Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1306: Declaration of War

Commander Blood River’s action was a reflection of Netherworld creatures’ brutal, bloodthirsty, and cold-hearted nature.

Those two Netherworld beings might not have been better off dead. The Magus Civilization could have pried open their minds and extracted useful information.

But since they were merely Rank Four and Five creatures, their deaths went unmourned.

As the host of the conference, Lady Bev did not blame Naeverynk.

After watching Commander Blood River chew and swallow the two creatures, she smiled at the Norman Federation’s vice president across the arena.

“Mr. Penck, you need not worry. The Magus Civilization doesn’t question your loyalty to the alliance at all. This incident

only proves that a small number of individuals have gone astray. The Magus Civilization will work together with the Norman Federation to root out these noises.”

The Norman Federation representatives all turned pale at her words.

Vice President Penck wiped the cold sweat trickling down his forehead and bowed repeatedly before Lady Bev.

This man was one of the few at the top of power in the Norman Federation, yet at that moment, he was so frightened that he lost all composure.

From one corner of the venue, Sein gazed up at the woman who now stood as the leader of the Magus Civilization, his eyes filled with admiration.

With the gentlest expression, she had carried out the harshest acts.

Whether it was the Clash of Civilizations with the Gallant Federation or the potential bloodshed brewing in the Norman Federation, everything was being handled effortlessly under the capable hands of this powerful soul overmage.

Sein suddenly felt that what he had accomplished in Ashenreach still seemed far too little.

The Magus Civilization was playing on a far bigger stage, and he needed to grow faster to keep up.

The Clash of Civilizations would be a stage where heroes, tyrants, demons, and fools would all emerge in droves.

In recent centuries, Magus World had seen a surge of new Rank Four and above powerhouses. This was a clear prelude to the coming war of civilizations.

How long this Clash of Civilizations would last was unknown, and no one could say how many of those attending this conference would survive once the war against the Gallant Federation ended.

After clearing out more than a hundred infiltrators, Lady Bev declared, “Let’s commence the 25th Magus Alliance Conference!”

Her voice echoed across the entire Howling Stone Demiplane, resonating with authority deep into the souls of every being from every plane present.

“The first agenda of this conference declares that all members of the alliance, led by the Magus Civilization, spanning 374 star domains of medium size and above and totaling 316,427 planes, are to prepare for war against the Gallant Federation, our rival top-tier civilization, within the next thousand years!”

This was the first time the Magus Civilization had openly declared war on the Gallant Federation, officially naming it a hostile civilization.

“All allied planes, including native Rank Four and above beings of Magus World, are to cease any ongoing or planned planar invasions in three hundred years.

“All Rank Four and above deities, divine tower masters, and grandmasters of knightly orders must raise war legions numbering no fewer than half a million, ready for deployment at the alliance’s call after this conference concludes.”

“The Gallant Federation is a greedy, ruthless technological civilization. Every star domain it conquers suffers from endless resource exploitation. They were either stripped bare, reduced to lifeless wastelands, or colonized by federation immigrants.

“Twenty thousand years ago, the Gallant Federation openly invaded the Rosen Dynasty Civilization, one of our closest strategic partners.

“With the support of the Rosen Dynasty Civilization, we, the Magus Alliance, will now formally sanction the Gallant Federation, which has disrupted the balance of surrounding star domains and poses a grave threat to our security!”

Lady Bev’s transmitted voice echoed across the entire venue.

The main reason for convening the 25th Magus Alliance Conference ahead of schedule was this upcoming war with the Gallant Federation.

The first agenda item was brutally direct, shattering any illusions some weaker worlds might have had about avoiding the coming conflict.

Now, they had no choice but to commit fully to preparing for the Clash of Civilizations. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

For most smaller and medium-sized worlds, and even for many large-sized worlds with overlord-level beings, intervening in a war between two top-tier civilizations would be far from comfortable.

The wise ones, like the Sea Emperor Shark of Submerged Wave World, clearly saw the hidden dangers ahead. But what could they do about it?

Of course, many foreign gods and allied planes saw the upcoming Clash of Civilizations as an opportunity as well.

If they survived, the Magus Civilization would emerge stronger than ever, opening vast new opportunities for development. Those who stood by it could expect their share of the spoils.

But that reward would only come to those who lived through the war, and only if the Magus Civilization emerged victorious.

Lady Bev, a soul overmage of Magus World and a Lumimancer by profession, was eloquent and gifted at stirring people’s hearts.

Whether she was using some subtle soul-based technique was anyone’s guess, but under her impassioned introductions and rallying calls, even Sein felt a surge of hatred toward the Gallant Federation and a firm confidence that Magus World would surely win.

Mages, however, were still mages. Spellcasters like Sein could calm down after the initial rush, but the allied deities and the many Magus World knights were visibly swept up in their enthusiasm for war.

To further highlight the “righteousness” of the Magus Civilization against the “evil” and “greed” of the Gallant Federation, this year’s conference had even invited an overlord-level psychic from the Rosen Dynasty Civilization to attend.

The second motion of the conference was to vote on whether the Rosen Dynasty Civilization should officially join the Magus Alliance.

As one of the participants, Sein naturally had the right to vote.

The vote passed almost unanimously!

Sein observed the Rosen Dynasty’s psychic closely. Her speech at the conference opening had been fiery and passionate. Although she was also an overlord, her oppressive aura was nowhere near that of Lady Bev, nor comparable to Hela, the Titan overlord Sein had met earlier.

“Could it be that the war with the Gallant Federation left her weakened?” Sein rubbed his chin at the thought.

It was a pity that overlord-level beings were far beyond his reach. He could only make educated guesses and had little hope of ever studying them directly.

To his surprise, even Rank Three beings from allied microplanes had the right to vote during the voting session.

Among them, a group of aloof mages and knights dressed primarily in black looked particularly out of place.

There were quite a few of them present this year, with nearly two hundred Rank Four and above black mages and around four hundred black knights.

Given the usual ratio of Magus World knights to mages, there should have been far more black knights.

This was likely because many black knights, who tended to act on their own and dislike such formal gatherings, simply chose not to attend.

The black mages, on the other hand, were sharper and more pragmatic. They kept a close eye on current events and combed through every clause of the conference to find information that could benefit them.

Sein did not see Leena’s mentor, the Tower Master of Cinderbones.

That group of black mages was simply too secretive. Even with the help of his Faceless Mask, Sein still struggled to pinpoint any Rank Five black mages who might have deliberately concealed their identities.