Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein had no idea that the Insectoids had already taken notice of him.

He was even less aware that Marduk himself was preparing one final, desperate move within Divine Descendants World.

After Sein released another round of magic bombs to halt the relentless advance of Marduk’s divine consciousness, the restless will of the God of Blazing Fire began struggling once more.

Marduk quickly suppressed it and charged toward Sein again.

But before he could reach him, a pitch-black shadow appeared directly above the battlefield.

The planetary-class fortress had arrived!

Sein had already carried out extensive mechanical modifications to the fortress. The moment it appeared, he raised his right hand toward the sky.

Distinctive blue-purple light and law fluctuations spread from his body.

Still fused with Fermera, Sein immediately flew toward the planetary fortress.

As he approached, the constantly shifting metal structure opened a passage for him at its base.

In the next moment, a colossal fortress robot appeared on the battlefield once more!

Its enormous metal fist came crashing down from above.

With Fermera taking part in the fusion this time, Sein’s combat power after merging with the planetary fortress was even greater than before!

At the edge of the battlefield, near the towering robot’s feet, Sethem stared up in astonishment.

When he first met Sein, the mage had come to his rescue while fused with the planetary fortress.

Even so, Sethem could not help but feel stunned every time he witnessed Sein enter this combat state.

“I completely forgot this guy still had this move up his sleeve!”

Sethem drove the Greatsword of Hell into the ground.

He was not the only one stunned by Sein’s fusion with the planetary fortress. The God of Blazing Fire’s deep crimson pupils contracted as well.

“That’s it. This is the power I’ve been searching for... The key to my Ark’s evolution lies within this mage! Damn it...”

Vast waves of flame erupted from the God of Blazing Fire’s body once more.

Faced with Sein’s towering new form, the God of Blazing Fire released a burst of scorching divine power and charged toward him without the slightest hesitation.

Sein briefly drew back his right arm before driving his massive metal fist straight at his charging opponent.

High above the battlefield, the colossal metal fist collided head-on with the God of Blazing Fire’s fiery fist!

The impact sent violent tremors and waves of energy surging across the battlefield, forcing even the nearby Rank Four and Rank Five beings to retreat.

It was a direct clash between magitech and divine power.

At the same time, it showed the challenge that the emerging profession of mechanics in Magus World posed to the traditional system of divine faith.

Mages of Magus World often regarded the deities of other worlds as “ignorant beings”. Perhaps this clash of power was enough to show why.

However, Sein was not merely half a mechanic. He was also a Pyromancer!

The overwhelming flames released by Marduk’s peak Rank Six divine relic collided with the planetary fortress’ metal fist. To everyone’s surprise, the fire began melting the massive metal arm from the fist upward!

Silvery-white molten metal continuously dripped from the gigantic fortress robot’s fist.

Sein’s planetary fortress had originally been an ordinary vessel belonging to the God of Black Mist. On top of that, it was also a secondhand fortress sold to him by the Gallant Federation.

Although Sein had inscribed numerous magic runes across its surface, and the Magic Cube had modified and adjusted it several times, the fortress’ materials still limited its overall strength.

While it could easily suppress ordinary Rank Four and Rank Five beings, facing the power of a peak Rank Six divine relic controlled by Marduk was another matter entirely...

“Hm?”

The moment Sein noticed his massive metal arm beginning to melt, the scorching Ashen Flame beneath the Faceless Mask also began to spread rapidly throughout his body.

Strange gray flames erupted across Sein’s skin before racing outward through the planetary fortress!

In the next instant, the towering metal giant was engulfed in a sea of gray fire.

The Ashen Flame increased the might of the colossal fortress robot severalfold.

It now resembled a flaming giant towering between heaven and earth.

Sein swung his fist once.

Then twice.

Then a third time.

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

The enormous metal fist hammered down again and again, relentlessly striking the God of Blazing Fire below, whose body did not even reach Sein’s ankles.

Rings of energy and fiery blast waves spread in every direction.

