Sovereign of the Ashes

Most planes were spherical.

Sein had studied planar knowledge during his initiate years, so he understood why the White-Winged Bird King had managed to escape so quickly from the northern battlefield to the southern region.

Still, he suspected the guardian might have done something shady behind the scenes.

That said, Orethorn had been on its best behavior recently.

It had not only taken the initiative to mediate the conflict between White Sand World's native legions and the Magus World's expeditionary forces, but also offered up a hefty tribute of high-quality energy crystals.

Even if White Sand World joined the Magus Alliance, it would still fall under the jurisdiction of the Divine Tower of Ashes and the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Every year, a portion of this world's resources would need to be sent to Sein's Divine Tower of Ashes.

According to the alliance's rules, White Sand World would also be obligated to send troops to serve under Sein's command when he launched wars on other planes in the future.

This was the rightful reward for Sein and the others who had conquered White Sand World.

The White-Winged Bird King's breakout had caught them off guard, but escaping would not be that easy.

In a flash, Berecca caught up with the fleeing enemy.

She wielded a combination of dendro and aero attribute battle qi, and in terms of flight speed, she was only slightly behind the White-Winged Bird King.

What worked in her favor was that the White-Winged Bird King was not flying solo—it had brought along at least ten thousand members of the winged tribe.

These Rank Three and below creatures ended up slowing the White-Winged Bird King down.

Sein and the other powerful Magus World figures were the second group to arrive at the battlefield. By the time they got there, Berecca was already locked in a brutal fight with her old nemesis.

This time, though, Berecca was the one pressing the attack.

She kept the White-Winged Bird King pinned down while her whirlwind of battle qi slashed through the surrounding flock like a spinning blade.

The arrival of Sein and the others lifted a great burden off Berecca's shoulders, and sent the White-Winged Bird King spiraling into utter despair.

Not only had Sein and Lorianne arrived one after another, but even Mayne had joined the fray.

Sein saw no reason to turn down free help from another Rank Four. If Mayne was offering his strength, he would use it.

But in truth, the overwhelming lineup of Magus World's forces was more than enough to break the fighting spirit of the heavily wounded Rank Four bird.

As it flapped its wings, countless winged creatures that had been clinging to its feathers tumbled away, falling like scattered leaves.

Caught between life and death, the White-Winged Bird King no longer had time to care for its followers.

Straining its wings, it turned and tried to flee toward the edge of the plane. A shrill cry escaped from its beak, as if vowing that it would return to settle the score!

Several lumen elemental spells shot out from the tip of Sein's magic rod.

When it came to striking a target as fast as the White-Winged Bird King, only lumen elemental spells were quick enough to stand a chance.

His pyro elemental spells, while devastating, were simply too slow.

They worked well enough on most Rank Four creatures, but not one with speed like this.

This battle laid bare one of the biggest flaws in Sein's combat skills.

He did not fear fighting peers head-on. He even welcomed the challenge of facing stronger foes.

But without greater speed and mobility, he would always be at a disadvantage in pursuits.

It was not about chasing enemies in every battle. Sometimes, he might need to run away from stronger foes, and being faster was always better.

As Sein's spells flew through the air, attacks from Lorianne and Mayne followed swiftly.

Lorianne raised her magic rod and unleashed a cascade of green spores, blanketing the sky.

These spores carried effects like paralysis and stiffness, but that was only the beginning.

Once they made contact with flesh, they quickly rooted and sprouted, launching a second wave of attack.

The birds that had been flung from the White-Winged Bird King's back screamed as they were caught by Lorianne's magic.

By the time they hit the ground, many had turned into pulsing green cocoons, completely entangled in living vines.

Thorn-covered tendrils pierced their flesh, draining the very essence of the native creatures, second by second. The vines pulsed, carrying some kind of liquid through them.

Lorianne's magic was so potent that even the White-Winged Bird King was not spared. Its wings were now tangled in a web of vines

Although the bird king had not lost its ability to fight, and its speed in the air had not dropped significantly, the increasingly sharp cries and the splashes of red and green blood spraying from its wings with every flap made it clear that Lorianne's spells had taken their toll.

Then came Mayne's attack.

He drew a pitch-black longsword from his waist. As the blade left its sheath, Sein, who was in the middle of casting a spell, looked over.

That sword far surpassed the category of "divine artifact", radiating a profound yet well-restrained law fluctuation that outclassed even the one from Sein's magic rod.

The black sword turned into a blur, piercing straight through the White-Winged Bird King's body in an instant.

A cry of agony rang out as the creature's flight faltered. Its movements grew sluggish, and its speed fell sharply.

Sein's magic was ready.

On the Faceless Mask, three small hexagram arrays arranged in a triangular pattern erupted with blinding light.

Formed mainly of lumen elemental energy, with pyro and sonido elements woven in, three glowing yellow elemental darts shot up toward the sky.

By then, the White-Winged Bird King had nearly reached the edge of the planar barrier. It was just moments away from exiting this world.

Sein's darts struck their target—two hit its wings, while the third found its mark on the lower abdomen, bursting into a bloom of red.

At this point, anyone watching knew that the White-Winged Bird King was finished.

Even if it fled into the Astral Realm, how long could it really outrun Sein and the others with those grave injuries?

Berecca had no intention of letting this battle spill into the Astral Plane. It would end here, within White Sand World.

Turning once more into a fierce green hurricane, she surged forward, closing in on the bird king.

The White-Winged Bird King already knew escape was impossible, but the overwhelming pressure from its pursuers compelled it to keep fleeing instead of making a final stand.

Enemies like this were the most annoying.

They forced their pursuers to waste time and energy cleaning up what should have already been over.

Pushed by Berecca's relentless chase, the White-Winged Bird King fired a dense volley of tail feathers, hoping to slow her down.

But before those feathers could even travel far, a massive dragon claw descended from the sky, blocking the path ahead.