Sovereign of the Ashes

While Vivian and the others fought, Aeberton stood nearby with the Imperial Blade in hand.

However, much like the Gluttonous Snake Overlord who had narrowly escaped with his life, the Dark Knight Overlord was in no condition to join such an intense battle.

Even if he did enter, it would be wiser to seek out an opponent weaker than himself.

Although the Magus Civilization had developed relatively mature methods for restoring an overlord’s Omnipotent Soul, even an overlord would die if they squandered too much of it.

As the most mysterious and exalted form of energy in the Astral Realm, the fact that an overlord’s soul was called “Omnipotent Soul” already spoke volumes about its extraordinary nature.

“What a madman. He’s just as insane as that person. If I weren’t saving some strength to fight that man to the death, what difference would it make if I burned through all my soul energy here?”

A low, rumbling growl came from the Amenkha Scorpion within Aeberton’s Imperial Blade.

At the same time, a faint dragon aura emanated from the blade’s edge.

The dragon soul residing within it, however, remained silent.

The Amenkha Scorpion was naturally referring to Makhast, whose combat prowess stood unrivaled on the battlefield.

As for the other man it mentioned, the one it was even more eager to face in battle, that was Ozman Dias, the First Pharaoh of the Amenkha Empire.

Few knew that two overlord souls actually coexisted within Aeberton’s Imperial Blade.

One was a Rank Seven scorpion soul, the other was a Rank Eight dragon soul. There had originally been a boar soul as well, but it had already been destroyed and dispersed.

Aeberton had only managed to clash head-on with Makhast for so long on the previous battlefield of the Grand Cosmic World because of these two souls within the Imperial Blade.

But Aeberton was now utterly exhausted, while Makhast continued unleashing his peerless demonic might.

The difference between them was obvious!

“There’s no need to feel disheartened. The Amenkha Empire has stood for over a million years. In my view, an overlord like Makhast is destined to become its next leader and greatest warrior.”

A faint, dragon voice echoed from within the Imperial Blade.

“As for you... You still have plenty of room to grow. Hasn’t this battle already taught you a great deal?”

After a long silence, Aeberton let out a heavy sigh.

“I just didn’t expect him to maintain his second unsealed state for so long without showing the slightest sign of exhaustion.”

He turned toward the battlefield and continued in a low but firm voice, “I don’t know whether I’ll ever reach his level, but until the day I die, I’ll keep striving to close the distance between us.”

The high-tier world-class secret treasure known as the Dark Blade, or Imperial Blade, hummed continuously in his hand.

The two overlord souls within the blade fell silent. It seemed they, too, had sensed Aeberton’s resolve and unyielding will.

Unyielding... What a beautiful yet tragic quality to possess.

Back then, the two souls had chosen Aeberton precisely because they had felt a faint resonance with that part of him.

Dark energy continued to radiate from his pitch-black figure, spreading in every direction.

With the Dark Blade in hand, Aeberton flew toward the nearest Amenkha Empire monster king.

***

At the outset, the war unfolding along the border of the Grand Cosmic World’s star domain clearly favored the allied forces of the Magus Civilization and the Immortal Realm.

The vanguard legions of the Amenkha Empire’s expeditionary force suffered heavy losses against an enemy several times their size.

However, as the power fluctuations caused by Makhast and the others on the battlefield continued to spread, more and more overlords and powerhouses of the Amenkha Empire were drawn to this region.

The Grand Cosmic World’s main forces soon arrived as well, followed by the flank legions and even the supply and support units from the rear.

The situation gradually shifted toward a fragile balance.

Many beings were not even sure how such a massive war had begun in the first place.

The Magus Civilization needed to stop the Amenkha Empire from continuing its expansion toward their home territory.

The Amenkha Empire, meanwhile, had to protect the interests it had already secured in the Grand Cosmic World.

On top of that, once Makhast entered his battle-crazed state, he gradually stopped caring about what consequences his actions might bring.

Makhast had never been the kind of peak overlord who could lead an entire civilization. For now, he remained the Amenkha Empire’s strongest enforcer, but he was still far from matching the First Pharaoh.

The Immortal Realm, on the other hand, was determined to reap an enormous harvest from the Magus Civilization’s battlefield.

