Sovereign of the Ashes

Even for a Rank Eight overlord, killing another Rank Eight being was never an easy task.

The Third Pharaoh Makhast’s combat prowess was indeed unparalleled. But even he could not single-handedly prevent several overlords, such as Aeberton and Violet Thistlestar, from escaping at once.

Compared to the Dark Knight, who had actually managed to stir Makhast’s interest, it was obvious that the Amenkha powerhouse truly despised the Cosmic King.

He wanted him dead.

Other Amenkha Empire powerhouses quickly set off in pursuit of the Dark Knight.

Makhast, however, remained where he was. His primary target had never changed. It was still the true ruler of the Grand Cosmic World—the Cosmic King.

Top-tier civilizations such as the Amenkha Empire and the Magus Civilization acted with clear purpose. Once they set their sights on an objective, they rarely changed course on a whim.

The Amenkha Empire’s main target was the Grand Cosmic World. As of yet, the Pharaohs’ Temple had shown no intention of launching an expedition against the Magus Civilization.

Thus, Makhast had no reason to pursue the Dark Knight. Instead, he chose to first eliminate the Cosmic King, whose strength had already declined severely after losing too much of his overlord soul.

Once the Cosmic King fell, the Amenkha Empire’s conquest of the Grand Cosmic World would be all but complete.

As for the Magus Civilization, they had never declared that they would defend the Grand Cosmic World at all costs.

Vivian, Aeberton, and the others only needed to slow the Amenkha Empire’s advance and blunt its momentum.

There was an old saying: when the lips were gone, the teeth would feel the cold.

But did the Grand Cosmic World truly share such a close relationship with the Magus Civilization?

Could it truly be considered the Magus Civilization’s “lips”?

Had a fellow top-tier civilization such as Luminara been on the verge of destruction, and had the Magus Civilization not already been forced to bear the full pressure of the Amenkha Empire’s offensive alone, it would undoubtedly have extended a helping hand.

In such a situation, it might even have dispatched its overlords to fight to the death.

But for the sake of the Grand Cosmic World?

It simply was not worth sending several of the Magus Civilization’s overlords to their deaths in this war.

Moreover, back then, the Cosmic King had tried to walk a fine line between several major civilizations, so the Grand Cosmic World had never formally joined the Magus Alliance.

Therefore, the Magus Civilization had not violated the terms of the Magus Alliance...

Perhaps the Magus Civilization had also been reluctant to let the Grand Cosmic World join the Magus Alliance from the very beginning.

After all, they had never wanted to confront the mighty Amenkha Empire openly so early.

With a large number of overlord-level forces withdrawing from the battlefield, the defensive lines the Grand Cosmic World had spent countless years fortifying collapsed beneath the Amenkha Empire’s assault in a single day.

The lower-tier forces fielded by the Amenkha Empire in this war were somewhat different from the legions led by the Tenth Pharaoh on the Magus Civilization’s side.

Under Makhast’s command, vast armies of death servants surged forward like a black tide.

These death servants were practitioners of death and darkness within the Amenkha Empire. They were also the precursors to the vizier class.

Before reaching Rank Three, most beings of the Amenkha Empire were cultivated as death servants.

Only after advancing to Rank Four could they be granted the title of “vizier” and admitted into the Pharaohs’ Temple.

In addition to the death servants, the Amenkha Empire had also deployed a legion of “bone constructs” in this apocalyptic war against the Grand Cosmic World.

At first glance, these bone construct legions seemed somewhat similar to the mecha armies of the Neisse Civilization or the mobile suit legions of the Gallant Federation.

But a closer look made it clear that they were entirely different!

This was a vast army of skeletons forged from pure necromantic energy!

Skeletal dragons swept across the battlefield in roaring hordes, while colossal bone giants lumbered forward.

It seemed that while the Amenkha Empire had a tradition of flaying its enemies, it did not let their flesh and bones go to waste either.

Every year, the empire produced staggering quantities of flesh essence and high-grade bone materials.

Unfortunately, most of those resources were consumed internally, with very little ever circulating beyond its borders.

