Sovereign of the Ashes

“You idiot! All you ever do is give the Young Master useless advice. That’s clearly a mage of considerable standing,” the Flame Demon snapped at the big-headed Rank Five demon who had just made that ridiculous suggestion.

“With two world-class secret treasures at his disposal, he’s definitely not someone to be taken lightly in Magus World. If you provoke someone you shouldn’t, even Lord Gustavo won’t be able to save you!”

Although demons were known for their bravery and combat prowess, some of them did, in fact, use their brains.

This particular Flame Demon was one of the more level-headed ones.

Most Rank Six mages might not even possess a single world-class secret treasure, yet that Rank Five mage had two!

When something looked unusual, there was usually a reason.

The Flame Demon had been assigned to Enrique’s side specifically to help Lord Gustavo keep an eye on his good-for-nothing son.

The saying “like father, like son” did not always hold true in the Astral Realm.

Lord Gustavo was deeply dissatisfied with this son of his.

The boy had not inherited even a shred of the demon overlord’s cunning and composure. Instead, he had always been known for his arrogance and volatile temper.

If not for the undeniable blood ties between them, Gustavo might have even wondered whether this fellow was truly his own flesh and blood.

Still, after a long period of growth, along with the constant accumulation of experience and insight, Enrique Gustavo had matured considerably.

His peak Rank Six strength was proof of that.

Another sign of his growth was that, when he saw something valuable now, he no longer rushed forward to seize it at once. Instead, he first assessed the opponent and investigated their background...

Enrique’s sharp demon claws drummed lightly against the throne’s armrest.

Although he gave no verbal command, the demon kings surrounding him had already understood his intent.

They quickly charged one after another toward the snow-covered battlefield ahead.

Enrique Gustavo remained seated on the throne, like a final boss hidden in the shadows. After stopping Wanderer Xinming from escaping, he showed no intention of taking further action.

Indeed, for someone like him, a demon king and the descendant of an overlord, insignificant small fry were hardly worth his attention.

***

The battle that unfolded across this frozen, snow-covered landscape lasted only a short while before coming to an end.

It had started as three against one, then became three against three, before finally escalating into three against more than ten.

One could only imagine what kind of mental turmoil those three enemy powerhouses had gone through.

Wanderer Xinming was not the last to fall. In fact, he died much faster than the other Rank Six native deity from Divine Descendants World.

Faced with a brutal beating from more than ten vicious demon kings, along with the oppressive aura of a peak Rank Six demon lurking among them, Wanderer Xinming’s already-crumbling resolve finally collapsed.

In the end, he gave up resisting.

The demon kings showed him no mercy. They tore him apart and devoured him.

Slaughter and the devouring of flesh and blood were instincts carved deep into the nature of demons.

The gates of flesh and blood Sein and the others had seen upon arriving at the Divine Descendants Star Domain battlefield were the work of these demons.

After Wanderer Xinming perished, the big-headed demon king—the same one who had made that ridiculous suggestion earlier—stuck out its massive, barb-covered crimson tongue and began licking up the blood Xinming had spilled across the ice.

He even scooped up the bloodstained ice shards and swallowed them.

The high-quality flesh and blood of a Rank Six being left the big-headed demon king looking deeply satisfied.

He moved quickly, having just managed to snatch Wanderer Xinming’s left hand.

The Wanderer’s heart and head, the most precious parts, were ultimately presented to Enrique Gustavo with utmost reverence by a winged succubus.

A king, after all, had to enjoy the very best.

The heart contained the richest vital energy in Xinming’s body, while devouring the brain matter within the skull was a tradition among demons.

In addition, Xinming’s crystal core and storage equipment were also presented to Enrique.

Fermera had initially participated in the battle against Wanderer Xinming. However, after the demon legion arrived, she clearly sensed the undisguised hostility those demon kings directed toward her.

It was not that they intended to attack Fermera and her companions right away.

Rather, demons inherently loathed angelic beings like her.

During the past wars against the Gallant Federation, the angel-type robots produced by the Icarus Group had always been among the primary targets of the Quatar Star Pirates.

Fermera had no interest in getting entangled with those demon kings. Once she confirmed that Wanderer Xinming could no longer break free or escape, she immediately returned to Sein’s side to support him.

After all, Sein was the one she cared about most.

By the time the battle finally ended, Sein had acquired two more divine relics from the native deities of Divine Descendants World.

Most of the remaining spoils were divided among the other law-wielding powerhouses who had participated in the battle.

As for the Rank Six demon king who had initially been surrounded and beaten, he ultimately took the head of the Rank Six native deity.

The heart should have belonged to him as well. After all, Sein had already taken the most valuable divine relics by conventional standards, and had also collected quite a few flesh and blood specimens.

In the end, however, the Demon King offered the Rank Six heart, which contained considerable blood and qi energy, to Sein.

“I, Sethem, never owe anyone a favor! This Rank Six heart is only a token of gratitude for your timely intervention. I still owe you a favor. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to come find me at the Quatar Star Pirates!” the Rank Six demon king said.

Using Bloodfall had left Sethem visibly gaunt and sallow. Even his speech sounded labored, like air being forced through a bellows. Anyone with eyes could see how weakened he was at that moment.

Nevertheless, the demon king’s character earned a nod of approval from Sein.

Sein smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind. If I ever need anything in the future, I’ll come find you, Melgen Sethem,” he said, addressing the demon king by his full name.

Sethem nodded. Then, spreading the mangled flesh wings on his back, he flew off toward the demon legion.

Sein watched the demon king depart without saying much.

There was no harm in building a good relationship with this Demon King, especially since the Blood Crystals Sein had obtained from Kigard the Phantom Thief were nearly depleted.

If Sein could acquire more Blood Crystals from Sethem for body tempering, he was confident he could reach the peak of Rank Five even faster.

Sein was not in a hurry to negotiate a deal with Sethem just yet. He first needed to get to know his new acquaintance properly.

Moreover, the war in Divine Descendants World was still raging. Sein likely would not have much time to devote himself to body-tempering experiments for now.

He would wait until the war on this large-sized plane came to an end before starting any of these plans.