Lord of the Truth

1088  Blood -3

”For His Excellency...”

”For the Empire...”

In barely audible whispers, thousands of Shadow Swords chanted in unison.

Then, without hesitation, they lowered their black masks, concealing their faces entirely.

And in the next breath—

They vanished into the embrace of darkness~

STAB.

A Great Serpent Emperor felt a sudden piercing pain in his back.

”Arrgh!!”

Whipping around, he swung his weapon in a powerful, sweeping arc— but there was no one there.

His breath steadied, and for a moment, he convinced himself it was merely a stray fragment from a nearby battle.

But as his fingers traced the source of pain, he felt it—warm, wet blood trickling down his back.

And then he noticed—

The wound was deep. Nearly half a fingerʼs length into his flesh.

A realization dawned upon him.

That was a stab wound.

His pulse quickened, ”What was that—?!”

STAB. STAB. STAB.

”AAAGH!!”

This time, the pain multiplied tenfold.

Over ten different blades pierced his body simultaneously, one sinking into his throat.

Enough.

A primal rage ignited within him.

With a furious roar, his aura erupted—

A purple fog exploded outward, swallowing everything around him in a deadly storm, leaving no place to hide.

”ARGHH!!”

Screams echoed in response.

Several Shadow Swords were forced into the open— only to vanish moments later, their bodies disintegrating under the effects of The Law of Corrosion.

”Those damn—”

The martial emperor tried to curse, but his voice faltered.

A sudden wave of dizziness overtook him.

His vision blurred.

His body swayed.

And then, his eyes hollowed— all life fading from them.

His lifeless corpse collapsed with a dull thud, black blood pooling beneath him.

The wounds covering his body had been inflicted with poison.

A lethal dose.

....Across the entire Battlefield of the Emperors, similar scenes unfolded.

The arrival of the Shadow Swords had unleashed pure havoc.

Even when they failed to land a killing blow, they disrupted their enemies, forcing them onto the defensive.

Yet, with every successful strike, more and more blood was spilled— and not all of it belonged to their enemies.

The battlefield was a maelstrom of death, and the bodies and ashes of the Shadow Swords littered the ground alongside their foes.

One of the Warlords, still standing, took notice of the unfolding chaos.

Turning his gaze towards the still-active space portals, his eyes locked onto Charles Burton.

His voice, filled with anger and disbelief, boomed across the battlefield.

”What the hell are you doing?! Most of these kids havenʼt even reached Sagehood yet! Theyʼre all going to die!!”

Charles didnʼt flinch.

His reply was short and unwavering, ”For His Excellency. For the Empire.”

Then, without missing a beat, he lifted his dagger and gestured towards the space portals.

”Go. Protect His Excellency. Donʼt let my swords die in vain!”

A tense silence seemed to covered the battlefield between then at this point,

Then— ”Damn it!!”

Gritting his teeth, the Warlord swung his massive glaive, blasting three martial emperors backward.

Then, without a second thought, he charged towards the nearest portal.

BZZZZT.

He vanished.

”Forward!! To His Majesty!!”

The remaning Demon Emperors, too, seized the opportunity.

Each one waited just long enough for the Shadow Swords to provide an opening—

And then they rushed towards the nearest portal, never once looking back.

*Fwoooo*

A general of the Great Serpent Empire unleashed a cloud of Minor Corrosion Law, instantly disintegrating three Shadow Swords in a single breath.

His eyes burned with rage as he turned toward the portals.

His voice thundered across the battlefield—

”After them!! Chase them down— even if we have to follow them to the depths of hell!!”

Swoosh!

In the next instant—

A shadow flickered in front of him.

A chill ran down his spine.

He barely had time to react before he felt the press of a cold blade against his throat, His breath hitched.

It was Charles Burton himself.

And in the span of a heartbeat, Charles whispered the last words the general would ever hear—

”Youʼre the one going to hell.”

SLASH.

