Sovereign of the Ashes

The war within the Netherworld Star Domain had descended into chaos.

At the start, Kampas had been stationed on the frontlines, fighting alongside Magus World’s forces in a fierce assault against the Gallant Federation legions.

But as the battle dragged on, the beastmen legions somehow ended up deep within the Netherworld Star Domain, where they eventually linked up with Commander Blood River Naeverynk...

Originally, Kampas had no intention of advancing this far.

Yet now that it was here, retreating was almost impossible, as the Gallant Federation’s mixed fleets surrounded them on every side.

In truth, by this stage of the war, the Gallant Federation’s forces were in even greater disarray!

It was only thanks to the immense computational power of their ships and mobile suits, and the rigid chain of command that forced every soldier to obey the highest-ranking officer’s orders to the letter, that they were able to hold their formations across the battlefield.

For the Magus Civilization’s forces, annihilating them was easier said than done.

In fact, over the past few centuries, the Gallant Federation had launched dozens of counteroffensives, both medium and large in scale.

Several major engagements had already taken place.

Not only had two of the federation’s overlord-class warfleets been destroyed, but rumors claimed that even an overlord-level being from the Magus Civilization had been forced to withdraw early from the battlefield due to severe injuries.

“The Gallant Federation Legion seems to be making a desperate stand this time. Let’s hope we can hold out,” Kampas muttered, his voice heavy as he watched three points of light slowly growing brighter at the horizon.

Those three distant lights represented the Gallant Federation’s three overlord-class forces stationed outside Netherworld.

Most of the federation’s overlord-class forces were abstract entities, each formed from countless ships, drones, robots, and self-propelled artillery units combined into a single overlord-level entity.

Yet as overlord-level beings themselves, Kampas and Naeverynk could still sense and pinpoint the most dangerous presence within the enemy’s fleet.

Within the massive swarm of federal vessels filling the starry void ahead, a dozen large battleships, two colossal war forts, and a deep-yellow mobile suit radiated a chilling aura that made the God of Beastmen’s skin crawl.

Commander Blood River Naeverynk responded to Kampas’ grumbling with nothing more than a silent glance.

In terms of individual strength, Kampas was no less formidable than Naeverynk. When it came to treasures, the two were evenly matched as well.

Naeverynk, however, could not understand how the God of Beastmen, renowned throughout the Magus Alliance for his ferocity and toughness, could seem so... timid in person.

Rumors, it seemed, were not to be trusted. Nothing could be believed until seen with one’s own eyes.

Ignoring Kampas’ words, Commander Blood River slowly ascended to the sky.

From here, he could be seen by nearly every Netherworld creature across the battlefield.

“Defend our homeland! Guard the Netherworld!”

With a single sweep of his Trident of Heaven and Hell, Naeverynk ignited the fervor of the entire Netherworld legion.

Below, countless Netherworld creatures let out frenzied roars.

One after another, grotesque winged beasts unfurled their wings and took to the crimson skies.

Faced with the relentless purges of the Magus Civilization’s forces, the Gallant Federation was clearly on the verge of collapse.

Only by invading the Netherworld and relying on its dense planar defenses could they hope to hold out any longer.

Of course, the federation’s all-out assault on Netherworld might also have been an act of vengeance–a display of hatred for Netherworld’s betrayal.

By now, total casualties among Netherworld creatures had reached nearly seventy percent of their population from before the great Clash of Civilizations began.

Blood flowed like rivers. Corpses blanketed the ground.

Across the Netherworld Star Domain, countless complete planes and resource-rich demiplanes had been reduced to ruins.

The number of asteroid belts scattered across the void had increased dramatically, but rather than calling them asteroid belts, they were more like the remnants of shattered planes.

Netherworld creatures were savage and cruel by nature.

Within the Magus Alliance, they were known as the third most wicked race after devils and demons. They were more terrifying and troublesome than even the undead.

Even when facing the Gallant Federation’s vengeful onslaught, the Netherworld’s legions showed no signs of distress. Their fighting spirit burned stronger than ever, showing an almost absurd level of defiance.

It seemed these creatures truly did not fear death!

As the Netherworld legions surged into a frenzy, the three rivers beneath Naeverynk converged toward him like streams returning to the sea.

These were Netherworld’s three great rivers of law: the Blood River, the Skeleton River, and the Soul River.

Of the three, the Blood River resonated most deeply with Naeverynk as he himself was a rare master of the Blood Law.

Under the Spider Queen Lorthisra’s command was a fallen race that worshiped her—the Blood Elves. As their name suggested, the power they wielded was also the power of blood.

Caelzas, King of the Blood Elves, was one of the very few capable of mastering the Blood Law.

Yet when compared to Naeverynk, Caelzas was but a firefly flickering beneath the brilliance of the full moon.

ROAR!

The waters of the Skeleton River and the Soul River surged toward Naeverynk, instantly flooding him with primal power.

This was the aid granted to him by Netherworld’s planar will.

Long ago, Naeverynk had been hailed as the Beloved Son of the Nether God. To this day, he remained the being most cherished by Netherworld itself.

But the even greater power of the Blood River did not flow into his body. Instead, when it shot into the sky and hit the Netherworld’s planar barrier, it scattered in all directions.

The sky of the Netherworld turned crimson as the Blood River’s power surged through it, reinforcing the planar barrier even further.

Throughout the realm, faint blood-red veins appeared in the eyes of every Netherworld being as their combat power swelled far beyond its normal limits.

“Hmm. Though the Netherworld currently has only one overlord, it has produced several throughout its history, including a Rank Eight overlord. The strength of this plane’s will far surpasses that of our Beastmen World,” Kampas remarked with a hint of admiration.

“Hmph. Suvyth!” With Commander Blood River’s order, a crimson longsword materialized before him.

The blood-red blade was not his weapon of choice; his usual weapon was the Trident of Heaven and Hell.

Its ability to transcend space and appear here came from the mirror shard hanging in front of his chest!

Aha, I knew it! It’s a fragment of a civilizational treasure! When did he acquire it? Do the higher-ups of the Magus Civilization even know?

Kampas’ eyes burned with envy as he kept the thoughts to himself.

This ability of Commander Blood River Naeverynk was known as Sword Summoning—a skill that allowed him to call forth an epic sword bound to him by contract and wield it for a short time.

The blade, named Suvyth, was clearly a weapon of world-class secret treasure caliber!

It would not stay manifested for long, but even the few moments Naeverynk could wield it were terrifying enough!