Sovereign of the Ashes

Surrendering to invaders of one's homeplane was never an easy thing.

Not everyone among the upper echelons of White Sand World saw eye to eye on the matter.

The White-Winged Bird King of the Winged Tribe was firmly against surrender.

It would rather break out of its homeplane and roam the cosmos with its flock than bow before the Magus Civilization.

As a Rank Four lifeform, the White-Winged Bird King had the strength to back up its defiance.

On top of that, the creatures of the Winged Tribe were known for their speed in the air, giving them at least a slim shot at breaking through enemy lines and escaping.

However, Orethorn had to take responsibility for all the lives that make up the majority of White Sand World.

The Sandworm Queen, who was also a Rank Four, did not show any strong opposition to surrender.

Most of the beings in White Sand World fell under her rule.

Beyond her desire to secure a future for her subjects, her fear of conflict and natural tendency to avoid confrontation played a part in her stance.

The guardian was old now and no longer as impulsive as it had been in its younger years.

Had this been thirty thousand years ago, it would have fought the invaders to the bitter end, given the typical stubbornness of geo elemental creatures.

But now, with its time running out... it would rather see the creatures of White Sand World live on, even if it meant surrendering, than watch them be wiped out under its watch.

It had come well-prepared for this meeting with Sein.

The land beneath their feet was a place where law energy was highly concentrated.

Sein had the strength to suppress or even defeat the guardian here.

But if the goal was to kill or capture it alive, that would be a whole different story.

Still, the guardian did not come to fight. Even in the face of Sein's threats, it stayed calm and steady.

Not only did it state that the Sandworm Queen and itself were willing to surrender, but it also laid out a list of conditions that the Magus Civilization would need to meet.

Then it mentioned something unexpected—the Magus Alliance!

"Oh? So you actually know about the Magus Alliance?" Sein asked in surprise.

Maybe this isolated low-level plane was not as cut off as everyone thought.

When the guardian offered to surrender and join the Magus Alliance, Sein only chuckled and shook his head.

The accumulation of primal capital was always a bloody, brutal process.

Compared to completely draining a low-level plane of all its value, the benefits of recruiting it into the Magus Alliance were minimal.

If an established divine tower had appeared here instead, they might have actually agreed to White Sand World's surrender, considering the long-term benefits of sustainable resource extraction and the opportunity to boost their influence within the Magus Alliance.

But Sein had only just broken through to Rank Four and was still in debt.

Even though the loan was interest-free, sustainable exploitation was the last thing on his mind right now!

What he needed most was a full meal right here, right now.

Since he had not even attended a Magus Alliance Conference yet, he knew little about how the alliance operated and had not given much thought to expanding his influence.

That kind of ambition was more suited for Grandmaster Feylis and Master Gregory.

It was not just Sein—Lorianne and Berecca, who had only recently founded their divine towers and knight orders, were likely in the same boat.

Lorianne had accepted the Verdant Wilderness World not because she was touched by the native plant creatures, but because she needed a stepping stone to launch an invasion into Wild Gorilla World.

Bringing emotions into war was laughable.

A proper negotiation required both sides to have the patience to sit down and talk things through.

But right now, only the guardian was eager to speak for White Sand World. Sein, representing the Magus Civilization, had no intention of meeting it halfway.

As he had said before, White Sand World simply was not in any position to negotiate.

Even as Orethorn kept lowering his demands, Sein stayed firm.

At the same time, his Faceless Mask seized every opportunity to identify the guardian's weaknesses.

To Sein, the guardian and this entire low-level world were nothing more than delicious prey.

Faced with Sein's unwavering stance and the suffocating pressure of his Faceless Mask, the guardian finally let out a long sigh.

It had no choice but to end the negotiations and retreat into the wetlands.

Old as it was, the guardian fled with surprising speed.

Sein gave chase for quite some time, then unleashed a few magic spells that managed to strike the creature.

When he saw Orethorn dive deep into the ground without so much as a glance back, Sein could not help but be impressed.

The old guardian was tougher than it looked.

That kind of resilience was actually a good thing. It meant the creature had more research value than expected.

Sensing that his target had already burrowed deep into the plane, Sein let out a sigh and swung his sleeves.

Since he was already out here, he had no intention of returning empty-handed.

Whether or not the Rank Four natives of White Sand World wanted to fight was up to them—but today, Sein had decided to act in order to minimize casualties among his own forces.

After casting a few devastating spells across the frontlines, he casually made his way back to the fortress.

In interplanar wars, Rank Four creatures held terrifying power over anything below them.

With just a wave of their hand, tens of thousands or sometimes even over a hundred thousand lesser beings could be wiped out in an instant.

If no one of equal strength stood in their way, a Rank Four like Sein could clear out an entire world. It would just take time and effort.

Back at the space fortress, Lorianne approached him to ask about the negotiation.

She was a little surprised when she heard they had offered to surrender and even asked to join the Magus Alliance.

Still, she had no objections to Sein's decision. Like him, she had no interest in letting this world into the alliance.

With the civilization war looming, who had the time to slowly nurture an enslaved plane?

The smartest move now was to strip White Sand World of everything it had and use those gains to prepare for the coming war with the Gallant Federation.

Even so, Lorianne offered a few suggestions.

"Since this world already knows about the Magus Alliance and has openly expressed a desire to join, we should at least submit a report," she said.

After all, the Magus Alliance liked to project an image of openness, inclusivity, freedom, and equality to showcase its superiority.

It would never reject any foreign civilization that wished to join.

In fact, if the Gallant Federation suddenly expressed its wish to join the alliance, the top brass of the Magus Civilization would have to hold a serious discussion.

Of course, anyone who joined would be expected to follow the alliance's rules.

And above all, the will of the Magus Civilization would remain supreme—that was the unshakable core of the Magus Alliance.