Sovereign of the Ashes

The Empress appeared to be in a good mood, and for some reason, Sein found her rather warm and approachable.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she had once saved his life and had even spoken to him so “casually” back then.

After hesitating for a moment, Sein took the initiative to ask, “Your Majesty, the overgod you slew on the battlefield of Divine Descendants World possessed a world-class secret treasure known as the Ark. That treasure is extremely important to my research. Would it be possible for me to borrow it for a while?”

Sein naturally did not dare shamelessly ask her to hand it over outright. He merely wanted the chance to examine it.

Besides, a world-class secret treasure like the Ark was still far beyond what he could handle at his current level, even if he already possessed two such treasures and was planning to craft a third.

The Empress of Blades seemed briefly caught off guard by his request, but recovered after only two seconds.

“Come to think of it, this is actually one of the reasons I summoned you today. I recall that you picked up a fragment of the Ark Core from Marduk’s crash site back then, didn’t you, boy?”

She smiled, narrowing her eyes slightly as she continued, “Would you be willing to trade it to me? I can offer you a price that will satisfy you.”

Sein froze.

“Huh? But my Magic Cube has already devoured that fragment.”

Trying to hide something from an overlord was hardly a wise decision.

The Empress of Blades had most likely noticed the existence of Sein’s Magic Cube long ago.

Yet after saving both Sein and Fermera, she had shown no interest in taking either of his world-class secret treasures. That alone said plenty about her character.

Therefore, Sein chose to speak to her truthfully.

His answer clearly took the Empress of Blades by surprise.

When Sein brought out the dormant Magic Cube as proof, she could not help but pinch the bridge of her nose with her sharp fingernails.

“So that’s the Magic Cube? I noticed something unusual about it back on the battlefield, but I never imagined it could actually devour Marduk’s artifact,” the Empress of Blades said as she stared at the cube.

Sein had no idea how to respond. For the time being, he could only remain silent.

Fortunately, the Empress of Blades still showed no intention of taking Sein’s treasure for herself. She merely sighed and said, “What a pity. With a little repair, this piece of equipment could still be useful.”

“The lord of Steel City in your Magus World is still in need of a suitable vessel. As for Reyno Star City... she probably won’t use it,” the Empress of Blades added with another sigh.

Sein fell silent once more.

The “lord of Steel City” she mentioned was naturally Lady Bev, the Magus Civilization’s leader.

As for Reyno Star City, also known as Locke Starport, Sein had visited it once before and even placed a bet at its largest casino.

However, such matters were far beyond what someone at his current level could freely comment on.

The Empress of Blades extended her right hand, and a unique surge of divine power and law fluctuations immediately filled the hall.

A moment later, a miniature version of the Ark appeared before Sein, along with a deep blue crystal with one corner missing.

The Ark was covered in a dense web of cracks, with at least one-third of its structure missing.

It looked like a shattered building block that had been forcibly pieced back together.

The deep blue crystal was in slightly better condition, appearing mostly intact. But that missing corner...

No matter how Sein looked at it, it seemed exactly like the fragment his Magic Cube had devoured.

The moment the miniature Ark and its core appeared within the Imperial Palace, the dormant Magic Cube began emitting a deep blue glow once again.

Sein was far too familiar with his world-class secret treasure not to understand what this meant.

The Magic Cube was hungry again. It had caught the scent of another feast.

The problem was that it had not even finished digesting the fragment already inside it. How could it possibly still have an appetite for more?

Besides, the large remaining portion of the Ark’s core did not belong to Sein.

The Empress of Blades and the Insectoids had most likely gathered the scattered fragments from the battlefield after their battle with Marduk and pieced them back together, along with the damaged Ark itself.

The Empress of Blades also noticed the unusual reaction from Sein’s Magic Cube.

With a faint smile, she put the Ark away.

As its law energy faded from the hall, the Magic Cube returned to stillness, once again resembling nothing more than an ordinary blue-purple crystalline cube.

The Empress of Blades chuckled.

“You’re quite the lucky one, boy. You’ve already acquired two world-class secret treasures. You have a bright future ahead of you.”

“No, no. I got this mask during a trial on the Knight Continent, where I inherited the legacy of a predecessor from the Magus Civilization. As for the Magic Cube, I found it while infiltrating the Gallant Federation on a special mission. Afterward, the Magus Civilization’s high command helped upgrade it into a world-class secret treasure as part of my reward,” Sein replied quickly and modestly.

“As a spellcaster of the Magus Civilization, it’s only right that I follow in the footsteps of my predecessors, pursue profound truths, and devote all my strength to the Magus Civilization,” he declared.

The Empress of Blades merely nodded and said nothing more.

Seeing that she had no intention of taking his Magic Cube, and considering that part of the Ark’s core had already been devoured anyway, Sein could not help asking, “Your Majesty, what would I need to offer to borrow the Ark in your possession?”

“To be honest, this world-class secret treasure is extremely important to both my study of the mechanical arts and the evolution of my Magic Cube,” he added, looking at her with hope in his eyes.

The Empress of Blades smiled.

As Sein had expected, she was not angered by his bold request. Instead, she casually proposed a condition that caught him completely by surprise.

