Sovereign of the Ashes

While other creatures stuck at their peak demigod status desperately strove to reach Rank Four and ascend to “godhood”, a “young hatchling” like Tourmaline never had such ambition.

This demigod-level dragon turtle, blessed with immense physical strength, had always seemed indifferent to the allure of power.

Rather than seeking breakthroughs in her life level or relishing the thrill of dominance over lesser creatures, Tourmaline preferred simpler pleasures—like sleeping or playing.

Creatures who tirelessly chased power, dedicating years or even centuries of their lives to breaking through, often found themselves unable to make meaningful progress.

Yet, a dragon turtle with no particular desire for strength had inadvertently overcome the bottleneck that held most creatures back.

In the Astral Realm, it was widely acknowledged that the leap from Rank Three to Rank Four—often referred to as the “demigod realm”—was one of the hardest barriers to overcome for most.

Although each advancement in life level was extremely challenging, the transition from Rank Three to Rank Four was especially challenging because it involved a transformation in the essence of life itself.

By comparison, the leap from Rank Six to Rank Seven was exponentially more difficult.

However, since most powerhouses in the vast Astral Realm were stuck as demigods, only very few had the opportunity to attempt breaking through to Rank Seven.

For most planes—even medium-sized ones like Wild Gorilla World—overlords existed only in myths. Many Rank Four or higher beings in these planes were not even aware of the existence of overlords, let alone encountering one.

“Demigod” and “god” sounded similar, but the power gap between these beings was immense.

For most creatures, overcoming this bottleneck required the perfect storm of conditions—the pressure of intense battle, the stimulation of unrelenting willpower, and the threat of external forces pushing them beyond their limits.

The mages of the Magus World, however, were exceptions.

Through their relentless pursuit of the mysteries of truth, they could achieve this advancement within the confines of their laboratories.

This method of ascension bewildered many creatures in the Astral Realm, leading some to mistakenly believe that the mages’ path was inherently “safer”.

While it might be true that undergoing a breakthrough in a controlled environment was less perilous than doing so amidst the chaos of battle, the extraordinary effort and intellect required by Magus World mages to accomplish such a feat far exceeded the imagination of creatures reliant on passive evolution and physical training to induce the required advancement on life level.

The number of mages in the Magus World, consistently fewer than knights of the same rank, was a clear illustration of a fundamental truth—those who relied on intellect were invariably rarer than those who relied on brute strength.

Although Tourmaline’s breakthrough was similar to that of knights who achieved advancements in the heat of battle, her situation was different. As a strong dragon beast following the path of passive evolution, Tourmaline’s strength at this moment undoubtedly surpassed that of ordinary knights who had just been promoted to Rank Four.

ROAR!

Her deafening dragon roar echoed across the battlefield, carrying the same pitch as before.

Unlike Black Oblivion, whose roar was more powerful and majestic, Tourmaline’s still retained youthful quality—perhaps a reminder that she had yet to fully mature.

A leap in life level had nothing to do with aging.

Even after advancing to Rank Four, Tourmaline was still a “young hatchling”.

For some demigods, no amount of struggle or countless years of effort could bring them closer to a breakthrough. Yet Tourmaline achieved hers with astonishing ease.

It was truly an achievement that convinced many to believe she was favored by fate.

Still, her success could not be entirely attributed to luck. It also stemmed from the power of her bloodline and her instinctive understanding of strength law.

Unlike the intricate mysteries of the pyro element that Sein explored, the way of strength was more straightforward.

For a demigod-level being with a complex mind, however, embarking on the path of strength might still take tens of thousands of years, with no guarantee of reaching Rank Four.

Tourmaline’s straightforward thinking and simplistic method of wielding power were perfectly aligned with the core principles of the way of strength.

Pure strength had always been simple and direct!

Of course, Tourmaline’s breakthrough also showcased the exceptional potency of her bloodline.

What no one—not even Sein—realized was that Tourmaline had achieved Rank Four faster than any of her siblings!

She was indeed the youngest, but her potential for growth was unmatched.

In her family, Tourmaline was the only one to pursue the purest path of strength law.

Her other family members, including her eldest and second brothers, as well as their father, possessed colossal size and overwhelming strength. However, their physical size was an innate trait and their power was brute force derived from their massive forms.

Tourmaline alone harnessed power derived from the strength law.

It was said that the dragon had nine offspring, each unique in their own way.

Likewise, Tourmaline’s siblings had each ventured down unique paths of law. Even in their appearances, Tourmaline, White Stella, and Black Oblivion differed greatly, further highlighting the distinctiveness of their powerful dragon bloodline.

