Sovereign of the Ashes

As he crossed the boundless Astral Realm, Sein could not help but marvel at its vastness every single time.

The journey from Magus World to the Phantom Crow Star Domain was an incredibly long one.

If Sein were to fly on his own at the speed of a Rank Four creature, the trip might have taken thousands of years to complete.

But thanks to the spatial jump function of the space fortress, the time needed was cut down drastically.

That was the advantage brought by Magus World's magitech.

The gap between the Magus Civilization and other, weaker world civilizations was not just about having more Rank Four or higher beings.

It showed in many other areas as well.

While weaker civilizations focused on exploring the handful of nearby planes in their own star domain, the Magus Civilization's strategic plans and territorial expansion had already spread to dozens, if not hundreds, of star domains.

***

Three years later, at the edge of the Phantom Crow Star Domain...

On their way to the Phantom Crow Star Domain, Sein and his group had run into some unexpected trouble.

In the Astral Realm void near the star domain, the space fortress piloted by Sein and his team encountered an extremely rare particle storm with astonishing energy levels.

This particle storm was not like a normal cosmic storm.

At the very least, the specialized space fortress under Sein's feet could not absorb or use it as energy.

It felt more like a natural disaster, on a scale unimaginable to low-level lifeforms.

After weathering the storm, Sein studied the aftermath for a long while.

Combining what he saw with the fortress's recorded data, he concluded that these particle storms were natural disasters that hit the Phantom Crow Star Domain from time to time.

"No wonder the Phantom Crow Star Domain is so small and rarely interacts with the outside world. Even these occasional particle storms are enough to keep them from expanding. In a way, these storms also act as a natural shield for their star domain," Sein mused.

He was not just here to negotiate with the Phantom Crow World.

If talks with the Phantom Crow King fell through and Sein made it back to Magus World, the first-hand intel he gathered on this star domain would have to be reported to the alliance too.

Even when two nations were at war, envoys were not supposed to be killed. The same principle applied to interactions between civilizations.

Some civilizations might already be locked in fierce conflict, but their direct lines of communication stayed open. In a way, it was a form of "chivalry".

Sein could only hope these Phantom Crows honored that spirit.

"Master Sein, we should reach the outskirts of Phantom Crow World in about five days. Our sensors have also picked up signs of life activity in this star domain," a Rank Three grand mage reported respectfully.

"Keep going. Gather all information on this star domain as we move," Sein ordered.

Traveling through the Phantom Crow Star Domain was far more interesting than crossing the empty stretches of the Astral Realm.

Because the fortress had slowed down, Sein and the others had the chance to really observe the star domain in detail.

The overall scale of the Phantom Crow Star Domain was not large. The number of complete planes in this star domain seemed to be only around thirty.

Among medium-sized plane civilizations, the Phantom Crow Star Domain was on the smaller side.

But despite having relatively few planes, this star domain had repeatedly launched invasions and tried to conquer the Submerged Wave World's star domain, which was much larger.

There were two main reasons for this: first, the Phantom Crows were more aggressive by nature; and second, their star domain operated as a unified force.

By contrast, Submerged Wave World, also a medium-sized plane, had not done anything to merge or unify the powers within its own star domain.

For example, the Eternal Sand Lord and others were already openly defying Submerged Wave World by declaring their intention to join the Magus Alliance.

That made the Submerged Wave World a far less valuable ally compared to the Phantom Crow World.

As they neared the outskirts of the Phantom Crow World, Sein and the others were stopped.

The space fortress Sein was aboard probably had weaker performance than the one Mayne had used on their mission to Eternal Sand World.

Mayne's fortress had made it all the way to the outskirts of Eternal Sand World without being noticed.

Yet the fortress Sein and his group were on had already been detected by Rank Four creatures in this star domain before they even reached Phantom Crow World.

Of course, part of that was because Sein and his team had not tried to hide their presence.

They came in openly, and the fortress was not kept in stealth mode the whole time.

The fortress' unique shape had caught the interest of many creatures in the Phantom Crow Star Domain.

Although it was a medium-sized star domain with a rich variety of species, the Phantom Crows were the dominant force.

Because of their nature, most of the complete planes in the star domain were barren and filled with negative energy.

By the time Sein and the others arrived at the Phantom Crow World, the fortress was already surrounded by a dense swarm of black Phantom Crows.

At a glance, there were no fewer than half a million of them.

With most of them at Rank One and above, these Phantom Crows had strong life essence and formed an exceptionally elite force.

After revealing his identity and purpose, the space fortress Sein was aboard met no obstruction from the Phantom Crows.

Two Rank Four Phantom Crows flanked the fortress, one on each side.

It was hard to say whether they were simply keeping watch or actively monitoring Sein and his group.

Other Rank Four creatures also had their eyes on this dim, murky part of the star domain.

Sein did not even need to wear the Faceless Mask; the fortress' built-in scanning equipment was enough to give him a general sense of the situation in the star domain.

By the time Sein and his companions reached the Phantom Crow World, the Rank Six Phantom Crow King had already spread its wings, standing tall in the void of the Astral Realm.

In its fully transformed state, the Phantom Crow King's wingspan stretched over a kilometer. Dark flames and howling soul skulls rose from between its feathers.

It was an imposing sight, but to Sein, this creature was just putting on a show.

The more powerful lifeforms Sein had met, the more he had come to see that truly strong and confident beings did not go out of their way to display their might.

They would simply sit there quietly, without showing off their strength. That alone was enough to create crushing pressure on everyone around them.

Feylis, Levon Thorstein the Bloodwar Monarch of Purgatory, and Klopp the Knight Overlord... All of them were like that.

On the other hand, creatures like the Phantom Crow King, who immediately put on this kind of display, usually did it to cover up their own insecurities.

Sein chuckled and announced, "I'm here on behalf of the Magus Alliance. I have to say, I didn't expect that the Phantom Crow King to greet us so grandly the moment we arrived in the Phantom Crow Star Domain."

Dressed in a white mage's robe and holding a magic rod, he slowly floated out of the space fortress.

Compared to the massive Phantom Crow King, Sein's human form was so small it was easy to overlook him.

Yet this unassuming Rank Four mage stood tall, facing the Phantom Crow King confidently.