Sovereign of the Ashes

Lorianne had truly underestimated Sein; he was not as reckless as she thought.

Under Sein's control, the Faceless Mask was not even using its full combat power. He also wanted to capture this guardian alive for further study.

Besides, since Orethorn possessed Rank Four combat strength, it was not likely to be taken down easily anyway.

In fact, the guardian was still very much alive. Every blow Sein landed only seemed to make it grow more resilient.

That seriously slowed Sein's progress into White Sand World, which infuriated him.

This was his first real battle in front of Lorianne, and also the first interplanar war led by the Divine Tower of Ashes.

If he ended up humiliated by an elemental whose life level had not even reached true Rank Four, how could he hold his head high in front of his mentor?

Compared to knights, what truly set mages apart was not brute strength, but wisdom.

Sein switched tactics. He used the sonic attack function of the Faceless Mask, aligning the unique oscillation frequency of sonido magic with the elemental vibrations inside Orethorn's body.

That finally did the trick.

The annoying creature, which had kept charging at him again and again, gradually weakened and eventually stayed down.

As for the other Rank Four creature of White Sand World...

When Sein's elemental eyes under the Faceless Mask locked onto the Sandworm Queen, it let out a sharp, panicked scream.

It was not because Sein hurt it—it was terrified.

Even behind the mask, Sein paused for a moment in surprise. Such a cowardly Rank Four creature was truly a rare sight.

After that scream, a dozen or so demigod-level worms burst out from beneath the sand.

Apparently, this low-level plane had quite a few demigod creatures, and most of them were insects.

Roughly half of them rushed over to catch the bulky insect queen.

The moment the guardian was repelled by Sein's Faceless Mask, the smaller worms quickly lost their will to continue fighting.

Surrounding the plump queen, the swarm immediately burrowed into the sand, vanishing underground to an unknown depth.

The other half of the demigod-level insects launched a fearless charge toward Sein in the sky.

These insects were likely left behind as a rear guard; they were truly loyal to their queen.

Sein snorted coldly, and another sonic wave burst from his mask. The insects, having just mustered a bit of courage, were instantly scattered by the overwhelming force.

Though they were demigod-level, these insects were clearly weaker than the winged bird species of White Sand World.

Or maybe their evolution had never focused on combat at all.

If that were not the case, White Sand World would not have stayed so peaceful and quiet for so long.

In terms of behavior, the insect swarms of White Sand World were not so different from the Goul Groundworms of Gumo Plane, both could be considered "beneficial insects".

Back when he was studying in Sky City, Sein came across some records that mentioned the Astral Realm was also home to a different type of insect: true "pests" driven by hunger and slaughter.

Inside the Magus Alliance, there were even special planes that bred these kinds of pests on purpose.

Each of those worlds served as a high-quality enslaved plane.

They produced cannon fodder on a massive scale—enough to fuel interplanar wars for several divine towers and knight orders at once.

Sein did not waste much thought on the insects here.

One of the biggest differences between Rank Four beings and those below was a shift in perspective.

Now that he had reached Rank Four, a single demigod or a lone resource point no longer impressed him.

What mattered now was the value of the entire world!

These were things Lorianne should have taught him.

But judging by how quickly Sein had adapted, his mindset had already evolved even without her guidance.

It helped that Sein had seen more than most and traveled extensively. Naturally, his perspective had also expanded.

Besides, he had already taken down more than one deity back when he was still at Rank Three. A few demigod-level insects were hardly worth his attention.

He could leave those to the Magus World Army.

His current priority was to get into White Sand World as fast as possible.

Taking a deep breath, Sein let out a grunt and pushed himself deeper through the planar breach.

***

Beneath the vast expanse of sand in the southeast region of White Sand World lay the navel of this low-level plane.

The unique shifting dunes and the subtle flow of aero elemental laws in the area had created a complex terrain.

Alongside the highly concentrated geo elemental laws and the graceful, flowing aero elemental laws, the navel of the plane also nurtured the exceedingly rare sand law.

According to the natural developmental patterns of a world, the emergence of sand law within the planar navel was a sign that White Sand World was on the verge of birthing a new, unique species and powerful lifeform.

The guardian affectionately referred to this forming entity as "Sandy", treating the unborn lifeform as its own child.

Casting one last gentle gaze at the tiny sand grains at the plane's navel, the guardian dragged its weary body and reached out to Eternal Sand World.

Facing such a powerful and terrifying enemy, White Sand World could only hope to survive by seeking help from its allies.

The guardian and the Eternal Sand Lord, who resided in a distant star domain, were old friends.

In fact, they had already known each other back when the Eternal Sand Lord was still a Rank Four.

As fellow beings of the geo element, their relationship had grown closer over time.

The Sandworm Queen's advancement to Rank Four had only been possible thanks to a deal between the guardian and the Eternal Sand Lord, who provided a critical resource.

Combined with the plane's support, the queen was finally promoted successfully.

The Eternal Sand Lord quickly replied to its friend's call.

"My friend, you seem greatly weakened. Did something happen?" the Eternal Sand Lord asked, clearly concerned.

Sein's sonic attack, unleashed through the Faceless Mask, had left deep-seated injuries in the guardian's body.

It was simply too old and no longer as resilient as the younger, tougher geo elementals.

Fine cracks ran along the guardian's body surface. Healing those wounds would take time.

With a tired sigh, the guardian explained to the Eternal Sand Lord the crisis now threatening its world.

The guardian and the native inhabitants of White Sand World already knew exactly who their attackers were, having clashed with the Magus World Army several times—killing many of their low-level creatures and even capturing a few alive.

The Magus Civilization was a name that sounded utterly foreign and unfamiliar to the isolated and secluded White Sand World!

But the power these invaders displayed was even more unsettling to the guardian than that of the Phantom Crow World.

In response to the guardians' desperate pleas and complaints, the Eternal Sand Lord fell into a long silence.

Eventually, the powerful Rank Five geo elemental king offered the same advice it had once given to the Bouldrak King years ago.

"I suggest... you surrender voluntarily," the Eternal Sand Lord said, leaving Orethorn stunned.

Based on everything the guardian knew, the Eternal Sand Lord was not someone who would turn its back on allies in need.

Unless, of course, the enemy was far too powerful—so powerful that even the Eternal Sand Lord dared not offend them.

"My friend, don't blame me for refusing to help. The civilization you're dealing with is not something you, I, or even the Submerged Wave World can stand against. Years ago, the Bouldrak King refused this very suggestion. In the end, both it and its entire world were reduced to scorched dirt."

"I hope you'll consider this carefully." The Eternal Sand Lord let out a heavy sigh.

"So... Bouldrak World was destroyed too, huh...?" the guardian murmured, its voice growing quieter until it faded away.