Sovereign of the Ashes

Thousands of sea kings had torn through the vanguard of the Aquarian legions, opening a path for the sea race legions behind them.

To Sein, this looked like a favorable turn. Yet from the command center, he caught a flicker of sorrow crossing White Stella’s face.

She must be grieving for the wounded and fallen sea kings, Sein suddenly realized.

War inevitably claimed lives. This was a truth he had accepted long ago.

Those sea kings had always obeyed White Stella and accepted her commands without hesitation.

Beyond the bloodline suppression she held over them, White Stella had invested genuine care and affection in these creatures.

Within Magus World, sea kings were actually considered a minority race.

Their survival depended on strict environmental conditions, vast food supplies, and an exceptionally long growth cycle.

Because of this, sea kings were exceedingly rare compared to other sea races.

Fortunately, Magus World was vast with abundant resources.

Still, gathering several thousand Rank Three sea kings was not especially difficult.

If White Stella wished, she could continue drawing sea kings from Magus World to reinforce the battlefield.

After the sea kings broke Aquaria’s frontline, the sea race legions surged forward, riding the momentum with relentless force.

Following close behind them were the Klytherans, the Huusians, and the Magus Alliance legions.

The knight legions commanded by several Rank Four knights who had arrived as reinforcements were the last to enter the battlefield.

This was likely because the lives of Magus World knights and mages were generally considered more valuable than those of alien races.

White Stella proved to be highly dependable.

Sein had originally planned for the Magus Alliance legions to take the lead, but White Stella proposed that the sea race legions assume the vanguard role instead.

It was not that she did not value the lives of sea race creatures. Rather, she believed that the sea race legions were better suited to break the enemy’s frontline with their greater numbers and overwhelming momentum.

This decision had nothing to do with the nobility of life. It was driven purely by the need to secure victory.

From his vantage point, observing the combat strength of Aquaria’s legions—especially the giant metallic sharks and cubic pools—Sein had to admit that if the allied creatures had been placed at the front, they might not have endured the initial assault.

They certainly would not have performed as well as the sea race legions. Worse still, fear or collapsing morale could have led to unpredictable consequences.

Fortunately, that outcome never came to pass.

A clear, melodious song slowly spread across the battlefield.

White Stella was singing.

A giant white conch shell appeared in her hand, carrying her voice to every corner of the battlefield.

This style of singing seemed unique to the sea races of Magus World. Sein felt as though he had heard it before.

After a moment’s thought, he remembered that Tourmaline would sometimes sit on a high stool in his laboratory, kicking her feet as she softly hummed to herself.

At the time, Sein had assumed it was just some random nursery rhyme, though he had found it strangely pleasant.

Only now did he realize that she must have learned it from White Stella.

To Sein, it was simply a beautiful song. To the sea race legions on the battlefield, however, it was a song that could draw out their full potential.

One by one, the eyes of sea race troops began to redden. With renewed ferocity and fearless resolve, they charged straight into the heart of the Aquarian legions.

“It sounds kind of similar to Beastmen World’s war songs,” Sein murmured.

When White Stella’s song began, Sein was not the only one to notice. Even the powerhouses on both sides of the battlefield turned their attention to her.

Orric glanced at White Stella several times, momentarily dazed.

Still, he did not forget his purpose. Shaking himself back to focus, he tightened his grip on his trident and charged toward the frontline.

Most of Orric’s legion had already moved ahead.

Within the broader battle formations of this star domain, his forces occupied a relatively rearward position.

This arrangement was the result of Sein’s deliberate planning and support.

Sein intended to help Orric reclaim his rightful status on Aquaria to showcase the Magus Civilization’s “righteous act”.

If Orric suffered excessive losses and was left with too few followers, how could he ever hope to reclaim the Ocean King’s throne?

When Orric turned to look toward White Stella, Orven—the Rank Six Ocean King positioned toward the rear of the Aquarian legions—also fixed his cold, piercing gaze upon her.

A Rank Five Aquarian merman had attempted to capture Hippolyta and her daughter alive on Marvelous Plane back then, intending to present them to the Ocean King.

Yet by Aquaria’s standards of beauty, Queen Hippolyta could never compare to White Stella!

This truly was a woman of... perfect beauty! Nearly every sea race creature who laid eyes on White Stella thought so deep in their heart.

King Orven had been irritated by the collapse of his vanguard legions, yet his mood inexplicably lifted the moment he beheld White Stella.

“I shall capture her alive and make her my queen,” King Orven declared to those around him.

The Rank Four and Rank Five Aquarian powerhouses naturally supported his decision.

They, too, found White Stella breathtaking, her presence radiating an indescribable sense of sanctity and majesty.

This was one of the primary reasons White Stella so thoroughly captivated Orven and the other sea races.

Several impatient Rank Four and Rank Five Aquarian creatures stepped forward at once, volunteering to fight for the king and bring White Stella back.

Meanwhile, the Rank Five merman who had been verbally reprimanded earlier stood silently off to the side, keeping an extremely low profile.

This was a stark contrast to his earlier eagerness to capture Queen Hippolyta alive.

Was this not the same fellow who delighted in assisting the king to kidnap beauties?

Orven raised his right hand, silencing the eager pleas of the powerhouses around him.

Wearing the Ocean King’s crown, Orven rested his chin on his right hand, studying White Stella from afar. His gaze lingered on the Royal Trident she wielded.

White Stella’s strength was far beyond what ordinary Rank Four or Rank Five Aquarian creatures could handle.

Rumor had it that even the Rank Five Sand Crocodile of Arid Expanse World had fallen at her hands.

“I will go myself,” Orven declared.

Ignoring the Aquarian powerhouses’ protests, he mounted a colossal silver metallic shark king that was more than two thousand meters long and surged straight toward the chaotic frontline.

Spurred by Orven’s decision, the Rank Four and Rank Five Aquarian powerhouses who had arrived on the battlefield activated their divine or lawful bodies and followed him into battle.

At Orven’s side, the most elite royal guards naturally moved to protect their king.

Meanwhile, the massive central and rear formations advanced in unison as more and more powerhouses entered the fray.

In that instant, the war between the two sides escalated into full-scale combat and quickly reached a fever pitch.