Sovereign of the Ashes

The sound of intense battle soon faded from the ears of Sein and his companions.

The instigators of the conflict were primarily Garths who could fight within the Thunder Range.

Many of these Garths had fled here, and some might have even participated in the bloody battle on the Thunder Plains over half a year ago.

However, the routed troops were hardly a match for Sein’s well-led team.

Not every Garth screamed and charged. Despite their numbers exceeding a million in the Thunder Range, only two to three thousand of them with combat capabilities fought bravely.

The low turnout was largely because the vast majority were ordinary Garths lacking fighting skills. Additionally, the successive defeats of the Thunderfall World Army had demoralized those capable of fighting.

The rich scent of blood pervaded the surrounding mountains and jungles, lending a brutal atmosphere to the negotiations on the slope of Thunderpoint Peak.

Many of the Garths and other native creatures of Thunderfall World had charged up here in a reckless rush.

As the ground became stained with blood and scattered with body parts of their comrades, a somber calm settled over nearly all of them.

Despite the intense fighting below, the negotiations above were tense.

Fortunately, the old Thunder Lizard chief before Sein remained neutral until all the rebelling Garths were defeated.

It almost felt like... the fierce battle at the foot of Thunderpoint Peak was irrelevant to them.

The old Thunder Lizard chief clearly held considerable status and prestige within the Thunder Range.

He made no move to intervene, and neither did the group of ranked Thunder Lizards behind him.

This included several Thunderfall World natives of various forms, some of whom had reached Rank Two life level.

All of them appeared to be obeying the old chief’s commands.

Though they remained physically inactive, Sein could distinctly sense the anger simmering within these native creatures of the Thunderfall World.

Realistically, the assimilation of Thunderfall World by Magus World and its eventual integration into the Magus Alliance would not be an overnight affair.

An intruder remained an intruder, and the Magus Civilization clearly had a vested interest in undermining the native inhabitants of Thunderfall World.

In the Astral Realm, the unforgiving laws of the jungle still prevailed.

The promise of future integration of Thunderfall World into the Magus Alliance was, in essence, a hollow one, extended by the Magus World Army only after they had plundered vast resources, wealth, and population from the world.

After all, the Magus World needed to maintain a facade of decency.

Even the mightiest civilizations aimed to avoid projecting a barbaric image reliant on war and plundering to their neighboring star domain civilizations.

After seizing the richest and most substantial initial spoils of war from Thunderfall World, the Magus Civilization must offer just enough incentives to ensure the plane could continue to develop and sustain them over time.

After all, one must feed the cow grass to obtain milk.

Yet, there were more sinister civilizations that preferred to slaughter and consume the beef outright, unlike Magus World, which favored sustainable, benign, and scientifically guided growth.

In recent years, the number of planes under absolute slavery within Magus World’s jurisdiction had dwindled; even those dominated by the Magus World were offered pretexts to join the Magus Alliance.

Realms within the Magus Alliance were categorized into five distinct classes.

The lowest class was barely distinguishable from those under absolute slavery, aside from being part of the Magus Alliance, and was offered superficial protection at the rule level.

The highest class included planes that had significantly contributed to the history of the Magus Civilization’s development.

These members had transcended mere slavery to form a subordinate relationship with Magus World.

Planes such as Titan World, Elven World, Beastmen World, Undead World, and others harboring overlords of Rank Seven or higher, stood at the forefront of the Magus Alliance, becoming the backbone of Magus Civilization’s ongoing development and expansion.

Based on the Thunderfall World’s current fierce resistance and the significant losses inflicted on the three orders of the knights, it would likely be placed in the fifth class within the Magus Alliance, with the fourth class being an unlikely initial assignment.

This ranking could improve if they diligently contributed to the Magus World in the future.

Their commitments would need to extend beyond the timely delivery of resources and enslaved creatures; they must also staunchly support the Magus Civilization’s foreign war strategies.

Successful fulfillment of these conditions could elevate their status within the Magus Alliance to the third class or higher, bringing with it increased benefits and support for the plane.

For the time being, the second-class status in the Magus Alliance was only assigned to medium-sized planes where beings of Rank Six or above dwelled.

The first class was reserved for only a few large worlds ruled by overlords.

Despite their potential, the large worlds that had only recently joined the Magus Alliance were categorized as second-class because they had yet to make significant contributions.

Nevertheless, joining the Magus Alliance offered substantial benefits, even to planar civilizations that were less powerful than the Magus World.

For instance, Titan World, a large plane led by Odin, the Rank Eight God of Gods, was not only formidable and prosperous within its own realm but also governed over two thousand directly ruled complete planes.

Additionally, the titan gods command a considerable following and support base within the Magus Alliance.

In terms of planar influence, the Titans surpassed the vast majority of major civilizations in the Astral Realm.

Yet within the Magus Alliance, Titan World stood in a class of its own.

Other top-tier planes like Elven World and Beastmen World, despite their significant stature, paled in comparison to Titan World.

If these planes were considered first class, then the Titan World would qualify as “super first-class”.

However, this distinction was not officially acknowledged by the Magus Alliance, and the Titan World had been maintaining a low profile in recent years.

Sein’s knowledge of this came from his extensive study of ancient texts and information gathering.

Not only were the Thunder Lizards in front of him unaware of these details, but even the knights accompanying Sein were learning of them for the first time.

Given his rank as a Rank Two mage, Sein could not possibly know all the intricacies of the Magus Alliance.

He merely shared what he knew, although some of his information was admittedly embellished.

Yet, for the Thunder Lizards, the idea that Titan World—a member of the Magus Alliance—directly ruled over more than two thousand planes was beyond imagination.

Even the venerable Rank Three Thunder Lizard chief, with its eight thousand years of experience and accumulated insights, was struggling to navigate the best course for its tribe.

The fact that the Titan World governed over two thousand worlds was well-known within the Magus Alliance. This information was not concealed but frequently used as a promotional tool to attract potential foreign planes from distant star domains to join the Magus Alliance.

However, such grand-scale details typically escaped the notice of lower-ranked knights and mages.

Sein’s extensive travels and experiences in the Magus World had exposed him to a broader spectrum of information, allowing him to gather these high-level insights.