Sovereign of the Ashes

The war in Rongyue World ended far sooner than Sein had expected.

Only seven years after his arrival, the main forces of the Dawn Empire were already preparing to withdraw.

In truth, pockets of resistance still lingered.

Some factions within the Rongyue World continued to fight, and a few planes across the star domain still refused to accept defeat.

Ever since the two Rank Six beings of this world were dealt with, the outcome was already decided.

The King of Mount Yue, the strongest among the two Rank Six beings, had been slain.

Even in death, he refused to bow.

It was said that when he died, he neither collapsed nor knelt!

He just gripped his massive axe, frozen in a half-crouch as his life faded away.

Even General Gongsun Wudi of the Dawn Empire’s legions showed him a measure of respect.

He might have lost in strength, but in will, he had not been defeated!

The captured Rank Six creature was the already gravely wounded Rongdi.

The geo-attribute Earth Hound’s fate was now in the Dawn Empire’s hands.

What they intended to do with it, or how they planned to force its submission, was unclear.

Sein only knew that Gongsun Wudi would personally lead the Valiant Dragon Army, along with elite units from the Raging Tiger Army, to escort the mid-stage Rank Six creature back to the empire as a prisoner of war.

When that time came, Sein would leave with them.

After the battles in the heart of Rongyue World came to an end, Gongsun Wudi personally received the planar guardian.

With all native Rank Six beings neutralized and over ninety percent of the law-wielding population wiped out, resistance had all but collapsed.

Ronglu, along with the few remaining Rank Four natives, had no choice but to accept reality.

What followed were a series of so-called treaties between the Dawn Empire and Rongyue World.

In truth, they were treaties in name only. The Dawn Empire now held complete control over the world, and its fate lay entirely in their hands.

The Dawn Empire’s decision to recruit the guardian and a handful of local powerhouses served two purposes.

First, it would weaken the morale of those in Rongyue World who were still resisting.

Second, it would make it easier for the empire to develop the Rongyue Star Domain in the future.

The fighting spirit and determination shown by this medium-sized world had clearly left a deep impression on the Dawn Empire’s legions.

From that perspective, the King of Mount Yue’s sacrifice and the stubborn resistance of so many of Rongyue’s powerhouses had not been in vain.

Because of them, at least some resources and a sliver of survival had been preserved for the world’s future generations.

As a representative of the Magus Civilization, Sein was allowed to attend the negotiations at his own request.

He remained only an observer and did not speak during the discussions.

In his view, the Dawn Empire’s methods of exploiting a defeated civilization were still too “lenient” and not very “efficient”.

If it were the Magus Civilization, they would have taken a far harsher approach—removing several generations of guardians outright, then installing one more inclined to their interests.

As for developing the occupied plane, they would avoid making the natives feel openly enslaved or humiliated.

Instead, they would rely on structured systems like rules, incentives, and magicoins to guide local lifeforms into generating value for them willingly.

During the negotiations, Ronglu clearly tried to secure better terms for its homeworld.

But whenever it demanded a little “too much”, Gongsun Wudi would simply stare at it in silence. That quiet pressure alone was enough to force it to back down.

The negotiations did not last long.

Once they concluded, Gongsun Wudi casually pointed to Sein, who had been sitting quietly off to the side, and said, “This is Mage Sein—the one who handled matters at the navel of the plane.”

“What do you think? Impressive, isn’t he?” she added with a faint smile.

As soon as she said that, Sein could clearly feel the guardian’s hostility toward him deepen.

The Rank Four beings standing beside the guardian, however, looked at him with a more complicated mix of curiosity and unease.

Sein’s gaze first lingered on Ronglu’s nearly “bald” head—the rare plant growth there was enough to catch even his interest.

Then his eyes shifted to a butterfly-like creature no more than half a meter tall, with striking pink wings.

Two delicate antennae on her forehead trembled faintly.

Several signs made it clear that this Rank Four butterfly was badly injured.

And yet, that very fragility stirred a strong protective instinct in many who saw her, especially males.

When Sein looked at her, his gaze carried a hint of appreciation.

If his collection had another specimen like this, it would certainly feel far more vivid.

Of course, that was no longer a realistic possibility.

Now that Gongsun Wudi had accepted the surrender of the Rongyue creatures led by the guardian, there was no reason for Sein or the Dawn Empire to act against those who had already submitted.

Despite the calmness in Sein’s expression, the butterfly shrank back in fear and hid behind Ronglu.

The pressure of his aura alone was overwhelming.

If Tourmaline had been here instead, she would probably have gotten along well with these relatively gentle dendro-attribute natives.

“I only suppressed the laws to a limited extent. In theory, it should not cause any lasting damage to Rongyue World’s planar will. Given enough time, the suppression will fade, the laws will restore themselves, and the environmental distortions will disappear,” Sein explained.

He spoke respectfully and offered a polite nod to the group.

Despite the anger burning within it, Ronglu did not lash out.

Perhaps the guardian and the remaining Rank Four beings understood that whether Sein had intervened at the navel of the plane or not, the outcome would have been the same.

At most, it would have only changed how long Rongyue World could continue resisting.

In fact, the longer the struggle dragged on, the more lives would be lost and the further the world’s laws would collapse.

From that perspective, Sein’s actions might even have spared them greater losses.

Sensing the tension in the hall, Sein offered a formal bow to both sides, then quietly took his leave.