Sovereign of the Ashes

After entering the Emerald Forest, Sein followed Lorianne's guidance and flew directly toward the heart of the forest.

As expected of a mentor, Lorianne's observation skills and ability to spot danger proved far superior to Sein's detection magic.

Throughout the journey, Sein remained undetected by the native inhabitants of this plane, even managing to stealthily bypass an area where a Rank Three giant tree was rooted.

"Not all plant creatures in the Emerald Forest are willing to align with the Green Spikefur King. Of those native plants we've contacted, the Green Spikefur King only holds sway over half of the species in this forest at most. It's always wise to remain vigilant," Lorianne advised.

Sein nodded and continued his flight.

After about half a day, he finally reached the heart of the Emerald Forest.

He did not have to do anything; the three metal hoops on his ear emitted a soft noise.

A loud rumble then echoed from the depths of the forest.

Soon after, a huge green spiked ball with a diameter of over a hundred meters charged out from the depths of the forest.

The demigod-level Green Spikefur King was not a plant creature but rather a half-plant, half-flesh hybrid, a unique species of the Verdant Wilderness World.

In appearance, the Green Spikefur King resembled a large hedgehog, its body bristling with toxic green needles.

Among the many demigods of the Verdant Wilderness World, the Green Spikefur King's strength ranked in the top three.

Unknown to most, the native creatures of the Verdant Wilderness World had betrayed their home plane, opting instead to align with the "evil god of foreign land".

Since her first appearance before the Green Spikefur King, Lorianne had not identified herself as one of the Rank Four mages of the World of Magus but rather as the "Viridescent God".

Belief in deities was a concept inherent to most civilizations across the Astral Realm.

While those at the bottom of the hierarchy might not comprehend the strength of creatures of Rank Four and above, those at higher ranks often relied on a belief system to govern their subjects and harvest the power of faith.

As a result, theology flourished in many planes within the Astral Realm.

Worlds that viewed differences in life levels from a rational perspective, such as the Magus Civilization, remained in the minority.

Similar to the Magus Civilization, there were technological civilizations that also dismissed the belief in so-called gods.

Some advanced technological civilizations even hunted creatures of Rank Four and above in the Astral Realm to study their nature and hasten their own civilization's advancement.

While the Magus Civilization shared many traits with these technological societies, their foundational systems differed significantly.

The Magus Civilization emphasized individual evolution, propelling certain knights or mages to levels of unimaginable greatness.

In contrast, technological civilizations advocated for collective progress, often leveraging massive space battleships and interstellar fortresses akin to the space fortresses of the Magus World.

Drones and mecha-like combat units were also common war weapons for technological civilizations.

Though these civilizations might be weaker in solo combat, their strength lay in numbers.

The Green Spikefur King, which Sein now faced, was evidently a creature that believed in "gods".

When it emerged before Sein, it uncurled its body and prostrated itself respectfully.

However, its reverence was not directed at Sein but at Lorianne, whose consciousness resided momentarily within Sein, blurring their identities in the creature's eyes.

"Great and all-knowing Viridescent God, you have finally arrived! Under your leadership, Verdant Wilderness World will surely cast off the rule of its foolish god and usher in a new era of glory for our people!" the Green Spikefur King greeted fervently.

A verdant green barrier of elemental light radiated from Sein, spreading in all directions.

Witnessing this, the Green Spikefur King bowed even lower, viewing the display as a miracle!

This spectacle did not go unnoticed by other creatures in the Emerald Forest, but with the Green Spikefur King's powerful aura in close proximity, the weaker natives were not overly concerned.

The disparity in life levels was stark.

Just as the Green Spikefur King could not comprehend the extent of Lorianne's power, the lesser plant creatures could not grasp the magnitude of the Green Spikefur King's abilities.

"Has there been anything unusual in Verdant Wilderness World recently? How is the assembly of Emerald Forest Plant Army going?" Lorianne asked.

"Three years ago, the guardian summoned all the sovereigns to Twilight Forest for a council. I didn't attend personally; I sent one of my subordinates who was unaware of the proceedings. According to what it reported upon its return, the guardian sensed that something ominous was approaching, potentially a malevolent alien force invading Verdant Wilderness World.

"As for the assembly of the Emerald Forest Plant Army, I've secured control over more than two-thirds of its power. The remaining third, those who do not comply, will have their freedom restricted when necessary." the Green Spikefur King replied respectfully.

"Three years ago? At that time, I had just begun setting up the magic array. Is the guardian of this plane this perceptive?" Lorianne mumbled to herself.

She then addressed the Green Spikefur King approvingly, "You were wise to skip the council in Twilight Forest. Given the sharp perception of the guardian and that Rank Four Verdant Wilderness God, your presence might have exposed you."

"Have there been any unusual movements in the other forests over the last two years? Have they suspected anything?" she continued asking.

"I don't... think so. Everything seems normal. The guardian simply warned us to remain vigilant," the Green Spikefur King replied honestly.

The intelligence of this demigod-level plant lord appeared limited, but it was precisely this simplicity that allowed Lorianne to manipulate him effectively, turning him into an asset for the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring within Verdant Wilderness World.

With the guardian merely suspicious and yet to take definitive action, Sein should be safe for now.

Of course, he would have to take action soon.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had already issued a war mobilization order, and the Centaurworld's legions of cannon fodder were also being assembled.

They were only waiting for the new space fortress to be delivered before commencing the war.

Sein had a window of five to seven years.

During this time, he needed to place at least ten special coordinate nodes within Verdant Wilderness World, as instructed by Master Lorianne.

These nodes were crucial for reducing the thickness of the planar barrier and weakening the planar laws's strength.

"Lead us to coordinate point t305,f220 in the western part of this forest; there's a node right there," Lorianne instructed.

"Understood," the Green Spikefur King replied, bowing respectfully.