Sovereign of the Ashes

The trench was a viscous mix of black and red mud.

The lesser aquatic tribe of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Army was overwhelmed and breached by the Wild Gorilla Army here.

However, the weakness of the aquatic races could not be solely blamed for this breach, as two-thirds of the responsibility for the collapse of this defense line rested with the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain.

They were the primary force holding this line before reinforcements arrived from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Once the commander of a legion over a hundred thousand strong, Sein now found himself as a frontline soldier fighting close-quarters combat.

Different roles on the battlefield indeed brought different perspectives.

With no more forces under his command, Sein could only request long-range magic support from the mage legion in the rear, instructing them to concentrate as much firepower as possible on his location.

This strategic move was effective. The barrage of offensive magic spells significantly slowed the Wild Gorillas’ assault, giving the Magus World Army a much-needed respite in this vulnerable spot.

However, it was unrealistic to expect the thousands of mages to maintain such intense magic assaults.

With millions from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring participating in the battle and many legions scattered about, Sein’s position at the top of this decaying mud trench was just one of many small fronts.

Upon reaching the front line, Sein’s magic shield clanked continuously under the barrage of attacks.

The Wild Gorilla Clan was capable of inflicting damage from a distance.

Their most common long-range attacks on this battlefield included peculiar energy rays and metal spears wrapped in a layer of special energy particles.

Through his energy shields, Sein had a slightly clearer view of the situation.

There were only less than thirty thousand units from the Magus World Army in this poorly defended sector.

Less than ten thousand among them were forces from the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain, while the rest were the lesser aquatic races, undead creatures, and plant beings Sein had recently brought from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

The deep pool of sticky blood and corpses at their feet indicated that the lesser aquatic races of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had suffered heavy losses, with tens of thousands fallen within just a few days.

It was no surprise they were on the brink of collapse.

Despite the losses here, hundreds of thousands of aquatic races were still fighting on other fronts.

Due to the intensity of the attacks in this particular area and the high casualties, the other aquatic creatures from the neighboring fronts hesitated to move in closer to provide support.

As sentient beings, it was natural for them to fear death; those without fear were indeed a rare breed.

Sein’s arrival with a group of new forces significantly boosted the morale of the Magus World Army on this front.

The aquatic creatures, who had been struggling to hold their ground, found renewed resolve and steadied their positions in response.

Most of the Rank One and higher creatures among these aquatic races were clan chiefs, and most recognized Sein.

Escaping under his watchful eye could mean severe repercussions from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, not to mention the disdain from other participating aquatic races which would only exacerbate their already precarious position.

This resurgence of morale among the aquatic races was a second piece of good news on this battlefield.

While the elemental tide above his head was still swirling, Sein activated his elemental body and charged forward with his magic rod in hand.

Although he had yet to locate Leena in the fray, his focus fell on a formidable peak Rank One Wild Gorilla with a severed arm.

In any world, creatures of Rank One or above represented the elite, the most powerful of their kind.

The Magus World and Wild Gorilla World were no exceptions.

In the muddy trench filled with blood and littered with corpses, tens of thousands of beings clashed.

However, the vast majority were below Rank One.

This one-armed gorilla was, at least in Sein’s current field of vision, one of the strongest and most aggressive creatures.

For this particularly conspicuous enemy, Sein planned to use the flames of his magic to demonstrate the true power of his world.

Sein looked nothing like a mage in his pyro elemental giant form.

Although he had the option to stand at a safe distance and cast spells, he charged toward the Wild Gorilla instead, rapidly chanting a spell under his breath.

The magic rod in his hands glowed ever more intensely with the combined light of green and purple elemental energies.

The chaotic battlefield perfectly masked the sound of Sein’s chanting and the pulsating elemental rhythms of a nearly fully formed magic spell.

The one-armed Wild Gorilla, having just crushed the soul flame within an undead creature’s skull, was now viciously tearing apart the body of a lesser sea urchin man with its sharp teeth.

A sudden, overwhelming surge of elemental energy alerted it to imminent danger. It turned just in time to see the dual glow radiating fiercely from the tip of a magic rod.

The rod struck the gorilla’s skull with a resounding crack, shattering it and sending brain matter splattering in every direction.

The two types of flames melted the gorilla’s head almost instantly, setting it ablaze and turning it into a grotesque torch that marked its end on the battlefield.

Despite being a mage, Sein’s combat style had been significantly influenced over the years by knights like Master Gregory and Natalya.

His swift execution of the peak Rank One Wild Gorilla was a testament to his prowess as a formidable Rank Two mage.

Under normal circumstances, such a powerful creature would have had several trump cards up its sleeve. However, on a chaotic battlefield, death could come swiftly and unexpectedly from any direction.

Sein did not come alone. He was surrounded by Natalya, Reina, and Yuri, and backed by thousands of natives from the Verdant Wilderness World—plant creatures ready to respond to his commands.

Meanwhile, the demigod-level Kingfisher, having arrived on this battlefield alongside Sein, quickly entered the fray.

In a battlefield momentarily devoid of Rank Four creatures, the Kingfisher shone like the brightest sun in the sky.

The Kingfisher’s approach to combat was not as violent as the knights and mages from the Magus World.

With a piercing cry, it unleashed two massive hurricanes from its wings, wreaking havoc across the enemy lines and causing mass casualties among the low-ranking Wild Gorillas.

While Sein’s area-of-effect magic spells could achieve similar results, it required an incantation beforehand—a process far more cumbersome and time-consuming compared to the Kingfisher’s swift and devastating attacks.

The sudden appearance of a new force and the Kingfisher on the battlefield immediately drew the attention of the Wild Gorilla Army.

After unleashing just two devastating hurricanes, the demigod-level Kingfisher faced swift retaliation as three hostile powerhouses closed in.

These adversaries comprised two Rank Three and one demigod-level Wild Gorillas.

The sophisticated metallic equipment they wore suggested they were far superior to the low-ranking Wild Gorillas who relied solely on brute strength and raw muscle.

The quick response from the three Wild Gorillas indicated that, at least on this part of the battlefield, they held the upper hand.

Sein’s decision against remaining by the Kingfisher’s side on this battlefield proved prudent.

In such a chaotic environment, the Kingfisher lacked the capacity to protect Sein, and staying too close to the demigod-level creature could have made Sein a prime target for enemy attacks.

Casting a glance in the direction of the Kingfisher, Sein sighed and chose not to immediately rush to its aid.

The battle involving Rank Three creatures was not one Sein could simply intervene. If he was not careful, he could easily perish in this chaotic medium-sized interplanar battlefield.

Nonetheless, Sein was not too far from the Kingfisher’s position.

In addition to commanding the surrounding plant life, Sein actually wanted to assist the Kingfisher.

He still had a demigod-level Viridescent Seed gifted by Lorianne, but he refrained from intervening immediately because he was worried that the Wild Gorilla Army might still have hidden combatants in reserve.

In this high-stakes game, the best cards were played last.

Besides, Sein believed the Kingfisher could hold its own for a while longer.