While the Magus Civilization forces took a brief respite outside the subspace, Sein privately summoned Orric to meet with him.

Gazing at the burly man with hair hanging loosely over his shoulders, Sein sighed and asked, “Do you know why I chose to advance toward the Shadowbat Civilization first, instead of returning to Marvelous Plane?”

“I don’t,” Orric replied in his deep, resonant voice.

Sein glanced at him. “I want you to understand the survival rules within the Magus Alliance through this matter. It’s rarely about loyalty first. More often than not, it’s about placing interests above everything else.”

Sein’s words made Orric frown slightly, as if a headache were coming on.

Scheming, political maneuvering, weighing pros and cons—none of these were Orric’s strengths. In fact, he had always resisted and disliked such things.

Thinking hard simply was not in Orric’s nature. He preferred to act directly, doing whatever felt right in the moment.

Rather than calculating gains and losses, Orric followed his instincts, seeking immediate satisfaction in both favors and grudges alike.

That way of living allowed him a sense of freedom, but it also placed him in danger more than once.

Orven’s usurpation was the clearest example.

Now that Orric had joined the Magus Alliance, navigating its circles, seeking backing, and securing benefits for his home civilization would require far more thought and calculation.

No one would protect him unconditionally forever—not even Sein.

It was true that Orric had once taken a clear stance and helped Sein considerably, but those debts had already been repaid.

It was through Sein’s maneuvering and his appeal to Grandmaster Feylis that the Magus Civilization ultimately recognized Orric as the true heir to Planet Aquaria’s throne.

During negotiations with the Gallant Federation, the Magus Civilization had even compelled the federation to withdraw from Planet Aquaria’s star domain and return control to Orric.

From this point on, Orric’s path would have to be walked by his own efforts. No one would offer him unconditional help indefinitely.

Before seeking to gain anything, one must first understand what they were willing to give.

Orric now had to learn the very things he once despised if he wished to become a qualified Ocean King.

Disliking such matters did not mean Orric was foolish.

After all, how many beings capable of reaching Rank Five were truly idiots?

Orric understood what Sein was trying to convey. His expression grew solemn and contemplative as his brow furrowed deeper.

After staring silently at Sein for a long moment, he finally said, “I understand.”

Sein nodded, then gestured for him to prepare for battle.

***

The Magus Civilization quickly redeployed its forces to the Shadowbat Star Domain.

Beyond the Verdant Flame Faction that Sein represented, the Shadowbat Star Domain also saw the arrival of a Rank Six Knight and two Rank Six deities from the Magus Alliance, along with numerous combat legions from the Magus Civilization itself.

The Rosen Dynasty Civilization likewise dispatched several mobile suit units and psychic legions to claim their share of the spoils.

As for the Marvelous Plane battlefield, only the God of Decay—whom Sein knew—brought its legions. Very few Magus Alliance forces were willing to commit themselves there.

No one was foolish. Compared to the uncertain situation on Planet Aquaria, the gains to be had on the Shadowbat Civilization battlefield were far clearer and more immediate.

Moreover, the Arid Expanse Worlds, which encompassed an immense number of planes, represented an even greater prize.

With the strongest being of the Arid Expanse World already fallen, the elite legions of that medium-sized world had either been exhausted during the war against the Magus Civilization or purged by the Gallant Federation.

The Arid Expanse Worlds was now nearly defenseless.

Beyond the Gallant Federation legions and the remnants of the Grand Apocalypse World forces stationed there, what real resistance remained?

This situation was like someone starved of opportunity suddenly finding a treasure laid bare—naturally, everyone rushed forward at once.

As a result, since the conclusion of the subspace war, the primary flashpoints of conflict in the surrounding star domains had gradually begun shifting toward the border regions of the Shadowbat Civilization.

During this period, Sein also kept an eye on the movements of the sea race legions.

White Stella and her forces clearly favored the Aquaria Star Domain that was dominated by hydro-attribute planes.

Yet since the end of the subspace war, both White Stella and her sea race legions had grown noticeably quiet.

The giant mermaid herself had not left subspace, and her legions showed no significant activity.

Rumors claimed that White Stella had suffered severe injuries during the previous conflict and now required time to recover. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

From what Sein had heard from Black Oblivion, he was fairly certain that White Stella had not suffered truly catastrophic wounds. Even if she had, the abundance of rare treasures and elixirs comparable to Golden Apple Potions would likely have restored her to near full strength by now.

Why White Stella chose to remain inactive was none of Sein’s concern.

The transition from the subspace battlefield to the Shadowbat Civilization had been so sudden that Sein had not even found time to catch up with Tourmaline.

Tourmaline, at least, did not seem bored. In addition to Sev and Lou keeping her company, Azelia was now staying with her as well.

***

Rushing headlong to the Shadowbat Civilization battlefield was, naturally, about seizing the juiciest slice of the pie.

Arriving first, with Darian Wraith guiding them, Sein’s nearly twenty-million-strong legions became the vanguard of the Magus Civilization, launching the opening assault against the opposing forces on the Shadowbat Civilization battlefield.

At the outset, the Arid Expanse Worlds had controlled roughly half of the Shadowbat Civilization’s star domain.

When Seiron led his forces to the subspace battlefield years earlier, he did not bring every combat legion from his homeplane.

As a result, at least one-third of the legions currently deployed on the Shadowbat Civilization battlefield still belonged to the Arid Expanse Worlds.

Those forces had likely already heard of the developments in the subspace battlefield.

Much of that information came from the Magus Civilization’s propaganda, which had spread rapidly, sowing panic and plummeting morale among the Arid Expanse Worlds’ legions.

Although the Gallant Federation had constructed an exceptionally sturdy metallic frontline and stellar defense barrier here, any battlefield was ultimately held together by people.

With the federation’s overlord-class warfleets and main forces withdrawing from nearby star domains to consolidate their broader frontlines, how many troops could they realistically spare to reinforce the Shadowbat Star Domain?

That said, the Arid Expanse Worlds was not as easy a prize as many Magus Civilization powerhouses imagined.

While they lacked truly formidable forces, the Grand Apocalypse World had extended its influence into this region over the past several years.

This vast, resource-rich medium-sized star domain had become a valuable stake for the Grand Apocalypse World.

Even if the Gallant Federation was willing to pull back, the Grand Apocalypse World would likely be far less inclined to give up what it had already gained.

In short, there were still battles ahead.