Sovereign of the Ashes

The powerhouses from Magus World and the Magus Alliance attending this conference likely did not represent the full strength of the Magus Civilization.

There were undoubtedly many Rank Four or higher beings who, like Sein, had only recently ascended or simply could not attend for other reasons.

For example, the Rank Four and above creatures from the Phantom Crow King’s star domain did not make it to this conference.

Even so, as members of the Magus Alliance, they would still represent the Magus Civilization in the coming Clash of Civilizations against the Gallant Federation.

Moreover, as a powerful and advanced civilization, Magus World would never withdraw all its forces.

Countless war legions and Rank Four or higher beings remained stationed on the front lines, where tension with the Gallant Federation ran high.

Naturally, those holding the front line or occupied with other critical duties could not be present here.

Likewise, it was entirely possible that the Magus Civilization had more overlord-level beings than the forty-one gathered at this event.

Since everyone who could be present had arrived, there was no need to delay any longer.

Under the gaze of the crowd, a beautiful woman in a flowing white dress quietly appeared, floating in the sky at the center of the venue.

She radiated an aura of sanctity and absolute authority. Her every smile and gesture carried the weight of billions of lives across the Magus Civilization and the alliance.

Hovering in mid-air, she spoke.

“Many of you should recognize me. I am Bev, a soul overmage of the Magus Alliance, who hosted the Magus Alliance Conference thirty thousand years ago. Today marks my fifth time presiding over this event. And this conference, more than any before, will shape the fate of our civilization and every allied plane.”

Then Lady Bev’s smile took on a subtle edge.

“Before the conference officially begins, I think it’s best we clear out a few uninvited guests.”

A white-gold magic rod appeared in her hand. She raised it and pointed forward, releasing ripples of glowing white-gold light across the entire venue.

One after another, creatures were lifted into the air against their will, their faces twisting in shock.

There were many of them—nearly a hundred.

One was even a demigod-level mage from the same area as Sein and the others.

Most of those caught were from the area where the Norman Federation’s delegates had gathered.

As the only large-sized civilization in the Magus Alliance to fully embrace technological development, the Norman Federation had caught Sein’s attention the moment its members entered the venue.

Sein had little direct experience with technological civilizations.

His only exposure so far had been a handful of artifacts he came across during the Wild Gorilla World War.

Still, he did not underestimate them. The Gallant Federation, after all, had advanced into a top-tier civilization and stood in direct opposition to the Magus Civilization. There had to be a reason for its success.

Studying a large technological plane like the Norman Federation could prove valuable when facing the far stronger Gallant Federation in the future.

In fact, many high-ranking mages of the Magus Civilization had been researching the Norman Federation in recent years, hoping to uncover the Gallant Federation’s weaknesses.

Lady Bev had exposed thirty individuals from the Norman Federation.

Only seven of them could even be considered “human”, and their constitutions were so weak that, even inside their specialized protective suits, their physical condition might not surpass that of Rank Three creatures from microplanes within the alliance.

That left Sein rather disappointed.

The remaining twenty-three individuals, however, drew his full attention.

These were robots, or what the Norman Federation preferred to call “androids”.

Android technology was one of the federation’s proudest achievements as a major member plane.

While the federation also boasted powerful fleets and advanced weaponry, android technology was one of its two flagship creations and had always been a symbol of its technological prowess.

These androids could match, and sometimes even exceed, the combat strength of Rank Four, even Rank Five creatures.

They felt no pain, processed information with sophisticated computational systems, and could trigger devastating self-destruct mechanisms when cornered, making them especially dangerous opponents.

In certain situations, these combat androids of Rank Four and above were even more troublesome than genuine Rank Four biological entities.

Of course, compared to actual Rank Four and higher beings, these artificial creations still had flaws.

Seven human personnel and twenty-three androids had been caught under suspicion of rebellion in one sweep.

The Norman Federation’s representative at the Magus Alliance Conference, reportedly the current vice president of the federation, looked visibly displeased.

The federation had only sent about three hundred people to the conference this time, which meant nearly one-tenth of the vice president’s entourage had been “corrupted”.

It was a staggering figure!

The Magus Civilization might even begin to doubt the Norman Federation’s loyalty to the Magus Alliance.

Considering the consequences, the vice president, whose life level had been forcefully boosted to Rank Four through potions, turned pale.

Compared to someone who had truly cultivated themselves to Rank Four, this vice president was a “fake”.

Fortunately, the Magus Civilization did not seem inclined to blame the Norman Federation directly.

With over a thousand detection beams verifying identities, the fact that more than a hundred infiltrators still managed to slip into the conference venue only proved that the Magus Civilization’s enemies were powerful.

And those enemies... might not all be from the Gallant Federation.

“Master Bev, how do you intend to deal with these traitors?” Naeverynk, the overlord from Netherworld who had maintained an extremely low profile until now, suddenly spoke up.

His blood-red eyes shifted to the two Netherworld creatures suspended beside him, held aloft by a special oscillating force.

One of them was Rank Four, the other Rank Five.

Under Naeverynk’s icy gaze, both trembled uncontrollably.

The Netherworld creature with the head of a ram broke into a cold sweat.

“Oh? Do you have any suggestions, Commander Blood River?” Lady Bev asked.

That was Naeverynk’s nickname because his temple was located at the boiling Blood River of the Netherworld, the confluence of the three great rivers there.

In response to Bev’s question, Commander Blood River gave his answer through action.

The massive Trident of Heaven and Hell struck like lightning, skewering both creatures.

The Rank Four Netherworld creature died instantly, unable to withstand the overlord’s strike.

The Rank Five ram-headed monster, its chest impaled and claws gripping the trident’s shaft, still clung to life for a moment.

Its four elongated eyes held a faint, desperate hope for survival.

But Naeverynk had no intention of sparing it. He tore the creature’s body in two, tossed it into his mouth, and began chewing.

Bits of flesh and dark red blood dripped from the Netherworld overlord’s lips.

The brutal display filled many Magus Alliance members with fear and made several Rank Four or higher beings from Magus World furrow their brows.