Sovereign of the Ashes

The Sandworm Queen was attending this year’s Magus Alliance Conference as White Sand World’s representative.

Aside from her, the Eternal Sand Lord and the Sea Emperor Shark were the only other Rank Four or higher beings from that star domain taking part in the event.

For now, though, there was still no sign of the Eternal Sand Lord.

Foreign deities attending the Magus Alliance Conference for the first time were usually assigned someone to receive them.

However, the Sandworm Queen arrived directly at the venue with the Rank Six Void Aphid King, catching both Sein and Lorianne by surprise.

When Sein and Lorianne saw the Sandworm Queen, the Rank Four worm naturally noticed them.

While the Void Aphid King was undeniably her strongest supporter at the moment, the Sandworm Queen knew very well that Sein and Lorianne were the true Magus Civilization powerhouses who held the authority to decide the fate of her plane.

She immediately bowed in greeting to Sein and Lorianne. Even the Rank Six Aphid King beside her turned its gaze toward them.

As a fellow Rank Six being and an established allied deity, the Void Aphid King’s status and influence within the Magus Alliance far surpassed that of the Phantom Crow King standing quietly at Sein’s side.

However, the Phantom Crow King had recently joined the Magus Alliance as a representative of a medium-sized star domain ahead of the looming Clash of Civilizations.

It had even earned the rare privilege of delivering a brief speech during the conference.

Speaking at the Magus Alliance Conference was not just an honor; it symbolized seniority and recognition.

The significance of this might not be immediately visible, but the long-term benefits and resources attached to such status would slowly reveal themselves over time.

Foreign gods who had been part of the Magus Alliance for years already understood one truth: the Magus Civilization never shortchanged its loyal and long-standing vassals.

In contrast, planes that remained distant or aloof from the Magus Civilization risked being treated as expendable, dragged to the frontlines, and reduced to ashes.

And when that happened, no one would care.

***

Sein and the others did not linger outside the venue for long.

By now, more and more allied deities, along with Rank Four and higher knights and mages, had gathered at the entrance, chatting away and blocking the way without a care.

After stepping inside, Sein temporarily parted ways with Lorianne and her group, as well as Thor and the other Titan gods.

Lorianne and the others were heading toward the designated area for the Pyro Secret Society’s knights and mages, while Thor and the Titan gods had their own section as well.

Even in the Magus Civilization, networking and aligning with factions were essential.

Every major faction in Magus World and many of the large-sized allied planes had their own circles.

Even medium-sized planes and mid-tier factions within Magus World were given fixed spots at the Magus Alliance Conference, though they were noticeably smaller.

As for those without any affiliations, they were usually from low-level planes, microplanes, independent knights, hedge mages, or small organizations within Magus World.

And yet, these loosely organized groups still made up the largest portion of Magus Civilization!

Following the directions on his invitation, Sein arrived at the northwest corner of the venue.

The Magus Alliance Conference’s venue itself resembled a massive, elliptical, three-dimensional arena.

Its size was staggering, so much so that even Rank Four or higher beings with bodies hundreds or even thousands of meters long did not feel cramped once inside.

Most attendees shrank themselves down upon entering out of courtesy.

At such a prestigious gathering, one where even overlord‑level beings would be present, showing off too much was unwise.

Since the dominant species in Magus World were human knights and mages, many foreign creatures preferred to shapeshift into humanoid forms as well.

Of course, not everyone chose to do so.

For example, the Rank Four and higher Aphids led by the Void Aphid King stayed in their plump, natural forms, clustered together in their designated corner and forming a unique sight.

The Phantom Crow King was nowhere to be seen; it had shrunk down to its smallest form, making it almost indistinguishable from an ordinary crow in Magus World.

Before entering, the Phantom Crow King had perched on Sein’s shoulder, much like Sev had done in the past.

The Phantom Crow King was intelligent enough to benefit from Sein and Thor’s influence, befriending several deities in the alliance and powerful native Magus World beings.

While most of them were only Rank Four or Rank Five, they were still important to the Phantom Crow King as a group.

Once inside, Tourmaline quickly parted ways with Sein.

White Stella had also arrived at Howling Stone World.

This time, the mermaid did not maintain her colossal ten‑thousand‑meter form. Instead, she shrank herself down to roughly the size of a human from Magus World.

Her lower body remained a fishtail, and the dragon horns on her forehead bore a striking resemblance to Tourmaline’s.

When Thor saw White Stella, he slapped his forehead, finally remembering why Tourmaline had felt familiar to him.

In a way, Thor and Tourmaline were distant relatives.

Years ago, White Stella had visited Titan World when she was still young. She was just a few years older than Thor.

Aside from her different lower body, Tourmaline now looked almost identical to White Stella back in her youth.

With the guidance on their invitations, everyone easily found their assigned spots.

When Sein arrived at his, a cheerful voice called out to him.

“Sein, I knew you would be coming to this conference too!”

Sein turned and saw Grimm, wearing a mask adorned with a spiral unicorn horn.

As always, the foul‑mouthed parrot was perched on Grimm’s shoulder, and even after all these years, their bond seemed as strong as ever.

“Hello, Sein. Where’s your gray‑feathered owl?” the parrot squawked and asked, looking around.

“Sev isn’t really my familiar, so I didn’t bring it here,” Sein replied, glancing at the parrot on Grimm’s shoulder.

Familiars often reflected their masters in one way or another.

Sev and the parrot had become friends in their own strange way—Sev called it the “green‑feathered parrot”, while the parrot called Sev the “gray‑feathered owl.”

Grimm’s slightly awkward expression was hidden behind his mask; his familiar always had a habit of butting into conversations.

Still, the two of them were a perfect match. One was calm and steady, the other was lively and noisy.

Those who met Grimm for the first time often found his parrot, which constantly spouted profanities, to be quite irritating.

Over time, though, most people grew used to it and even found the bird oddly amusing.

Grimm himself had also advanced to Rank Four.

After chatting with him for a while, Sein learned that Grimm had also been recognized as a “highly promising demigod‑level entity of the Magus Civilization”, which earned him a spot at this year’s conference.

The parrot on Grimm’s shoulder squawked. “My pal here reached Rank Four three hundred years ago and was acknowledged by the great Winter Guardian. That’s why he was granted a spot at the Magus Alliance Conference. When did you get promoted to Rank Four, Sein?”

“Not long ago, just a few hundred years ago as well,” Sein replied.

He then turned to Grim and said, “You were recognized by the Winter Guardian? Congratulations!”

“No, no, I only did the Winter Guardian a small favor,” Grimm replied modestly.

In such a short time, he had gathered enough strength to break past the demigod realm and advance to Rank Four.

Clearly, Grimm had experienced something extraordinary after the trials in the Faceless Secret Realm.

Sein even suspected that the Winter Guardian might have had a hand in Grimm’s breakthrough to Rank Four.

If so, then the “small favor” Grimm mentioned was likely much more significant than he made it sound.

Still, Sein felt no jealousy over Grimm’s fortune. He was genuinely happy for him.

After all, Grimm was one of the few peers of his generation whom Sein truly respected. Their bond went beyond ordinary friendship between mages.

He definitely considered Grimm a “true friend”.

Sein was about to ask whether Grimm had established any divine towers when another friend arrived—Angreas, the Kermoine Serpent Warlock.

Angreas had also reached Rank Four, and his bloodline power had advanced as well. Now, it was more fitting to call it the “Kermoine Serpent Emperor” bloodline.

That was one of the marks of a Rank Four Kermoine Serpent Warlock.