Sovereign of the Ashes

The Centaur Tribe's request for Sein concerned the war proceeds expected from the impending Wild Gorilla World War.

This request came directly from the Rank Four centaur god backing them.

Even many divine towers and orders of the knights within the Magus World could not resist the urge to carve up this medium-sized world civilization. Therefore, it was inevitable that the barren Centaurworld would be similarly enticed.

The Maya Tribe was aware of their own standing.

They knew if they were to approach Lorianne to plead their case, the Tower Master Verdant Spring likely would not even spare them a glance, including the centaur gods behind them.

The natives of the Magus World had always regarded extraplanar creatures with a mix of condescension and rejection—this stemmed from the confidence of an extremely powerful civilization, and the arrogance and disdain born from absolute strength.

Lorianne had only reached an agreement with the sizable Centaur Tribe during the last interplanar war because her own power was limited then.

This time, however, the entire Verdant Flame Faction was mobilized, backed by the Pyro Secret Society, Elemental Gate, as well as the divine towers and orders of knights in the surrounding areas of Viridescent Land.

Under these circumstances, it would be folly for the Maya Tribe to expect a similar footing as in the previous war.

Besides, the Maya Tribe only needed to gather a certain amount of wealth in this unprecedented conflict, which would suffice for their tribe to prosper significantly.

However, it was not easy to satisfy the Rank Four god behind them; the wealth of resources substantial enough to impress a Rank Four entity was exceedingly scarce.

With so many Magus World knights and mages of Rank Four or higher competing, the Maya Tribe's best chance at securing favor for their centaur god seemed to hinge on Sein.

After all, their tribe's initial connection to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was through Sein.

Additionally, the Rank Three centaurs of the Maya Tribe had noticed a budding friendship between their future matriarch, Luna, and Sein.

The centaurs were not inherently cunning, but the pressure of survival and the expectations of the Rank Four god behind them compelled them to seize any opportunity.

In matters involving the interests of the entire tribe, personal feelings seemed trivial.

Before leaving Centaurworld, Luna's grandmother, Maya, had a long conversation with her granddaughter.

Their meeting ended with Luna emerging from her grandmother's tent with a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

She was not repulsed by Sein, but their discussion made the Rank Two centaur, who thought she was mature enough to handle it, blush and feel uncomfortable.

Unbeknownst to Sein, he had become a figure of great interest among the centaurs from the Maya Tribe.

After exchanging greetings with Luna and acknowledging the demigod-level centaur with a nod, Sein, perched atop the Green Spikefur King, made his way toward the opposite exit of the space fortress.

This time, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was operating at full capacity.

All the registered mages eligible for battle, including Lorianne at her full strength, had arrived.

The three demigod-level Sea Kings, recruited during the Verdant Leaf World War, had also come to the Verdant Wilderness World.

The fortress was spacious enough to accommodate these massive Sea Kings.

However, the prolonged travel and spatial jumps had left these oceanic giants, long dormant in the depths, somewhat uncomfortable.

Upon their arrival in Verdant Wilderness World, the three giant Sea Kings were noticeably subdued.

Sein noticed Tourmaline's absence.

Upon inquiring via his crystal ball, learned that Tourmaline was still slumbering in the Jewel Sea.

In any case, the impressive lineup assembled for this battlefield included a Rank Six mage, making the absence of that demigod-level dragon turtle seem less significant.

The three giant Sea Kings were not directly under Sein's command, but the hundreds of thousands of lesser aquatic races that poured out from the space fortress alongside them were.

These aquatic beings were of average strength, and since Lorianne had not yet formed an elite army of enslaved creatures, she had included their participation to bolster their numbers.

The Verdant Leaf World War had not only enriched the Centaur Tribe but also these previously nomadic aquatic races from the Magus World's Boundless South Sea.

Since Tourmaline resided in the Jewel Sea, there had been an influx of aquatic races migrating there from the ocean around the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in recent years.

It was also worth noting that Tourmaline bore a striking resemblance to her father and two elder brothers.

This likeness had once led the local aquatic races of the Boundless South Sea to mistake her for a "Sea God".

With Tourmaline's presence, and given the benefits realized during the Verdant Leaf World War, the integration of these aquatic races into the ranks of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring proceeded more smoothly than with the centaur tribes.

Sein's ability to command these lesser aquatic races also stemmed from his connections with Tourmaline and White Stella, who had each previously bestowed a protective energy shield upon him.

Aside from that, Sein also radiated a rich dragon aura that marked the depth of his friendship with Tourmaline.

With Tourmaline's lingering scent on Sein, not just the lower, but even middle and upper-class aquatic races were compelled to defer to him.

Sein could actually also command the three demigod-level giant Sea Kings, who were well aware of his strong bond with Tourmaline.

However, these massive creatures had already received special combat missions assigned by Lorianne and were tasked with protecting the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring's mage troops.

Since this was the case, Sein did not want to overwrite his mentor's command over them.

The demigod-level creatures under Sein's command extended beyond just the Green Spikefur King he was standing on.

He had yet to utilize the demigod-level Viridescent Seed that he received from Lorianne as a wedding gift.

Additionally, Leena, from the distant Western Archipelago, had reached out to Sein several times, eager to join this interplanar war.

During their latest communication through their magic array, Sein learned from Leena of Sanchez's ascension to demigod status.

***

Leading tens of thousands of native creatures from the Emerald Forest, Sein marched northward.

Flanking him were legions of hundreds of thousands of aquatic races and centaurs.

Following close behind was the main mage legion from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

In terms of numbers, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring alone had deployed nearly a million units of cannon fodder.

The forces contributed by the other three divine towers were even greater.

It seemed that this would be yet another war with a significant upper hand.

It was indeed rare for a dominant force like the Magus Civilization to find itself in a truly disadvantageous conflict.

Given the profound wisdom and farsightedness of its mages, it was nearly impossible for their army to be positioned in such a predicament.