Sovereign of the Ashes

The Solar Eye, a magic spell Sein had relied on heavily during his initiate years, had withstood the test of time.

Even after centuries, it remained one of his signature spells, known for its devastating power and lightning-fast speed.

The Solar Eye spell’s concentrated light beams left the Moknu no chance to evade, striking him relentlessly.

Stray lumen elemental rays even seared nearby Goul Groundworms, leaving them writhing in pain.

In the chaos of interplanar war, the lives of such low-level creatures were insignificant.

The Moknu’s pitch-black armor proved little defense against Sein’s relentless barrage.

The dense Solar Eye beams left countless wounds in its body, its silver blood gleamed under the harsh luminescence of Sein’s lumen elemental magic.

In terms of individual strength, the native creatures of Gumo Plane were a far cry from the gorillas of Wild Gorilla World.

Despite their notable flexibility and agility, the Moknu—still some distance from Sein—stood no chance of closing in to pose any real threat.

Sein’s Solar Eye beams were not released in a single burst but instead fired in more than ten consecutive waves.

Though Sein had not devoted significant time to advancing his lumen elemental power over the last two centuries, his knowledge, focus, and mana levels had grown exponentially.

As a result, even the spells he once considered slightly less destructive were now terrifyingly powerful in his hands.

Back in his initiate stage, Sein had modified Solar Eye to create six elemental eyes, each capable of releasing six rounds of attack.

But now, as a Rank Two mage, Sein could effortlessly summon hundreds of Solar Eyes and unleash dozens—if not hundreds—of rounds with ease, thanks to his vast mana reserves.

In this case, a dozen waves had been enough. By the time the Moknu had stumbled within ten meters of Sein, it finally collapsed, incapacitated.

This was the disparity between a peak Rank Two mage, with the potential to reach Rank Three, and an average Rank Two extraplanar creature.

During the Wild Gorilla World War over a hundred years ago, Sein had not felt such an overwhelming gap in strength between himself and other Rank Two creatures.

But now, after more than a century of steady accumulation and breakthroughs in elemental transformation, it was clear that Sein had already reached a level where losing to another Rank Two being was nearly inconceivable.

Even Reina stood little chance against Sein when distance separated them.

It was only when she got close enough, her relentless assaults leaving no time for Sein to chant his highly destructive spells, that she could overpower him.

However, Peak Rank Two knights like Reina were a rare breed, even in Magus World. How could Sein expect to find their equal among the creatures of this low-level foreign plane?

Hovering above the Moknu, Sein swept a glance downward. The creature stared back at him with eyes clouded in despair and hopelessness.

Its silver weapon had been reduced to little more than scrap metal, and the Moknu’s body was riddled with searing wounds left by the Solar Eye’s unrelenting rays.

Sein recognized that look on the creature’s face—he had seen it countless times throughout the interplanar wars.

It was the gaze of the weak, those forced to accept their fate.

“Hmph,” Sein snorted softly before another shower of mana light rained down upon the creature.

***

With the temporary Divine Tower of Dark Flame badge recording his actions, Sein began carving a path of devastation across the Akre Plains battlefield, ruthlessly accumulating mission points.

After all, no one could ever have enough resources or magicoins.

His Aura Restraint spell, which masked his true strength and made him appear to be an ordinary Rank Two mage, allowed him to easily deceive many extraplanar creatures.

Gumo Plane had its fair share of Rank Three powerhouses, and the speed at which Sein was mowing through their forces was bound to draw their attention.

Yet thanks to his spell, inspired by the Tourmaline’s aura restraining technique, Sein was able to conceal his presence well.

With his experience as a black magic initiate during his early years and the calm, rational demeanor inherent to mages, Sein never acted recklessly, even when his power far exceeded the limits of a typical peak Rank Two.

Sein was not one for showboating; he had always preferred to keep a low profile, quietly accumulating strength and resources.

In truth, if the lumen elemental body had not been so suited to this battlefield, Sein would never have allowed himself to shine—literally—as brightly as he did now.

Of course, elite Rank Two creatures of Gumo Plane, and even Rank Three powerhouses, sought him out in retaliation.

Unfortunately for them, none were a match for Sein’s unrivaled power—especially with the ironclad Reina, Natalya, and Yuri, supporting him.

Not a single one managed to escape with their life.

Sein and his group were not fighting average foes—they were taking on the best Gumo Plane had to offer!

Interplanar war was vastly different from casual sparring. While Sein and Reina both possessed the strength to single-handedly challenge, or even defeat, Rank Three opponents, it did not mean they had to fight alone on the battlefield.

True power lay in efficiency—only the intelligent would coordinate with allies to eliminate enemies at the lowest possible cost.

Reina indeed needed a brutal battle to stimulate her body’s cellular metamorphosis, but that did not stop her from fighting alongside Sein and the others.

Having witnessed many battles involving higher-ranking creatures, Sein, Reina, and their group were far more humble than expected.

When the tide of war eventually calmed, there would be opportunities for Sein and Reina to find opponents strong enough to test their limits.

For now, however, their sole priority—like the rest of the Magus World Army—was to cut down as many enemies as possible.

With the Gumo Plane legions pouring onto the Akre Plains, their sheer numbers forced Sein to temporarily abandon his work of collecting specimens and spoils. His focus narrowed to killing the extraplanar creatures swarming toward him.

The corpses scattered across the plains would not vanish into thin air, and his divine tower badge had recorded every kill. Sein could always return later to gather his spoils once the battle was over.

Besides, most of the cannon fodder before him was hardly worth his attention.

***

The battle on the Akre Plains raged on, showing no signs of ending anytime soon.

With their formidable strength, Sein and his group stood as some of the most powerful combatants on this chaotic battlefield.

Unless the native forces of Gumo Plane sent two demigod-level powerhouses to encircle and eliminate them, any ordinary Rank Three creatures who approached would meet the same fate—overwhelmed and crushed by Sein, Reina, and the others.

Of course, not every unit of the Magus World forces could claim the same dominance.

The sheer numbers of Gumo Plane’s native creatures began to wear down the Magus forces over time.

As the war progressed, Rank One knights and mages—especially those with weaker foundations—began to succumb to exhaustion and lapses in focus. Even with enslaved creatures providing cover, casualties were inevitable.

This was a decisive battle where retreating was not an option, and Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s command center had given no orders for rest or withdrawal.

On an interplanar battlefield, knights and mages had only themselves to rely on. Pinning hopes on others was a reckless gamble, often costing one their life.

As Sein, Natalya, and Reina charged deeper into the enemy lines, the gap between them and the Rank One knights and mages under their command widened until contact was completely lost.

Sein could only bid them good luck.

After all, they were not babysitters; protecting those lower-ranking knights and mages was never a mandatory part of the mission.

On the fifteenth day of the battle, the booming roar of a massive explosion echoed across the skies.

This was a force that transcended demigod-level might.

It was clear that as the battle on the Akre Plains intensified, a Rank Four creature had finally decided to intervene.

This time, it was the native god of Gumo Plane who took the lead.

Sein, though some distance away, glanced upward and caught a glimpse of the colossal, verdant claw emerging from the depths of the clouds.

It reached downward, aiming straight for one of the three Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s thousand-strong mage formations.