Sovereign of the Ashes

After returning to the army, Melgen Sethem went straight to pay his respects to Enrique Gustavo.

Although both of them were Rank Six lifeforms, Sethem’s deference toward Enrique did not come from the other party’s peak Rank Six strength.

Rather, it came from Enrique’s bloodline, his last name, and the throne he sat upon.

“Who was that mage who saved you just now?” Enrique asked.

Faced with the young master’s question, Sethem seemed to sense the slightly unusual atmosphere among the surrounding demons. After a brief hesitation, he replied, “He’s Sein, from the Divine Tower of Ashes.”

Enrique nodded, then turned to the Flame Demon who had come forward.

“Go investigate the Divine Tower of Ashes, and this mage named Sein.”

As Enrique’s right-hand man, the Flame Demon clearly did not approve of certain thoughts forming in his young master’s mind.

Still, investigating the other party’s background was still better than using force to seize what they wanted.

Just as the Flame Demon was about to leave, Enrique suddenly called him back.

“Never mind. Cancel the investigation!” Enrique said.

The Flame Demon looked at him curiously. Following Enrique’s gaze, he saw a vast Dawn Empire army approaching from the distance, gradually drawing near to the icy battlefield where the fighting had already ended.

The one leading this Dawn Empire army was none other than Princess Gongsun Wudi.

After arriving on the battlefield of Divine Descendants World, Sein’s legion had been stationed not far from Gongsun Wudi’s Raging Tiger Army.

Earlier, when Yuri had gone to call for reinforcements, it was unclear whether she had alerted Gongsun Wudi or whether Ximen Feixiao had reported the situation after participating in the battle.

Either way, the Princess Guardian had personally arrived at the head of her troops!

Unfortunately, by the time she arrived, the battle had already ended. The strength of those demon legions was almost on par with the elite troops of Gongsun Wudi’s Raging Tiger Army.

After arriving on the battlefield, Gongsun Wudi flew straight toward Sein and asked him about the situation.

From a distance, the scene was quite telling. A peak Rank Six powerhouse was speaking amiably with a Rank Five mage. Could that mage’s status possibly be ordinary?

Enrique Gustavo did not recognize Sein, but he certainly knew Gongsun Wudi.

After all, she was the second-in-command of the Dawn Empire, and the Quatar Star Pirates had been keeping a close eye on her all along.

The Flame Demon furrowed his brow slightly and studied Sein for a long moment. Then, he suddenly stepped forward and said, “I heard that the Magus Civilization sent a representative to make contact with the Dawn Empire. Could it be him?”

“If he really holds that position, then we absolutely can’t afford to offend him!” the Flame Demon warned, shooting a glare at the big-headed demon king who had already licked every last drop of blood clean.

Sensing the Flame Demon’s glare, the big-headed demon king hurriedly lowered his head.

He might have been reckless and fond of currying favor, but that did not mean this Rank Five demon king was a fool.

Enrique did not dwell on what had just happened. After glancing at the Flame Demon and Sethem, he said, “Come with me to meet the princess of the Dawn Empire.”

With that, Enrique rose from his throne and flew toward Sein and Gongsun Wudi.

“Thank you for extending a helping hand to the Demon Clan! In this battle, it’s not only Sethem who owes you a favor, Master. Our entire Demon Clan owes you one as well,” Enrique Gustavo said with a hearty laugh as he arrived before Sein and the others.

Indeed, a person’s life experience, status, and social environment could shape them greatly.

In Lord Gustavo’s eyes, his only son was nothing more than a good-for-nothing who had constantly caused trouble for him.

Yet judging by Enrique’s performance now, this peak Rank Six demon clearly knew how to read the situation and say the right thing.

Sein was also sizing up this demon king, who clearly held a prominent position.

The deep blue flame that had cut off Wanderer Xingming’s escape route earlier had come from this guy.

Sein’s interest in studying that flame far outweighed his interest in Enrique himself.

