Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1627: Force

Interactions between civilizations were always like this—driven by interests and calculations.

No matter how noble the relationship between the remnants of the Rosen Dynasty and the Magus Civilization might sound, their cooperation was ultimately rooted in mutual exploitation.

In earlier times, the Rosen Dynasty Civilization had maintained friendly ties with the previous generation of Magus World powerhouses.

That Rank Seven psychic named Moraia was even rumored to have known Bev’s father—the Supreme Knight Overlord—personally.

But what did that amount to now?

Unless they were blood relatives like Hela and Odin, sentiment alone would never earn anyone special consideration from Bev.

Mere connections to an older generation were not enough for Bev to sacrifice the interests of the Magus Civilization.

To the Magus Civilization, the value of the Rosen Dynasty remnants lay in two aspects. First, they still possessed some residual strength: an overlord-level psychic and an overlord-class mobile suit.

Second, their very existence stood as living proof of the Gallant Federation’s “evil” and the Magus Civilization’s “righteousness”.

During the 25th Magus Alliance Conference, the Magus Civilization had formally declared war on the Gallant Federation, citing its decision as a commitment to help the Rosen Dynasty reclaim what had been taken from them.

Supporting the weak was a narrative that the vast majority of Magus Alliance members were happy to accept.

After all, they were the weak to the Magus Civilization.

By aiding the Rosen Dynasty remnants, the Magus Civilization also allowed previously neutral allied planes to empathize more deeply with its cause.

Beyond that, the Magus Civilization routinely supported weaker alliance planes, reinforcing stability within the Magus Alliance’s governing framework and preventing large-scale internal upheaval.

In the early centuries of this civilizational war, the Rosen Dynasty remnants performed reasonably well. That was likely fueled by the deep resentment they harbored toward the Gallant Federation—the very force that had destroyed their homeworld.

But their effectiveness declined steadily after that.

Their lack of depth and foundational strength quickly became apparent.

Even something as simple as replenishing Rank One and above troops became a serious challenge for the Rosen Dynasty remnants.

Having lost their homeplane, their vassal worlds, and their resource-rich planes, and forced to rely on the Magus Alliance’s support, how long could they last?

The Magus Civilization had no intention of sustaining the Rosen Dynasty remnants indefinitely.

Given their relative position within the alliance, why would the Magus Civilization allocate additional resources to them instead of to planes like Beastmen World or Elven World, which demonstrated far greater loyalty?

Sending the Rosen Dynasty remnants to the Arid Expanse World battlefield was, in essence, a way of making use of what remained of a once-mighty world whose combat strength had severely declined.

Bev’s handling of decision-making during this Clash of Civilizations had grown increasingly mature and precisely measured.

Even Hela, who had been listening from the sidelines, could not help but realize how much she still had to learn from her aunt.

The biggest difference between Hela and Bev at present was how soft-hearted Hela still was.

She could not yet match Bev’s calm, rational way of analyzing problems and weighing outcomes.

Despite being feared by alien species as the “Goddess of Death”, Hela still struggled to maintain a truly ruthless mindset in certain situations, especially when even the faintest personal connection was involved.

Throughout this Clash of Civilizations, her two younger brothers had been giving her a huge headache.

It was truly not easy being their elder sister.

She could not help but wonder how Bev had managed it back then, as the eldest sister to Odin and Liese, the Empress of Blades.

Hela genuinely felt that she needed to learn a great deal from her aunt.

Bev’s conversation with Alice did not last long.

The star domain war zone under the Northern Witches Council’s jurisdiction was already beset with countless problems.

Although the soul-level witch had many experienced and powerful subordinates under her command to share the burden, she still needed to pay close attention to frontline affairs.

Although Hela had remained quietly in a corner the entire time, Alice still nodded to her with a smile before leaving.

Hela was likely stronger than this Rank Seven witch, not to mention that she had Jormungandr, the World Serpent, as her lackey.

Alice’s remarkably early advancement to a soul overmage and her leadership of the Northern Witches Council owed much to her mother, Vivian.

Hela’s current status and power, by contrast, stemmed largely from having an exceptionally formidable grandfather.

Alice had once met the Supreme Knight Overlord, though that had been long ago...

After Alice departed, Bev smiled and gestured for her niece to come closer.

As aunt and niece, there was no need for the formalities between them.

Moreover, as women separated by a generation, Hela could speak freely with her aunt about matters she might feel awkward discussing with her parents.

For example, when it came to disciplining her two younger brothers, Bev had already offered her plenty of advice.

After discussing Hela’s recent affairs, Bev finally turned to the real matter at hand.

“I intend to transfer you to the Grand Eye Demon World.”

“Oh?” Hela raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I thought the war in that large-sized world was almost over. And hasn’t the Alveroth Empire been leading it?”

With the conflict in the Grand Eye Demon World nearing its conclusion, Bev sending her niece there felt like moving her in to harvest the fruits of others’ labor.

That was not something Bev would have done in the past, which left Hela curious about her aunt’s true intentions.

“I have a good relationship with Clair. He won’t mind such a small matter,” Bev replied calmly.

“Anyway, the real reason I’m sending you there is to test the Evileye Tyrant Monarch. I doubt Clair alone can force that tyrant to reveal its final trump card,” Bev explained, shaking her head.

Hela frowned slightly. “This Rank Seven Eye Demon already betrayed our Magus Civilization and is about to lose its homeplane. What trump card could it possibly still have?”

Bev glanced at her niece, her expression turning solemn. “The rebellion of the Grand Eye Demon World came without warning. Before that, I believed my control over the Magus Alliance was sound. Even the Norman Federation, the large technological civilization most susceptible to infiltration, had been kept firmly in check.”

“Judging by the outcome, the rebellion gained them nothing. Not only were the Eye Demons nearly wiped out by us, but even the Evileye Tyrant Monarch’s soul suffered severe damage during the war.

“So tell me, what was the point of its betrayal in the first place?” Bev asked.

The question left Hela momentarily speechless.

Her aunt had a point. What purpose did the Evileye Tyrant Monarch’s betrayal of the Magus Civilization truly serve? Or rather, what had driven it to take such a desperate gamble?

Bev had always believed that the Grand Eye Demon World had been treated pretty fairly after joining the Magus Alliance. At the very least, she had never treated the Evileye Tyrant Monarch unfairly.

Yet that betrayal had placed the Magus Civilization at a serious disadvantage in the early stages of the war.

While Hela lowered her head, deep in thought, Bev continued.

“I suspect the rebellion of the Grand Eye Demon World is connected to the Amenkha Empire. And your task is to confirm this for me. Perhaps only when its existence is truly threatened will the Evileye Tyrant Monarch finally reveal its real trump card.”