Sovereign of the Ashes

It was a graceful and elegant ice crystal phoenix.

Sein had only ever read about phoenixes in theory and books, and this was his first time seeing a real one.

The overwhelming power of ice and frost she carried caused the temperature of the entire conference venue to drop slightly the moment she descended.

The phoenix overlord did not deliberately release her power; after landing at the front row of the conference, she simply folded her wings.

Sein and the other “new powerhouses” from Magus World that were attending the Magus Alliance Conference for the first time quietly watched the graceful ice phoenix while she interacted with others.

In fact, there were already multiple overlord-level beings present, but most had deliberately suppressed their auras, so many had not even noticed their presence.

Among them, a soul overmage from the Magus Civilization, familiar with the phoenix overlord, curiously asked, “Why are you here in Howling Stone World this time? Where is your brother?”

“My big brother left five thousand years ago to explore the Astral Realm. He may not be able to return in time for the Clash of Civilizations your Magus Civilization started, but I’ll be participating fully,” the Ice Phoenix Overlord replied softly.

“I see,” the soul overmage from the Alveroth Empire replied with a nod.

The Alveroth Empire’s soul overmage spoke to the Ice Phoenix Overlord with respect because this Alliance Overlord was not an ordinary Rank Seven being.

The Ice Phoenix, named Tamberina, had another identity. She was the familiar of a certain deceased mage from the Magus Civilization.

Since a familiar could represent the other half in certain situations, the Ice Phoenix’s status within the Magus Alliance naturally stood above that of other overlords.

What was even more remarkable was how that mage had sacrificed their life to protect her.

With such a bond, the powerful Ice Phoenix Overlord remained the Magus Civilization’s most reliable ally, even without a law contract or a homeplane bound to it.

That deceased mage had also hailed from the Alveroth Empire, making them a senior figure to the soul overmage speaking with the Ice Phoenix.

The Byrne Empire had always maintained close ties with draconic creatures and commanded numerous dragon knight legions.

The Alveroth Empire, on the other hand, had recently formed a smaller phoenix-type legion.

Besides the phoenixes, the other flagship force of this Magic Empire was its griffin legions.

Unfortunately, Sein had never worked with either empire in war, and thus had never seen these mighty legions of the Magus Civilization in action.

***

The arrival of the Ice Phoenix Overlord was only the beginning.

Once she appeared at the alliance venue, one powerful presence after another began emerging both inside and outside the arena.

The second alliance overlord Sein saw was a purple Eye Demon with countless tentacles extending from beneath its massive body.

Upon reaching the venue, the Eye Demon raised one of its tentacles in what looked like a greeting to the Ice Phoenix.

The Ice Phoenix ignored it.

The third overlord to arrive was a strange creature clad in bone armor, with bone-spiked gauntlets covering its hands.

If Sein was not mistaken, this creature was from the Challenger World, a place extremely far from Magus World.

The Challenger World was also a member of the Magus Alliance, but unfortunately, Sein had never visited it and knew little about it.

He had only just been promoted to Rank Four, and there were simply too many allied planes and worlds he had yet to see.

He could not even identify which world the purple Eye Demon came from, nor had he ever seen any mention of it in Sky City’s archives.

It was likely a recent addition to the Magus Alliance.

As alliance overlords continued to arrive one after another at the conference venue, so did the native soul overmages and knight overlords of the Magus Civilization.

The soul overmages usually dressed plainly and kept a low profile. If they were not standing in the front row, they might have gone unnoticed entirely.

The knights, however, were far more conspicuous.

One knight overlord from the Jehannah Kingdom, for example, strode in bare-chested and wielding a massive axe as he approached the overlord from the Challenger Civilization.

Most alliance overlords deliberately cultivated relationships with the Magus World powerhouses.

In fact, every large-sized world represented by an alliance overlord would choose a top-tier faction within the Magus World to form close cooperative ties.

It was clear that the Challenger Civilization had established strong relations with the Desert Kingdom of Jehannah.

The Challenger Civilization’s overlord had brought nearly two hundred Rank Four or higher creatures from its own world to attend the conference, including itself.

For a large-sized world, two hundred Rank Four or higher creatures seemed a bit few.

This clearly was not the full strength of the Challenger Civilization.

Of course, there might be a reason behind that.

After briefly observing the Alliance Overlords, Sein shifted his gaze toward the area where Lorianne and the others were gathered.

The Pyro Secret Society alone had over a thousand Rank Four or higher knights and mages present.

Among the front ranks, a male mage in a crimson robe had quietly appeared at some point.

From his youthful appearance, he seemed about the same age as Sein.

However, judging by his position and the way the others treated him, it was obvious he was the leader of the Pyro Secret Society—Zenasus, a Rank Seven soul overmage.

Sein had always been regarded by many knights and mages in the Magus World as someone belonging to the Verdant Flame Faction.

And Feylis, the founder of the Verdant Flame Faction, was one of the most capable members of the Pyro Secret Society.

From a certain perspective, that also meant Sein had one foot in the Pyro Secret Society.

Naturally, he was curious about his “superior’s superior”.

Zenasus was a legendary figure in Magus World. Among overlord-level beings, he was not particularly old, and his origins were far from noble. Yet, he had risen from nothing and established the Pyro Secret Society.

The Pyro Secret Society was considered a new-generation power among the top factions of the Magus Civilization.

Zenasus himself was one of the strongest Pyromancers in Magus World, and Sein happened to walk the same path.

At least for now, Zenasus was a lofty mountain Sein had to look up to and constantly strive to climb.