Sovereign of the Ashes

The “purge” outside Cloud Dragon Stream Plane was progressing smoothly.

Since the Gallant Federation and the native deities of this medium-sized world had chosen to concentrate their forces and defend their homeplane to the death, the defenses of the nearly one hundred surrounding planes had naturally weakened considerably.

Moreover, many of the native deities of the Divine Descendants Star Domain were still fighting on the Gallant Federation’s other battlefields and had not been able to return in time.

With Overgod Marduk still refusing to make an appearance, how could they possibly withstand the full might of the Dawn Empire?

Sein believed that even if he had not raised the suggestion during their previous meeting, Gongsun Wudi would eventually have made the same arrangements herself.

The Princess was a peak Rank Six powerhouse who had experienced countless battles. When it came to commanding troops in the heat of war, even Sein could not compare with her.

As a mage, Sein excelled at analysis and deduction. Gongsun Wudi, on the other hand, had an instinctive grasp of every factor that could shape the course of a battle.

For instance, during all the years Sein had fought in the Divine Descendants Star Domain, his forces had never once suffered from a lack of logistical support.

Whenever he needed reinforcements or external assistance, Gongsun Wudi often seemed to anticipate it before he could even submit a request. By the time Sein thought to contact the command center, the support legion was already on its way.

Fighting under such a commander was truly a pleasure.

***

The vassal planes surrounding Cloud Dragon Stream Plane fell one after another, along with the defensive lines established there by the Gallant Federation.

For the native deities still holding out inside the world, the pressure mounted with each passing day.

At first, the God of Scorching Wind had been reluctant to draw other deities into the plan and persuade them to defect.

He feared that if his betrayal came to light, the enraged Azure Cloud Dragon King would chew him into a bloody pulp.

Worse still, if the Gallant Federation learned of his betrayal, a concentrated barrage of artillery fire could reduce him to ashes in an instant.

But more than either of those things, the God of Scorching Wind feared death.

For the sake of his remaining life, he decided to take the gamble.

The first deity he sought out was the God of the Black Dog, with whom he had developed a fairly good relationship.

Hideous in appearance and withdrawn by nature, the God of the Black Dog was something of an outcast among the deities of this plane.

By drawing him into the plan, the God of Scorching Wind would at least not have to worry about the native deities of Cloud Dragon Stream Plane discovering anything too soon.

The God of the Black Dog also possessed an extraordinarily keen sense of smell. At times, the God of Scorching Wind even suspected that this fellow possessed some divine ability related to scent or tracking.

When the God of Scorching Wind finally approached him, the God of the Black Dog showed not the slightest surprise. On the contrary, it seemed as though he had been waiting for this moment all along.

“I’ve long suspected that something was off about you,” the God of the Black Dog said. “So you really have already made contact with the Magus Civilization powerhouses outside this plane...”

He paused briefly, then continued, “We shouldn’t involve anyone else for now. The two of us will be enough. All we need to do is destroy a few of this world’s law pillars, right?”

“Once we act, the Magus Civilization legions outside the plane only need to break in quickly enough. When everything descends into chaos, no one will have the time to come after us.”

A fierce light gleamed within the God of the Black Dog’s pitch-black eyes as he spoke.

This unassuming fellow was far bolder than the God of Scorching Wind had expected.

Faced with the God of the Black Dog’s suggestion, the God of Scorching Wind hesitated for only a moment before nodding in agreement.

Sure enough, acting alone and acting with an ally were entirely different matters.

Now that the God of the Black Dog had joined this covert operation, the God of Scorching Wind no longer felt his heart pounding with the same fear as before.

Looking at the God of the Black Dog, who remained perfectly calm on the surface, the God of Scorching Wind felt an inexplicable sense of relief wash over him.

***

The Dawn Empire launched its assault on Cloud Dragon Stream Plane earlier than expected.

With the surrounding resistance planes swept clean, the Dawn Empire no longer had to worry about threats from the rear.

