Sovereign of the Ashes

Although Lorianne harbored some concerns about the impending war, the preparations were proceeding smoothly.

The Luna’s tribe from the Centaurworld had already communicated their readiness to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

They had rallied not only nearly a hundred fifty thousand centaur warriors but also over three hundred thousand minotaurlings, surpassing the divine tower’s initial estimates.

Furthermore, these centaurs reported that their reserves could muster an additional one to two hundred thousand minotaurlings at any time needed.

his commitment suggested that Luna’s tribe was staking their future on the outcome of this battle.

During negotiations, Luna boldly claimed their tribe boasted twenty million warriors—this number only accounted for the adult centaurs in her tribe.

Yet, these centaurs were no different from the ordinary humans of the Magus World, whose effectiveness in an interplanar war was severely limited.

The initial deployment of a hundred fifty thousand centaurs and three hundred thousand minotaurling slaves represented the elite fighting force of the tribe.

Yet, among these five hundred thousand troops, fewer than a thousand had achieved a life level of Rank One or higher.

The strength of the majority ranged from fresh squires to Quasi Knights, and some were only physically stronger.

This reality underscored the tribe’s strategy—lacking sufficient elite warriors, they resorted to overwhelming numbers.

Officially, these centaur armies were allies of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, but in reality, they were no different than enslaved creatures serving as cannon fodder.

It was likely that Luna and her fellow tribesmen were aware of this truth.

At least, on the surface, this was a fair and legitimate partnership, one that significantly benefited their tribe.

By forging an alliance with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and accessing some of the war spoils from Green Leaf World, this centaur tribe was poised to significantly strengthen its position within the Centaur Wasteland.

The nearly half a million cannon fodder provided by the centaur was undoubtedly good news for the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Even better, among the nine hundred or so Rank One or higher centaurs deployed, one possessed demigod-level power.

This formidable centaur was the founder of Luna’s tribe and her ancestor.

Although she was no longer the chief of the tribe, he would take charge during the next interplanar war as this was crucial for the future survival and development of the Maya Tribe.

All significant decisions would thus be made by this demigod-level female centaur.

Furthermore, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had also received positive news from the aquatic races.

Thanks to the influence of Tourmaline the dragon turtle, these races, having migrated to the Jewel Sea, were willing to join the impending interplanar war.

Sein had recently sent Heisse, now a Rank One being, back to the South Coast.

Upon his return, Heisse brought not only the majority of adults from the long-established Sea Lizard tribe of the Fissure Trench but also several tribes of lesser aquatic races from less hospitable environments.

Together, these fragmented groups formed a legion of nearly three hundred thousand.

In terms of power, these troops were still slightly stronger than the low-level centaurs despite being hastily assembled.

These creatures of the Magus World possessed an evolutionary level surpassing that of Centaurworld—a medium-sized plane.

However, the primary weakness of these aquatic races was their scarcity of creatures above Rank One.

This was because the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had engaged only the lesser aquatic races that were struggling for survival, while deliberately avoiding the involvement of those from the high or middle class to protect its post-war interests.

After all, they were all species of the Magus World, and the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had a reputation to maintain among them.

The centaurs and the lesser aquatic races invariably accepted the divine tower’s terms, and minimal rewards were sufficient to earn their gratitude.

The interplanar war initially planned against Verdant Leaf World was unexpectedly delayed for six months due to Lorianne’s last-minute hesitations and a commitment to perfecting all preparatory aspects.

Several massive teleportation arrays, heavily invested by Lorianne, were established across the Jewel Sea, an ancient demiplane outside of Magus World, and the distant Verdant Leaf World.

To transport nearly a million troops, Lorianne spent over a million magicoins to set up these three teleportation arrays.

Interplanar wars were fundamentally a matter of financial prowess.

It was no surprise that Lorianne, who initially approached the war with confidence and eagerness, became overwhelmed by hesitation and indecisiveness as the conflict drew near.

The investment was colossal, and the potential consequences of failure were daunting.

The teleportation array in the Jewel Sea was specifically intended for the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s mages and the legion of aquatic races to travel to the destination.

Meanwhile, the array in the ancient desolated demiplane was built for the legion of centaurs.

These three arrays were merely the most visible gateways.

In reality, this entire ultra-long-distance interstellar teleportation array was made up of several intermediary teleportation arrays.

Travelers on this route would follow a direct path, largely unaware of the external transitions.

It was no wonder Lorianne had to invest over a million magicoins in this.

“Still, I need to acquire a space fortress as soon as possible. Relying on these teleporation arrays for every war is far too expensive in the long run,” Lorianne mumbled to herself.

Although traveling through the Astral Realm in a space fortress to reach the destination was slightly more time-consuming than using these teleportation arrays, it could save a lot of money!

A standard space fortress could effortlessly transport millions of troops, consuming only a fraction of the magicoin needed for setting up a teleportation array—estimated at no more than a few hundred thousand.

Moreover, the space fortress was not merely a transport vehicle; it served as an advanced war platform!

It was equipped with a main cannon that could annihilate creatures of Rank Four and higher. Not only that, it also came with an array of secondary cannons, fortress railguns, and magic cannons, along with platforms that enabled mages to provide long-distance support.

Although each of the three knightly orders owned a space fortress, they failed to leverage its full capabilities due to a shortage of mages during the Thunderfall World war.

Only under the command of divine towers could these formidable metallic behemoths unleash their full potential.