Sovereign of the Ashes

The war arrived sooner than anyone had expected.

As the forces of Aquaria entered Sein’s field of vision, he immediately noticed a special operations legion among them—troops clad in distinctive equipment, their skulls shaped like sharp blades.

That had to be the Grand Apocalypse World legion.

As one of the Gallant Federation’s key supporters, Grand Apocalypse World maintained direct troop deployments across nearby star domains.

Many of its legions were already fighting on the Shadowbat Civilization front, where Grandmaster Feylis was stationed.

Compared to those forces, however, the Apocalypse Legion that appeared on Marvelous Plane could only be considered a small detachment.

The hydro element within the surrounding starry environment grew increasingly active and dense.

Under the influence of the heightened concentration of fundamental battlefield particles, the sea races led by White Stella, along with the large number of sea kings, steadily grew more powerful.

After a brief standoff, the Aquarian legions were the first to launch their attack.

Composed primarily of oceanic lifeforms, these legions bore clear similarities to the sea races of Magus World.

Much like native creatures from different pyro-attribute planes that shared common traits, both sides could unleash their full potential in this moisture-saturated battlefield.

Surging toward the Magus Civilization’s frontlines like an endless tide, the Aquarian legions stretched as far as the eye could see.

The enemy forces on this battlefield were not limited to Aquarian creatures and a small detachment of the Grand Apocalypse World legion.

Numerous interstellar mercenary forces were mixed in as well. These mercenaries were primarily hired by the wealthy Planet Aquaria.

Before personally arriving on the battlefield, Ocean King Orven had also deployed his own hired forces.

The Cerulean Crab King, who had recently suffered losses on Marvelous Plane, now returned at the head of its clan.

Having escaped in time and reinforced with Gallant Federation genetic serums that strengthened their carapaces, this nomadic interstellar race still possessed considerable strength.

The Cerulean Crab King itself remained a terrifying combatant!

“There seem to be no Rank Six creatures on this battlefield. Devour them all and turn this place into another aquatic planet for us!” said the Rank Six Ocean King from atop his coral throne as he surveyed the distant war zone.

Orven’s current vessel was a massive aquatic palace.

This structure had been developed entirely by Planet Aquaria itself, with no involvement from the Gallant Federation’s technology.

On closer inspection, it became clear that several medium-sized world civilizations within this star domain had each developed their own technological paths to varying degrees.

Thousands of massive metallic sharks rolled their enormous bodies as they surged toward the Magus Civilization’s frontlines.

Each of these metallic sharks stretched hundreds of meters in length and was a creation of Aquaria.

Rather than flying, they appeared to be swimming through space.

The sight of them gliding through the starry expanse was truly striking.

Beyond these metallic sharks, the Aquarian legions also occupied vast, cubic pools of blue metal across the battlefield.

These pools were even larger, with widths ranging from several hundred to several thousand meters.

They appeared to be war platforms developed by Aquaria, serving a role similar to the Magus Civilization’s space fortresses.

However, unlike Magus Civilization fortresses with their interstellar jump capability, devastating firepower, and fortress-grade defensive barriers, Aquaria’s blue metal pools functioned purely as troop transports.

Dense swarms of Aquarians were packed tightly within them. Only a small fraction were Rank One or above, possessing even basic combat capability.

The vast majority of Aquaria’s forces were lower-tier cannon fodder, able to fight to a certain extent only within the dense vapor zones generated by these blue metallic pools.

As the Aquarian legions advanced, White Stella was the first to step onto the battlefield with the Royal Trident held firmly in her grasp.

From the moment she appeared, the giant mermaid became the most commanding presence on the battlefield.

Her unique bloodline, combined with her resonance with certain Magus World oceanic laws, granted her near-absolute authority over all sea kings.

Her exalted lineage and prestige also ensured the unquestioning loyalty of every sea race creature.

The first to answer her call were thousands of simple-minded yet incredibly resilient sea kings.

Most of them were around Rank Three.

Given the sea kings’ massive physiques and long growth cycles, Rank Two sea kings might not even have reached adulthood yet. That was why White Stella had not brought them to this battlefield.

The oceans of Magus World are vast beyond measure.

The strength accumulated by the sea races alone would be enough to establish an independent, large-sized world civilization.

The sea race legions and sea kings that White Stella brought this time were not especially numerous.

If she needed more, she could easily request reinforcements from Magus World.

Moreover, the forces under her command did not represent the entirety of the sea races fighting in the Clash of Civilizations.

Avril, the overlord-level Mermaid Queen, personally led several elite sea race legions into this war.

Among Tourmaline’s brothers, her second brother and her fourth brother, Black Oblivion, were also active on the frontlines.

Tourmaline’s second brother primarily commanded sea race legions, while Black Oblivion roamed with his band of magic beasts, amassing wealth wherever he went.

The colossal sea kings on this battlefield often dwarfed Aquaria’s giant metallic sharks.

These sea kings were simple-minded creatures. At a special sonic signal from White Stella, they charged straight toward the Aquarian legions without the slightest hesitation.

Only around a dozen Rank Four and Rank Five sea kings retained a measure of clarity. Even as they charged, they remembered to coordinate with the Magus Civilization legions advancing behind them.

At the same time, the roars and snarls of these Rank Four and Rank Five sea kings helped restrain the reckless advance of the Rank Three sea kings.

With the sea kings in motion, White Stella’s sea race legions naturally followed.

As a relatively affluent oceanic race, the sea race forces under her command were truly elite.

At least from Sein’s perspective, they were composed entirely of middle and upper-class sea race combatants.

Among these legions were several specially designed space fortresses, their hulls covered in green algae and dominated by shades of green and blue.

In the early years, when their divine towers had just been completed and resources were scarce, Sein and Lorianne had often recruited lower-tier sea races from the Boundless South Sea region to fight in interplanar wars.

Although numerous, those low-class sea races were dirt poor and possessed limited combat strength.

Naturally, they fell far short of middle and upper-class sea races in every respect.

Having encountered sea race creatures from all social classes, Sein could not help but marvel at the elite quality of White Stella’s forces.

Compared to the low-class sea races he had once recruited for next to nothing, those earlier recruits were practically beggars.

Many of them did not even own a proper weapon, let alone war platforms like space fortresses.