Sovereign of the Ashes

By the time Sein and Leena returned to Boubor World, the elemental flames engulfing the main battlefield in the eastern part of this world still showed no signs of dying down.

In addition to the incredible penetration and coverage of the Everfire Hellscape spell when it was first unleashed, the lingering, searing effect of the flames had proven just as deadly.

“The planar suppression on us feels a lot weaker now,” Leena commented.

Sein nodded and said, “The Everfire Hellscape’s lingering flames will keep the will of this world weakened for a while. This is also the best time for us to act.”

The forbidden spell had wiped out hundreds of thousands of Boubor World’s allied native forces, while throwing the remaining legions into utter chaos.

The two demigod-level half-beastmen and the two demigod-level knights had faithfully carried out Sein’s battle plan.

Judging by the results so far, they had done pretty well.

***

Four months later...

The relentless pursuit over the past few months had allowed the half-beastman legions to claim over a million kills.

The half-beastmen were far more bloodthirsty and tenacious than the native creature hordes of Boubor Plane.

Sein also noticed something else: almost none of the half-beastman warriors had the bad habit of embezzling loot.

This rich microplane had a staggering amount of resources.

Even though the war had been ongoing for only a little over half a year, the invading legions had already discovered at least six large energy crystal mines, along with dozens of medium and small ore veins.

As for the more common mineral veins and ordinary metal deposits, those numbered easily in the hundreds.

Sein had not discussed the distribution of war proceeds with Eugene before the war began.

Even the command authority he now held had been suddenly granted by Eugene just before the campaign started.

Still, Sein trusted that Eugene would treat him fairly.

In fact, he had already collected a considerable amount of high-quality crystals during this period.

It was surprising, to say the least, how none of the half-beastman generals, nor the low-ranking troops, ever tried to claim the loot for themselves.

Whenever Sein expressed interest in something, these half-beastmen would respectfully present it to him without a second thought.

Their attitude left Sein extremely satisfied.

At the very least, they were far more agreeable than Hephaes, the Rank Four centaur god he had dealt with in the past.

During this period, one of Boubor World’s four demigod-level native creatures had been eliminated by a demigod-level knight named Hovya.

Among the invading forces on Boubor World, Hovya was not considered an especially outstanding powerhouse.

He was a knight who had mastered a relatively rare type of dendro-attribute battle qi, known as the Featherpetal Battle Qi.

Dendro-attribute battle qi had never been known for its destructive power.

Its most famous traits were its powerful recovery capabilities and the life-extending effects it granted—qualities that many powerhouses of Magus World valued highly.

Hovya had been able to defeat a resilient demigod-level Geo Elemental thanks to his battle wisdom and sharp judgment on the battlefield.

When the forbidden spell descended, it had thrown the entire formation of Boubor World’s native creatures into disarray.

Amidst this chaos, the demigod-level Geo Elemental had even been directly struck by a falling meteorite.

It was during this turmoil that Hovya seized his opportunity to strike.

He did not rush into a direct confrontation.

Instead, he weaved through the battlefield, skillfully injecting his special Featherpetal Battle Qi into the wounded Geo Elemental.

Despite its attribute, the Featherpetal Battle Qi possessed surprising penetrative power.

After the battle, Sein had even taken the time to meet Hovya to learn more about his Featherpetal Battle Qi.

This unique battle qi, which manifested externally as green feathers, could invade the body of even the sturdiest Geo Elementals without them realizing it.

The Geo Elemental that Hovya killed was said to have ultimately died when layers of the Featherpetal Battle qi detonated from within, shattering its body into stone fragments scattered by the wind.

The successive deaths of two demigod-level native creatures, along with the relentless advance of the forbidden spell and the half-beastman legions, completely shattered the fresh wave of resistance Boubor World had managed to muster.

Sein and the half-beastman army had no intention of slowing down.

They continued expanding the battlefield in all directions, pushing hard to crush the microplane’s remaining resistance.

Of course, while the fighting in Boubor World raged on, Sein never stopped paying attention to the war on Bouldrak World.

No matter how the war in Boubor World progressed—even if the half-beastman army managed to occupy the entire microplane—the real deciding factor for the outcome of this interplanar war would still be the battlefield on Bouldrak World.

Because that was where Rank Four and above creatures clashed.

It was the true center of gravity for the entire conflict.

***

The early stages of the Boubor Plane War had already seen a major victory, and the battle for Bouldrak Plane was proceeding smoothly.

Eugene was holding his ground against the Bouldrak King.

Although he was getting pushed around pretty hard, he managed to stay standing.

The other standout figure in this early phase of the war was Reksha.

Although Bouldrak Plane had only two Rank Four creatures, it also had a guardian.

The guardian of Bouldrak Plane was a Grove Python.

When coiled, the creature was as large as a hill. With the blessings of the planar will, it was nearly as formidable as a true Rank Four entity.

On top of that, the Grove Python had the ability to summon and gather geo elemental combat units across a wide area.

The creatures it summoned were not truly living beings, they were more like golems.

Still, this made the guardian an incredibly difficult opponent.

Reksha stepped in to take on the Grove Python.

While battling the Obsidian Crystal Giant, Reksha swung his massive broadaxes. With a feral roar, a portal of light opened behind him.

From that portal, countless Thunder Lizards poured out.

These creatures were a highly distinctive species native to Beastmen World.

In addition to their massive strength and size, they possessed the ability to absorb and release thunder or fire.

Inside each adult Thunder Lizard was a Lightning Diamond—a condensed core of elemental energy, much like a magic crystal.

In Beastmen World, only the most powerful warriors and shamans were capable of taming a Thunder Lizard.

It was incredible that Reksha could summon a portal and call forth not just one but an entire wave of them.

The sheer number of Thunder Lizards trampled the elemental combat units summoned by the Grove Python without mercy.

They charged in the direction Reksha’s giant axe pointed, crushing and killing countless Bouldrak World natives underfoot.

Other beasts unique to Beastmen World also emerged from the portal behind Reksha.

He was indeed a powerful beastman shaman.

In comparison, Azelia, who only had a single Rank Two Thunder Beast as her familiar, looked rather modest next to Reksha’s show of force.

Along with the Thunder Lizard charge that shattered the frontlines of the Bouldrak native forces, two peak demigod-level porcupines and a Rank Four giant bear also emerged onto the battlefield.

Their appearance further cemented the half-beastman army’s momentum, laying a solid foundation for their early victories on the frontlines of Bouldrak Plane.