Sovereign of the Ashes

The highest-ranking federal general stationed outside Reebos World was a four-star lieutenant general.

The fleets under his command possessed overall combat strength ranging roughly from the late stage of Rank Five to the peak of Rank Five.

Unlike in the federation’s home star domains and life planets, this general did not choose to hold his ground. After realizing that the enemy was too powerful and that his legions could not effectively threaten Rank Six beings, he decisively withdrew from the frontlines outside Reebos World.

Compared to the rather unremarkable Reebos World, the nearby Green God Plane offered far better defensive advantages.

The plant lifeforms of that world were deeply rooted in their native soil and possessed far greater resistance.

If the Gallant Federation fleets wanted to maximize their effectiveness, the best course of action was to send part of their forces to reinforce Green God Plane’s defenses.

“Move out!” Seeing the frontline on the verge of collapse, the four-star lieutenant general immediately gave the order.

Several federal fleets and giant mobile suits moved in unison with him.

However, two combat units remained behind at the defensive line outside Reebos World.

They were holding the very frontline and had no way to retreat.

If they pulled back, the entire front would collapse. The Magus Civilization legions would pounce like rabid dogs, tearing into their fleet and preventing the main force led by the four-star lieutenant general from escaping safely.

“Lieutenant General Freeman, you guys leave. Though we may ultimately fall on this foreign soil beyond the federation’s star domain, we sacrifice ourselves for the peace of the Gallant Federation,” a three-star major general said in his final video message to Lieutenant General Freeman.

The video was extremely blurry and kept flickering.

That was because the capital ship carrying the major general had already been struck by Fermera’s shoulder cannon.

An assault from a Rank Six being was not something a federal fleet group with combat power comparable to Rank Four could withstand.

And that was without Fermera deliberately charging the attack. Otherwise, the major general would not even have had the chance to send this final message.

At that moment, Four-Star Lieutenant General Freeman could no longer reply.

In his field of vision, the capital ship personally commanded by the three-star major general was already engulfed in raging flames, hurtling straight toward the eight-winged angel’s position.

Anyone familiar with the Gallant Federation’s military structure would know that a federal fleet operated as a single unit, with capital ships serving primarily as command centers.

Their direct combat ability was not especially outstanding, nor were their defenses particularly impressive.

Their true strengths lay in superior evasion capabilities and extremely wide signal coverage, allowing them to coordinate allied legions scattered across the battlefield and maintain communication with nearby friendly units.

The fact that the three-star major general personally led his capital ships in a suicide attack against the Magus Civilization fleet clearly showed his resolve.

And sure enough, after the major general made his move, fierce flames continued to rage across the surrounding battlefields.

The ships under his command that could still fight charged en masse toward the Magus Civilization Army.

This was the Gallant Federation, the adversary of the Magus Civilization!

The fact that they could stand toe-to-toe with the Magus Civilization in this sector of space was proof enough that the federation was no ordinary force!

When the God of Black Mist and the others saw that the enemy was unstoppable, they seized the opportunity to defect and become vassals.

But among the federal fleets, had anyone seen an entire fleet unit surrender en masse?

In fact, even outright desertion was rare within the Gallant Federation fleet! What they carried out were strategic redeployments.

Take Four-Star Lieutenant General Freeman, for example. He intended to withdraw to Green God Plane and continue resisting from there.

They were worlds apart from the God of Black Mist and the others.

After the three-star major general sent his final message, another mobile suit combat group that had stayed behind also led its forces into battle against the Magus Civilization legions.

Some of those mobile suits had already clashed with the Dawn Empire legions, which were charging forward at breakneck speed.

The commanders of that mobile suit combat group were two major generals piloting a Rank Four mobile suit through neural linkage.

They left no final words behind.

Lieutenant General Freeman only managed to catch a glimpse of the backs of the mobile suits they piloted.

It was a T3-model giant mobile suit with what appeared to be a malfunctioning shoulder.

On the ground, the federation’s advanced weapons deployed across Reebos World began firing in unison, joined by the automated fire units positioned among the surrounding meteoroids.

There simply had not been enough time!

The federation had been in the Divine Descendants Star Domain for too short a period, and the Dawn Empire’s offensive had come too quickly.

As a result, the federation had not been able to establish the kind of solid defensive line they would have built in their own home star domain.

Most importantly, the federation had not anticipated that the Magus Civilization would launch such a powerful offensive from the Divine Descendants Star Domain, right behind their lines!

As Four-Star Lieutenant General Freeman left the Reebos World battlefield on his capital ship, he could not help looking back.

Although he had already prepared himself mentally, a lump still rose in his throat when he saw what happened.

The capital ship personally piloted by the three-star major general had failed to inflict any meaningful damage on that mechanical angel. Instead, it was smashed to pieces by a single swing from a Rank Six Magus Civilization knight nearby.

Meanwhile, the T3-model giant mobile suit piloted by the neural-linked major generals was still fighting desperately.

Judging from the situation on the surrounding battlefield, their prospects did not look good either.

***

Inside Reebos World...

Reebos, an intermediate deity who had been hiding in the rear and hoping the Gallant Federation fleet would clash with the Magus Civilization’s main force first, saw the federation’s remaining main fleet quickly withdraw from the battlefield through short-range spatial jumps.

The peak Rank Five deity could not help stamping his foot in fury.

“These people from the federation are truly unreliable!” Reebos exclaimed, pointing in the direction the federal fleet had fled.

It was not that Reebos was afraid of battle. He simply was not the type of deity suited for head-on confrontations.

His true strength required waiting until both sides had fought each other to a standstill, then suddenly intervening with a surprise attack.

In Divine Descendants World, Reebos had another title—the God of Night. Because of that, Reebos World was sometimes called Night World.

This low-level plane had no sun and remained shrouded in perpetual darkness.

Yet the fierce battle between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation in the space beyond the plane had lit up Reebos World’s sky.

As a result, countless beings across this world were now gazing up at the “divine miracle” unfolding above them, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity.

“My lord, should we retreat?” one of Reebos’ subordinate gods asked.

“Retreat? Retreat where? Do you really think Marduk will spare us if we do?” Reebos asked, his dark eyes fixed on the subordinate god.

Within Divine Descendants World, countless divine mountain peaks stood clustered together, while the various pantheons waged constant war against one another.

However, since the vast majority of these deities had never left the Divine Descendants Star Domain, most of them did not think of surrendering like the God of Black Mist when facing external enemies.

The God of Black Mist had seen more of the wider world and experienced far more, so his thinking was naturally more flexible than theirs.

Deities should not be imagined as truly omniscient or omnipotent. Even high and mighty beings of Rank Four and above could still be shortsighted.

They had merely reached great heights in cultivation and benefited from fortunate circumstances that allowed them to ascend to divinity. That did not mean their vision and insight were just as elevated.

Take the deities of Divine Descendants World, for example. Shaped by Marduk’s influence and the historical development of their own civilization, they appeared somewhat more “ignorant” than the deities of other star domains.

“Night World is my domain. No one can take it from me! If they want to seize my wealth, they will first have to see whether my Night Dagger agrees!” Reebos growled menacingly.

In the next instant, his divine form dimmed, and he vanished from where he stood.

This peak Rank Five being, who mastered divine abilities such as assassination, stealth, and darkness, was the kind of entity that even Rank Six greater deities in the Divine Descendants World would hesitate to provoke.

Of course, that might also be because Divine Descendants World had too few truly powerful Rank Six beings. Even the strongest among them had only reached the late stage of Rank Six.

Having yet to suffer any real setback, Reebos was determined to teach these invaders from the Magus Civilization a lesson!