At the same time, this brutal war would help trim away the excess from its increasingly vast and bloated population of cultivators. The weak would be eliminated, while the strong would grow even stronger.

From the moment they joined the Clash of Civilizations, the cultivators of the Immortal Realm had likely already prepared themselves for this. They knew this expedition into foreign lands was a hunt carried out with their lives on the line.

At least for now, none of the three sides was willing to retreat.

***

At the border of the Grand Cosmic World’s star domain, the Amenkha Empire, the Magus Civilization, and the Immortal Realm were locked in fierce battle.

Far beyond that battlefield, the Luminara Civilization was also closely watching the conflict unfold.

The Luminarians had learned of the war much sooner than anyone expected.

The Luminarian King, in particular, sensed the Cosmic King’s fall the very moment it happened.

“I never expected the Cosmic King to actually fall. Another old friend is gone,” he sighed.

He had known the Cosmic King since their earlier years. As fellow Rank Eight overlords, the two had crossed paths many times over the course of their long lives.

Back then, the Cosmic King had always played both sides. He flattered and pandered to the Amenkha Empire while secretly conducting business with the Luminara Civilization.

For someone as two-faced, or perhaps multi-faced, as the Cosmic King, being blasted to death by Makhast could only be called a fitting end.

The Luminarian King and the Cosmic King could hardly be considered friends. At most, they were old acquaintances who had once maintained a mutually beneficial relationship.

Still, overlords lived extraordinarily long lives.

When someone he had known for hundreds of thousands of years suddenly died, it was only natural for the Luminarian King to feel something, especially when that person had fallen at the hands of his civilization’s greatest enemy.

“Zoffrey and the others are still fighting on the frontlines. Should we send more troops?” a Rank Seven Luminarian asked.

The Luminara Civilization had already deployed more than ten overlords to the frontlines against the Amenkha Empire.

For a civilization whose development had long been suppressed by the Amenka Empire, that already amounted to nearly half of its total strength.

Sending any more would mean mobilizing the entire civilization for all-out war...!

In truth, even Zoffrey and the others were only carrying out a feint against the Amenkha Empire.

The Luminara Civilization had no intention of bearing the full weight of the empire’s retaliation.

Relations between civilizations were always driven by self-interest.

The Luminarians might have been known for their love of peace and their kindness toward foreign species, but given the choice, they would much rather watch the Magus Civilization and the Amenkha Empire fight each other to the death from the sidelines.

The Luminarian King was not tempted by what seemed like the perfect opportunity to strike.

“The Magus Civilization has no intention of waging an all-out war against the Amenkha Empire right now. They’re only defending themselves. Until their war with the Gallant Federation is over, they surely won’t advance into the Amenkha Empire’s territory.

“I can guarantee that if we launch a full-scale attack and draw the Amenkha Empire’s main forces, along with Makhast, to the battlefield, the Magus Civilization will seize the chance to withdraw. At most, they will hold their position and watch us fight a decisive battle against the Amenkha Empire.”

The Luminarian King paused before continuing.

“As for that newly emerged top-tier civilization... I believe they are called the Immortal Realm Civilization? We have never dealt with them before, so we know nothing about their true nature. Given the current situation, I suggest we wait and see.”

The Luminarian King was not the strongest being in his civilization. Even among Rank Eight overlords, his strength could only be considered average.

However, he was the current leader of the Luminara Civilization. Throughout the hundreds of thousands of years he had ruled, he had rarely made a serious mistake.

His reasoning was sound.

For now, the war unfolding there had nothing to do with the Luminara Civilization.

Only when the Magus Civilization finally decided to march against the Amenkha Empire and challenge it for supremacy would it be time for the Luminarians to mobilize their full strength and enter the fray.

The Rank Seven Luminarian accepted their king’s decision. He nodded and said nothing more.

For now, every side was locked in a waiting game.

The Luminara Civilization was waiting for an opportunity...

The Magus Civilization was waiting for the war against the Gallant Federation to end...

The Amenkha Empire was waiting for the First Pharaoh to ascend to Rank Nine...

But in the Astral Realm, things rarely unfolded exactly as one hoped.