Sovereign of the Ashes

After entering Pyreling World, under the command of Rank Four and higher powerhouses, the Magus Civilization’s expeditionary force split into four directions to begin their conquest by systematically crushing the remaining resistance forces.

The time left for Sein and the others was actually quite limited. This war had to be concluded within thirty years.

But reports from the legions and intelligence gathered during the first engagements made it clear that Pyreling World would not be an easy foe.

It was home to five major pyre nations, each ruled by a being of Rank Four or higher.

Alongside the four Pyremperors they had already encountered, there was still one yet to appear: “Ivory Bone”.

Sein and the others learned of this being’s existence from the souls of captured lower-tier natives.

The enemy’s formidable strength only hinted at the great rewards this war could bring.

From the mind of a demigod-level Pyreling, they also discovered that this low-level plane controlled several other planes.

Such prospects drove Sein and his group relentlessly, pushing them to aim for a decisive battle as soon as possible to annihilate Pyreling World’s main forces.

Despite the challenges, Sein, Grimm, and the others remained confident.

While this world’s number of Rank Four or higher beings was slightly greater, overall Sein’s side still held the advantage, and they had four space fortresses to back them.

In one-on-one combat, they were certain they could handle any Rank Four Pyremperor.

The Rank Five Void Eater was a tougher problem, so they had already devised a plan—cripple its wings first, then strike for the kill.

They were the invaders, which meant the initiative was theirs the moment the Magus Civilization’s army entered Pyreling World.

Massive fortress bases were already established across the plane.

Would the Pyremperors dare to assault them directly?

If they did, the Magus World Army would gladly welcome them to their doom!

***

The Magus World expeditionary force advanced swiftly. Driven by the goals of plunder and conquest, these powerful beings gave the natives of Pyreling World no time to react.

In just two months, the Magus Civilization Army had already overrun seven pyre nations.

The main continent of Pyreling World was ablaze, engulfed in a sea of fire.

Of course, these seven nations were all relatively small with no Pyremperors of Rank Four or above guarding them. Their strongest defenders were merely at the demigod level.

Even so, the overall civilizational level of Pyreling World was still quite high.

It was certainly more advanced than the low-level planes Sein had previously visited, like White Sand World, Verdant Wilderness World, and Thunderfall World.

A more complete legal system and a well-developed lower-tier social structure showed that this world had reached a significant stage of growth.

During the campaign, Sein also encountered many of Pyreling World’s unique creations.

While the Pyrelings lacked advanced equipment-crafting capabilities, they excelled at using the terrain and natural resources of their world.

Vast lava rock reefs and winding volcanic tunnels created significant obstacles for the Magus Civilization Army.

The Pyrelings’ exceptional tunneling abilities allowed them to move elusively.

They even harnessed geothermal heat and lava pressure to launch medium and short-range strikes against the Magus World forces, making full use of the environment.

Sudden eruptions of magma pillars from underground might not have caused much harm to the knights and mages of Magus World, but they were effective at slowing the advance of the lower-tier enslaved legions.

In the end, only the heavy firepower of the space fortresses could break through those massive lava reefs and the dense maze of volcanic tunnels.

As for prism forts and war airships, their overall destructive power was still lacking and nowhere near as direct or overwhelming as the fortresses’ cannons.

During this period, the Magus World powerhouses clashed repeatedly with the Pyremperors.

The Rank Five Void Eater was a formidable opponent, and for now, only Sein and Marcus could face it head-on.

Aside from Void Eater, the foe Sein clashed with most often was the Rank Four Ghost Slayer.

Its strength was nothing remarkable, and while not identical, its abilities shared many traits with the Phantom Crows Sein had dissected and studied in the past.

Because of that, every time they fought, Sein could read its movements with ease. It was in these clashes that Ghost Slayer felt the greatest pressure.

Truthfully, Sein had little interest in fighting Ghost Slayer.

He was more interested in Blue Lotus, which had spent most of its time battling Grimm and Vlad.

***

Half a year later, the Magus Civilization’s expeditionary force had already seized one-tenth of the total territory of the low-level plane known as Pyreling World.

It was an extremely fast pace for a war of this scale.

If things continued at this rate, it seemed they could conquer the entire world within five years.

But the reality was not that simple. As Sein and the others pushed deeper into Pyreling World, the difficulty of advancing only grew.

And then, six months in, a major development shook the campaign: Ivory Bone, the Rank Four Pyremperor, returned with a horde of undead creatures.

“Right now, our advancing legions on all fronts have reached a stalemate. We need a game-changer,” Sein said to his fellow commanders in Pyreling World, standing before the elemental light screen inside his space fortress.

Since the goal was to occupy and subdue this world as quickly as possible, Sein and the others had not stayed together the whole time.

Lately, the one working most closely with him was Rank Four mage Vlad. Grimm was active on a nearby battlefield, though farther away.

At this moment, Vlad was also inside the Ashen Fortress. Sein’s strategy for conquering the plane relied heavily on the four space fortresses.

With those fortresses as their strongholds, even if multiple Pyremperors attacked at once, they could hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

For now, Sein and the others had not suffered any major setbacks, though their momentum had slowed.

“Do you have any suggestions?” Angreas asked. His image on the light screen was flickering due to poor signal.

His slender arms, which were covered in fine snake scales, were now marred by severe burn marks.

These were the handiwork of Ivory Bone, who had only recently returned to Pyreling World.

Among the Pyremperors, Void Eater was the strongest, followed by Violet Radiance, Ivory Bone, Ghost Slayer, and Blue Lotus.

Ivory Bone might not be as resilient as Violet Radiance, but the laws it wielded were far more insidious.

The Rank Four Kermoine Snake Emperor Warlock was no pushover, yet he had still suffered quite badly at Ivory Bone’s hands.

Ever since, he had been searching for an opportunity to take revenge, but Ivory Bone seemed to have gone into hiding, which only fueled his rage.

One of the main flaws of Bloodline Warlocks was how easily their instincts could be influenced by their bloodline.

“I believe we should deploy more combat legions to this world. And if there are any other Rank Four or higher forces we can recruit, we should not hesitate to share a portion of the war spoils with them. After all, the gains from this interplanar war will far exceed our original estimates,” Sein said.

“Judging from Ivory Bone’s return within just half a year, the foreign plane occupied by these Pyrelings can’t be far from here,” he added.

After hearing Sein’s suggestions, the other figures on the elemental light screen nodded slowly in agreement.