Sovereign of the Ashes

The so-called lesser aquatic races, inhabitants of the oceans, bore the glory of the Magus World’s status as a top-tier plane but were not as powerful as the knights and mages.

Unlike the undead, where only the strongest could survive amidst the perpetual turmoil of their undead lands, or the inhabitants of the Centaur Wasteland who were accustomed to living in a highly competitive and dangerous environment, these aquatic creatures seemed less equipped for this brutal battlefield.

Of course, it was hardly fair to judge these aquatic races like this.

Just as land creatures would find their strength greatly diminished in the ocean, these sea creatures faced similar disadvantages on land.

Besides, these lesser aquatic races were not the representatives of all aquatic races in the Magus World.

Apart from the Sea Kings, known for their immense size, the middle and upper-class aquatic races were all masters in wielding hydro elemental energies—truly epitomizing the oceanic might of the Magus World.

Only the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, with its relatively limited resources, would resort to deploying these lesser aquatic races as cannon fodder.

There were meandering rivers on this battlefield, but these underground rivers were too narrow to accommodate the entirety of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s aquatic cannon fodder.

The heavy casualties drastically reduced the momentum of these troops.

This situation underscored a significant flaw in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Army.

Since these aquatic creatures hailed from the Magus World, the mages did not leave any brands on their souls.

Without a soul seal to enforce their obedience, these aquatic creatures had weaker mental fortitude than the plant legion.

These aquatic beings were not conditioned to face death with the valor of the bravest warriors against the relentless tide of enemy forces either.

Ultimately, they were driven by only profit and gain.

Faced with an equally numerous and more formidable Wild Gorilla Army, their resolve was tested...

Had Tourmaline been present, they might have held their lines with the morale boost from their faith in the “Sea God”.

Shortly after Leena led the skeletal dragon and a contingent of undead legion to fortify the breach in the frontline, a new call for reinforcements came through.

The Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain was a formidable order of the knights. Otherwise, it would not have been able to secure its place among the first wave to attack the Wild Gorilla World.

Considering the overall situation on the nearby battlefield, the resilience of the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain in facing the relentless onslaught from the Wild Gorilla Army was remarkable.

However, no legion, regardless of its strength, was without its weaknesses and defensive shortcomings.

A perfect victory was a myth.

The Magus World Army was suffering losses every moment.

The fifteen Divine Tower of Verdant Spring mages who had fallen the previous day paled in comparison to the casualties among the knights from the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain.

Sein was fortunate to have three demigod-level beings and a legion of over a hundred thousand strong under his command.

Yet, luck was fickle.

Coincidentally, the segment of the battlefield where Sein’s forces were stationed coincided with a weak point in the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain’s defenses.

Leena had not taken all the undead creatures with her to the shared combat zone between the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain and the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring as most of them had been thrust into combat as soon as they arrived.

The troops she brought were merely the reserve forces—elite undead under Sanchez’s direct command, numbering close to ten thousand.

However, this group of elite undead had not even been deployed for more than a day before the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain sent out another urgent call for help.

This time, the messenger was not a Rank Two knight—presumably, the order had no Rank Two knights left to spare, having committed every available resource to the fight.

They managed to get in touch with Sein thanks to the previous messenger who had exchanged contact details with him before leaving.

In the Magus World, the crystal balls and identity badges of major divine towers and knightly orders could be used for short-range communication.

On this chaotic battlefield, knights and mages from neighboring war zones could communicate through specific signal channels, though anything beyond that range would be disrupted by the chaotic elemental tides.

Clearly, not all the Wild Gorillas were fools.

Their commanders had identified a vulnerable spot in Magus World’s defenses and were now concentrating their attacks against this weak point.

The severity of the situation was evident; even the prideful knights felt compelled to request assistance.

Sein had not received any message from Leena.

Knowing her well, he knew that she would not distract him, even if she were in the most dangerous of situations.

On top of that, the more dangerous the frontline became, the less likely she was to call on Sein.

The urgent plea for aid from the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain had left Sein visibly distressed.

As the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s commander in this sector, he could not simply watch his forces be overrun.

As Leena’s lover, he could not watch her fall without doing anything either.

Yet, Sein’s resources were stretched thin.

The Green Spikefur King had been deployed to the frontlines, and the obedient Kingfisher was Sein’s most reliable companion for now.