“When you become an overlord in the future, I’ll give you this world-class secret treasure as a gift.”

She paused, then seemed to reconsider.

“Oh, becoming an overlord may still be a little too far beyond your reach right now—and rather difficult at that. I’ll lower the requirement then...”

“As long as you reach the peak of Rank Six, I’ll give you this little toy,” the Empress of Blades said while casually playing with the miniature Ark in her hand.

Her condition caught Sein completely off guard.

Rather than a “condition”, it sounded more like a “promise” made between them.

Sein had already mapped out a clear path toward Rank Six, but the peak of Rank Six—the level Grandmaster Feylis had reached—was still far beyond what he could currently fathom.

The peak of Rank Six was similar to the demigod stage of Rank Three. It was the most difficult threshold within the entire rank.

Only by crossing that threshold could one gain the potential to reach the Overlord Realm.

Fail to cross it, and one would remain merely an ordinary Rank Six being—hardly anything remarkable on the current battlefield of civilizations.

Even so, the Empress of Blades was practically offering him the Ark for free, and that immediately ignited Sein’s competitive spirit.

“Very well,” Sein replied without hesitation. “Once I reach the peak of Rank Six, I’ll return and claim this world-class secret treasure from you!”

“Not bad, young man. You’ve got drive. I like that,” the Empress of Blades said, nodding in approval.

***

After he met with the Empress of Blades, Sein put away the Magic Cube and Faceless Mask, then left the Imperial Palace without delay.

Strangely enough, the Empress of Blades had not given him anything this time. She had merely dangled the Ark before him and promised to hand it over once he reached the peak of Rank Six.

Yet that promise alone was enough to reignite Sein’s determination to push himself even further.

Of course, there was little point in thinking that far ahead just yet. His immediate priority was to reach the peak of Rank Five as soon as possible.

The experiments he had recently conducted with Mel, Yuri, and the others had already brought him to the verge of a breakthrough.

Before leaving the Divine Descendants Star Domain, his advancement to the peak of Rank Five should be all but certain.

As for Rank Six, that would have to wait until he returned to the main battlefield of the Magus Civilization.

Many of Sein’s planned experiments could only be carried out after his return as well, including fusion and transformation experiments involving multiple space fortresses.

Before attempting to advance to Rank Six, Sein also intended to seek advice from Grandmaster Feylis and see whether she had any useful guidance for him.

After Sein departed, the Imperial Palace, which had previously been relatively quiet, gradually filled with hushed discussion.

Most of the voices belonged to the Insectoid kings gathered below. Their conversation revolved around the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s secret realm that Sein had just mentioned, particularly the mountain of top-grade inert crystals!

Could such an enormous quantity of top-grade inert crystals allow the Insectoids to produce another batch of Rank Four and above creatures?

Or perhaps the Insectoid kings at the peak of Rank Six, whose evolution had already reached the limits imposed by their bloodlines, might finally gain the opportunity to ascend even further, just as the Thunder Beast King and Swiftling King had.

Although the Empress of Blades ruled the Insectoids with an iron fist and her word was absolute, she still allowed these highly intelligent Insectoids to discuss such matters freely.

At times, she would even ask the high-ranking Insectoids for their opinions.

Among them, the one with the most potential to break through to the Overlord Realm was undoubtedly the Winged Drakon King.

He was the king of the flying Insectoids and represented the pinnacle of their evolution.

After the Thunder Beast King became the first to reach the Overlord Realm, the Insectoids had originally considered devoting their next batch of resources to the Winged Drakon King.

However, the Empress of Blades had ultimately decided otherwise.

The Swiftlings made up the largest population within the Insectoid race and possessed outstanding overall combat capabilities. For that reason, she had chosen to allocate those resources to the Swiftling King instead.

This time... it should finally be my turn, shouldn’t it?

The Winged Drakon King swayed its massive body and clicked its mandibles, looking rather smug as it surveyed the other Insectoid kings around it.

The Empress of Blades paid no attention to the subtle commotion below. Resting her chin against her sharp nails, she asked, “How’s the Swiftling King recovering from its injuries?”

“It’s currently recuperating in the hive, and its injuries should not pose any major problem,” the overlord-level Bladeist standing closest to the throne replied respectfully.

“However, we have no way to restore the portion of its Omnipotent Soul that was depleted. Perhaps once we return to the Magus Civilization, we can ask them for assistance,” he suggested.

The Insectoids had suffered some losses during the war in Divine Descendants World.

The Swiftling King, an early-stage Rank Seven overlord, had been severely wounded during its final battle against Venerable Muge.

Just before his death, Venerable Muge had unleashed wooden thorns infused with poison laws, catching the Insectoids completely off guard.

Even so, compared to everything the Insectoids had gained from the Divine Descendants Star Domain War, the Swiftling King’s injuries were relatively minor.

However, the Insectoids had yet to master any method of restoring an overlord’s Omnipotent Soul, and this remained one of the greatest differences separating them from top-tier civilizations.

“Mm, I see.”

The Empress of Blades lightly tapped her sharp nails against the throne and said nothing more.