Sovereign of the Ashes

“Your Majesty, I am Sein, a Rank Three mage from Magus World, and I have indeed heard of your clan before.”

He spoke in the Magus World’s common tongue, the most prestigious language within the Magus Alliance’s sphere of influence.

Seated upon the throne, Thorstein nodded and remarked, “Rank Three... looks like you truly hail from the realm beyond.”

Faeloria’s power hierarchy had its own well-defined structure: Transcendent, Legendary, Epic, Saint, Deity...

Yet in the Astral Realm, creatures preferred a simpler classification—ranks.

Since different races and civilizations each had their own distinct power systems, the most primitive numerical ranking remained the most direct and universally understood measure of individual strength.

The Magus Civilization had always adhered to this principle with strict rationality, avoiding unnecessary titles or elaborate classifications of power.

Thorstein believed this Rank Three mage was telling the truth, but the little creature claimed to be from Magus World...

The Bloodwar Monarch tapped his sharp claws against his temple, lost in thought.

Perhaps his long years in Faeloria had dulled certain memories—he could not recall ever hearing of such a world.

With a slow turn of his head, he looked behind him. From the gathered demon kings, the smallest among them stepped forward.

Barely three meters tall, his belly was round like a ball. Dragging a long tail behind him, he shuffled toward the Bloodwar Monarch and spoke in a hushed voice.

“There is indeed such a world. It seems it isn’t too far from our Hell back then—about a dozen or so star domains away.”

The cunning demon paused, combing through his memories.

After a moment, he added, “The Gallant Federation and the Rosen Dynasty are closer to the Magus World. That civilization appears to be quite powerful as well.”

For beings like Bloodwar Monarch and the cunning demon, most of their memories remained trapped two to three hundred thousand years in the past.

Even for Rank Four and above creatures, such an expanse of time was vast.

Some Rank Four beings might not even live that long.

The two demons continued their conversation as if Sein was not even there. To them, a mere Rank Three was insignificant—merely a puny ant standing before giants.

Sein was no stranger to situations like these. Even in the terrifying presence of about a dozen demon kings, he kept his composure.

Then, the Spider Queen’s voice echoed through the Silver Spider Ring, slipping a quiet reminder into his mind.

Sein gulped, and with feigned confidence, he forced himself into the conversation.

“The Rosen Dynasty civilization is already a thing of the past. In fact, that once-great world has long since fallen.”

His statement caused the Bloodwar Monarch and the cunning demon to momentarily freeze.

A murmur rippled through the other demon kings gathered in the hall.

As the true ruling class of Faeloria’s Purgatory demons, they still retained knowledge of the civilizations that had once surrounded Hell.

The Gallant Federation, in its prime, had rivaled Hell in strength. Even if it had been somewhat weaker, the difference had never been vast.

While the Rosen Dynasty civilization had not been as powerful, it had still been a large world—yet it had already fallen?

“Who destroyed the Rosen Dynasty civilization? The Radiant Celestials?”

There was genuine curiosity in the Bloodwar Monarch’s voice.

It seemed this little creature before them did, in fact, possess valuable knowledge about the outer realm.

“No, it wasn’t the Radiant Celestials. It was the Gallant Federation. We, the Magus Civilization, are a peace-loving people. We had hoped to intervene to save the Rosen Dynasty. But alas, we arrived too late.”

Thorstein laughed in amusement upon hearing Sein’s response.

“The Gallant Federation and the Rosen Dynasty were once allies. I didn’t expect it to end like that,” he remarked.

His gaze flickered with intrigue.

“And what of the Radiant Celestials? Where have they gone? Why would the Gallant Federation and the Rosen Dynasty—the two pillars of the anti-Radiant Celestial alliance—turn their weapons against each other?” he asked.

This time, Sein had no answer.

Even Lorthisra, listening from the Silver Spider Ring, offered no response.

The Bloodwar Monarch observed Sein for a moment before nodding slightly.

It was unrealistic to expect a mere Rank Three to know the deeper truths behind such monumental events.

Still, hearing even fragments of information about the Astral Realm—especially about two civilizations he once knew well—stirred something within him.

For the first time in tens of thousands of years, Thorstein felt a glimmer of genuine joy.

The last time he had experienced such a feeling was when his daughter was born.

“Little one, why have you come to this world? And what is your purpose in Purgatory?” the Bloodwar Monarch continued asking.

Perhaps due to his improved mood, his tone no longer carried the overwhelming intimidation and sheer dominance he had exuded earlier.

“I’m here as a representative of the Magus World to extend our goodwill and, hopefully, to forge an alliance with you demons in the joint development of this world,” Sein replied.

Levon Thorstein chuckled, shaking his head.

“Develop this world? The closed nature of this world is beyond your imagination. No one can freely enter or leave this place except for overlords.”

Sein remained calm as he spoke.

“I’ve been in this world long enough to grasp some of its peculiarities. Besides, I never said that our world doesn’t have an overlord.”

Levon Thorstein’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

“You? A mere Rank Three creature can speak with an overlord?”

His gaze flickered to the Silver Spider Ring on Sein’s hand.

“That ring of yours looks rather interesting. Your true backer must be the one who gave it to you.” He paused briefly before adding, “And yet, from what I can sense, that being is not an overlord.”

As a creature who had lived hundreds of thousands of years, Levon Thorstein was keenly observant—seeing through Sein’s limits with ease.

Despite the slight derision in his tone, there was also a hint of disappointment, buried deep beneath his words.

Sein said nothing. Instead, he left the stage to the Spider Queen, who was far away in the Magus World.

Due to the early onset of the Avatar Crisis, Faeloria’s barrier had strengthened considerably.

Deploying another divine clone was impossible, but the Spider Queen could just barely manage a simple image projection, one capable of communication.

Of course, it came at a great cost—a massive number of precious materials within the black tower had to be sacrificed once again.

The Silver Spider Ring on Sein’s finger pulsed with a faint light before her image materialized in the Bloodwar Hall.

“Greetings, I am Lorthisra, a Rank Six being of the Magus World. Honorable Bloodwar Monarch, Levon Thorstein, have you heard of Carter Gustavo?”

CRACK!

The moment the name was spoken, a blood-red lightning bolt tore across the sky above the Demon Peaks.

The thunderous crackle that resounded through Purgatory was a clear reflection of the Bloodwar Monarch’s excitement at that moment.