Sovereign of the Ashes

The second Rank Four creature of Pyreling World fell in the seventh year of the war. This time, it was Ghost Slayer.

Ghost Slayer, a fellow insect-type creature like Void Eater, failed to withstand the combined assault of Grimm and the Khimaira King.

Truth be told, it could have died much earlier, but like Grimm and Sein were trying to hone themselves in this battle.

They turned down help from Murg and the others, choosing to fight side by side with the only Khimaira King instead.

Two years after Ghost Slayer’s fall came the biggest blunder of the entire war—a Rank Four Pyremperor got away!

Ivory Bone had not been in Pyreling World at the start. Since it joined the fight later, it was in better condition than the rest during the early phase.

It escaped by using a soul technique that could tear open a space-time rift, letting it make short to mid-range spatial jumps.

The Phantom Crows were also known for similar abilities.

Unfortunately, only one Rank Four or higher being from Phantom Crow World had joined the war this time—the king itself.

It did not bring any more Rank Fours or even Rank Fives, because if they had come, Sein and the others would have had to pay for them.

The rules of the Magus Alliance meant Sein and his group still had to respect the basic rights of allied deities.

“It seems like Ivory Bone had set up spatial markers in another plane ahead of time. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have escaped so fast. Based on our intel, those markers point to a low-level plane called the Snowfield Plane,” Sein said after hearing the report.

So far, the Magus Civilization’s conquest of Pyreling World had focused on securing the main plane. They had also sent forces into their vassal planes, but only in small numbers.

Once Ivory Bone fled to the Snowfield Plane, it could easily make another jump to safety with its abilities.

By now, Sein and the others were far too late. In the boundless Astral Realm, hunting down a Rank Four creature like that was next to impossible.

That was exactly why Sein and his allies stuck to a slow, steady strategy—gathering overwhelming force to surround and crush the enemy’s main forces before they had a chance to break away.

Taking a deep breath, Angreas swung his right arm forward in anger, making the ground quake and rocks splinter before him.

A closer look at his right arm revealed distinct grayish scars, left by Ivory Bone.

He had given that Pyremperor a mark of his own, and the wounds he dealt Ivory Bone were even more severe.

But seeing the creature slip away right under his nose left Angreas seething.

After venting his rage, his foul mood slowly began to ease.

Regaining his usual calm, he glanced at Sein and asked, “What about Void Eater? How is that guy now? How much longer until it’s over?”

“Soon, probably. It has pulled back to the Boiling Sea. I doubt it can last more than two years,” Sein replied.

***

Even the sharpest mages could miscalculate.

After Angreas accidentally let Ivory Bone escape, Sein made his own mistake too. He underestimated how long Void Eater could last.

Not only did the stubborn creature survive another two years, but it also held out for a total of fourteen years under the crushing force of the Magus Civilization before finally falling.

That was a full five years longer than Sein had expected.

Of course, it had only managed to hold out that long because Sein and the others had deliberately kept Pyreling World’s laws and environment intact, avoiding any major disruptions to its ecological balance.

If the world’s will had weakened earlier, Void Eater would never have lasted so long without the boost from its planar power.

When it finally fell, Sein was there.

A rain of black fire poured from the skies above the Boiling Sea, each drop carrying the lingering essence of Void Eater’s laws.

Some lucky low-ranking knights and mages on the edges of the battlefield managed to collect small amounts of this rare flame. Whether they could put it to use was another matter entirely.

For Pyromancers like Sein, Grimm, and Vlad—and even Angreas, who had some mastery over pyro elemental magic—these spoils were the biggest prize the war could offer.

This war had been a feast, and they were all eager for their share.

***

Once the other Pyremperors of this world had either been killed or fled, the last one was finally captured alive by Sein and the others.

With a power gap of more than tenfold, the early-stage Rank Four Blue Lotus could not put up any real resistance.

It was Sein who suggested capturing Blue Lotus alive.

He believed that this unique Rank Four plant was worth far more alive than dead.

Otherwise, this weakest of the Pyremperors would have been the first to fall.

The end of battles between Rank Four and higher beings did not mean the war in Pyreling World was over.

The major pyre nations still had to be fully subdued, the troublemakers rooted out, and the vassal low-level planes and microplanes gradually brought under the control of the combat legions.

To make sure Pyreling World became a reliable source of enslaved creatures for Sein and his allies in the future, they needed to set up their own proxies on this low-level plane.

With their help, one or more new pyre nations would rise.

In time, the lesser creatures of Pyreling World would forget the pain and despair of war.

The lifespans and memories of such creatures were short.

Perhaps one day, when they fought and died on some far-off battlefield for Sein and the other Magus World powerhouses, they would not even realize these same mages had once invaded their home.

Ignorance was a form of bliss.

***

“How do you plan to split the war profits from this world?”

After handing over command of the low-tier battlefields to the command centers, Grimm and the others gathered for discussion.

War was just a process, not the conclusion.

For Sein and the others, the real goal was dividing up the immense wealth within Pyreling World and its affiliated planes.

The Magus World powerhouses seemed a little hesitant, maybe out of modesty, or maybe just shy.

Sein looked at everyone in the room and was the first to break the silence. “The tens of millions of magicoins we paid to the Phantom Crow King, Ancient Moonfang, and the Khimaira King have already been deducted from the total war profits.”

“I want the origin lawful flames from each of the four Pyremperors. I can do without their core, but in exchange, I want the captured Blue Lotus turned over to me. Also, I want a third of the export revenue from the enslaved creatures of this world,” he said.