Sovereign of the Ashes

The war between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation had always been a full-scale, three-dimensional conflict.

The same was true of the battles waged by their respective representatives.

If the fighting failed to reach this level of intensity, it would almost feel like an insult to the prestige of these top-tier civilizations.

Now that the opposing legions on Marvelous Plane had opened fire, the Magus Civilization refused to sit idle.

Ever since the three colossal space fortresses descended onto this low-level plane, their assault had never let up.

The Ashen Fortress, in particular, launched attacks as if it were running on free energy crystals.

The sheer frequency and intensity of its elemental bombardment quickly drew the attention of the two Rank Four Knights who had also joined the battlefield.

Of course, every elemental beam fired by the Ashen Fortress came at a cost.

Fortunately, Sein had taken on a steady stream of highly profitable combat missions in recent years.

On top of that, the Goddess of Wealth, far away in Magus World, continued to funnel resources to him through her vast network.

So when it came to basic war expenditures, Sein could afford them.

Beyond the fortress’ firepower, the Divine Tower of Ashes’ mage legions also began to show their capabilities.

Sein had established his divine tower for some time now, and its mage legions had grown increasingly skilled in coordinated group combat.

In this regard, Sein’s initiated exchange program with the Alveroth Empire had been nothing short of surprising.

His original intention had been to acquire a batch of initiates from the Alveroth Empire through legal means.

At the very least, it made the process look respectable and, in return, provided several benefits to the Alveroth Empire’s public magic academies.

What he did not expect was an additional windfall—a group of full-fledged mages from the Alveroth Empire actually came to the Divine Tower of Ashes Academy as guest instructors.

As a result, advanced formation combat theories, the latest group spellcasting techniques, and fresh academic perspectives flowed in through the exchange.

Several divine tower academies that had once competed against the Divine Tower of Ashes in regional academy wars began to follow suit, gradually establishing cooperative ties with the Alveroth Empire.

Alveroth truly lived up to its reputation as the Magic Empire.

But of course, the Byrne Empire could never engage in any cooperation with the Alveroth Empire.

Thousands of full-fledged mages from the Divine Tower of Ashes stood in formation, aligned with precise elemental array diagrams.

Together, they unleashed a colossal magical tempest that slowly swallowed the battlefield of this low-level plane.

There was a reason the Magus Civilization dared to challenge the Gallant Federation’s warship fleets in long-range combat.

The elemental magic released by these full-fledged mages was no less terrifying than the missiles or energy beams fired from federal ships.

Moreover, thanks to the nature of mental focus control, nearly all spells possessed long-range tracking capabilities.

By comparison, the Gallant Federation’s fleet firepower was highly standardized. Most of their weapons and ammunition rolled straight off assembly lines, mass-produced in heavy armories.

The Magus Civilization functioned very differently. Each full-fledged mage was an independent combat unit.

Even among Pyromancers, elemental manifestations varied from individual to individual, resulting in wildly different attack patterns.

Sein had recently noticed that the effectiveness of his Azure Flame against the federal fleets had declined slightly.

One possible explanation was that the Federation had developed targeted countermeasures against this particular flame.

However, a more likely reason was that the Gallant Federation had once again carried out a comprehensive upgrade to the armor of its warships.

Refitting every federal vessel solely to counter the Azure Flame would have been far too costly to justify.

As a result, Sein’s Azure Flame should still be effective to a certain extent in future conflicts, but that would require deeper research and further exploration on his part.

The sight of thousands of enemy mages unleashing ranged elemental attacks and area-of-effect spells in a tightly coordinated formation left the opposing legions visibly shaken.

Marvelous Plane was completely drowned in elemental magic. Its once-azure skies had turned into a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors.

At first glance, it was almost beautiful.

“Every time I witness a spectacle like this, I can’t help but marvel at the Magus Civilization’s might,” said a Rank Four deity from the Magus Alliance.

He resembled a massive mound of living flesh as he strode out of the Ashen Fortress.

This corpulent Rank Four deity was one of the powerful reinforcements dispatched by the alliance to support Sein.

Beneath it, nearly another hundred thousand sturdy extraplanar creatures—most standing between five and ten meters tall—poured out of Sein’s Ashen Fortress.

Judging by their size alone, these beings resembled the Titans.

Yet they were members of the “Gomoth Goron Clan”. Their leader, a powerful Rank Four creature known as the Goron King, carried a blue metallic pole slung casually over his shoulder.

Despite their appearance, they shared no blood ties with the Titans.

The Goron King’s exclamation drew the attention of another Rank Four being—a dark blue Flying Rayfish that emerged from the Ashen Fortress soon after.

This allied deity commanded even more followers than the Goron King, with numbers now exceeding two hundred thousand.

Hearing the Goron King’s words, and sensing that no other Magus World powerhouses were nearby, the Rank Four Flying Rayfish could not help but say, “You big oaf, you have never fought on a battlefield dominated by the Gallant Federation, have you?”

The Goron King scratched his gray bald head with thick fingers and replied, “I was transferred to the frontlines during the later stages of the Netherworld Star Domain War. I suppose I haven’t experienced many truly disadvantageous battles.”

The dark blue Flying Rayfish let out a sigh. “Once you survive a battle like that, you’ll understand how insignificant we Rank Fours are in a civilizational war at this scale.

“The Magus Civilization’s mage legions and fortress cannons are no doubt terrifying, but once you taste the Gallant Federation’s saturation bombardment, you’ll understand what real despair feels like.

“Wave after wave of firepower crashes down without end. You can’t even see where the enemy is—there are only deafening explosions tearing through the battlefield. Even Rank Four beings like us can do very little under that kind of overwhelming bombardment.

“The Magus Alliance’s claims about the evil Gallant Federation destroying thousands of worlds might not be exaggerations after all. Under that kind of assault, even the toughest plane would be reduced to ruins,” the Flying Rayfish said gravely.

The Goron King fell silent.

After a moment, he raised his head and waved the metal pole in his hand.

“Anyway, our task here is to crush the enemies on this battlefield, yes?” he asked.

The Goron King’s reminder snapped the Rank Four Flying Rayfish back to its senses. It quickly nodded.

“Yes. You’re right.”

Watching the Goron King stride forward toward the Arid Expanse World legion, the dark blue Flying Rayfish suddenly realized that this big oaf was not quite as “dumb” as he looked after all.