Sovereign of the Ashes

It seemed the viziers and Pharaohs of the Amenkha Empire held absolute authority over the Monster Legion.

That authority even disregarded the limits of life ranks.

Beside the single-horned Rank Six monster, Sein spotted the Rank Five vizier he and Fermera had just repelled with a single strike.

The guy was now standing on the monster’s neck.

As the Rank Six monster let out a thunderous roar, more and more members of the Monster Legion and necromantic creatures began diving straight down from the sky.

The way these monsters descended reminded Sein of the titans of the Magus Alliance.

Many of the massive, wingless beasts curled their bodies into oval shapes before dropping straight down.

Given their size—tens, hundreds, even thousands of meters long—the sight was like a meteor shower raining from the heavens.

Crimson flames, ignited by air friction, flared across their scaled bodies.

After crashing into the ground, many of them casually brushed themselves off with sharp claws, then immediately shifted into combat mode.

Looking at them, Sein could not help but think this was what perfect cannon fodder looked like.

These Monster Legions were far more efficient than the enslaved creature armies of Magus World.

If the Magus Civilization could annex the Amenkha Empire and master the methods used to cultivate these legions, its overall strength would take a massive leap.

And beyond that... the Amenkha Empire must possess deep insights into necromantic and umbra elemental laws.

As the Amenkha Empire’s Monster Legion pressed forward in overwhelming numbers, the Magus Civilization’s forces in the Sea Melody World stood their ground.

Tourmaline was the first to react, lifting her head and releasing a resounding dragon’s roar.

The Sea Melody World was a low-level hydro-elemental plane. Many of the sea races left behind by White Stella, including a few sea kings, still thrived here.

Under the influence of Tourmaline’s draconic might, the sea races of Magus World surged with far greater fighting spirit than usual.

At the same time, the Divine Tower of Ashes legion under Sein opened fire.

From within the massive Ashen Fortress, a vast fleet of war airships and prism forts flew out.

As the lower hatches swung open, waves of enslaved creatures poured forth like a tidal wave.

Individually, these creatures were smaller than the Amenkha Empire’s monsters, but their sheer numbers more than made up for it.

Over the years, Sein had never stopped expanding his forces of enslaved creatures.

During the Clash of Civilizations, he had taken part in countless missions and battles, earning enormous rewards. However, his expenses, especially for experiments, were just as staggering.

That constant cycle of spending and accumulation had built up the Divine Tower of Ashes Legion into a force of considerable strength.

At the same time, Reina’s Steel Heart Fortress and the space fortress of the local garrison knight, Saxe, also entered full combat mode.

“The reinforcements led by Grandmaster Feylis are right behind us. Break through and regroup with the main force.” Sein transmitted his voice to every Magus Civilization powerhouse on the Sea Melody World battlefield via mental focus.

Tourmaline moved first, lunging toward the nearest Rank Four monster.

Above her, the Rank Six monster was intercepted by Fermera as she spread her metallic wings wide.

Sein fought alongside Tourmaline for a short while before breaking off and heading straight for the one-armed Rank Five vizier.

He was genuinely curious about the Amenkha Empire’s creatures.

If he could capture this vizier alive and turn him into a specimen, that creature would become a valuable addition to his laboratory!

***

The battles Sein was fighting in the Sea Melody World were only minor skirmishes on the outskirts of the Mordora Star Domain.

In that sense, he was fortunate to be here.

Because at the very heart of the Mordora Star Domain, the fighting had already escalated into complete devastation.

The Tenth Pharaoh of the Amenkha Empire had come for White Stella, but in reality, she was using her as bait.

She never appeared in person, instead sending multiple Rank Six and peak Rank Six beings to suppress White Stella.

There was even an overlord-level monster king deliberately releasing its aura on the outskirts of the Mordora Star Domain.

The goal was to lure the Magus Civilization into sending reinforcements.

As expected, her action had drawn the attention of many high-ranking figures within the Magus Civilization due to White Stella’s unique status and her bloodline.

Beyond mid-level forces like Feylis, two overlords arrived one after another.

The first to reach this medium-sized star domain battlefield was the Dragon Warlocks Legion, stationed not far from the Mordora Star Domain.

Bhaal, the Rank Seven warlock, personally led the force, bringing tens of millions of Dragon Warlocks with him.

The second overlord to arrive was Avril, the Mermaid Queen herself.

The world-class Royal Trident currently in White Stella’s possession was originally hers, which was why she immediately sensed when White Stella was in danger.

Their arrival forced the Tenth Pharaoh, who had been lurking in the shadows, to reconsider the origin of White Stella’s bloodline.

In truth, she was not the only one in danger within the Mordora Star Domain.

Her younger brother, Black Oblivion, along with her cousins Qixiu and Hanliu, were all caught in the central battlefield as well.

White Stella had originally intended to keep a close watch on them and stop them from wandering recklessly across a war of this scale.

She had never expected this to become an opportunity for the Amenkha Empire to ambush them all!

Only Tourmaline, who remained on the outskirts of the Mordora Star Domain, might still have a slim chance of escape.

That small possibility was the only thing giving White Stella a measure of relief in her current situation.

The most dangerous thing about the Tenth Pharaoh was that she had neither revealed herself nor shown her true strength since entering the Magus Civilization’s territory.

She stayed hidden in the shadows, like a viper waiting to strike.

The Magus Civilization had detected a massive Amenkha Empire legion of over thirty million strong gathered in one corner of the battlefield. But they had no idea who was commanding it, nor how powerful it truly was.

Meanwhile, the consequences of the recent surprise assault by the Amenkha Empire’s Pharaohs against the Magus Civilization’s overlord-level forces were still unfolding.

With the high command forced to deal with the Gallant Federation’s full-scale counteroffensive while urgently repairing their own losses, some missteps in judgment were inevitable.

***

In the Sea Melody World...

Sein had not expected that a sizable legion of Dragon Warlocks would arrive near this low-level plane along with his grandmaster’s forces.

The leader of the legion was a Rank Six powerhouse Sein had met before, Kruiz, who quickly joined him in his fight against the Rank Five vizier.[1]

In his transformed state, the Dragon Warlock had a wingspan stretching hundreds of meters, and his body was covered in purple-gold dragon scales.

Seizing the moment while the vizier was locked in combat with Sein, another warlock named Mel struck from the side, tearing off two bloody chunks from the enemy’s body with her razor-sharp dragon claws.

The vizier’s shrill scream echoed across the battlefield.

With the Dragon Warlocks pouring in and the enemy already on the back foot, the fate of the Amenkha Empire’s forces in this low-level plane was all but sealed.

1. Translator’s Note: Just a recap, Kruiz first appeared in Chapter 1818. He is Feylis’ good friend. His daughter, Mel, gave Sein a violet-golden dragon scale. ☜