Otherwise, the Amenkha Empire’s gruesome reputation would undoubtedly have spread much farther.

***

Indiscriminate slaughter began to spread throughout the Grand Cosmic World.

Most of its native creatures were not particularly skilled in battle.

At this point, the only truly reliable forces were the Astral Realm mercenaries the Grand Cosmic World had hired at an enormous price.

Overlord-level beings could simply tear up their contracts and leave the battlefield whenever they pleased.

But the mercenary creatures below Rank Six clearly did not possess such freedom.

Breaking a law contract personally established by an overlord, without the aid of another overlord, came at a price far too heavy for them to bear.

Judging by the way the Amenkha Empire’s forces behaved, did they really seem like the kind who would accept surrender and graciously help someone dissolve a law contract?

Collapse came even faster than expected.

As the Grand Cosmic World’s frontline legions began to crumble, its so-called powerhouses scrambled to escape, seizing whatever resources they controlled along the way.

Meanwhile, in the rear, the allied forces of the Magus Civilization and the Immortal Realm had already established a solid defensive barrier.

Interestingly, the direction those beings of the Grand Cosmic World fled toward was precisely where the Magus Civilization was stationed—the very civilization that had supposedly “betrayed” and “abandoned” them, leaving them to suffer such devastating losses.

Clearly, they knew that the Magus Civilization’s vast armies were gathered there.

During their long period of working together, the Magus Civilization powerhouses had treated them fairly well.

No matter how aloof the Magus Civilization might be, dealing with them was still way better than facing the cruel and savage Amenkha Empire again.

Those monsters truly would flay them alive and tear out their tendons. Even if they wanted to surrender, they would never be given the chance!

The Rank Eight Cosmic King stared at the apocalyptic scene unfolding before him, then at the terrifying magical might radiating from the Third Pharaoh.

Inwardly, he let out a long sigh.

“It’s over.”

***

As the Grand Cosmic World battlefield teetered on the brink of collapse, the situation on other fronts for the Magus Civilization remained highly favorable.

The arrival of the Myriad Springs Worlds legions led by Destruction Spring placed immense pressure on the Gallant Federation on the flank.

A massive dragon army, led by several overlord-level dragonkin from the Immortal Realm, joined the Magus Civilization’s frontal assault against the Gallant Federation after completing their preparations.

This further squeezed the Gallant Federation’s room to maneuver.

Previously, Baxia and the others had spent a considerable amount of time hunting down the Tenth Pharaoh and the legions under her command.

Now that these troublesome foes had been dealt with, the dragons could finally turn their full attention to plundering the Magus Civilization’s battlefields.

The Magus Civilization’s own legions, having undergone another round of mobilization, demonstrated combat capabilities far exceeding the Gallant Federation’s limits.

An increasing number of exceptional prodigies and rising talents, much like Sein, were emerging on the civilizational battlefields like bamboo shoots after spring rain.

Among them were even outstanding individuals who had reached the peak of Rank Six and possessed the potential to achieve the Overlord Realm.

Aside from these exceptionally talented younger generation powerhouses, the most outstanding Magus Civilization overlord in the recent Clash of Civilizations was none other than a powerhouse who had just returned from his travels in the Astral Realm beyond the domain.

Nobin, a peak Rank Seven soul overmage who specialized in electro elemental magic!

Shortly after returning to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield, he dealt a crushing blow to an overlord-class fleet of Erebus-class vessels belonging to the Gallant Federation.

Master Nobin was not alone. At his side was an overlord-level lion, bound to him as his familiar!

The mage and lion fought in perfect harmony. Thanks to their soul connection, Master Nobin even possessed the strength to contend with Rank Eight beings.

In contrast to the Magus Civilization, whose influence and military might were on the rise, the Gallant Federation appeared to be in a state of decline.

The Gallant Federation’s civilizational crisis was becoming increasingly evident.

It remained to be seen whether, under these circumstances, they would be able to secure reinforcements in time.

Or rather, was there still anyone willing to come to their aid?