Sovereign of the Ashes

Calculating the precise location based on that vague coordinate node was no simple task. Even the slightest miscalculation could result in a massive deviation.

Determining the exact space-time hub coordinates from which the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization had departed the Astral Realm would take considerably more time.

In the meantime, uncovering additional ruins would greatly aid the Magus Civilization’s archaeological teams in their calculations.

As for Sein, exploring the mysteries of a top-tier civilization was far too advanced. That was the kind of subject meant for overlord-level beings of Magus World.

Had he not been directly involved, he would likely not have had access to secrets of this scale at all.

Compared to investigating where the Eiyurant Papillon Folk had gone, or how far their technological development had reached, Sein was far more interested in whether he could extract anything of practical value from their ruins—specifically, experimental specimens suitable for his current stage of research.

Until now, Sein still had not fully converted the crystal Master Gilbert gave him into an elemental bomb.

The main challenge lay in the excessive amount of inert energy contained within it, as well as its astonishing purity.

With years of nonstop warfare that had left him with barely any time to rest, Sein had managed to complete only twenty-seven percent of the refinement process so far.

The space-time hub through which the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization had departed the Astral Realm would inevitably hold some of the most precious remnants of that ancient civilization.

Although technology was not the path the Magus World had chosen to follow, it still fell within the broader scope of Astral Realm knowledge. Once acquired, Magus World mages would undoubtedly gain valuable insights from it.

They might even uncover world-class secret treasures comparable to the Magic Cube in Sein’s possession.

Sein quietly sighed. “If I ever get the chance, I really would like to see it.”

To be honest, Sein had never explored the ruins of a top-tier civilization before, nor did he have any prior experience with ruin exploration.

For such an untested endeavor, one filled with vast unknowns and undeniable novelty, Sein felt an unmistakable urge to try.

In the rear base...

After reviewing the Magus Civilization legions’ casualty reports from the past two years and approving a large-scale resource replenishment request, Sein returned to his experimental zone.

This space served as a temporary laboratory, as Sein’s Ashen Fortress was still deployed on the frontline.

With the lower-tier Magus Civilization legions relentlessly pursuing Aquaria’s forces and other ongoing defensive demands to consider, Sein would not be spending much time in his space fortress for the foreseeable future.

Inside the laboratory, Reina—who had been pulled back from the frontlines along with Sein—lay motionless on the experimental table.

She had been severely injured during the battle by a Rank Four creature from Aquaria.

Her left arm was twisted and fractured, and an icy-blue ring of law power lingered around the joint, refusing to dissipate.

In return, Reina had smashed her heavy hammer into the creature’s forehead countless times.

It was still unclear whether the Rank Four Aquarian creature had died; all that was known was that it fled the battlefield, drenched in blood.

Sia had taken over the pursuit in Reina’s stead.

Reina and Natalya once fought in perfect sync on the battlefield. Now, it seemed Reina and Natalya’s mother were growing increasingly in sync as well.

Reina excelled in short, explosive bursts of power, but her slower speed made her ill-suited for chasing down enemies.

Sia, on the other hand, was better at prolonged combat. Moreover, her Baator Demon had wings. Once she activated her lawful body, her pursuit capabilities far surpassed Reina’s.

Using an elemental wipe soaked in a magic potion, Sein gently dabbed at Reina’s wound.

The chubby knight’s face was drawn tight, her body trembling slightly. She seemed to be in great pain.

Reina was no longer chubby, but that was the image that had stuck in Sein’s mind.

Perhaps only when they held each other, or when he was this close, did Sein truly realize just how slim she had become.

As he slowly treated her injuries, Sein remarked, “You two have not been Rank Four for very long. Right now, combat shouldn’t be the priority—learning to adapt to Rank Four power is.”

“On the battlefield, it’s best not to charge in too recklessly. I won’t always be able to keep an eye on both of you,” he added.

A wisp of icy-blue law mist rose from Reina’s left arm. She gasped sharply, her face twisting with pain, before replying, “Yeah... I got it.”

Reina had always possessed remarkable resilience. Even during the body-tempering experiments in the past, her endurance had stood out as exceptional.

Seeing her react this strongly today surprised Sein.

“Is it really that painful?” Sein asked curiously as he reached out to touch the mist rising from Reina’s wound.

The instant his fingertips came into contact with the icy-blue mist, he reflexively pulled his hand back.

It was indeed painful!

Even so, his expression remained composed as he asked, “What kind of opponent did you run into? Why is its law power so... strange?”

“It seemed to blend hydro and cryo elemental laws, with traces of poison and nerve-attacking laws mixed in...? I have no idea what it was exactly. Its head was covered in bumps and red warts, and there were translucent blue tentacles lining the inside of its arms,” Reina replied.

“Either way, it was a tough fight. I only went after it after seeing it take down a Rank Four allied creature,” she added.

Sein nodded, then carefully collected the icy-blue mist as a specimen.

***

In recent years, black mages dispatched by the Magus Civilization had repeatedly stirred up unrest within the Gallant Federation.

The central regions had fared somewhat better, generally suffering fewer direct impacts.

However, the star domains along the vast frontlines had been struck by overwhelming catastrophe.

The emergence of hundreds of dead planets sent shockwaves through the federation’s middle and lower classes.

These dead worlds had once been thriving life planets, terraformed over a millennium ago.

Each had supported tens of millions, sometimes even hundreds of millions, of lower-class federal citizens.

Now, they had become barren wastelands, with some even giving rise to horrifying, monstrous undead creatures.

For ordinary people, war was undoubtedly the most ruthless killer of the innocent.

To this day, the number of intelligent beings lost in the Clash of Civilizations between Magus World and the Gallant Federation was impossible to tally!

What weighed even more heavily on the federation was the fact that these hundreds of dead worlds represented only the officially reported figures.

In reality, the losses suffered across the Gallant Federation’s frontline star domains were likely far greater!

However, in order to maintain public confidence and prevent mass panic among the federation’s frontline forces, those figures had been carefully adjusted.