Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1593: Revealing Trump Cards

The deep blue blur Orric had become was instantly swept away by an even greater surge of hydro elemental energy.

In the Astral Realm, even a single rank difference in life level meant a massive gap in strength.

That gap only grew wider above Rank Four.

Unless one had a world-class secret treasure as a trump card like Sein did, cross-rank combat was no easy feat.

Rank Six beings, the symbols of medium-sized planar worlds, were a whole tier above Rank Five creatures.

On top of that, Orven had inherited Aquaria’s royal treasure—the Ocean King's Crown.

The crown was far more than a tool to help the Ocean King receive planar power and ascend to Rank Six.

It could also amplify the Ocean King’s power across multiple aspects.

Passed down for generations, the crown was deeply attuned to the Ocean King’s bloodline.

In the hands of anyone else, its effects were less than a third of what it granted the rightful heir.

To the Ocean Kings, it was practically a treasure tailor-made for them.

When Orven struck Orric with a devastating blow using its power, even White Stella—who had remained calm until now—showed the first flicker of unease in her eyes.

“You could’ve killed him outright, but you held back. Do you still care for him?” White Stella asked, fixing her gaze on Orven. This was the first time she had spoken to him.

“Would you have let me kill him?” Orven replied, meeting her eyes.

White Stella did not answer.

Indeed, had Orven unleashed an attack strong enough to kill Orric, she would not have stood idly by.

She felt nothing for Orric personally—but as a Rank Five member of the Magus Civilization, she could not simply watch one of her allies be struck down by the enemy without doing anything.

Orven continued, “I can sense something in your power. Even the Ocean King's Crown warned me that your strength rivals mine. And there's something dangerous about you.”

He looked up at her. “Become my queen. Together, we can rule this oceanic realm. There’s something about you I find captivating.”

Orven had not fully entered combat mode yet. His height remained around three meters.

In contrast, White Stella’s colossal form stretched nearly ten thousand meters, making Orven’s bold proposal sound... downright absurd.

Yet he remained unbothered, his expression now dead serious. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Since reaching Rank Six, Orven had gathered a harem of consorts. Yet, not a single one of those ocean beauties could hold a candle to even a single strand of White Stella’s hair.

What a... perfect woman! Orven thought, unable to stop himself from marveling.

White Stella let out a mocking laugh in response to his bold declaration and shameless confession.

Since ascending to the Ocean King’s throne, no one had dared to defy Orven. Though White Stella’s mocking smile was beautiful, it sparked genuine anger inside him.

“My family values loyalty and filial piety above all else—especially among blood relatives,” White Stella said coldly.

“Your past actions mark you as someone capable of patricide and fratricide. How dare scum like you even think of coveting me?”

His expression flickered between anger and shock before finally hardening. He let out a cold chuckle and said, “Since you refuse, you leave me no choice but to take you by force.”

“Pity. I’m actually a reasonable man,” he added as he swept his hands forward. A dense wave of oceanic power surged forth at his command, guided by the Ocean King’s Crown.

The once still and vast starry battlefield around them began to thrum with elemental energy.

Though there were no nearby planes or asteroid belts, the deep blue oceanic forces remained stable, unaffected by gravity.

Seeing this, White Stella responded. Her enormous fishtail lashed forward, and in an instant, a surge of remarkably pure hydro elemental energy gathered around her.

She gripped the Royal Trident tightly. Unlike the Ocean King's Crown, it was an overlord-grade weapon—far superior in quality.

The fact that Avril had entrusted such a weapon to White Stella revealed her intentions clearly: she was grooming White Stella to become the next Sea Queen.

Offering someone poised to become the next queen of all sea races in Magus World the mere title of Planet Aquaria’s queen?

White Stella could never accept such a pitiful proposal from Orven.

Just as Orven had said, Orric was not in his league... the truth was, he was not in hers either.

He was just a Rank Six being of a medium-sized plane.

Back in Magus World, countless Rank Six sea creatures and allied foreign deities went out of their way to curry favor with White Stella.

Did this guy truly think he stood a chance?!

The Royal Trident glinted coldly in the void, and with a sudden thrust, White Stella made the first move.

“How bold!” Orven's form rapidly expanded, transforming into an oceanic colossus towering over ten thousand meters tall.

This was not his usual combat form—he had likely taken on this massive size just to appear more imposing than White Stella.

The clash between the two Rank Six powerhouses stirred up far more commotion than the surrounding battles between the four Rank Five combatants.

Though White Stella had not quite reached Rank Six, she was far stronger than most Rank Fives.

Perhaps she had long since qualified for advancement, but was just waiting for the right opportunity.

Amidst the chaos, one figure kept charging toward the center of the swirling oceanic vortex, completely ignoring the overwhelming pressure on the battlefield.

It was Orric.

Fueled by rage and hatred, Orric fought like he had endless energy.

Blood seeped from between his teeth as he gripped his steel trident and hurled himself at Orven again and again, with no regard for his own life.

Even Orven started finding this persistent foe annoying.

But with two opponents to handle, especially one as dangerous as White Stella, he had no time to deal with Orric properly. All he could do was keep knocking him back, again and again.

“Heh, in the end, you are just a Rank Six lifeform boosted by a world-class secret treasure and the origin energy of this plane,” White Stella sneered.

“Compared to a true Rank Six who climbed to this level through their own efforts, the difference is still obvious. With power this shallow, what makes you think you are even qualified to covet anything?”

She swung the Royal Trident.

Orven roared in fury at the insult.

“Do you think this is all I’ve got?” he snapped.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, he pulled out another weapon—a metallic sphere that clearly looked like something from a technological civilization.

More importantly, it was another world-class secret treasure!

The Gallant Federation had really gone all-out to win over the two medium-sized world civilizations in this star domain.

Beyond giving Seiron advanced gene-modification technology to push him to the peak of Rank Six, they had helped Orven seize the Ocean King’s throne and even promised to solve the “royal curse”.

And on top of that, they had gifted a world-class secret treasure weapon to each of their Rank Six powerhouses.

No wonder Arid Expanse World and Aquaria had managed to steamroll the Shadowbat Civilization and the other worlds.

Having the backing of a top-tier civilization made all the difference.

But even as Orven revealed the spherical world-class secret treasure, White Stella chuckled and answered coolly, “Likewise, did you really think that was the full extent of my strength?”

She reached into the space behind one of the shells on her chest and drew out a strange, pale blue orb.

“This is a gift from my uncle[1]—the Sea-Taming Pearl!”

And with that, she hurled it straight at Orven.

1. Translator’s Note: The “uncle” here refers to her paternal uncle—the same one who always showered Tourmaline with gifts. ☜