Sovereign of the Ashes

“The Luminarians of the Luminara Civilization have already approached me twice, hoping to form a cooperative front with us against the Amenkha Empire,” Regalis said. “This war against the Gallant Federation will likely not last the tens of thousands of years as we had initially estimated.”[1]

As a soul overmage who had long been stationed at the Magus Civilization’s border star domain, Regalis had considerable autonomy in certain matters.

Even so, she did not immediately speak for the Magus Civilization in reaching any agreement with the Luminara Civilization.

Instead, she brought the proposal back to consult with and inform the leadership of Magus World.

The Luminara Civilization was, after all, a top-tier civilization!

By the time the Magus Civilization had evolved into its current state, it understood well enough that it was not the only top-tier power in this vast Astral Realm.

Beyond the Gallant Federation, which was now locked in open conflict, there were other top-tier powers: the Luminara Civilization, the Amenkha Empire Civilization, the Immortal Realm Civilization, and even the Radiant Celestials, who had already left this starry void.

Some of these worlds had reached the pinnacle of civilization long before Magus World!

They were not all hostile to one another; some even formed alliances.

The Magus Civilization and the Luminara Civilization were separated by an immense distance, so great that even overlord-level powerhouses marveled at it.

As a result, direct conflicts of interest between the two were unlikely.

On top of that, the Amenkha Empire lay between the two, and even it was still quite far from the Magus Civilization.

In earlier times, there had been tension between them, ever since the Amenkha Empire first took notice of the Magus World’s rise.

But because the two were so far apart, and thanks to the sudden emergence of the Magus World’s first Rank Nine powerhouse in the previous generation, a war between them was ultimately avoided.

Even so, neither side ever truly let down its guard against the other.

The Magus Civilization kept large contingents of elite legions stationed year-round along its border with the Amenkha Empire, ever ready to repel threats from that direction.

And even now, in the midst of its war against the Gallant Federation, the Magus Civilization did not dare redeploy those forces.

Only Regalis, who had been stationed there as a rotating overlord-level guardian, was recalled to Magus World.

After her departure, another overlord-level powerhouse was dispatched to take her place.

Just as the Magus Civilization faced potential enemies on multiple fronts, so too did the Gallant Federation.

Beyond its star domain borders, countless civilizations harbored deep resentment, though none were as openly hostile as the Magus Civilization.

Most were medium-sized worlds, with a handful of large ones among them.

Under the federation’s relentless pressure, these civilizations dared not act rashly.

They merely watched the war between the two top-tier civilizations in silence.

The Magus Civilization had once tried to rally those worlds into a siege against the Gallant Federation, but the effort met with little success.

These civilizations were shrewd players. They refused to get involved until the outcome of the Clash of Civilizations became unmistakably clear.

This conflict between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation could also be seen as a battle over their very destiny.

The winner would take all. The loser—whether Magus World or the Gallant Federation—would be consumed by a wave of internal and external crises at the first sign of weakness.

If the Magus Civilization faltered, the Amenkha Empire might swoop in to deliver the final blow.

If the Gallant Federation faltered, the hostile civilizations surrounding its star domain would surely seize the chance to strike while it was weakened.

Such was the reality. Both civilizations had no escape route.

Yet between the Magus Civilization and the Luminara Civilization, there were no deep-rooted conflicts. On the contrary, the two held great potential for cooperation.

The Luminara Civilization and the Amenkha Empire were practically sworn enemies. Their rivalry was in some ways even fiercer than that between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation.

The Luminarians despised the umbra elemental and necromantic creatures of the Amenkha Empire.

“Although the Luminarians have attributes that are extremely effective against the creatures of the Amenkha Empire, the empire’s overall strength still far surpasses that of the Luminara Civilization,” Bev, the Rank Seven soul overmage, commented.

“Something unusual is happening in the Amenkha Empire. Could it be that their First Pharaoh...” she trailed off.

Regalis did not respond to Bev. She had not received any precise intelligence, so she could only form her own judgment.

Even so, the earliest signs of anomaly naturally demanded swift preparation.

Lady Bev nodded. “We can raise the matter of cooperation with the Luminara Civilization at the next high-level meeting. Master Jehovah Nordin, the Rank Seven astrologer, has also warned that our Magus Civilization’s greatest potential threat lies in that direction. We must remain vigilant.”

She sighed. “It seems like we must speed up this war with the Gallant Federation. I wonder if twenty thousand years will be enough to secure a decisive advantage.”

Although the Amenkha Empire had begun to show some signs, the Magus Civilization did not need to rush.

The empire was far from Magus World, and sending an expedition to this star domain was not something they could decide on a whim.

Moreover, Magus World could surely sense if any top-tier civilizations were preparing for a war.

Besides, the Amenkha Empire had enemies of its own. Compared to the distant and relatively less hostile Magus World, it was the Luminara Civilization that stood as their true mortal foe.

If the Amenkha Empire were really up to something, Luminara would be the one losing its composure first.

This might be why the Luminara Civilization went to such great lengths to establish contact with Magus World, despite the vast distance and the Amenkha Empire lying between them.

“It’s too bad that the Immortal Realm Civilization cannot join our war against the Gallant Federation. Otherwise, twenty thousand years would be more than enough to secure victory in this Clash of Civilizations,” Regalis lamented.

“The Immortal Realm Civilization has its own troubles. Its three great factions are divided—Buddhism and Daoism are at odds, while humans and Yaos stand opposed. For over a hundred thousand years, the Immortal Realm has been in a state of constant expansion and development. Now it finally faces a great calamity. In my view, that may not be entirely a bad thing,” Bev said.[2]

“Though we maintain friendly ties with many sages there, as a leader of a civilization, I would rather not see the formidable Immortal Realm unified under a single power. Had that been the case, I would never have dared to let them intervene in our war against the Gallant Federation.” She shook her head.

Regalis listened with keen interest. “The Immortal Realm Civilization lies even farther from our world than the Amenkha Empire. Why would you worry about them?”

“There are no such things as best friends forever or eternal enemies. Distance matters little—when interests are at stake, even the closest allies can turn against one another,” Bev replied.

Regalis finally let out a soft sigh. “No wonder Douglas and Vivian hold you in such high regard. With the Magus Civilization in your hands, we can rest easy.”

Bev smiled brightly at her words. “I’m merely the current leader of the Magus Civilization. None of this would be possible without the support of Rogge, Alice, Zenasus, and the others. For the Magus Civilization to truly thrive, it must rely on those who come after us. I play only a small role in this.”

“All I hope is that when our generation passes the reins to the next, they won’t betray our expectations or the prosperity the Magus Civilization enjoys today,” she said.

1. Translator’s Note: I have taken some liberties with naming. In the raws, Luminara is “Luminara Kingdom” and Luminarians are “Luminarians”. ☜

2. Translator’s Note: Yes, the “Yaos” here is the short form for “Yaoguais” from Chinese mythology. I’m keeping it as Yao/Yaoguai to differentiate it from demon/monster. It’s 2025, if Black Myth: Wukong can get away with leaving that untranslated in pinyin, surely I can too, right? Haha. ☜