Sovereign of the Ashes

Unfortunately, the gentle green beams of light failed to seal the crack that continued to widen.

Amidst the clash of green and crimson energies, a pair of enormous hands violently emerged from the rift.

RIIIIP!

The initially small crack was abruptly widened into a large gap by the forceful tearing and prying of these enormous hands.

A giant gorilla, towering hundreds of meters tall, peered excitedly into Verdant Wilderness World.

"I'm squeezing my way in, just give me a little more time, hehehe."

Its sinister chuckle sent chills down everyone's spine.

On its fingers, it wore rings of black metal spikes, which gleamed ominously under Verdant Wilderness World's sunlight.

Behind this imposing figure, three other giant gorillas loomed, each displaying expressions of excitement, greed, and indifference.

Those three creatures were as formidable as the first. By the standards of the Magus World, they were referred to as creatures of Rank Four or above.

However, in the Wild Gorilla World and some neighboring planes, they were revered as Gorilla Gods.

Of these four Gorilla Gods within the rift, the most powerful was the indifferent one who remained silent the whole time.

Unlike its companions, who wielded spiked rings, battle axes, and gloves, this aloof Gorilla God sported a technologically advanced green lens over its right eye.

This accessory suggested that the Wild Gorilla World was not solely focused on passive evolution.

Whether the green lens originated from their world or not, it was an indication that they had engaged with the civilizations of surrounding worlds, albeit through conflict.

Prompted by his companions, the Gorilla God exerted more force, and the crack widened at a visibly alarming rate.

As the rift expanded, it allowed more strong gorilla warriors and their lesser servants to squeeze through, joining the ranks gathering in the northern part of Plain Forest.

This influx of "foreign forces" provoked a stronger defensive reaction from the will of Verdant Wilderness World.

Under the effect of the planar laws, the rift in the sky attempted to mend itself.

The Rank Four Gorilla God that was stuck in the rift was evidently locked in a tug-of-war with the planar will of Verdant Wilderness World.

After all, it had managed to destroy only three planar nodes before hastily launching this invasion.

The Wild Gorilla World clearly lacked advanced war platforms like the space fortresses of the Magus Civilization.

If not for the sheer number of invaders, boasting a total of four Gorilla Gods, it might have struggled even to breach the planar barrier of this world.

"Don't just stand there and watch, come over and give me a hand! The planar will of this world is still resisting; it fears us!" the Gorilla God in the middle shouted at its companions at the back.

After exchanging glances, the two other Gorilla Gods stepped forward to assist.

Only the one who had been indifferent from the start remained motionless, observing everything with detached scrutiny.

None dared to command him or request his help.

The indifferent Gorilla God wearing a green lens over his right eye was clearly the leader of this small group.

The other three relied on his direction and followed his orders most of the time.

This Rank Five Gorilla God, known as the War Gorilla God, was the most formidable presence in the Wild Gorilla World for the last twenty thousand years.

It was also the one who initiated the invasion of Verdant Wilderness World.

As the three Gorilla Gods worked together to breach the planar barrier, legions from the Wild Gorilla World clashed with Verdant Wilderness World's native forces.

A significant portion of these native legions hailed from Plain Forest, with additional reinforcements arriving hastily from neighboring regions.

Without a dominant race on this plane, the native forces of the Verdant Wilderness World were represented by a diverse array of species.

Nevertheless, all of them shared a common trait—a profound love for their homeplane.

This love spurred them to converge from all directions, facing the formidable presence of the four otherworldly Gorilla Gods.

The fierce clash of these lowliest creatures shattered the tranquil fabric of Verdant Wilderness World, a plane that had known peace for tens of thousands of years, igniting a bloody saga.

This conflict was far more brutal than the civil war between Core Birch Forest and Plain Forest.

During that civil strife, the combatants, hailing from the same world, had exhibited a measure of restraint.

However, this battle was a pivotal war that would determine the fate and survival of their world.

Every native creature that raced to the battlefield understood their mission, at least those capable of moving freely.

The immobile plan creatures, particularly those from the native Pine Needles Woods of the Plain Forest, were the first to launch a counterattack against the invaders, resolute in their defiance.

These plant creatures used their sturdy body to block the frigid northern winds, fighting valiantly until they fell!

***

In the fourth year since Sein and Lorianne entered Verdant Wilderness World, the war of invasion in the northern part of the plane had officially raged for two years.

The first otherworldly Gorilla God managed to breach Verdant Wilderness World.

It took over a year for the Wild Gorilla World to finally squeeze its Rank Four creature into this low-level plane.

In Sein's view, the invaders likely consider this progress to be painfully slow.

The Viridian Venom Flame World War and the Verdant Leaf World War, in which Sein had previously participated, were not nearly as difficult at the outset.

"Half a year ago, that Rank Four Giant Tree of the Verdant Wilderness World created a clone of itself and sent it to the north. Yet, it still failed to prevent the descent of these otherworldly Gorilla Gods," Lorianne whispered in Sein's ear.

"It seems this world is truly doomed. Let's see how long it lasts under the onslaught of these gorillas," she added.

"Master Lorianne, how are our preparations going?" Sein could not help but ask.

"The space fortress was delivered ahead of schedule by the Capiche Business Alliance at my urging and is now temporarily docked at the public starport outside Magus World.

"The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring's war mobilization is nearly complete. The only issue is that we haven't received a definitive response from the Magus Alliance side; it seems they have yet to gather sufficient information about this Wild Gorilla World," Lorianne replied.

"Your grandmaster sent me a message though," she added.

"What did she say?" Sein asked curiously.

"They are ready to support us at any time. She also mentioned that if this war indeed involves a medium-sized plane, we could seek assistance from the Elemental Gate or the Pyro Secret Society," Lorianne replied.

"Ah, Grandmaster Feylis is truly an impressive and well-established old mage. A war against a medium-sized plane, huh? The number of legions and powerhouses of Rank Four or higher committed to this must be unprecedented, right?" Sein asked with a mixture of awe and concern.

Lorianne hummed a response first before realizing an inaccuracy in Sein's statement.

"Your grandmaster isn't old!" she corrected.