Of course, Sein also had a reserve group of native creatures from the Verdant Wilderness World accompanying him. The group was relatively small, numbering only eight thousand.

Much like the Green Spikefur King, who commanded a cohort of forest subordinates, the Kingfisher too was a sovereign in the Verdant Wilderness World, surrounded by numerous loyal followers.

However, their numbers paled in comparison to those of the Green Spikefur King, who had been amassing forces and gathering refugees.

Sein turned his head to the Kingfisher perched on his shoulder and said, “Come with me, bring all your subordinates. If we survive this war, I promise to secure more rights and benefits for Verdant Wilderness World on top of the original terms.”

At that moment, the Kingfisher was preening its vibrant green feathers with its long beak.

Despite its calm exterior, the slight quiver of its tail feathers betrayed the creature’s inner terror amidst the ongoing war in Wild Gorilla World.

Yet, upon hearing Sein’s words, the Kingfisher straightened up resolutely.

With its small, emerald-like eyes shining intensely, it replied in a clear voice, “I believe in you.”

With that, the Kingfisher flapped its wings and soared dozens of meters into the air.

Although its demigod-level presence might not have extended far on the chaotic battlefield, it was sufficient to rally the thousands of creatures from the Verdant Wilderness World nearby.

“The glory of our homeplane will be ours to forge, and these Wild Gorillas before us are the malevolent invaders of our realm. Join me in teaching these intruders a severe lesson. The guardian and Verdant Wilderness God will nurture the seeds we plant in our homeland!”

The Kingfisher’s words might not have been particularly inspiring, but the thousands of native creatures from the Verdant Wilderness World were brimming with extraordinary fighting spirit.

They were all loyal followers of the Kingfisher.

Just ten years ago, many of them were merely inconspicuous residents of the Verdant Wilderness World, or peaceful, unassuming natives.

The long-standing peace that had prevailed for tens of thousands of years in the Verdant Wilderness World had precluded the emergence of any warriors.

Yet, years of conflict had transformed them into seasoned fighters.

Among them was a hundred-meter-tall Rank Three giant tree that had lifted its roots from the soil to walk.

From the size of a palm, the Kingfisher expanded to a wingspan of two meters in an instant. With a clear cry, the massive bird took the lead, soaring toward the target area.

Thousands of Verdant Wilderness creatures followed in its wake. Despite their origins as kind and peace-loving plant creatures, their fighting spirit and fearlessness were on par with those of the elite centaurs.

At this time, Sein found himself without any troops left to command.

It was a fight for survival now—kill or be killed.

Large-scale strategic mobilization would depend on coordination from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, with potential support from other divine towers or knightly orders.

This was likely, given that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was one of the first to enter the Wild Gorilla World.

Dozens of other divine towers and knightly orders were still waiting on the other side of the rift, ready to advance anytime.

The Wild Gorilla World had only committed half its forces to this vast conflict so far.

Even if they were to rally all their main forces here, once the legions of Magus World were fully deployed, the situation would still tip in the Magus World’s favor.

From the moment Feylis and the others breached the space-time rift, the scales of victory began to tip in favor of the Magus World.

The casualties sustained by the Magus Civilization Army were viewed simply as normal wartime attrition.

To those in the upper echelons, these losses were merely numbers—a relatively small toll that promised much higher returns.

Sein had deployed all his troops, including the reserves.

Even his wife, Leena, was now fighting on the front lines.

At this point, there was no longer any reason for Sein to remain in the rear.

He was a mage, one that had undergone body tempering.

Driven by a surge of morale and the urgency to rescue Leena, he activated his Elemental Body and plunged into the fray, following the Kingfisher toward the vulnerable part of the battlefield.

Sein instructed Selina and Eileen, the two Rank One mages with weaker constitutions, to remain in the rear with the other mages.

Their presence at the frontline would only distract him.

Natalya and Reina, the two Rank Two female knights, flanked Sein as they advanced to the frontlines.

Accompanying them was Faye, Sein’s rebellious senior.

The Rank One mage had flatly ignored Sein’s orders. She had no interest in hiding in the rear with other unfamiliar mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, merely casting long-range spells from safety.

No black mage from Blackhaven would shy away from a close-quarters fight.

They were not accustomed to group combat like typical divine tower mages; fighting solo was their forte, where they often outperformed knights and mages of the same rank.

Sein frowned at her insistence, and could only ask Heisse and three other Sea Lizards to keep an eye on her.