***

By the time Tourmaline completed her advancement, the shock reverberated not only through the two warring armies in Sandstorm World but also among the Magus Civilization reinforcements that had recently arrived outside the plane.

The first to reach Sandstorm World were the sea races, led by White Stella.

Next came the Magus Civilization’s combat legion, represented by Gregory the Rank Five mage.

Naturally, the three Rank Six powerhouses from the Magus World, including Feylis, also arrived alongside Gregory’s legion.

However, they had come independently, without their own legions.

Although the Wild Gorilla Army, led by the Wild Gorilla God, was capable of executing powerful counterattacks, it did not warrant the deployment of all the armies of the Magus Civilization.

With Gregory and the sea races leading the canon fodder, Feylis and the other Rank Six powerhouses could concentrate solely on bringing down Wild Gorilla God.

Around the same time Feylis and her group arrived, the Rank Six Amethyst Emperor also appeared.

Despite their formidable strength, these Magus Civilization powerhouses didn’t arrive as swiftly as the unexpected reinforcements.

***

Beyond Arbitor World...

Brilliant meteors, surrounded by a powerful steel fleet, streaked through the starry sky.

The development of space fleets with mature combat capabilities was not exclusive to the Gallant Federation.

Both the space fortresses of the Magus Civilization and many technological civilizations in the Astral Realm were capable of deploying equally formidable interstellar combat units.

However, the cosmic fleet now approaching Arbitor World, led by terrifying existences disguised as meteors, did not hail from any of the well-established planar civilizations.

These powerful entities that had suddenly appeared on this battlefield belonged to a large interstellar organization linked to the Magus Civilization—the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce, a vast trading association.

Throughout history, several pivotal wars and significant moments in the Magus Civilization’s rise were inextricably connected to this interstellar chamber of commerce.

Many of the civilizations surrounding the Magus Alliance, as well as its members, believed that the Arriba Chamber of Commerce was essentially the Capiche Business Alliance, operating under a different guise to discreetly handle private trade with certain civilizations and interstellar organizations.

Interestingly, despite the strained relationship between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation over the past ten millennia, the Arriba Chamber of Commerce managed to maintain a presence in both territories.

This interstellar chamber of commerce had always conducted trade with remarkable neutrality, claiming it would not involve itself in any wars between planes or civilizations.

It also denied any direct association with the Magus Civilization, just as the Magus World refused to acknowledge its ties to the Capiche Business Alliance.

After all, the Magus Civilization had its pride, and associating openly with an organization that engaged in trade with infamous groups like the star pirates could tarnish its reputation.

This was especially sensitive given the devastation caused by the rampant Quatar Star Pirates to numerous member planes within the Magus Alliance.

Under such circumstances, it was politically untenable for the Magus Civilization to openly acknowledge its connection to the Arriba Chamber of Commerce.

Nevertheless, it was undeniable that the chamber’s trade policies consistently favored the Magus Civilization, both explicitly and implicitly, particularly in large-scale trade agreements with the Gallant Federation.

The Arriba Chamber of Commerce justified its bias by claiming that the Magus Civilization’s strength and broader commercial potential made it the more lucrative partner.

As for whether the Arriba Chamber of Commerce had deeper ties to the Magus Civilization beyond its pursuit of profit?

Only the dead would know the truth.

Today, the arrival of the Arriba Chamber of Commerce’s reinforcements outside Sandstorm World served as clear evidence of their close relationship with the Magus Civilization.

Otherwise, why would this profit-driven organization bother traveling all the way to Sandstorm World to involve themselves in a war that ostensibly had nothing to do with them?

What made their appearance even more shocking were the strange beings among the Rank Four or higher powerhouses in their forces, streaking through the starry sky like meteors.

Their bodies radiated dense layers of violet, red, or black negative energy particles—a clear indication that they were the infamous devils and demons from the star domain near the Magus Civilization.

Most of these devils and demons were known members of the Quatar Star Pirates, the largest and most notorious pirate organization in the region.

Yet, considering the wealth and reach of the Arriba Chamber of Commerce, it was not surprising that they could recruit such creatures as hired muscle.

The true mastermind of this unexpected reinforcement was not these infamous devils and demons but the middle-aged man clad in a luxurious purple outfit.

He radiated an immense, commanding aura so overwhelming that even the most unruly Rank Four devils and demons had to bow their heads in deference before him.

There was no doubt about it... he was an overlord!

“Oh, my niece has reached Rank Four, huh? The last time I saw her, she was still in her egg. Although I left a few gifts behind, I’ve yet to personally give her anything,” the man remarked, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Compared to those unruly brats in the Celestial Domain who give me endless headaches, the little ones here in the Magus World are far more well-behaved,” he sighed.