Sovereign of the Ashes

After Platty, the Meatball Overlord, departed, the heavy, oppressive aura surrounding Nergal quickly faded.

Cough... cough.

Two mouthfuls of pitch-black blood spilled from the corner of his lips.

To have endured a blast from the Gallant Federation’s Infinity Light and still maintained such an intense level of combat against the Seventh Pharaoh for so long was nothing short of a miracle.

If it had been any other soul overmage, they likely would not have lasted as long as Nergal had.

“I’m really getting old... My body can barely handle a battle of such intensity,” Nergal muttered wearily before turning his attention to the spoils of war.

The cost of this battle had been enormous. Not only had he spent a vast number of soul essences, but his injuries were also severe.

Even so, the rewards were pretty impressive!

A severed Rank Eight arm alone was an extremely valuable material. On top of that, there was a world-class secret treasure and the carcass of an overlord-level monster king.

After prying open the palm of the severed arm, Nergal retrieved the world-class treasure, glanced at it briefly, and tossed it to Valter.

“It’s decent stuff, but I have no use for it. See if it suits you. If not, trade it off. A mid-tier world-class treasure can fetch quite a bit, hehehe,” he said to the bloodstained knight.

By now, Valter had slowly deactivated his combat state.

His helmet and visor faded away, revealing his blue hair.

He took the gray-black orb, studied it for a moment, then stored it within his chest plate.

The crimson glow in his eyes slowly dimmed. Like Nergal, he had expended a great deal of energy in the battle.

His injuries were no lighter.

In truth, Valter had simply been unlucky. The Seventh Pharaoh had been targeting Nergal all along, and Valter had been caught in the crossfire.

Even so, he seemed satisfied with how the battle had ended.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of this battle-obsessed knight from the Magus World.

He was clearly still savoring the thrill of the fight.

Nergal paid him little attention. He stepped toward the Fanged Evil Dragon and looked down at Fram, the monster king who was still pinned beneath its massive claw.

Large amounts of foul, reeking blood poured from Fram’s neck, chest, and back—these were the areas where his injuries were most severe.

Once Nergal and his group left, some lucky soul from the surrounding battlefields might stumble upon overlords’ blood.

There was no shortage of it scattered across the field, and most of it came from Fram, the monster king.

After probing around the creature’s chest for a moment, Nergal let out a low, eerie chuckle.

“This big fellow is remarkably tenacious. Even with its Overlord Soul completely drained, its heart is still beating strong. If I use this as the core for a new undead chimera beast... hmm... I might just create something worth showing next time.”

His excitement was interrupted by a bout of coughing. He wiped the black elemental blood from the corner of his mouth, then patted the wounded Fanged Evil Dragon beside him.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you. For my chimera experiments, I only need its bones, heart, and a few other body parts. The rest will be yours,” Nergal assured.

“I only hope the sour flesh isn’t to your distaste,” he added with a dark chuckle.

The Fanged Evil Dragon tilted its head back and responded with a long, piercing roar.

For a creature that possessed devouring law, the flesh of an overlord was an exceptional source of nourishment, perfect for restoring its strength and enhancing its power.

Nergal then glanced at Valter. “The heart core from this monster king is yours as well. You two carried this fight, hehehe.”

Valter did not respond.

Over the past hundred thousand years, he had grown increasingly reserved. Only in life-and-death battles did his true nature surface.

“We should leave. Have your Black Knight Legion withdraw as well. The Gallant Federation’s search fleet will be here soon,” Nergal said.

“Heh... I have no interest in fighting anymore. I just want to head back to my tower in Blackhaven and rest for a while,” he muttered as he finished packing away Fram’s remains.

Valter’s helmet formed around his head again. He lowered the visor, jumped onto the Fanged Evil Dragon’s back, and finally replied, “Same.”

***

Meanwhile, on the battlefield where Rogge and his group had fought...

Guided by the light of the Sacred Scriptures of Amenkha, three overlord-level beings withdrew one after another.

In the end, the scorpion-like monster king fell for good—slain on the distant soil of the Magus Civilization under the relentless assault of Rogge and his allies.

But the price they paid was just as steep.

Rogge’s mammoth chimera beast had been completely torn apart.

At best, only a portion of its materials could be salvaged.

Still, the corpse of the Amenkha Scorpion King was more than enough to make up for the loss.

With it, Rogge might soon create a new Amenkha Scorpion chimera beast to replace the mammoth he had lost.

Of the ten or so Rank Six and peak Rank Six creatures he had summoned, only three were still standing in the starry void: the Black Samurai Emperor, the Skeleton of Despair, and a mid-stage Rank Six being known as the Death Worm.

At this point, half of the Black Samurai Emperor’s body had been twisted out of shape.

So this... was the power of an overlord?

Having personally experienced Rank Seven strength, the Black Samurai Emperor accepted his reward from Rogge and slowly stepped onto the summoning array.

“Once again, on behalf of the Magus Civilization, I would like to invite the Black Samurai World to join the Magus Alliance. Do give it some careful consideration once you return,” Rogge said without even looking up, still absorbed in examining the Scorpion King’s corpse.

The Black Samurai Emperor, clad in jet-black armor, gave a silent nod. Then, carrying the spoils he had earned, including a portion of overlord blood, he vanished into the light of the array.

Rogge extended the same offer to the Skeleton of Despair.

However, this unique entity, with no true homeplane, showed little interest in joining the Magus Alliance.

Finally, his attention turned to the Death Worm.

This time, Rogge actually looked up.

“The Black Samurai Emperor and the Skeleton of Despair both have the potential to challenge an overlord, though this battle nearly cost them their lives. For them, this fight was a rare experience, one they might never encounter again. After all, not all peak Rank Six beings can survive a direct clash with an overlord.”

He paused, studying the creature closely with interest. “But you... What exactly are you? How did you manage to last this long?”

Rogge stared at the Death Worm, whose body had been reduced to less than a tenth of its original size.