Sovereign of the Ashes

When Sein and his group finally charged their way back to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s main fortress, nearly a week had passed.

Of the original four million Yaja slaves, only about two million remained.

Nearly half of the other cannon fodder had also fallen within the narrow stretch of yellow sand surrounding the main base.

Although most of these losses occurred during clashes with the Wild Gorilla legion, the true culprit was a Rank Four Gorilla God presiding over this low-level dimensional battlefield.

Had it not been for the Gorilla God’s direct intervention, Sein and his companions would not have been forced to leave behind over two million fallen Yaja slaves.

Fortunately, shortly after the Rank Four Gorilla God unleashed its destructive power, Black Oblivion’s thunderous dragon roar echoed.

Once again, the mighty flood dragon drew the Gorilla God back to the battlefield of Rank Four combatants.

Without Black Oblivion’s intervention, the Rank Four Gorilla God’s unchecked power could have made Sein and the others’ safe return to the main base far from guaranteed.

***

After returning to the main fortress base, Sein parted ways with the Yaja slaves.

After hastily submitting his mission report via the divine tower badge, he quickly retreated to the magic tower with Leena and the others to rest.

Accompanying Sein were Sanchez and the remaining few dozen undead creatures.

Until the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s command center conscripted these undead creatures into the ongoing battles, they remained Sein and Leena’s personal fighting force.

No sooner had they stepped into the familiar confines of the magic tower than the eastern sky above the main fortress base erupted in a violent display of turbulence and thunder.

Sein, who had once participated in the Thunderfall World War and witnessed the Rank Four King of Garths unleash terrifying power from a distance.

He immediately recognized that the thunder energy in Sandstorm World’s eastern skies was far more intense and overwhelming than what King of Garths had unleashed back then.

Among the Magus World’s magic beast kings, Sein could not think of any who wielded the power of thunder and lightning.

If the source of this power was not from the Magus World powerhouses, then it could only belong to a new force from the Wild Gorilla Army.

Although Sein was half a plane away from the source of the thunder energy, its sheer magnitude sent a wave of unease rippling through the main fortress base.

Sein, like nearly all Magus World creatures who sensed this thunderous might, could not help but feel concerned.

Noticing Leena’s worried gaze fixed on him, Sein took a deep breath, forcing himself to sound calm.

“Don’t dwell on it too much. Let’s focus on recovering our mana and focus levels as quickly as possible. It’s likely a newly arrived enemy of Rank Four or higher. Master Lorianne and the others will handle it.”

***

Although Sein had faith in the strength of his mentor and the others, Lorianne began to doubt herself.

Sandstorm World was under siege by six Rank Four or higher Gorilla Gods.

Though Lorianne had six allies on her side, the enemy boasted a Rank Five Gorilla God.

Previously, it had been Black Oblivion who kept this Rank Five Gorilla God occupied.

The flood dragon had proven his valor in both Wild Gorilla World and Sandstorm World, demonstrating his ability to hold his own against Rank Five creatures.

To Sein and the others at lower ranks, Black Oblivion’s strength was difficult to gauge, and they had always assumed he was a Rank Five powerhouse.

In truth, however, Black Oblivion was only a peak Rank Four flood dragon.

As the descendant of an overlord and a creature with an exceptionally potent dragon bloodline, it was completely reasonable for Black Oblivion to leverage his peak Rank Four strength to challenge a foreign Rank Five Gorilla God.

Among all the Magus World Rank Four powerhouses in Sandstorm World, Black Oblivion was the only one with such capability.

The Rank Five Gorilla God, combined with five Rank Four Gorilla Gods, exacted immense pressure on Lorianne and her allies.

Fortunately, at the main fortress base battlefield, powerhouses like Lorianne, Milena, and the giant squid managed to lend intermittent support to Black Oblivion while holding their own against their individual opponents.

Without their aid, the group would have been overwhelmed far earlier.

The situation on the battlefield in the Wild Gorilla World had been starkly different.

Back then, Lorianne, Black Oblivion, and the others had the support of the Oneille, a Rank Five knight, which allowed them to gang up on the Rank Five Gorilla God.

Under those conditions, Black Oblivion was able to unleash his full might and perform spectacularly.

However, there was a vast difference between ganging up on a Rank Five creature and facing one alone.

Currently, Black Oblivion could barely maintain a stalemate against his opponent.

Even while locked in combat, he displayed remarkable prowess, taking time to protect the fallen space fortress and assist Sein and the other lower-ranking forces during their breakout.

However, this precarious balance was utterly destroyed when a second Rank Five Gorilla God entered the battlefield.

From a distance, Lorianne could tell that the new Rank Five Gorilla God who had just joined the battlefield was far stronger than the one Black Oblivion was fighting.

What made the situation even more chilling was that this Rank Five peak Gorilla God, after transforming into a pillar of thunder, did not target the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s main base—the most fortified location—but instead made a direct flight east.

There, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and the magic beast kings had established two additional bases in this low-level plane.

The defenses of two locations were nowhere near as formidable as the main base.

Moreover, neither the white-feathered pelican nor the centaur god, Hephaes, were particularly powerful Rank Four creatures.

Fenrir, the two-headed giant wolf, was slightly more capable, but even its strength was still limited.

The Wild Gorillas were far from the brainless brutes they were often stereotyped to be; they were lions that hunted rabbits with full force!

With another peak Rank Five Gorilla God joining the fray, the Wild Gorilla Army in Sandstorm World now held the upper hand.

However, this Gorilla God did not join the main battlefield to aid in the suppression of Black Oblivion and the others.

Instead, it chose to target the weaker fortress bases to the east.

Not all Rank Four creatures had the strength to face a Rank Five powerhouse.

Judging by the murderous aura of this peak Rank Five Gorilla God, it was evident that its intentions went beyond simply defeating or repelling the Magus World powerhouses.

With the arrival of this peak Rank Five Gorilla God, it seemed inevitable that a Rank Four or higher creature would fall.

The only question was who would be the first.

Lorianne secretly hoped it would be Hephaes, as she was the least connected to this centaur god.

No matter who fell first, the domino effect was bound to push the battle further in favor of the Wild Gorilla Army.

If the battle continued like this without reinforcements arriving in time, everyone would eventually fall—it was just a matter of time and the order in which it would happen.

Everything hinged on whether Rank Four powerhouses like Lorianne and Black Oblivion could take down one or two Gorilla Gods in a final stand.

From the start of this war, Lorianne and her allies had the opportunity to flee.

Even with the Rank Six Wild Gorilla God waiting beyond the plane, scattering and escaping individually would have given them a chance at survival.

Yet, none of them had chosen to retreat—not Lorianne, not Black Oblivion, nor the magic beast kings.

Lorianne stayed because half of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s resources and assets were in Sandstorm World.

Even if she managed to escape and survive, she was still as good as dead—everything she had worked for over the years would be lost.

No surviving Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s mages would remain loyal to a tower master who had abandoned them.

Besides, her apprentice was still fighting here.

For Black Oblivion, his pride as a dragon would never allow him to flee in cowardice.

More importantly, his younger sister, Tourmaline, was still in this low-level plane.

How could he leave her behind?

Both parties had reasons to fight to the bitter end!

After the peak Rank Five Gorilla God joined the battle, Lorianne’s expression darkened as she looked up at the vast sky beyond Sandstorm World.

“Hopefully the Magus World’s reinforcements arrive soon,” she mumbled with a sigh before plunging back into the battle.