Sovereign of the Ashes

Rogge’s distress was genuine—he was not faking it.

Then again, maybe he was just incredibly stingy.

When Roland saw the overlord-level undead chimera beast, his expression eased for a moment before he snapped, “You want high-grade materials? There are four right in front of you!”

He was, of course, referring to the four Amenkha Empire overlords.

After all, what could be fresher than the materials standing right before them?

Rogge no longer winced at the thought of damage to his undead chimera beast. Instead, his small eyes gleamed with greed and desire.

His gaze settled on the peak Rank Seven Pharaoh and the scorpion-like monster king.

Perhaps because the Pharaoh, in the midst of breaking his seal, radiated such overwhelming power, Rogge ultimately fixed his attention on the scorpion instead.

Under that greedy stare, the Amenkha Scorpion King, whose strength was roughly at mid-stage Rank Seven, could not help but shudder.

Rogge’s strength rivaled that of the peak Rank Seven Pharaoh. Neither was someone the scorpion king could afford to offend.

The Pharaohs had held their authority for ages, so the scorpion’s fear was understandable. But how could that peak Rank Seven mage from the Magus Civilization inspire that same dread?

Was it the aura he had gained from dissecting or vivisecting countless beings in his laboratory?

After all, Rogge had cut open quite a number of overlord-level creatures in his laboratory.

“Foolish, ignorant creatures of the Magus Civilization! I’ll flay your skin and use it to seal myself!”

The peak Rank Seven Pharaoh’s roar sent shockwaves rippling through space.

Who would have thought this Pharaoh also wielded sonic powers?

Necromantic energy, far denser than before, condensed into a massive fist and smashed straight toward Rogge.

This plump mage had to be dealt with first—he was becoming far too arrogant.

From the moment he appeared, he had humiliated the Pharaoh by pointing out flaws in his control of necromantic energy, then followed it up by unleashing a host of terrifying summons.

The White Jade Skeleton and the mammoth chimera both possessed combat power on par with a Rank Seven overlord.

The latter might be slightly inferior, but the White Jade Skeleton was indistinguishable from a true Rank Seven overlord. Her strength even seemed to reach the late stage of Rank Seven.

In terms of overlord-level combat power, the balance on the battlefield had now evened out at four against four!

Moreover, the Rank Six and peak Rank Six combatants Rogge had summoned were not to be underestimated.

Two of them were already approaching overlord-level strength.

With such a massive horde of undead closing in, it was far from certain that the Amenkha Empire still held the upper hand.

Even now, some were still stunned.

This was supposed to be a decapitation strike by the Amenkha Empire—a targeted assassination against the Magus Civilization. So how had they ended up surrounded in the blink of an eye?

The massive Amenkha Scorpion King that Rogge had set his sight on instinctively took half a step back.

Rogge was tied down by the peak Rank Seven Pharaoh and could not spare any attention for it, but the White Jade Skeleton had already locked onto the scorpion king with unwavering intent.

In that instant, the Amenkha Scorpion King felt a chill run straight through its soul.

Aside from the White Jade Skeleton, several Rank Six and peak Rank Six creatures were already closing in from all directions.

The situation was completely absurd. The Amenkha Scorpion King had never, in its life, witnessed lower-ranking beings daring to challenge those above them.

Within the monster clans of the Amenkha Empire, hierarchy was absolute. Strength dictated status, and the strongest monster kings ruled their kind without question!

Seeing Rogge already engaged with the Pharaoh, Roland cracked his knuckles. In the next instant, the greatsword in his hand flared with dazzling, multicolored light.

His target was the imperial general.

Roland was stronger than his opponent, but earlier, he had been surrounded and suffered considerable losses.

Now, he intended to reclaim everything he had lost!

After all, knights and mages were meant to fight in coordination on the battlefield.

Roland did not have fixed opponents as he would have to step in and shield Rogge at critical moments.

One thing was certain: with Rogge’s timely arrival, the balance in this part of the battlefield had shifted.

At least within this sector of the Amenkha Empire’s ambush, the Magus Civilization now held the advantage.

Rogge had truly lived up to his reputation as one of the most gifted powerhouses of his generation, alongside Bev.

His arrival was bound to send ripples through the battlefield and greatly improve the Magus Civilization’s chances in this war.

***

As battles erupted across the overlord-level battlefields, the war between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation also took a sharp turn across the frontlines.

The Gallant Federation was clearly aware that the Magus Civilization had taken a heavy blow. While many of the Magus Civilization overlords were tied down, the federation seized the chance and launched swift counteroffensives, turning the tide on multiple fronts.

Fierce fighting broke out across all major star domains.

The chaos even spread to smaller battle zones along the edges of the civilizational front.

Interestingly, however, the federation’s “major moves” were limited to counterattacks within its own territory. It made no direct attempt to coordinate with the Amenkha Empire’s overlords.

It was obvious that the federation remained deeply wary of the Amenkha Empire.

Despite the enormous cost of transporting over thirty million troops and providing classified intelligence, the Gallant Federation had no intention of engaging in full military cooperation with them.

Their actions were driven purely by self-preservation.

Even so, the sudden wave of counterattacks caught the Magus Civilization completely off guard.

With communication temporarily lost with the command center where Bev was stationed, and regional overlords locked in battle across the front, the whole theater of war spiraled into chaos.

***

In the rear of the Gallant Federation, within the Montana Star Domain...

Nergal, having just fled to this region, released a cloud of death and plague.

Dense death and pestilence spread instantly, transforming this once fertile and densely populated medium-sized star domain into a desolate wasteland.

A glob of gray-black death essence soon formed in his hand.

It contained the life essence of the vast majority of living beings from the entire Montana Star Domain.

Casting a glance at the mass, Nergal pressed it into the body of an undead chimera beast standing before him.

“You’ve already destroyed two of my chimeras, huh? What an impressive display of strength. If I were at my peak, I would’ve loved to test myself against you... Heheheh... but there’s still time. Let’s see how long you can keep up the chase. If you want to continue, be my guest.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Nergal sent the undead chimera beast flying away.

His undead chimera beast could only reach Rank Seven for now. It was not due to a lack of skill—he simply lacked the materials needed to create one at Rank Eight.

Behind him, the Seventh Pharaoh of the Amenkha Empire continued his relentless pursuit. Having already activated his unsealed state, his power was now approaching the late stage of Rank Eight.

He had already destroyed two of Nergal’s chimera beasts in succession.

But it did not matter. Nergal had more to spare.

As one of the oldest black mages in Magus World, his reserves ran far deeper than most could imagine.

The loss of a few overlord-level chimera beasts was something he could afford.

“I’m almost there... hehehe. How much longer can you sustain that burst of power?”

Casting one last glance behind him, Nergal abandoned the chimera beast he had just created in the Montana Star Domain and continued flying deeper into the void.

Even with such a powerful enemy on his tail, he had managed to flee this far, proving just how capable he was!

Unfortunately, this spelled disaster for the Gallant Federation.

In his wake, countless federal star domains had already been reduced to ruin.