The intensity of the battle had already surpassed the limits of an ordinary Rank Six being. Only a late-stage Rank Six powerhouse could unleash power on this level.

The planetary fortress, Fermera, and Sein...

With the help of the Magic Cube, every blow the three of them unleashed together sent violent shockwaves sweeping across the battlefield.

Finally, Sein brought down another massive metal fist wreathed in Ashen Flame.

The God of Blazing Fire was smashed straight into the ground!

A massive crater instantly opened beneath him.

By then, nearly one-third of Sein’s metal right arm had already melted away. Even the outline of his palm was gone, leaving behind only a bare metal stump.

The God of Blazing Fire’s head was truly hard.

After smashing his opponent into the ground, Sein did not follow up with another strike from his ruined arm.

Instead, an enormously enlarged magic array suddenly appeared before the fortress robot’s head. It closely resembled the array engraved across the surface of Sein’s Faceless Mask.

Fueled by Sein’s mana and the planetary fortress’ own energy source, a gigantic phantom of an elemental mask gradually materialized high in the sky!

Once again, the Faceless Mask and the Magic Cube had joined forces.

After two brief seconds of silence...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Gigantic elemental beams, countless times thicker than before, shot relentlessly from the phantom mask.

In an instant, the land below was engulfed by an ocean of elemental energy.

This was the true might of a Rank Six being.

The basin where the God of Blazing Fire had fallen expanded outward once more.

The scene felt strangely familiar.

At the center of the basin, divine blood seeped continuously from the cracks covering the God of Blazing Fire’s battered body.

Half of his injuries had been caused by Sein’s overwhelming strength. The other half came from the Ashen Flame.

His body had fallen into a strange, rigid state. Logically, the God of Blazing Fire should still have had some strength left. Yet for a long time, he remained unable to stand.

At that moment, the expression on his face became strangely complex.

One moment, it twisted with pain and agitation. The next, it became cold and dignified.

The God of Blazing Fire’s own will was actually locked in a fierce struggle against the fragment of Marduk’s divine consciousness for control of his body!

Previously, Marduk had suppressed him completely. However, after enduring one powerful attack after another from Sein, the God of Blazing Fire gradually regained his footing, aided by the natural advantage he still held within his own body. ℯℯ𝑙.

He refused to let Marduk devour his consciousness.

He was willing to sacrifice himself for Divine Descendants World, but he would not allow his life to end like this!

“Release me! I’ll fight them in my own way!” the God of Blazing Fire’s will roared.

“Fool! I’m the only one capable of defeating them!” Marduk’s fragment of divine consciousness snarled back.

The two wills continued struggling fiercely for control of the body.

However, after noticing what was happening at the center of the basin, Sein had no intention of waiting to see which one emerged victorious.

He had to seize this opportunity. It seemed this battle would end sooner than expected.

The undamaged left arm of the colossal fortress robot lit up once more as the particle cannon, fused with Fermera’s ultimate weapon, began charging.

At the same time, the gigantic elemental mask projection floating before the fortress robot’s head once again radiated intense mana fluctuations.

As Sein chanted rapidly, a forbidden spell gradually took shape.

However, before he could unleash either attack, a shrill alarm suddenly blared throughout the planetary fortress. Sein instinctively turned his head toward the sky behind him.

The overlord-level battlefield, which had previously been some distance away, had somehow drawn frighteningly close!

It was not that Sein had moved toward its center. Rather, the battle between Marduk’s main body and the Empress of Blades was moving toward him!

More precisely, Marduk himself was heading straight for Sein!

Within Sein’s field of vision, a crystal-blue fragment of the Ark, several times larger than the planetary fortress, was plummeting directly toward him under Marduk’s control!

Faced with this sudden threat, Sein immediately redirected the fully charged particle cannon and forbidden spell toward Marduk and the descending wreckage of the Ark.

The colossal fortress robot lowered its stance, bracing for the coming impact.

It was already too late to flee.

With the Ark crashing down upon him, Sein had no choice but to face it head-on.