Sovereign of the Ashes

“War is near.”

At the top of a skyscraper on Blue Star, Karl gazed out over the endless azure sea stretching toward the horizon and let out a quiet sigh.

Behind him, a female Blue Star native, barely half his height, wrapped her arms around his waist.

Her name, pronounced in the Blue Star tongue, was Emmy. She was Karl’s girlfriend, a living proof that love could truly transcend race and even aesthetics.

By Klytheran standards, seeking a mate in Blue Star was unthinkable.

Yet by some twist of fate and through Amy’s steadfast devotion, Karl had chosen her as his life partner.

Amy, a Blue Star native whose life energy barely reached Rank Two, was the main reason Karl felt such deep sympathy for her people—enough to stand against his own kind.

“Everything will work out... this crisis will pass, right?” Amy asked softly, nuzzling her head against his muscular chest.

Karl remained silent, his expression solemn and unreadable as he wrapped his arms around her.

***

Shadowbat Civilization...

As the first mid-tier world civilization to receive Blue Star’s distress signal, the Shadowbat Civilization wasted no time mobilizing a fleet.

Their Shadowbat Army, commanded by Darian Wraith, the youngest and most brilliant Rank Five powerhouse of their civilization, set out immediately to aid Blue Star.

The evolutionary path of the Shadowbat Civilization was somewhat similar to that of the Klytherans, both striving for self-enhancement while pursuing technological progress.

However, unlike the Klytherans, who prioritized physical evolution, the Shadowbat Civilization placed far greater emphasis on technological advancement, using physical training only as a supplement.

Relations between the Shadowbat Civilization and Blue Star had always been warm.

The kind, peace-loving Blue Star natives had once used their own technology to help the Shadowbats overcome key developmental barriers.

Because of that, the Shadowbat Civilization came to view Blue Star as a valued ally and even assisted them in maintaining order across the surrounding star domains.

Of course, the Shadowbat Civilization had enemies of its own.

Arid Expanse World and its many subordinate factions were most frequently at war with the Shadowbat Civilization.

Together, they formed a vast and desolate star domain that remained undiscovered by the Magus Civilization.

Countless forces and civilizations had thrived here for tens of thousands of years, creating an environment as complex as any in the Astral Realm.

Because of that, the Shadowbat Civilization responded cautiously to Blue Star’s plea for help, sending only one Rank Five powerhouse and two Rank Four warriors instead of their own Rank Six entities.

Darian Wraith’s transport was a sleek, jet-black craft, famously known throughout the Shadowbat Civilization as the Black Phantom.

Despite being heir to the wealthiest family in the Shadowbat Civilization, Darian Wraith’s childhood had been far from idyllic. Yet from the day he was born, he already stood above ninety-nine percent of his kind.

Before he left for Blue Star, Darian received direct instructions from a Rank Six elder of his civilization.

“Your mission is to support Blue Star and help them overcome their crisis. Drive off the Klytherans, but do not fight to the death. We have our own enemies to deal with,” the elder said.

Darian frowned slightly. “You’re referring to Arid Expanse World...?”

“They may not have received the message,” the elder replied with a weary sigh, “but we must stay vigilant. All signs suggest that Arid Expanse World has been preparing for a major move over the past thousand years.”

“Understood,” Darian said, raising an eyebrow beneath his mask.

Perhaps sensing his unease, the Rank Six elder continued, “We were not the only ones who received Blue Star’s plea for help. Aquaria and a few others picked up their distress signal as well.”

“You only need to assist them in resolving their current predicament. Do not get too deeply involved,” he warned.

“Aquaria?” Darian asked in surprise. “Those water barbarians? Aren’t they in the middle of a succession crisis right now—”

The elder cut him off sharply. “No one knows what the future holds. But I cannot shake the feeling that something big is coming.”

***

Aquaria was another mid-tier world civilization, a world almost entirely covered by water, with less than one percent of its surface being land.

Unlike most planes, its evolutionary path was defined entirely by bloodline.

Because of its deep connection with the planar will itself, only one Rank Six being emerged in each generation, and that being was always a direct blood heir.

None of the successive Rank Six beings had ever lived long—none had survived past twenty thousand years.

The second Ocean King held the longest reign, ruling for 25,314 years after ascending the throne.

On Aquaria, many intelligent marine creatures quietly referred to this strange pattern as the “Curse of the Sea”.

Of course, they only whispered about it in private—none would dare speak of it openly, for the Ocean King’s authority remained absolute!

Though every Ocean King’s reign was short-lived, each devoted their limited years with unmatched fervor to expanding territory, conquering new realms, and creating more water planes.

Throughout history, Aquaria maintained a tense relationship with the Shadowbat Civilization, which often accused the warlike Ocean Kings of disturbing peace and stability across nearby star domains.

Fortunately, the brevity of each Ocean King’s rule kept the chaos from lasting too long.

As long as the Shadowbat Civilization’s direct interests were not threatened, the two medium-sized civilizations managed to avoid all-out war, even maintaining occasional cooperation.

Only Arid Expanse World, which constantly sparked border clashes, stood as the Shadowbat Civilization’s true nemesis.

The current Ocean King had ruled for 15,432 years, and by tradition, he likely had only a few years left to live.

Because of the royal family’s unique bloodline and method of inheritance, royal offspring were extremely rare. Succession usually passed through a single heir.

However, the current Ocean King was an exception—he had fathered two sons.

The eldest, Orric Aquillon, and the younger, Orven Aquillon, were half-brothers.

Thanks to the power of their inherited bloodline and the attention of the planar will, both brothers had already reached Rank Five at a young age.

Orric was the stronger of the two, standing at mid-stage of Rank Five, and was widely regarded as the most likely successor to the throne.

Orven, though the weaker of the two and still at the early stage of Rank Five, was clearly the Ocean King’s favored son.

Perhaps that favoritism came from guilt—guilt that his younger son would never inherit the throne.

When the Blue Star Civilization’s distress call reached Aquaria, it was Prince Orric who led the expeditionary fleet.

According to his father, once Orric returned from the Blue Star campaign, he would officially ascend as the new Ocean King.

And when that happened, he would instantly rise to Rank Six!

That was the peculiar power of Aquaria’s lineage.

But what exactly was the secret behind this mysterious phenomenon?

And what of the Curse of the Sea, what was its true nature?