Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1389: Breaking Through

While Sein took two direct hits from long-range focused energy strikes, the robot legion led by Gilded Beast nearby was not faring much better.

Gilded Beast appeared to be a Rank Five robot that clearly placed immense value on its subordinates and on unity.

The reason its forces could keep up such a rapid charge was not because of its overwhelming strength alone, but because of the discipline and effectiveness of its battle formation.

Though the sudden barrage had struck Gilded Beast, the surrounding robots absorbed part of the impact, lessening the damage to their leader.

Still, that sudden attack caused them to falter.

At a time like this, the most practical move for Gilded Beast would have been to abandon its heavily damaged units and press on at full speed.

Yet to Sein’s surprise, he caught sight of something different out of the corner of his eye. Gilded Beast deliberately slowed down, ensuring that more of its forces could escape.

For Sein, his responsibility went no further than his own survival.

But for Gilded Beast, every intelligent robot under its command was its responsibility.

Behind their curved formation, more robot legions pressed forward, using their momentum to drive the charge onward.

To Sein and the other high-tier robots, Titanfang was the main force smashing through the federation’s encirclement. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

But for the lower-tier robots scattered across this battlefield, both he and Gilded Beast were their beacons.

Gilded Beast carried the weight not only of its own legion, but of all those relying on them.

“These robots may be forged of cold metal, but their hearts are anything but cold,” Sein thought as he pressed on through the chaos,

A lone figure charging ahead would only invite concentrated enemy fire. At this stage, Sein knew he still had to coordinate with Gilded Beast.

So he deliberately slowed his pace, adjusting his movements to stay close to the Rank Five robot.

At the same time, he waved his magic rod again and again, layering more shields across Gilded Beast’s formation.

There was no time for words of thanks, but the glance shared between the man and the robot on this starry battlefield was more than enough to convey their message to each other.

***

After charging for what felt like forever, Sein and the surrounding robot legions finally reached the position where Titanfang and the other high-tier robots were fighting.

The battlefield ahead was no longer just Titanfang’s domain. Vibron, Redweaver, and the others were also locked in combat.

Skyhold was nearby, but far enough that Sein could only make out its vague silhouette.

The wreckage and drifting debris around them spoke volumes about the brutality and intensity of this battle.

By now, casualties on both sides had climbed over ten million!

Sein had never witnessed war on such a scale before. It was an unforgettable chapter in his growth.

It was also here that he truly grasped how dangerous the federation’s lower-tier forces could be when concentrated against higher-level beings.

Even with his tempered body, magic shields, and multiple artifacts, the endless barrage from the federal fleets still left him more than a little shaken.

Titanfang’s advance had slowed noticeably.

The fact that Sein and the others, who had begun in the front-mid section of the formation, had already caught up to the front lines showed just how fierce the resistance pressing down on them was.

Amidst the ruins and wreckage, six firing points stood out as the greatest threats to Titanfang.

Four came from concentrated fleet formations, while two were from the federation’s interstellar fortresses.

The route Titanfang was struggling to force open lay directly in the crossfire of two of those fleets.

It had deliberately avoided pushing toward the fortresses, knowing from experience that most interstellar fortresses had far stronger defenses.

In the federation, fleets served as the main offensive arm, while fortresses were its immovable defensive walls.

As the strongest unit in the charge, Titanfang was also confronted by several federal mobile suits.

To even stand against Titanfang, these mobile suits had to wield at least combat strength comparable to Rank Five lifeforms.

But Titanfang’s severe injuries had greatly limited its strength.

If this Rank Six robot leader could not break out, the rest of them had almost no chance.

Taking in the situation at a glance, Sein called out to Gilded Beast and rushed to reinforce Titanfang’s position.

An unfinished world-class secret treasure appeared in Sein's hands.

After a period of cooldown, the Magic Cube had regained a significant portion of its energy.

This artifact might be the key to Titanfang’s recovery. More than that, Sein spotted a narrow chance for them to break through after watching the front lines for a moment.

“Get this cube to Titanfang,” Sein instructed Gilded Beast. “I’ll be casting an AoE spell soon. Have the surrounding legions cover me as best they can.”

Gilded Beast took the cube in its metallic claws without a word and immediately leapt toward the part of the battlefield where Titanfang fought.

The robots under its command quickly converged around Sein.

As their steel bodies formed a protective barrier around him, Sein let out a slow breath and began preparing his spell.

As long as the main offensive direction remained unchanged, the two federal fleets that stood firmly in their way were his targets.

Even with Sein’s power, heavily damaging those fleets outright would not be easy. But he could still throw them into chaos!

The effectiveness of the Azure Flame, which he had uncovered during his infiltration of the federation, was the key to turning the tide.

Forbidden-level spells took too long to cast and left the caster wide open to disruption, not to mention the risk of elemental backlash, which could prove fatal.

The area-of-effect spell Sein was about to cast bore some resemblance to forbidden magic, but it was not truly one of them.

Its destructive force fell far short of a real forbidden spell. More importantly, instead of drawing on the lethal elemental flame, it channeled the strange, unique properties of the Azure Flame.

That meant his casting time would not be overly long, and even if he failed, the backlash would not be devastating.

Against other extraplanar creatures on a different battlefield, the spell’s effect would have been modest.

But against fleets of metal warships and mobile suits, Sein’s next magic spell might prove devastatingly effective.

“I shall unleash it once again—Everfire Hellscape!” Sein’s voice rumbled.

He began chanting the incantation, forcing his battered body to scatter elemental spices before him.

Moments later, an oppressive surge of elemental energy began to stir in the chaotic starry battlefield.