Sovereign of the Ashes

When the Arriba Chamber of Commerce’s legions of demons and devils departed from Sandstorm World, Sein went out of his way to see them off.

For the few demons and devils he had worked with and used as experimental subjects, Sein made sure to exchange contact information with them.

In the vast expanse of the Astral Realm, it was unlikely he would cross paths with these specific individuals again.

However, demons and devils were prominent groups, often seen and heard within the Magus Civilization’s territories. This made it likely that Sein would meet others of their kind in the future.

Having cooperated with them to some extent, Sein believed he was now better equipped to handle any dealings with demons and devils he might encounter later.

During this period of research, Sein had focused primarily on devils, only dabbling lightly in studies of demons. His interaction with demons was limited to collecting their tissues and blood samples.

In such experiments, mages of the Magus World typically established contracts with extraplanar creatures, with terms that explicitly forbade the use of collected samples in cursed magic or any research that could potentially harm the test subjects.

Through his experiments, Sein discovered that demons had a unique way of harnessing their powers, particularly at the mental focus and soul levels.

The demons’ expertise in these areas intrigued him, as the mages of the Magus World also channeled energy on the same levels. This sparked Sein’s curiosity, inspiring further interest in demonic abilities.

Still, he resolved to save his deeper explorations into demons for after his return to Magus World, where he could properly dedicate time and resources to his studies.

***

A year and a half had passed since the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce left Sandstorm World, and now Sein and the others were finally on their way back to Magus World.

During this time, several notable events unfolded.

First, the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan, which had suffered devastating losses in the Sandstorm World War, managed to recover the damaged space fortress buried deep beneath the yellow sands with assistance from their family members who arrived from other planes.

Whether this war platform, now covered in sand, would ever regain its ability to soar through the skies and stars remained uncertain.

In addition to the heavy casualties among the Kermoine Serpent Warlocks, their other significant loss was the millions of Yaja slaves they had brought to the battlefield.

Tragically, less than one-tenth of them survived.

Sein also heard rumors that Arbitor World, claimed by the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan, had been ravaged by the Wild Gorilla Army during the conflict.

It seemed this Bloodline Warlock Clan from the West Coast had been particularly unlucky in this battle of civilizations.

The severity of their losses had strengthened the Kermoine Serpent Warlocks’ bonds with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and other magic beast kings like Black Oblivion.

Wealth could always be earned again, but friendships forged in the fires of war were far more precious.

In recognition of their sacrifices—the thousands of warlocks, millions of Yaja slaves, and the destruction of their space fortress—Lorianne allocated a portion of Sandstorm World’s war proceeds to the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan to ease some of their losses.

This gesture was only fair.

Without the contribution of the Kermoine Serpent Warlocks and their Yaja slaves, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s desperate defense of Sandstorm World would have been immeasurably harder.

Despite their losses during the war, the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan avoided showing too much pain on their faces.

They sent a Rank Four Warlock to initiate discussions with Lorianne, Black Oblivion, and others about future trade collaborations.

Meanwhile, Hephaes, the centaur god, who had been neglected by Lorianne for a long time, was finally summoned.

Lorianne acknowledged the centaurs’ contributions to the Sandstorm World War and agreed to provide Hephaes with compensation.

However, this compensation was not a lump sum. Instead, it would be issued in installments.

While the total amount was modest, it was sufficient to satisfy the centaur god, who had lived a life of relative poverty.

Grateful and full of praise, Hephaes pledged his unwavering loyalty to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, vowing to look to it as his guiding light in the years to come.

In fact, Hephaes, along with the Centaurworld in which he resided, already had dependents within the Magus Alliance.

All the gods of Centaurworld were staunch supporters of the Western Archipelago, one of the major forces within the Magus World.

This allegiance likely stemmed from ancient times when the Centaurworld was first subjugated by the knights and mages of the Western Archipelago.

Many of the older civilizations within the Magus Alliance had similar origins, having initially been conquered by the Magus Civilization.

To streamline management and optimize resource extraction, the Magus Civilization eventually chose to govern these enslaved planes through an alliance, granting them limited autonomy.

The phenomenon of medium-sized planes, like the Blue Violet Star, voluntarily joining the Magus Alliance without the need for warfare, was a uniquely modern development.

The annexations and expansions of the primordial era were pretty much brutal and bloody processes of primitive wealth accumulation.

By contrast, as the Magus Civilization grew in size and influence, its methods had become more “civilized” to maintain an outward image.

Despite being a devoted supporter of the Western Archipelago, Hephaes, the centaur god, had also pledged his loyalty to Lorianne of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Whether this reflected shrewd pragmatism or sheer opportunism was certainly open to debate.

Nevertheless, Lorianne’s promise to Hephaes was genuine, and the centaur god seemed pleased with the compensation provided.

As for the millions of dead centaurs, Hephaes showed no remorse.

After all, he was a selfish, cold-blooded, and petty god.

To Hephaes, the loss of followers was a temporary inconvenience; they would inevitably replenish themselves over the centuries, like crops growing back after each harvest.

As long as he remained alive, any loss was acceptable.

After seeing off the Kermoine Serpent Warlock Clan and the centaurs, the sea legions also departed under the leadership of White Stella.

The sea races’ gains in the Wild Star Domain were substantial.

The acquisition of several hydro elemental planes further extended their influence and solidified their power.

However, the sea races did not return to the Magus World with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Army.

The only forces that accompanied the mages back to Magus World were the magic beast legions that had been with them since the very beginning of the war.

***

Stepping through the massive space portal, Sein arrived at Verdant Wilderness World, a low-level plane he was quite familiar with.

Using Verdant Wilderness World as a transit point allowed the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and its magic beast allies to save at least two-thirds of the expenses required to return to the Magus World.

This world was home to the demigod-level Kingfisher and Green Spikefur King.

During the war, over a hundred thousand plant creatures followed Kingfisher and Green Spikefur King to Wild Gorilla World to fight.

Now, however, less than two thousand returned to their homeplane alongside their demigod leaders.

The brutal and unforgiving war had claimed far too many lives, leaving countless creatures buried in the other world.

Unlike Verdant Leaf World, which had been reduced to an enslaved plane, Verdant Wilderness World had a far better fate.

Several years ago, Lorianne and her allies promised this plane a spot within the Magus Alliance, allowing it to become one of the alliance’s vassal planes under the Magus Civilization.

This marked the first foreign plane that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had introduced to the Magus Alliance. As a result, Lorianne had taken particular care to ensure the integration and well-being of this low-level world.