Moreover, the way Enrique had remained seated firmly on his throne without intervening left Sein feeling slightly uneasy.

This guy was too much!

If Gongsun Wudi or Grandmaster Feylis had appeared here and found their subordinate or apprentice beaten half to death, they definitely would not have stood idly by.

Of course, perhaps demons were simply indifferent by nature, and Enrique did not really care about Sethem’s injuries.

But that seemed to contradict his earlier claim that the Demon Clan owed Sein a favor.

Sein looked at the demon king before him and responded rather indifferently.

Besides, Enrique’s main target was not Sein. After a few polite words, he turned and began speaking with Gongsun Wudi instead.

The demon legions had entered Divine Descendants World not long ago, at roughly the same time as Sein and his group.

Before that, it had been the endless hordes of the insects advancing across the entire battlefield of Divine Descendants World.

Enrique Gustavo also happened to be one of the few powerhouses on this civilizational battlefield who knew about the Empress of Blades.

It was truly hard to imagine that a demon king like Enrique Gustavo had once crossed paths with a being as terrifying as the father of the Empress of Blades.

Although Enrique had ended up dragging his own father down with him, causing both of them to work for that “certain someone” and the Magus Civilization, the experience was still enough for him to brag about for the rest of his life.[1]

And judging from the final outcome, serving under that person back then was certainly better than being buried alive along with the Hell Plane.

The Abyssal Dragon Clan, which had long been at odds with the Gustavo Family, had also obediently followed that person back then. By now, they had nearly evolved into a native species of Magus World.

As for Enrique Gustavo, never mind that person—even the Empress of Blades, who was currently on the battlefield of Divine Descendants World, could crush him with a single finger.

According to his father, Carter Gustavo, this Princess Guardian and Emperor Gongsun Wuji shared deep ties with both the Empress of Blades and the Magus Civilization.

An overlord-level being like Gongsun Wuji was not someone Enrique could easily approach. That was a social objective for his father.

For Enrique, simply building a good relationship with Gongsun Wudi at this stage would already be a significant achievement.

However, after only a brief exchange at close range, Enrique realized that he was no match for Gongsun Wudi!

It seems Father was right. My aptitude for cultivation is indeed limited, and my chances of advancing to the overlord tier in the future are practically negligible. Even though I have reached half the strength of a peak Despair Bearer, I’m still far behind true geniuses.

Enrique Gustavo thought to himself, gazing at Gongsun Wudi with a complicated expression.

Clearly, Gongsun Wudi, who was far younger than Enrique, was exactly the kind of genius he was referring to.

When dealing with Enrique, Gongsun Wudi had to adopt a much more formal demeanor.

After all, they were in the middle of a Clash of Civilizations. Although Gongsun Wudi did not necessarily like demons, maintaining friendly relations with them was a policy requirement of the Dawn Empire.

Not to mention, this guy had come over with a smile on his face to make friends. Gongsun Wudi could not very well respond with open hostility.

After conversing for a while and agreeing that the Dawn Empire’s forces would coordinate their advance with the demon legions, Gongsun Wudi glanced at Sein beside her before turning her attention back to Enrique.

“I heard that during the battle just now, you used a special deep-blue flame to stop that Rank Six creature from Myriad Manifestations World from escaping? Could you show us that flame?” she asked.

“I’m also quite curious about this ability of yours.”

Gongsun Wudi was not one for small talk, so she had always been direct.

Enrique was taken aback for a moment, but he did not dwell on it. He immediately opened his demonic hand, and a deep blue flame exuding an otherworldly aura appeared in his palm.

Unlike the fierce, blazing flames usually associated with demons, this deep blue flame instead gave off a sense of cold desolation.

“This is a flame my father obtained for me from a perilous region within the Astral Realm. It’s called Cobalt Flame,” he explained.

1. Translator’s Recap: Yes, that certain someone is Lord Nergal, the black mage! ☜