Lord of the Truth

1084  Joining forces

”Robin Burton?” Pythor furrowed his brows slightly as those golden eyes glared at him from the rubble. ”You can still move?”

Tsssssss—

The ground beneath Pythor sizzled and burned as he stepped forward, each movement searing the earth as Pythorʼs corrosive body trailed his path.

”Stop!”

Sakaar spread his arms wide, unleashing the Underworld Daisies in all directions. What was once a near-infinite swarm of a hundred thousand had now been reduced to only a few thousand after the brutal course of battle.

Pythor, however, paid his opponent no mind. His attention was solely on those golden lanterns gleaming under the rubble. Killing Robin Burton and mutilating his corpse would end this war. It would put a stop to all of this bloodshed once and for all, and most importantly, it would stop the excessive usage of his precious energy pearls!

He would be lying if he said Sakaarʼs words earlier hadnʼt unsettled him. What kind of empire would he rule if it had no army left to defend it?

”Do not you dare underestimate me!!” Sakaar roared, his rough voice cutting through the battlefield as he slashed a hand through the air.

Instantly, the Daisies surged from all sides, forming a dense encirclement around Pythor.

Zzzt! Tsssssss—

A large number of them struck Pythor directly, piercing through his body—but to Sakarʼs dismay, they vanished the moment they made contact, dissolving into nothingness as if devoured by his very flesh.

Pythor  barely even flinched. ”Youʼre wasting your time, Red Plague King. Holak might have been able to stop me for a second or two... but you? You cannot.”

He strode forward without a care, his enormous form completely disregarding the onslaught of Daisies. Each one that touched him simply disintegrated into oblivion.

Until—

”What?!” Pythorʼs eyes widened in shock.

Zzzt!

One of the Underworld Daisies did not vanish upon impact. Instead, it sliced cleanly through part of his neck, emerging from the other side with eerie precision.

Zzzt! Zzzt!

Four more Underworld Daisies struck at the same time. Each one buried itself in his massive frame, carving through his jelly like body before bursting out on the other side.

The air suddenly filled with the misty purple haze once more, spilling from his wounds like an unnatural vapor.

Zzzt! Zzzt!

Sakaar retracted every Underworld Daisies except for the five that had successfully landed their blows. Then—

BOOM!

He clapped his hands together with crushing force.

The remaining Underworld Daisies writhed and pulsed, expanding and compressing in rapid succession, merging into something even greater.

Moments later, the sea of Underworld Daisies vanished, and only five more Underworld Daisies formed, getting the total to only ten, highly condensed Underworld Daisies, each of them containing 10% of Sakaarʼs blood sea.

Without hesitation, Sakaar sent all ten of them surging toward Pythor.

Zzzt! Zzzt!

The Underworld Daisies struck him again, relentlessly tearing through his massive frame. The purple mist rained down in thick, suffocating waves, so much so that even Pythorʼs colossal body had begun to shrink noticeably.

But—

Tsssssss—

Each time an Underworld Daisy emerged from his flesh, it came out coated in a foul, blackened smoke and dripping with decayed, putrid blood— as if the flowers themselves were corroding from within.

Sakaar watched his Underworld Daisies from a distance. He knew it wouldnʼt take long before these last remaining Underworld Daisies disintegrated entirely.

But it didnʼt matter.

His mission now was to buy time.

Pythor, however, simply let out a booming laugh.

”Try something bigger! HAHAHA!”

Despite the withering effect on his body, he kept moving forward, unfazed.

What did it matter if he shrank a little? The mist would naturally recondense back into his body later. These chrysanthemums? They werenʼt an obstacle.

So what if his form had gone from 60 meters to 40? That was still more than enough to crush Robin Burton where he lay!

Just as he prepared to strike—

”AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the east.

Even amidst the deafening chaos of battle —among millions of soldiers locked in bloodshed— that single, unhinged shriek demanded attention.

Both Pythor and Sakaar instinctively turned toward the source.

The figure leaped an immense distance and landed directly in front of Pythor.

”You messed with the wrong guy, you overgrown pile of jam!!”

Even Sakaar and Pythor took a couple of seconds to recognize the new commer—Holak.

His body was utterly mutilated from the explosive purple mist. His chest was hollowed out, a gaping cavity where flesh should have been. His left arm was missing entire chunks of muscle and bone.

Yet, none of that stopped him.

”HRAAAAAAHH!!” Holak roared and threw a devastating punch forward.

”Hss, you shouldʼve stayed back and died in peace.”

Pythor sneered at Holakʼs pathetic state, his tail already swinging forward with the intent to end this charade once and for all.

This time, Holak would die—for real.

Zzzt! Zzzt!

The ten Underworld Daisies suddenly moved as one, forming a single line of attack.

In a flash, they struck Pythorʼs tail—and split it in two.

”What?!”

Pythor whipped his head around, staring at his severed tail in disbelief.

That moment—that single instant of hesitation—was all Holak needed.

BAAAAAAAAAAM!!!

Whatever was left of his right arm collided with Pythorʼs face, sending shockwaves howling through the battlefield.

Pythorʼs head snapped backward, his massive form stumbling.

”…Thatʼll buy us a few seconds.”

Sakaar muttered under his breath.

”Damn it… damn it, DAMN IT!!”

Holak roared, lifting his arms and hammering into Pythor relentlessly.

Left.

Right.

Again. And again.

Each impact sent the colossal figure reeling back and forth, unable to stabilize.

SWOOSH. SWOOSH.

Yet, it didnʼt matter.

Pythorʼs  form was already reforming.

Faster.

The Purple Sun above intensified, its light pulling the scattered mist and gelatinous remains back into shape at an alarming rate.

”Hey, stop trying to kill him— you wonʼt be able to.”

Sakaar called out to his least favorite ally.

”Just focus on keeping him down until the Lord is ready.”

”…”

Holak paused for a brief moment, his bloodshot eyes flickering toward the golden gaze beneath the rubble.

Then, with a head shake—

”I wonʼt rely on anyone.”

BAAAAM!!!

Holak resumed his relentless assault, striking at any gathering point of Pythorʼs  regenerating body.

Sakaar didnʼt argue.

As long as he was fighting Pythor, that was enough.

Instead, Sakaar turned his gaze toward the floating purple mist and gelatinous pools scattered across the battlefield.

Pythorʼs body was reconstructing itself at an absurd pace.

It was clear now—he was still adapting to this strange ability.

It wouldnʼt be long before anything they did became utterly useless.

SWOOOOOOSH!

At that moment, five massive ships descended over the ruined city.

The demonic army had been far too preoccupied to stop them from arriving.

BOOOF.

The shipʼs gates opened instantly.

Figures leaped out in unison— Imperial Guards with piercing eyes radiating purple light.

”KILL THE ENEMIES OF HIS MAJESTY!!”

”Tsk—” Sakaar clicked his tongue and turned toward them.

The ten underworld daisies floated back to his side, ready for battle.

But neither his wounded body nor the small number of flowers remaining could handle another massive fight.

Thatʼs when a familiar voice rang out.

”This again?! We barely finished dealing with your damn brothers, for hellʼs sake!”

Sakaar couldnʼt help but grin.

Richard restored a bit of his confidence.