Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 803: Confidence

The endless expanse of white snow-capped mountains stretched as far as Sein’s eyes could see.

As a medium-sized plane, Wild Gorilla World’s size and environmental diversity far exceeded the small and micro-sized planes Sein had previously visited.

After holing himself up in his laboratory for half a year, going outside for some fresh air was a welcome change.

Like a swift swallow, Sein ascended to the peak of a snow-capped peak and carefully placed a blinking green elemental eye.

This was the military “Eye of Surveillance,” an advanced magic tool.

With this device, the Magus Civilization Army could effortlessly gather a comprehensive holographic view of the snowy battlefield.

The eye’s potent concealment capabilities made it almost impossible for Rank Three creatures to detect it through focused perception.

Once the green eye was positioned, a subtle ripple of energy spread out, and soon it became invisible, seamlessly blending into the surroundings.

Even Sein, who had placed it himself, could no longer sense its presence unless he reached out to touch the slight outline of the almost invisible device.

“That’s the seventh. Only fifteen more to go,” Sein mumbled as he gazed at the distant snowy peaks before taking off to his next destination.

***

Two days later, Sein returned to the Verdant Spring Space Fortress.

He was the fourth mage to complete and return from the mission.

The first three who had come back before him were Rank Three grand mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

With the mission accomplished, Sein could look forward to taking some time off.

For those experienced in interplanar wars, it became clear that the periods of intense combat were, in reality, quite brief.

More often than not, mages were occupied with other tasks—either reconnaissance missions like Sein’s, maintaining and patrolling space fortresses, or constructing magic towers and fortifications.

Only very few mages managed to carve out time for personal research amidst these obligations, but Sein was one of those exceptions.

After reporting the completion of his mission at the quest hall, Sein returned to his quarters.

During his absence, Selina, Eileen, and the others had moved in.

Faye had been the first to insist on staying at Sein’s place, which then led to Selina and the other women following suit.

Fortunately, Sein’s quarters were spacious enough to accommodate them all.

Over the course of a few months, Leena’s injuries had almost healed fully.

Sanchez, the skeletal dragon, was also making a steady recovery.

To expedite its healing, Leena had exchanged a complete Rank Three Wild Gorilla specimen for a precious Rank Three death essence from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s logistics department for Sanchez to consume.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s logistics department had exclusive access to the Magus Alliance’s commercial marketplace.

This was a benefit for any established divine tower or knightly order.

Through these channels, mages could purchase almost anything they needed—though the prices could be steep.

For instance, the Rank Three death essence was valued similarly to a Rank Three Wild Gorilla’s heart.

Yet, after factoring in handling fees, transport costs, and price differences, Leena had to trade an entire Rank Three Wild Gorilla specimen to obtain the essence.

In the end, the effort had been worthwhile.

Sanchez had been injured while trying to protect Leena, and the value of the demigod-level skeletal dragon far outweighed that of a Rank Three Wild Gorilla corpse.

The efforts Sein and Leena made to save Sanchez at any cost had not gone unnoticed; it warmed the skeletal dragon’s heart.

At least, they were not like its former owner, who had quietly abandoned it.

When Sein returned to his quarters, he found Leena in the midst of an experiment involving curse magic.

The Rank Two Wild Gorilla, restrained and serving as her test subject on the experimental table, let out agonized howls as red tumors appeared all over its body.

It was a very terrifying scene that showcased the dark side of magic. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Offensive spells were designed to kill or maim, but this type of curse magic had a different, more insidious purpose—to torment.

The unfortunate Wild Gorilla desperately tried to claw away the painful tumors, but with its limbs shackled, it could only writhe and scrape its back against the floor in a futile attempt to find relief.

Lost in a haze of agony, the creature remained oblivious to the fact that its back had become raw and bloodied from the relentless friction.

Leena approached Sein with a crystal ball in her hand and said, “I’m almost done with collecting the experimental data. How did your mission go?”

In the laboratory, the anguished howls of the Rank Two Wild Gorilla created an atmosphere that was dark and unsettling.

“The mission went smoothly. I think we’ll be launching the attack on the snowy mountains within the week. Even so, I think all eyes, both friend and foe, are now fixed on Wild Gorilla City at the heart of this plane,” Sein replied.

Wild Gorilla City was the undisputed largest megacity in the plane.

This city, named after the Rank Six Wild Gorilla God, was considered sacred by the millions of native creatures in Wild Gorilla World.

It held a significance comparable to that of Sky City for the mages of Magus World.

Feylis and the other Magus World leaders clearly understood how to break the spirit of all the creatures in this medium-sized world with one decisive strike.

Instead of wasting resources on outlying cities and lesser Gorilla Gods, the Rank Six powerhouses, led by Feylis, went straight for the Wild Gorilla City.

From the collapse of the long metal front to the arrival of the Magus World army at the gates of Wild Gorilla City, only less than eight months had passed.

In other words, the invasion had reached the heart of Wild Gorilla World within a year.

The invading Magus World Army was forcing the Gorilla Gods of the Wild Gorilla World to decide between fighting or fleeing.

The sight of nearly thirty Gorilla Gods gathered in Wild Gorilla City, including the formidable Rank Six Wild Gorilla God and White Banisher Gorilla God, made it clear—they intended to fight a decisive battle against the Magus World Army.

This confrontation would likely determine the outcome of the entire interplanar war.

It was no surprise that Sein pointed out that the focus of both the Magus World Army and the Wild Gorilla Army was on the impending clash at the heart of this world.

“Do you think your grandmaster and the others will be able to capture that Wild Gorilla City?” Leena asked.

However, she was only teasing Sein as she already knew the answer.

Every knight and mage of the Magus World held an unwavering belief in their victory.

“I don’t think we’ll lose,” Sein replied with a confident shrug.