Sovereign of the Ashes

Bad news usually came with good news.

When the Gallant Federation had declared war so suddenly, the Magus Civilization was caught on the defensive.

But since it had long been preparing for this conflict, it quickly stabilized the situation and gained the upper hand in several star domains.

The Transversa Star Domain, where Sein had been, was one of those battlefields. The Magus Civilization had also launched counterattacks across multiple star domains.

In the Stone Crystal Star Domain, for example, the Magus Civilization’s forces smashed through the Gallant Federation’s blockade on the border and pushed straight into the enemy territory.

Rumor had it that Stone Crystal Star Domain was a crucial energy-producing region along the federation’s border, and the Magus Civilization walked away with a haul of energy crystals and neutral energy blocks[1].

The victory in Stone Crystal was only one of the positive reports Sein heard after returning to the Magus Civilization’s heartland. There were many others.

In fact, he even suspected that some victories were being deliberately kept under wraps.

The uproar he had caused in the Nexon Star Domain, for instance, would have been perfect material for propaganda. Yet on his return, not a single word of it was circulating.

As one of the most established top-tier civilizations, the Magus Civilization’s reputation already far outshone the Gallant Federation’s across neighboring domains and deep space.

So even though the federation had suddenly initiated the Clash of Civilizations, Sein was certain Magus Civilization already had countermeasures in place.

The absence of truly “explosive” news so far only convinced him that something much “bigger” was being prepared behind the scenes.

Other powerful civilizations farther out in the cosmos, aware of both the Gallant Federation and the Magus Civilization, were likely watching closely, quietly observing the war between these two top-tier powers.

Interestingly, all the victories Sein had heard about so far were limited to small and medium-sized star domains, not the larger ones.

In a war between civilizations of this scale, only decisive battles fought across large-sized star domains could truly tip the balance.

For the moment, most planar civilizations across the cosmos only knew of two major events that had greatly impacted the Magus Civilization: the rebellion in the Netherworld Star Domain and the betrayal of the Grand Eye Demon World.

From that perspective, the Gallant Federation’s early initiative had indeed given them a significant edge.

Sein wondered what the Magus Civilization’s next move would be.

This Clash of Civilizations had only just begun. If even Sein felt no urgency, then the higher-ups of Magus World surely felt even less.

In fact, the Gallant Federation’s eagerness to strike first could just as easily be read as a sign of unease.

They had no choice but to fight now, because every delay would only weaken their chances against the Magus Civilization.

As for the rebellions in those two large-sized worlds... If it had been the Magus Civilization, they would not have rushed their defectors into action so soon. They would have let them lie low, waiting to strike at a decisive moment instead.

Sein’s trip to Nexon had been an unexpected turn of events from the very beginning.

The original orders from the Magus Civilization’s leadership had been to make contact with Titanfang and the others, establish rapport, and nothing more.

There had been no requirement that Titanfang or the other intelligent robots defect immediately.

The way things escalated could only be explained as the Nexon robots being forced by circumstance.

And if the Gallant Federation could sway members of the Magus Alliance, then it was entirely possible that the Magus Civilization had its own covert ties to certain large-sized worlds under the federation’s control.

However, the Gallant Federation had far fewer such worlds to begin with. They could not even come close to matching the Magus Alliance in terms of members and talent.

This was because the Gallant Federation’s path leaned toward interstellar colonization and the growth of its own independent strength.

This stood in sharp contrast to the Magus Civilization’s approach, which had always relied on expanding its alliance to grow stronger.

***

With approval from the upper echelons, Sein made his way straight to a medium-sized plane at the heart of the Magus Star Domain, known as Drifting Cloud World.

Drifting Cloud World lay very close to Magus World itself, and its teleportation array could send him directly to the Magus World’s outskirts.

There, Sein met Klopp, the knight overlord who had assigned him the Nexon infiltration mission.

But Klopp was not alone. Standing beside him was a figure Sein had not expected to see again.

“Titanfang... you made it out too?” Surprise flickered across Sein’s face as he looked up at the towering Rank Six intelligent robot.

Titanfang looked very different from when they had parted ways in the Alpha-007 Star Domain.

Back then, its metallic armor had been sleek, silver-black, with a streamlined design. Now, patches of gold covered its frame.

Sein could clearly see that most of the countless wounds across Titanfang’s body had been mended through specialized methods.

It was clear that the Magus World mechanics had patched Titanfang up using their own methods, which were very different from the Gallant Federation’s technology.

Even so, the fact that they had managed to repair Titanfang at all was remarkable.

When their eyes met, a faint smile spread across Titanfang’s humanlike metallic face.

It was a genuine smile—something Sein had not seen from it in a very long time.

“Yes,” Titanfang replied respectfully. “With the timely intervention of Magus World’s support legion, Skyhold and I managed to lead the remnants of the intelligent robots to safety.”

Sein shifted his gaze to Klopp.

His earlier claim that a Magus Civilization support legion was in Alpha-007 had been nothing but a bluff.

He had only said it to push Titanfang and the others to take the gamble and break out with him.

Yet, against all odds, they had actually crossed paths with a Magus World legion.

Then again, perhaps it was not so surprising. Titanfang and his kind were too powerful and too conspicuous. They were easy targets for the federal fleets.

Without Magus World’s intervention, they never would have escaped.

What delighted Sein most was that not only Titanfang had survived, but Skyhold and part of the intelligent robots had made it out as well.

Here in unfamiliar Magus Civilization territory, those robots would naturally gravitate toward him if they ever joined the Magus Alliance in the future.

Having endured life-and-death struggles together, Sein felt a genuine respect and appreciation for them. Naturally, he wished them the best.

1. Translator’s Note: Neutral energy blocks here refer to those without any elemental attributes. ☜