Sovereign of the Ashes

As for how the Death Worm had managed to survive this long...

Not only did Rogge have no answer, but even the Death Worm itself was also completely baffled.

So many late-stage and peak Rank Six creatures had already fallen.

The fact that the Death Worm had made it to the end at all felt like a miracle!

Its survival in that overlord-level melee had nothing to do with strength or defense. It was simply because it refused to die.

Even when its body was chopped into countless pieces, it still clung stubbornly to life.

On top of that, it was a necromantic creature.

No matter how low its cellular activity dropped, it could still draw on hidden reserves of vitality through sheer will.

Right after the battle, its condition had been even worse than it was now. Its body had been completely torn by overlord-level power.

Only by slowly gathering its scattered flesh had it managed to restore less than one-tenth of its original size.

Of course, its strength had plummeted from mid-stage Rank Six to barely Rank Six.

How long it would take to recover was anyone’s guess.

Intrigued, Rogge tossed it a vial of Death Potion and a tube of overlord blood infused with necromantic law power.

The Death Worm reacted instantly. It trembled with excitement, practically fawning as it conveyed its submission and reverence.

When Rogge asked to collect tissue samples, it showed no resistance at all.

“Heh... when I first contracted you, I had no idea you were this special,” Rogge commented with a chuckle. “Do well. Aim higher. Try to break through to the overlord realm, just like the Black Samurai Emperor and the others.”

At this point, the Death Worm looked like nothing more than an eager lackey, bowing and scraping for favor.

As a peak Rank Seven mage, Rogge had been focused on studying the mysteries of the Rank Eight Eternal Soul. A mere Rank Six summon had never been worth much of his attention before.

Now, being personally acknowledged by an overlord of the Magus Civilization, the Death Worm was overjoyed.

Only after pledging its loyalty to Rogge several times did the Death Worm finally step onto the teleportation array, laden with spoils, and return to its original star system.

That was how war worked.

The victors took everything. The losers lost everything, including their lives!

Of all the powerhouses Rogge had summoned from other star domains, only three walked away with worthwhile gains. The rest had perished here.

Their bodies, equipment, and accumulated wealth were all left scattered across the battlefield.

Rogge had little interest in those lower-tier spoils.

There were still plenty of Byrne Empire legions stationed nearby, and Roland—the peak Rank Seven knight—had contributed greatly to this battle. Rogge was more than happy to leave the cleanup to them.

For lower-ranking knights, even obtaining a drop of Rank Six or overlord blood was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

That was the nature of a Clash of Civilizations: the lucky and the talented rose through opportunities!

As Rogge worked on the remains of the Amenkha Scorpion King, he spoke without looking up.

“Are you feeling alright after that fight?”

The White Jade Skeleton hovered silently beside him, careful not to interfere with his work.

A moment later, a soft, ethereal female voice came from within.

“I’m fine.”

Not long after, Roland arrived.

He had just finished giving orders to the Byrne Empire legions across the surrounding star domains.

Roland did not dwell on the fact that the three Amenkha overlords had managed to escape.

Under those circumstances, being able to kill a monster king at all meant they had already pushed themselves to the limit.

Rogge and Roland truly lived up to their reputations as the finest mage and knight of the current generation in the Magus Civilization.

Others, like Zenasus, Bhaal, and Balek, were also overlord-level powerhouses of the current era, but there was still a clear gap between them and these two.

“Thanks for the timely assistance,” Roland said as he walked up and gave Rogge a firm punch on the shoulder.

He did not care that he had interrupted Rogge’s work. The two were close, and Rogge was not the type to mind.

“What are you talking about?” Rogge replied, shaking his head. “I should be thanking you for handing me such a valuable prize.”

The White Jade Skeleton accounted for forty percent of the credit in killing the Amenkha Scorpion King, with Roland taking another forty.

The remaining twenty came down to luck and the desperate efforts of the other summoned creatures.

With that settled, Rogge quickly finished processing the overlord-level specimen and prepared to leave with his prize.

Judging by how hurried he looked, one might think he was afraid Roland would interrupt him again.

“Where are you going?” Roland asked, surprised. Rogge was not heading toward the nearby command center, nor toward Lady Bev and the others.

After calling the White Jade Skeleton back to his side, Rogge replied without turning around, “I think I just felt something. No time to explain. I’m heading back to Magus World now!”

With that, he opened a gray portal and departed without delay.

Roland stood there for a moment, stunned.

“Felt something?” he echoed.

Then his eyes widened. “Wait... could it be that...?!”

***

The Amenkha Empire’s retaliatory campaign against the Magus Civilization had, for the most part, been a success.

Although they had lost a monster king each on the battlefields where Nergal and Roland were, they had inflicted equal or even greater losses on the Magus Civilization’s overlords.

Beyond the grief caused by those fallen powerhouses, an even heavier blow had been dealt elsewhere.

Across multiple fronts, the Magus Civilization’s advance against the Gallant Federation had slowed, even showing signs of stagnation.

That shift alone could influence the course of the war for tens of thousands of years.

And it was not just here. In the Grand Cosmic World, war had erupted on an even larger scale.

This was no targeted decapitation strike. It was a full-on clash of armies, a direct collision between legions and overlords alike.

Even after detecting the Luminara Civilization’s movements, the Amenkha Empire showed no sign of pulling back from that front.

Managing both the Grand Cosmic World battlefield and the looming threat from the Luminara Civilization seemed to place no real strain on them.

While the Luminarians continued to clash with Amenkha forces along their own front, over in the Grand Cosmic World, the native legions were collapsing almost as soon as they met the Empire’s elite troops.

Even with support from Magus Civilization garrisons and large numbers of mercenary legions from other star domains, the Grand Cosmic World was steadily being pushed back.

After all, for all its prosperity, it was still just a large-sized world.

Its people were not known for their strength in battle.