Sovereign of the Ashes

Flying elemental lights were common sights across the battlefield.

Fighting half a day on the frontline had exhausted nearly half of Sein’s protective magic items.

The elemental flames on his Elemental Body’s right arm flickered erratically—a consequence of an encounter with a Rank Two Wild Gorilla.

The barrage of dense hostile strikes managed to quickly breach Sein’s magic shield, allowing the Rank Two Wild Gorilla to injure him.

The Wild Gorilla World proved to be the most formidable opponent Sein had faced since in an interplanar war.

They were even more elite and aggressive than the Garths he had encountered in Thunderfall World, not to mention that their strength was also quite formidable.

Upon his arrival on this battlefield, Sein targeted the most formidable Wild Gorilla, instantly marking himself as a target for other powerful adversaries within their ranks.

While it was true that the long-range combat capabilities of the Wild Gorilla Clan were no match for the mages of the Magus World, one should not underestimate the capabilities of any medium-sized planar civilization.

Their lack of long-range striking power was compensated by their undeniable prowess in close-quarters combat.

In terms of coverage, the Wild Gorilla Army could not be compared to the united spellcasting of the Magus World’s mage legion. However, coordinating targeted strikes with Sein as a focal point was well within their capabilities.

Indeed, it was not long before Sein and his allies had taken down several Rank One or higher Wild Gorillas before a more formidable opponent targeted him.

The Rank Two Wild Gorilla that had inflicted damage on Sein’s Elemental Body was clad in leather armor and wielded a massive spiked cudgel.

In its combat form, the gorilla grew even taller, towering over the elemental giant form that Sein had assumed. The impact of its spiked cudgel left large craters in the ground wherever it struck.

The subtle energy fluctuations it emitted confirmed to Sein, a skilled alchemist, that it was an energy weapon from an unfamiliar civilization.

On this battlefield, there was nothing more stupid than fighting an enemy solo.

Sein was surrounded by his allies and the Rank Two Wild Gorilla was not alone.

This was a group combat, with each side bringing their forces into the fray.

Since those aligned with Sein were the most elite knights and their forces, the Wild Gorillas countered with their top fighters—there was almost no low-tier cannon fodder present in this bloody place.

Sein’s potent pyro elemental powers transformed the Rank Two Wild Gorilla that had injured his elemental body into a humanoid torch.

However, this gorilla did not succumb quickly; its robust body withstood the dual assault of Sein’s Verdant Flame and Everburning Violet Flame.

With a burst of strength, it swung its spiked cudgel toward Sein’s head.

In such close-quarters combat, a less battle-hardened mage might have faltered.

But Sein stood firm.

When the formidable spiked cudgel came crashing down, Sein raised his magic rod to block it.

Crafted from exceptional materials, this magic rod could serve even a demigod-level mage well.

With Sein’s formidable strength, he wielded this high-quality rod as a powerful physical weapon.

When physical prowess and elemental power were combined, the resulting power was beyond what ordinary Rank Two creatures could fathom.

It was regrettable that Sein had not diverted his focus to mastering the power of battle qi.

Had he done so, his status as a dual cultivator would likely have made him invincible among his peers in the Magus World.

Although he did not possess genuine dual cultivator abilities, the weaker version of this dual cultivation was sufficient for Sein to shine on the battlefield.

Within a few exchanges, Sein pierced the heart of the massive gorilla, whose body was ablaze with elemental flames of various colors—green, violet, red, and orange.

Having dissected numerous Wild Gorilla specimens, Sein had a profound understanding of their anatomy.

The heart of a Wild Gorilla was situated behind the center of the chest, protected by a sturdy spine and thick ribs.

Furthermore, their muscles and skin were also tougher than expected.

Only an expert with exceptional skill and precision, like Sein, could penetrate such formidable defenses to strike the heart with lethal accuracy.

Accustomed to handling experimental equipment with millimeter precision, Sein was more than capable of executing such precise strikes on the battlefield with ease.

As he efficiently dispatched his foe, Natalya and Reina had also dealt with their respective opponents.

Both were elite fighters, ranking among the top of the Rank Two knights from the Order of the Steel Fist.

Reina was no doubt the brightest star on this battlefield; even more so than Sein who was in his elemental giant form.

As soon as Reina arrived here, she transformed into a massive, ten-meter-tall mountain of flesh.

Her fair skin turned to a rock-like gray at a visibly rapid pace.

Starvation was not the only result of her extensive body tempering experiments with Sein; each experiment had improved Reina’s physical constitution dramatically.

Since joining Sein, she had seldom returned to the Order of the Steel Fist and pretty much stopped fighting with other knights.

Now, with her enhanced strength, even a renowned Rank Three Sky Knight might be killed by her with a single slap if they were caught off guard.

Not only Reina’s constitution and strength were enhanced but also her weapon.

In Sein’s view, Reina’s octagonal hammer was indeed a formidable weapon among Rank Two knights.

As Reina grew stronger, the hammer, which had once been adequate for crushing a Rank Two creature, had become too light to match her strength.

Moreover, such weapons, especially when wielded by someone of immense strength, were prone to damage.

Despite appearing intact, deep cracks could develop internally during the heat of battle, making them susceptible to breaking.

After the Verdant Leaf World War, Reina stayed at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring to assist Sein with his experiments.

Seizing the opportunity, Sein upgraded her octagonal hammer—not only were the original alchemy runes remodeled and enhanced, but Sein also invested heavily to acquire two extremely costly magic metals from the Magus Alliance—adamantine and heavy copper.

Adamantine, known for its exceptional hardness and low magic resistance, was applied in three layers to the surface of the hammer.

Heavy copper, used to increase the hammer’s weight, required a significant expenditure to achieve a heft comfortable for Reina’s use.

The modifications proved their worth on the battlefield.

When Reina hefted the golden spherical hammer, which was larger than herself, over her shoulder, it was a sight bound to demoralize most adversaries.

Not only were Rank Two creatures unable to withstand Reina’s full force; even Rank Three creatures struggled to endure her blows.

Despite its massive size and formidable resilience, the formidable Green Spikefur King would also see stars if struck on the head by Reina’s hammer.

With her incredible strength and perfectly upgraded weapon, Reina exhibited unmatched heroism on the battlefield.

She was a force of pure destruction on the battlefield.

With Wild Gorillas charging in great numbers, Reina swung her massive hammer, with a diameter of twenty meters and connected to a chain nearly a hundred meters long.

The coverage of her spinning attack outshone even Sein’s magical assaults.

While Sein could unleash area-of-effect spells, coverage was not the only factor to be considered. The destructive power of the spell was equally important.

Although a Fiery Rain spell could rain fire on enemies within a diameter of several thousand meters, it proved ineffective against Wild Gorillas of Rank One or above.

In contrast, any direct hit from Reina’s hammer ensured that the victim, whether a Rank One or Rank Two creature, would be sent flying, bloodied and battered.

As Reina spun her weapon, an intense storm materialized around her, reminiscent of an aero elemental spell.

To the uninformed, Reina might be mistaken for a “special talent” that wielded both magic and battle qi from the Magus World.