Whether in terms of lower-tier legions or high-ranking combatants, the Dawn Empire’s forces outnumbered those of Cloud Dragon Stream Plane by more than three to one!

And most importantly, there was Gongsun Wudi.

If she unleashed her full strength, she alone could likely hold off every Rank Six combatant on Cloud Dragon Stream Plane.

This was not the only front where the Dawn Empire was advancing with terrifying speed.

Sein had heard that across the Divine Descendants Star Domain, its legions were also pressing forward rapidly on multiple battlefronts.

One had to strike while the iron was hot.

With the Divine Descendant Overgod Marduk still nowhere to be seen, the Dawn Empire naturally intended to seize as much as it could while the opportunity remained.

Sein had even heard that His Majesty, the Emperor of the Dawn Empire, had personally intervened more than once to sweep away obstacles blocking the advance of his legions.

When an overlord was willing to intervene so brazenly, it was nothing short of a calamity for lesser beings.

Sein had originally assumed that the Dawn Emperor would be too concerned with maintaining his imperial dignity to intervene so frequently.

It appeared he had been mistaken.

Gongsun Wuji was a pragmatic ruler who placed little value on such empty displays of dignity.

As the fierce battle erupted, the God of Scorching Wind and the God of the Black Dog inside Cloud Dragon Stream Plane made their move without hesitation.

Following Sein’s instructions, they first destroyed the law pillar under their protection, then immediately launched a fierce assault on the two nearby law nodes!

Yet, unexpectedly, they were not the only ones to rebel against Cloud Dragon Stream Plane.

In another, more distant region, chaos and battle had also erupted.

It seemed there was more than one clever fellow on this battlefield!

After the Dawn Empire swept away the garrison forces surrounding Cloud Dragon Stream Plane with overwhelming force, the native deities trapped within the world had little confidence left.

Even with the aid of the Gallant Federation legions, how could they possibly withstand the crushing advance of the Dawn Empire’s armies?

The internal chaos erupting in two separate regions immediately tore open major vulnerabilities in Cloud Dragon Stream Plane’s defenses.

With the destruction of several cloud pillars, the once seemingly impenetrable planar barrier began to tremble and dissolve.

The Dawn Empire forces outside the plane gave neither the White Jade Dragon King nor the Gallant Federation generals any time to react.

Sein immediately led his legions in a fierce assault on the position where the God of Scorching Wind and his allies were.

At the same time, Gongsun Wudi personally led her elite Raging Tiger Army into another region thrown into chaos.

Interplanar warfare was never as refined or orderly as one might imagine.

The moment an opening appeared, the formations of both sides collapsed into chaos. Everyone surged forward, desperate to seize the advantage.

Before long, the battle had devolved into nothing more than a massive brawl.

On Sein’s side, the one leading the charge was Belphane.

As a Rank Six knight, it was only natural for her to shoulder such a responsibility.

Moreover, as a medium-sized plane, Cloud Dragon Stream Plane possessed far greater “interior dimensions” than an ordinary low-level plane. This gave powerful beings slightly more room to maneuver while forcing their way through the planar barrier.

In the other main assault zone, Gongsun Wudi took to the battlefield personally.

With their commander at the forefront, the Dawn Empire soldiers on that side fought with even greater ferocity!

Caught off guard by this sudden upheaval, the White Jade Dragon King and the Azure Cloud Dragon King immediately rushed toward the sector under Gongsun Wudi’s assault.

On Sein’s side, only a single Rank Six giant mobile suit arrived in a hurry to stop them.

This was precisely the disadvantage faced by the defenders.

Cloud Dragon Stream Plane was pretty vast. With such an expansive planar barrier, the legions stationed within had no way of knowing in advance exactly which law nodes the enemy outside would target.

In an interplanar war of this scale, even an information delay of a single sandglass could prove fatal.

And Sein had no intention of giving his opponents the time they needed to recover.