was now wearing a long pink dress for the first time.

Sein had always felt that both Leena and Mikaeli carried too much of a black mage’s gloomy aura. This long robe did a perfect job of “diluting” some of that darkness.

Judging from the final result, the dress Sein had personally chosen turned out to suit them very well.

It matched Leena’s slender frame especially nicely.