Sovereign of the Ashes

Boubor World...

The success of the first battle allowed the half-beastman legion to press forward at high speed into the heart of Boubor World.

This time, though, Sein deliberately controlled the pace of their advance, making sure the main force stayed as cohesive as possible.

After all, the half-beastman legions could not compare to the Magus World knights and mages in terms of strength.

And the total number of half-beastmen that had entered this world was only about seven hundred thousand.

Given the limitations of No Man’s Land, Sein did not believe Eugene could rally more qualified fighters anytime soon.

On the other hand, Boubor World, though just a microplane, was governed by a set of well-established laws.

If its native creatures were truly committed to resisting the invasion, they could potentially rally a force of two million or more.

Winning the first battle did not mean the half-beastmen had secured their dominance over Boubor World.

“My idea is still to gather our main force and engage the main army that Boubor World is assembling. It would be best if we could crush them outright on this battlefield and break their will to resist. That would make occupying the rest of the world much easier,” Sein said to the group before him after the first battle.

“If the war drags on or turns into a drawn-out stalemate between our legion and the natives, that would be the worst possible outcome.”

Sein’s plan won the full support of the two demigod-level knights present.

They had fought in several interplanar wars before and knew firsthand that prolonged battles were especially brutal for the attackers.

The two half-beastmen commanders from Beastmen World, though not nearly as skilled in the art of command as the Magus World knights, made up for it with something else: their fearlessness. They were fierce fighters who were not afraid of death.

While Sein’s Penetrating Eye spell had severely injured the demigod-level Bouldrak, the one who had delivered the finishing blow was the half-wolffolk, Tosk.

The Bouldraks were absurdly tough. Splitting its body into two halves had nearly destroyed Tosk’s scimitar.

After the battle, Tosk respectfully presented the corpse of the demigod-level Bouldrak over to Sein, including the geo elemental creature’s most precious part—its heart core.

“Since demigod-level creatures have begun to touch the power of laws, their heart cores usually hold a trace of law factors. Although this geo elemental heart core is not as valuable as a divine relic, it’s still an extremely rare treasure,” Sein remarked.

“You are the one who finished it off, so why are you giving it to me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the half-wolffolk standing before him.

The half-wolffolk was fierce on the battlefield, but he was not exactly skilled with words.

Scratching the gray fur on the back of his head awkwardly, he said, ”Without Master Sein’s help, I would not have been able to kill that creature.”

“And before coming here, my father had told me to follow your instructions carefully,” he added.

Sein was amused by Tosk’s honest words.

Shaking his head, he accepted the pieces of the demigod-level Bouldrak’s corpse, but not the heart core.

“I will take the corpse, but this heart core is of little use to me. We, mages of the Magus World, believe in fair trade. I see your scimitar is badly damaged. Since I have time now, I’ll help you repair and upgrade it,” he offered.

Sein’s easygoing attitude made Tosk’s face flush red with gratitude.

He nodded vigorously, feeling touched. He recalled something his father had once said about what Magus World mages usually valued.

During this interplanar war, Tosk secretly vowed he would find a good gift for Master Sein to properly express his gratitude.

Most beastmen were not known for being good thinkers, and the same could be said for half-beastmen.

In fact, because of their bloodline deformities, many half-beastmen were born weaker or mentally impaired, struggling just to survive.

Having someone like Eugene was a once-in-a-hundred-thousand-years opportunity for their entire half-beastman race.

And the rest, even including Eugene’s own son, were honestly not very bright.

In the end, truly intelligent creatures were a minority in this world.

***

While Sein sat at the center of operations as a demigod-level mage, Leena and the others acted more like mobile strike forces, appearing wherever they were needed on the Boubor World battlefield.

As a Rank Three mage, Leena was far from weak in this interplanar war.

By her side were Yuri, Azelia, and Lou.

Yuri, who controlled more than ten mechas at once, could fight on the level of a Rank Three creature.

With her experience fighting alongside Sein against deities, she was a major asset to Leena’s team.

Riding atop a Thunder Beast and pounding war drums, the fox maiden was one of the fastest-growing fighters in this interplanar conflict.

Shaman priests of Beastmen World often used musical instruments as tools to channel and amplify elemental power, just as Magus World mages relied on their magic rods.

The fox maiden’s original instrument had been a kanun[1], a beautiful piece that Sein had occasionally heard her play during his free time in the laboratory. The melodies were relaxing and quite pleasant.

Besides the kanun, Beastman shaman priests also used rattles, tambourines, recorders, and other instruments.

Among all the shamanic musical instruments, the Great General’s War Drum had the strongest amplification power.

Back in the ancient barbaric days, the shaman priests would ride onto the battlefield atop giant beasts, pounding on war drums and rousing the primal fury of their armies.

To better support the half-beastman army, the fox maiden had voluntarily swapped her kanun for a pair of huge war drums after arriving in Boubor World.

The drums now hung on either side of the Thunder Beast she rode.

Azelia, beating the huge drums with a pair of drumsticks, made a striking figure on the battlefield.

Wearing a headband across her forehead and sweating while swinging her arms to produce the thunderous rhythm, she radiated the wild, untamed spirit unique to Beastmen World.

Sein, who was used to seeing Azelia in her usual maid outfit, had been genuinely stunned the first time he witnessed her transformation on the battlefield.

Even after Leena and the others joined the battle, Sein’s communication with them remained limited.

It was not the time for distractions. Right now, his focus remained firmly on advancing the frontline army.

The native creatures of Boubor World had once again rallied a massive number of resistance forces.

This time, their numbers were even greater than before. High-ranking fighters from across the plane had gathered swiftly as the war broke out.

Among them were four demigods. Five, if including the demigod-level Bouldrak that had already been slain earlier.

Considering Boubor World was only a microplane, its strength was honestly quite impressive.

1. Translator’s Note: Kanun is a Middle Eastern traditional musical instrument that comes in the form of a trapezoidal zither played by using plectra to pluck the strings. ☜