Sovereign of the Ashes

As Sein and Yuri darted between the flanks of the federal fleet, the Magus Civilization legions stationed at the logistics base launched a full-scale counterattack.

When Sein saw the sheer difference in strength between both sides, he knew this logistics base could not be defended by simply holding the line.

Aside from ordering a small contingent of mages and knights to hold the fortifications around the base at all costs, he quickly instructed several demigod-level combatants from the knight legion to lead their troops out and join him in waging “mobile battle”.

“If this logistics base were inside a complete plane, we might’ve been able to hold it by relying on the planar barrier. But out here in open space, we’ve got almost no real defenses. Our only chance is to charge out and hit them head-on!” Sein said.

Perhaps Sein’s earlier commands had earned the knights’ trust. Or maybe watching him dive into the federal fleet in his demonic form made them feel like they were following a true knight.

Either way, none of the Alveroth Empire knights hesitated. The moment orders were given, they rallied their forces and charged toward the federal fleet.

At the same time, the enslaved creatures originally meant to serve as cannon fodder on other planes were released en masse.

No one knew how much help they would actually be, but having more numbers was still better than none.

Letting them scatter into chaotic skirmishes was still preferable to watching them get obliterated in one strike by the federation’s concentrated fire.

After giving a few rapid orders to the base, Sein no longer had time to worry about the lesser legions under his command.

The pressure on him alone was overwhelming enough!

As the only Rank Four combatant on the field, Sein and Yuri had clearly become the federal fleet’s primary targets.

A storm of energy beams, each powerful enough to make his skin crawl, locked onto him without pause.

If not for the Faceless Mask supporting him, Sein might have already started showing weakness under the relentless assault.

This was no ordinary fleet. The so-called Shadow Fleet was a special operations force rated as equivalent to Rank Six entities. Its firepower density and the sheer precision of its attack patterns far surpassed anything Sein had faced back in Radbow World.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A chain of explosions echoed through the distant starry void.

That was the direction where Benjamin and his men were supposed to appear.

Through the Faceless Mask’s heightened perception, Sein caught faint traces of a space fortress detonating, followed by the fall of a Rank Four lifeform.

But that awareness did nothing except deepen the pressure weighing on him and stir a flicker of despair.

Moments later, the federal fleet’s attacks from that direction grew even more concentrated.

Without hesitation, Sein turned sharply, signaling Yuri to switch course.

***

“What the hell is going on with those two Rank Fours from the Magus Civilization?! Take them out immediately!”

Inside the Black Ops’ capital ship, Three-Star Federal General Noxan slammed his metal fist against the liquid crystal display in front of him.

A wisp of smoke rose from the broken screen. The delicate LCD had no chance against the raw force of his mechanical arm.

Nearly a third of Noxan’s body had been replaced with metal after his clash with a Rank Six powerhouse from the Magus World.

He had barely made it out of that encounter alive and had only just managed to return to the Grand Eye Demon World for repairs and recovery.

The loss of his flesh had made him even more irritable and short-tempered than in the past.

Still, Noxan was not reckless. He was a commander who had earned his troops’ respect through one victory after another.

The Magus Civilization’s deep hatred for the Shadow Fleet he led only proved how much damage he had done to them.

But whenever things stalled or his orders were ignored, the general’s temper blew like a hurricane.

“We’ve got no more than 150 quantum hours left to fight! If this isn’t settled by then, we’re pulling out no matter what!” Noxan roared.

“Activate the Spatial Railgun! Take those two out!”

“Aye, sir!” an officer promptly responded.

General Noxan looked furious, yet beneath the rage, it was clear he had not lost his composure.

The federal general still fought by principle. By strictly limiting the duration of this raid, he aimed to avoid detection and encirclement by other Magus Civilization legions.

His own life did not matter, but the safety of his crew was his responsibility!

The general fully intended to bring his men back to the Gallant Federation alive.

Even Five-Star General Aveer Senhouse and the others, still fighting desperately on the Grand Eye Demon World battlefield, had placed high hopes on the Black Ops.

“Once we make it through this,” Aveer had told him, gripping Noxan’s only remaining normal hand, “if I’m promoted to marshal, I’ll personally recommend you for five-star general!”

The Spatial Railgun was Black Ops’ deadliest weapon. Its destructive power far exceeded any Rank Six beam Sein had ever faced.

As an area-of-effect weapon, its spatial distortion could not only rip Rank Six lifeforms apart but even tear open artificial wormholes in the fabric of space itself.

Over all their years raiding Magus Civilization’s rear lines, Black Ops had fired the Space Railgun only a handful of times.

Partly because of its monstrous energy cost—it could only be used a few times at best—

and partly because the sheer spatial disturbance it created risked drawing the attention of the Magus Civilization powerhouses nearby.

The fact that Noxan was ordering it to be fired now said everything about how dangerous the fleet considered Sein and Yuri to be.

The last being to fall under the Spatial Railgun had been a Rank Five Magus World knight.

***

As Sein and his forces launched repeated charges against the federal fleet, he began to notice something strange.

This fleet was not as elite as he had imagined.

The Magus Civilization’s relentless counterattacks and pursuit campaigns had clearly taken their toll.

Apart from the Shadow Fleet’s vanguard warships, whose armor and shields remained in good condition, many of the vessels in the center and rear formations were worn and crudely patched together.

A vague sense of pressure settled in Sein’s chest. He glanced toward Yuri and shouted, “Charge!”

Behind them, the Alveroth Empire’s knight legions that had joined the fight were already reduced to a pitiful state within moments by the federation’s overwhelming firepower.