Sovereign of the Ashes

It had been exactly one year since Sein and his companions entered Wild Gorilla World.

Three months ago, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had resolved the conflict in the Flaming Sparrow Range, allowing Sein and the other mages a much-needed rest.

Initially, this rest period was meant to last two months.

However, a month ago, the entire Wild Gorilla World Army retreated, prompting an increased presence of Wild Gorillas and Gorilla Gods of Rank Four or above on the frontlines.

Rather than continuing to engage with the Magus World army, these increasing numbers of Wild Gorillas began constructing numerous fortresses and defensive lines in the same area.

Given these developments, the divine tower masters and the grand masters from the knightly orders of the Magus World temporarily slowed their advance.

This deceleration did not signify a withdrawal from the battle but was rather a strategic pause, with the Magus World army awaiting the arrival of their second and third waves of bigger combat legions.

Wild Gorilla World was home to a significant number of Gorilla Gods. The eleven that had been slain accounted for only about one-eighth of the total in this medium-sized world civilization.

Though over ten of them were battered and bruised by the higher-ranking knights and mages of Magus World, these gorillas still held an advantage on their homeplane.

Moreover, the Magus World powerhouses of Rank four or above had learned that a month ago, the most formidable Gorilla God, known as Wild Gorilla God, had returned to its homeplane.

Its return was likely why the typically unruly Gorilla Gods had shifted from their combative stance to focus earnestly on constructing fortifications along the frontlines.

This new defensive approach by the Wild Gorilla clan was unprecedented.

If Blue Violet Star and Feral Beast Star were to learn of these developments, the Violet Dragons and Tyrant Tigers might find themselves needing to reassess their old neighbors.

Indeed, the shift in strategy made sense for Wild Gorilla World.

In just one year, eleven of their Gorilla Gods had been defeated, even with efforts like those of White Banisher Gorilla God to marshal forces and secure the space-time rift!

Including the four Gorilla Gods defeated in Verdant Wilderness World, Wild Gorilla World had lost fifteen god-level beings before even putting a dent in the Magus World Army.

Despite this, Magus World also faced losses.

Aside from their cannon fodder, numerous ordinary knights and mages also lost their lives tragically.

Among those of Rank Four and higher, two knights were forced to withdraw early from the conflict due to severe injuries that required time to heal.

These knights were among the first to enter Wild Gorilla World, alongside Amethyst Emperor and Siegel the Rank Six knight.

They bore the brunt of the assault from over twenty Gorilla Gods and endured the most severe planar law suppression imposed by the guardian.

If not for Amethyst Emperor absorbing half of the enemy’s firepower, and Siegel’s bold charge that injured the Wild Gorilla World’s guardian, those two knights might have faced worse than severe injuries.

Despite the two knights’ withdrawal, their gains from the war in Wild Gorilla World remained unaffected.

Every divine tower and knightly order involved in the conflict would remember their contributions to the war effort.

Others with less severe injuries, such as Oneille, a Rank Five knight from the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain, continued to fight.

Based on the outcomes of the war’s initial stages, Oneille and Lorianne achieved notable success.

Together, they defeated both a Rank Four and a Rank Five Gorilla God, and secured the resource-rich Flaming Sparrow Range along with its surrounding areas.

On top of that, they were also among the first from the Magus World Army to penetrate Wild Gorilla World.

When Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s Geomancers first assessed the Flaming Sparrow Range months earlier, they estimated its mineral resources were worth at least half a million magicoins.

Subsequent mining and assessments revealed that this estimate was too conservative.

The downfall of the two Gorilla Gods not only altered the landscape but also unveiled numerous rare mineral deposits hidden underground.

The demise of the Rank Five “Firewool Gorilla God” even transformed its final resting place into a rich mine of pyro-attribute crystals.

The total value of these resources was estimated to be at least two million magicoins in total.

This was just the beginning of the Wild Gorilla World War!

These tangible gains did not even account for the spoils captured by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s mages and the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain’s knights during the war, including the value of the Wild Gorillas’ bodies.

Moreover, the tens of millions of native beings inhabiting the range represented another form of hidden wealth

These creatures, particularly the numerous Wild Gorillas and their subspecies, were valuable as potential slaves or biological specimens.

Inside the fortress of Divine Tower of Verdant Spring...

Undeterred by the wounds on his right chest, left arm, and calf, the tanned, burly Rank Five knight eagerly approached to shake Lorianne’s hand.

“We must continue our collaboration!”

“Certainly, but you should also focus on healing, Sir Oneille,” Lorianne replied, smoothly withdrawing her hand before producing an emerald green potion.

The vibrant color immediately caught Oneille’s eye.

The knight, built stronger than a black bear, patted his chest and declared, ”These are just scratches!”

Yet, his eyes remained intently fixed on the potion in Lorianne’s hand.

After handing over the potion and seeing Oneille off, Lorianne let out a sigh of relief.

Her actions did not go unnoticed by Sein, who was watching from the fortress’ lounge.

“You’re quite generous with Sir Oneille. That life potion must be quite valuable, no?” Sein commented with a smile.

“If I’m not generous, how can I secure the Firewool Gorilla God’s divine fire that you need? Besides, our collaboration with the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain has its perks,” Lorianne replied, rolling her eyes playfully.

“Sir Oneille is a Rank Five knight known for his honesty and righteousness,” she added, producing a flame wrapped in verdant green elemental light from her robe.

The flame captured Sein’s attention immediately.

The spot from which she retrieved the flame was rather awkward.

Sein, whose eyes were fixed on the flame, was unaware that he was staring intently at his mentor’s chest.