Sovereign of the Ashes

On Sandstorm World’s battlefield...

Sein, in his Flame Devil form, gazed at the colossal dragon turtle roaring skyward, his expression a mix of awe and astonishment.

After nearly half a year of relentless conflict, the intensity of the war in Sandstorm World had proven that no creature, no matter how strong, could avoid being drawn into its chaos.

Tourmaline, a being with peak demigod-level strength, had joined the fray early on.

Her exceptional bloodline and overwhelming dragon might had made her an indispensable force in the war.

In fact, she was far more powerful than most demigods.

Even Sanchez, a skeletal dragon not known for humility, admitted that fighting alongside Tourmaline often left it fearing that it might dismantled.

Despite both being dragon creatures, the gap between a skeletal dragon and a dragon turtle was vast.

The roaring Tourmaline was a far cry from the playful dragon turtle Sein remembered.

Her once-pristine body was now marred with deep scars.

For a creature with Tourmaline’s extraordinary defense to bear visible wounds, it was evident she had faced powerful opponents and survived devastating blows during this prolonged conflict.

Tourmaline’s immense strength made her anything but an ordinary demigod.

In fact, during the most critical moments of the fortress’ defense, this normally gentle-natured dragon turtle had proven herself capable of holding her own against three opponents simultaneously.

She was a demigod-level dragon turtle that could easily pass as a Rank Four creature!

Her mastery over the power of strength law was so profound that even the Rank Four Gorilla Gods in the sky had taken notice—and with no small amount of caution.

Naturally, such power drew formidable enemies.

At first, it was Rank Three or demigod-level Wild Gorillas that dared to challenge her.

However, after Tourmaline crushed two demigod-level Wild Gorillas into pulp during the past six months, the Rank Four Gorilla Gods in the sky could no longer afford to ignore her presence.

In any plane, demigod-level beings were exceedingly rare.

Even the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, which had flourished over the past two centuries, had yet to recruit a single demigod-level mage to its ranks.

Demigod-level mages were simply too uncommon, even in a thriving plane like the Magus World.

For Wild Gorilla World—a plane with far fewer resources—such beings were even scarcer.

Over the past six months, the fierce resistance of the allied forces from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and the magic beasts in Sandstorm World had forced the Wild Gorilla Army to endure bitter defeats.

A vast number of elite Wild Gorilla soldiers had perished in the arid deserts of this world. Alongside the corpses of the divine tower’s allied forces, their remains painted the battlefield with a gruesome, bloody hue.

After half a year of fighting, both sides had suffered catastrophic losses. While the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and the magic beast legions were battered and depleted, the desperate Wild Gorilla Army fared no better.

Thanks to sturdy fortifications and an endless arsenal of magic spells and alchemy items, each Magus World mage managed to take down at least two or three Wild Gorilla soldiers of equivalent rank before falling in battle.

The death toll of enslaved canon fodders from both parties was even higher—their corpses had encircled the fortress base in layers.

On the bright side, this grotesque sea of corpses and their sticky blood had transformed the oasis surrounding the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s main base into fertile ground for breeding plant creatures.

Lorianne, a pure Rank Four Dendromancer, could take full advantage of this horrifyingly rich soil. Armed with an ample supply of Viridescent Seeds, she could spawn hundreds of thousands of plant giants to bolster her forces.

Until she secured a dedicated plane to supply her with enslaved creatures, these lab-bred plant soldiers would serve as the primary cannon fodder under her command.

The countless corpses and rivers of blood had nourished powerful plant creatures with thick, vibrant foliage.

However, these creatures now bore a bright, menacing red hue—a stark contrast to the calming green typical of plants.

It was unclear whether their unsettling appearance resulted from mutation after rooting in the flesh and blood of countless corpses or from being tainted by the violence of the battlefield.

From afar, these crimson plants looked eerie.

Yet, even amidst this nightmarish landscape, the true focus of the battlefield was not these blood-red plants but the massive dragon turtle that loomed above them all, its colossal form appearing to bear the weight of the sky itself.

A century ago, when Sein first met Tourmaline, he had known that she was an incredibly powerful creature, capable of effortlessly swatting Rank Two opponents to their deaths.

He also vividly remembered how she had even avenged him by defeating a demigod-level plant giant during the Verdant Leaf World War.

Yet none of her past feats could compare to the raw, awe-inspiring strength she now displayed on this battlefield. The sheer magnitude of her power left Sein in stunned disbelief.

A massive flaming palm descended from the sky, aimed directly at Tourmaline’s dragon head, which remained defiantly held high.

Sein could never forget this flaming palm—it was the very same attack that had once shattered the large defensive shield of the main fortress base in a single, devastating blow.

It had taken nearly three hours to restore the shield.

That three-hour gap had been a literal bloody nightmare. Without the unwavering efforts of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s allied forces, Black Oblivion, the giant squid, and the other magic beast kings to hold off the Gorilla God, the fortress base would have undoubtedly fallen.

Now, the fortress base’s energy shield had once again dissipated—a day ago, to be exact.

Even Sein could not say when it might be restored.

The magic beast kings, including Black Oblivion, showed no signs of returning to assist.

Although Sein could not see the ongoing battle between the Rank Four and above creatures high in the sky, it was clear that the flood dragon and the others were struggling.

Just half a month ago, Sein had witnessed Hephaes, the centaur god, plummet from the heavens.

The sight had been both spectacular and horrifying—golden blood rained down onto the distant desert sands, accompanied by a meteor shower.

It was a shame that Sein had been locked in battle at the time; the blood of a Rank Four creature was an exceedingly rare and valuable material.

With no other Rank Four or higher beings to intervene and no shield to protect them, Tourmaline stood tall, bearing the full brunt of a Rank Four Gorilla God’s devastating strike.

A surge of special energy radiated from Tourmaline, spreading outward with her at the center. Translucent white waves rippled across the battlefield like water disturbed by a stone.

Sein, who had gained some understanding of Tourmaline’s abilities during this time, recognized it as the manifestation of her mastery over strength law.

Rather than delving into the complex laws of power imbued in a Rank Five creature’s divine fire, Sein realized it would be more practical to begin by studying the power of a demigod-level creature like Tourmaline.

Whether it was Kingfisher, Green Spikefur King, or Sanchez, all of them were ideal subjects of Sein’s research.

Surely, Tourmaline would not mind giving her best friend a sample of her blood.

Additionally, Lorianne’s laboratory was filled with many demigod-level specimens.

Among them was the Fire-Breathing Dragon King, whose mastery of pyro elemental law closely aligned with Sein’s affinity.

Yet, at this moment, Sein could not afford to dwell on the future of his research.

Before Sein and the countless mages and magic beasts of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Tourmaline roared defiantly to the heavens, enduring a direct strike from a Rank Four Gorilla God, only to be suddenly enveloped in a radiant golden-white light.

The brilliance of the light was so blinding that Sein could barely keep his eyes open.

No one had expected this!

Something extraordinary was happening before their very eyes...!

Tourmaline was evolving!