Sovereign of the Ashes

The light beam from the space fortress’ main cannon swiftly descended upon the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Unlike the earlier trident elemental arrow that had almost instantaneously penetrated the world’s planar barrier, the already weakened planar barrier, now bearing two notable breaches, managed to withstand the assault for a few seconds after the beam impacted the surface of Viridian Venom Flame World.

This was primarily due to the beam’s immense diameter and broad area of impact.

As a sustained surge of energy, it did not match the instantaneous burst level of Feylis’ signature spell.

Yet, as the pinnacle of the Magus World’s alchemical prowess, the main cannon’s kilometer-wide torrent of energy far surpassed the offensive and endurance capabilities of ordinary creatures above Rank Four.

Although Gregory had forcibly torn a gap in the planar barrier with his elemental body, expanding this breach quickly proved challenging.

Nonetheless, the main cannon’s energy beam relentlessly pressed against the planar barrier of the Viridian Venom Flame World until it finally broke with a resounding pop.

In the sky above the Viridian Venom Flame World, a vast gap, spanning thousands of meters in diameter, now gaped open!

Although the planar will was still repairing the gap that Gregory had created, this enormous breach, wrought by the space fortress’ main cannon, proved too much for the already debilitated planar will to mend.

The breach, instead of closing, expanded rapidly in all directions.

Within mere moments, the breach, initially thousands of meters wide, rapidly grew to nearly ten thousand meters.

This vast gap provided a clear view for many inhabitants of the Viridian Venom Flame World. They could now see the three colossal space fortresses looming outside in the endless black expanse of starry sky, and the endless stream of vicious and terrifying enslaved creatures invading their world.

”Where’s the Guardian? We need more support!” The peak Rank Three pyro elemental drake roared desperately near the first breach in the planar barrier. At this point, one of its fleshy wings had been partially torn and one of its horns had been broken.

Nearby, a black toad, its body riddled with fiery blisters, stared menacingly at the drake.

A strange sound emerged from its abdomen. Upon closer look, it was revealed that the toad stomach had a gaping wound tens of meters wide in its stomach, leaving some internal organs and blood vessels exposed.

When the toad opened its huge mouth, its once flexible black tongue was gone, replaced by just a faintly visible, severed stump within its maw.

“Hehehe, little one, your guardian has already fallen, so you should join it!” Gregory, who was observing from outside the plane, sneered coldly.

The breach in the planar barrier, which Gregory had initially labored to keep open, was now effortlessly expanding in all directions, as delicate and easily ripped as a piece of paper.

The recent discharge from the space fortress’ main cannon had not only ruptured the planar barrier but had also targeted the Guardian of the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Given the beam’s incredible speed and scope, the Guardian, a mere Rank Three guardian would stand no chance of survival.

This starkly highlighted the disparity between the Magus World and the Viridian Venom Flame World.

In the Magus World, there were four formidable guardians. The Summer Guardian, who had recently bestowed the Planar Light upon Sein, was suspected to have become an overlord. With the blessing of the homeplane, her strength far surpassed ordinary Rank Seven beings.

Conversely, the guardian of the Viridian Venom Flame World was just a Red Flamed Tortoise with a life-level of merely Rank Three.

With its survival now highly improbable, the emergence of the next guardian for the Viridian Venom Flame World remained uncertain.

This uncertainty extended to the further weakening of the Viridian Venom Flame World’s planar will and the total loss of the planar barrier’s protection, all of which were consequences of the Red Flamed Tortoise’s demise.

Gregory reached for the peak Rank Three pyro elemental drake within the plane with his enormous elemental hand.

The drake, bloodied and despairing, flapped its remaining wings in a vain attempt to escape.

Yet against a Rank Five mage, its efforts were futile.

The beam from the space fortress’ main cannon, which had pierced the heart of the Viridian Venom Flame World, lasted for three minutes.

This assault was aimed at further weakening the planar will of this world.

However, the intent of the Magus World’s invasion forces was not to annihilate the Viridian Venom Flame World. Therefore, there was no need for continuous firing of the main cannon, particularly given its significant energy consumption.

After all, this beam was a power equivalent to a Rank Six creature’s attack.

Prolonged operation of the cannon would be a strain, even for a mage as powerful as Feylis.

While the Viridian Venom Flame World was rich in resources useful for their Verdant Flame magic, it was not particularly abundant in other resources.

If the resource gains failed to offset the costs of enslaved creatures and compensations to the divine tower mages, the tower masters would have to bear the financial burden themselves.

In recent years, the Magus World had witnessed several interplanar wars that resulted in financial losses.

Hence, many divine tower masters and grand masters of knightly orders pondered long and hard before initiating such wars.

As the space fortress’ main cannon beam gradually faded in the starry sky, the full-scale interplanar war commenced.

Gregory, still gripping the immobilized Peak Three pyro elemental drake, appeared to have subdued it with his overwhelming elemental power. The drake was paralyzed, its limbs rendered useless, and its eyes fixed and lifeless.

“Hehe, a demigod-level creature that has tapped into the power of law, and even earned the favor of this small world’s planar will due to its impressive resistance against our invasion. If we hadn’t breached this world, it might have evolved into a Rank Four creature in a thousand years,” Gregory remarked in amusement while playing with a seal in his hand.

“Here, take this. It’ll be a fine addition to your collection,” Gregory casually tossed the now sealed drake to Bernice.

The seal, once hundreds of meters in size, had shrunk to the size of a palm by the time it reached her hands, showcasing the marvels of Magus World’s sealing techniques.

It appeared that Sein’s mentor and her seniors were highly skilled, adept enough to master even the rare sealing technique.

Bernice examined the seal briefly before speaking, “I think I’ll give this to Lorianne. I’ve got several demigod-level specimens already.”

“Though pyro elemental creatures aren’t in line with the direction of her research, they’ll embellish her collection nicely. I heard her divine tower academy secured second place in the regional academy war. A bit of encouragement wouldn’t go amiss,” Bernice remarked with a soft chuckle.

Gregory nodded in agreement, clearly impressed by Bernice’s thoughtfulness.

***

While the two Rank Four and Five mages conversed and laughed amidst the stars, Sein within the space fortress received the notification for the impending battle.

“All mages, please remain on standby in your designated areas. The space fortress is preparing to descend upon the Viridian Venom Flame World!” Came the announcement, both through the crystal ball and the fortress’ magic sound transmission system.