Sovereign of the Ashes

Inside the massive crystal place within the Obsidian Range, the Bouldrak King, who had temporarily withdrawn from the battlefield, did not waste time resting.

Instead, it urgently contacted beings located far beyond Bouldrak Plane through certain methods.

In the vast starry space beyond Bouldrak Plane, there were other planes and intelligent races.

The Bouldrak King had known this fact for more than a hundred thousand years, ever since it had first advanced to Rank Four.

Unlike most geo elemental creatures, who lived in isolation and clung to tradition their entire lives, the Bouldrak King had always been curious about the world beyond.

Tens of thousands of years ago, it had personally traveled to a foreign plane and even participated in a war raging there.

Through those rare experiences, it had built a handful of valuable connections.

The first one it reached out to now was the lord of a low-level plane known as Eternal Sand World.

The Eternal Sand Lord, a Rank Five being, was roughly equal in strength to the Bouldrak King.

As a sand elemental, it had long maintained a good relationship with the Bouldrak King—perhaps because sand elementals were considered a branch of geo elementals, much like how cryo elementals were linked to hydro elementals.

Now, with its homeplane under threat, the Bouldrak King’s first thought was to call upon the Eternal Sand Lord for aid.

If it agreed to help, Bouldrak World might still weather this storm.

A silhouette began to take shape before the Bouldrak King. It was the Eternal Sand Lord, its form resembling flowing quicksand.

Unlike the Bouldrak King, the Eternal Sand Lord was fluid, adaptive, and ever-changing.

Though it had ascended to Rank Five later than the Bouldrak King, it had traveled across far more planes and seen much more of the Astral Realm.

It was a being skilled at working with powerful entities from many different worlds.

In fact, it was thanks to the Eternal Sand Lord’s influence that the Bouldrak King had gradually abandoned some of its old-fashioned ways of thinking.

“My friend, you look injured. Did something happen?” the Eternal Sand Lord asked as its form fully materialized.

The Bouldrak King, who had six thick arms attached to its rocky body, glanced at its upper left arm where a shallow scratch and a smear of blood still remained.

Elementals did not bleed, so the blood had come from Eugene.

The scratch itself was real, though.

”My friend, you look injured. Did something happen?” the Eternal Sand Lord asked as its form fully materialized.

Despite being a full rank above its opponent and having the clear upper hand in battle, that stubborn Rank Four half-beastman had still managed to wound the Bouldrak King.

Compared to the devastating injuries the Bouldrak King had inflicted on Eugene, this scratch was hardly worth mentioning.

“Yes. My world is being invaded by a foreign legion, much like what happened to Submerged Wave World back in the day. We need your help,” the Bouldrak King said sincerely.

After a few moments of silence, the Eternal Sand Lord asked again, “Have you found out the name of the foreign plane that attacked your world?”

As a being who understood far more about the boundless Astral Realm than the natives of Bouldrak World, the Eternal Sand Lord knew well how deep and dangerous those waters could be.

It would not recklessly rush into an interplanar war just because the Bouldrak King asked for help.

The very fact that the Bouldrak King was asking for help was already proof that the enemy was no ordinary threat.

“I don’t know exactly where they come from, but I heard them call themselves half-beastmen,” Bouldrak King replied, frowning slightly.

Its answer was almost laughable.

The war had been raging for quite some time, and yet the native geo elemental creatures still had no idea who their enemies were or where they had come from.

This only highlighted their straightforward, simple nature. To put it more bluntly, they were dumber than a box of rocks.

The Eternal Sand Lord nodded and said it would help the Bouldraks investigate the origins and details of these half-beastmen first.

Most Elementals were creatures of their word.

The Bouldrak King did not press the Eternal Sand Lord to take a position immediately. If the Eternal Sand Lord were willing to help, it would come.

Two long months passed after that.

During that time, the Bouldrak King even made time to return to the battlefield and clash with Eugene once again.

The Bouldrak King was still baffled by how that stubborn half-beastman was still standing.

Two months later, the Eternal Sand Lord got in touch with the Bouldrak King again. But this time, it spoke quickly, and its tone was grim.

“Those half-beastmen come from Beastmen World! My friend, have you provoked the Magus Civilization? Or rather, among the foreign armies attacking your world, are there any Magus World forces involved?” the Eternal Sand Lord asked seriously.

“I don’t think so... I have only seen all sorts of flesh-and-blood creatures,” Bouldrak King answered hesitantly.

As it spoke, a floating image appeared above its palm, showing hundreds of thousands of half-beastmen charging across the battlefield.

The Eternal Sand Lord studied the image carefully.

After a long moment, it exhaled softly in relief, though not completely at ease.

This Rank Five creature, with a far broader view of the world, paused in thought before finally shaking its head and saying, “My friend, I know you won’t want to hear this, but as your friend, I have to say it. You should consider surrendering.”

The Eternal Sand Lord’s comment was a shocking one.

Just as the Bouldrak King’s eyes widened and it was about to erupt in uncontrollable rage, the Eternal Sand Lord calmly added, “I’m not telling you to surrender to those half-beastmen or the Beastmen World behind them, but to the Magus Civilization.”

“Perhaps years of isolation have left you unaware of Magus World. But I can tell you, it’s the most terrifying civilization in the surrounding star domain. Beastmen World is merely their vassal,” the Eternal Sand Lord said.

“Many nearby planes have already heard whispers of the Magus Civilization. Ever since the downfall of the Neisse Civilization, deities and plane lords have all been living in fear, wondering when Magus Civilization might set their sights on us.”

It paused, then added, “But there’s one piece of good news I’ve heard, though I don’t know how accurate it is—the Magus Civilization is not a force that purely seeks killing and destruction. They have gathered many world civilizations under the banner of the Magus Alliance. If you surrender to the Magus Civilization, you might even have a chance to join them.”

“Surrender to the backers behind those invaders? Never!” The Bouldrak King roared, its demeanor perfectly capturing the obstinate nature of a geo elemental creature.

“Then there is nothing I can do for you,” the Eternal Sand Lord concluded calmly. “Truth be told, neither you nor I stand a chance against Magus World or even Beastmen World. They are large worlds, and their power is beyond what we can resist.”

“You may consider seeking help from Submerged Wave World. I know the Sea Emperor Shark of that world owes you a favor, but I doubt it would risk its life for you now. After all, Submerged Wave World is still only a medium-sized plane, and surely, even it has heard about Magus World by now.”

With that, the Eternal Sand Lord sighed and let its presence fade completely from the crystal palace.

Obviously, it would not be coming to the Bouldrak King’s aid. Not only had it refused to help, but it had also revealed a brutal truth.

Clinging to a final shred of hope, the Bouldrak King crushed a piece of dark blue ice crystal between its rocky fingers.

It was a token that the Sea Emperor Shark had given as a reward for participating in Submerged Wave World’s defense during an ancient invasion.

The Sea Emperor Shark, a Rank Six being, had promised that no matter what danger the Bouldrak King faced, Submerged Wave World would answer its call.

But after the Bouldrak King crushed the dark blue ice crystal and waited for a long time, no response ever came.

The Bouldrak King’s expression grew even grimmer. Across its rugged, rocky face, more and more cracks appeared.