------------------

Richardʼs eyes darted frantically in all directions, his breath ragged, his body tense. His mind struggled to process the sheer madness unfolding around him.

BANG! CRASH! SWOOSH!

The living city had unleashed its fury, regurgitating metal, rubble, and even lifeless corpses from its depths. The very ground trembled under the weight of the enormous life energy Richard had released without restraint.

Screams filled the air.

”AAHHH!”

”Move forwards, we must— ARGH!!”

Before Richard stood an ocean of enemy soldiers, yet none of them could advance. How could they, when the very earth itself rejected them? The forces of the Serpent Empire had been attempting to breach this area for some time now, but their losses had surpassed twenty thousand— and that number was still climbing at an alarming rate.

And yet, despite the carnage, Richard had not unleashed his power to attack. Instead, he had established a zone of control, a massive circular area centered around him, extending over Hulak, Baithor, and the place where his father had fallen. Right now, hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers surrounded this perimeter from all sides, their relentless march unbroken by fear or doubt. Anyone who dared set foot within his domain met a gruesome fate.

Still, they continued forward. They had no choice. Their glowing purple eyes told them to push with all they got, The only thing slowing them down was the speed at which they were being slaughtered!

Suddenly—

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Seven warships emerged from the southern horizon, their dark shadows swallowing the battlefield below. This time, they did not hover at a distance. Instead, they moved directly over Richardʼs head.

Richard barely spared a glance upward before shouting at the top of his lungs: ”I need some help here!!”

A voice answered almost immediately. ”Hold on, Iʼm on my way!!”

It was Sakaar. The battle-worn warrior was currently fighting to protect the airspace over Richardʼs domain, using his ten Underworld Daisies with savage brutality against any approaching warship or Martial Emperor.

ZZZT!

Sakaar withdrew three of his Underworld Daisies from other battles and redirected them toward the seven incoming ships.

But—

”You shall NOT!!”

A squad of Imperial Guards standing outside Richardʼs control zone lunged forward, intercepting the Underworld Daisies mid-flight. Their powerful strikes deflected them off-course.

That moment of interference was enough.

The warshipsʼ doors slid open, and soldiers poured out like a torrential flood!

KRKKT!!

Hundreds of mounted cannons swiveled, locking their aim onto Richard.

”...!!”

Richard shut his eyes tightly, his jaw clenched. He could not afford to move. He could not halt the energy flow feeding the city.

ZZZT!

With a single sweeping motion, the Warlord obliterated the descending soldiers, his very presence shielding Richard from the incoming cannonfire.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The explosions thundered around them, bodies torn apart mid-air, but the Warlord stood firm, unshaken.

Richardʼs eyes widened in astonishment as he finally dared to look up.

”You…?”

It was a sight both majestic and terrifying— without his epic class armor, the Warlord was vulnerable, yet unyielding. The ground around him was now strewn with the shattered bodies of Saints and Sages, their corpses thrown in all directions by every blast, yet the Warlord didnʼt move an inch.

Crack

Richard almost shattered his teeth as he saw all these men die for him, but he couldnʼt tell them to withdraw, if they left him alone everyone will die

”AAAHH-- AAAAAAHHHHHH--” Rage took over as he screamed his lungs out.

ZZZT! ZZZT!

More portals ripped open in the air at the moment.

From them emerged the Demon Emperors.

They saw the dire situation in an instant. Without hesitation, they raised their weapons, pointed at the enemy warships, and roared:

”PROTECT THE LORDʼS SON!!”

------------------

CRACK! CRACK!

Robin gritted his teeth with such force that his jaw trembled, veins bulging along his temples. His entire body was quivering— not from fear, but from barely restrained fury. Every ounce of self-control he had ever learned was being tested to its absolute limit.

The battlefield before him had surpassed all imagination.

This was no longer a structured war.

This was hell itself.

No one knew what was happening anymore. No battle plan. No strategies. No sense of control.

There was only chaos.

There was only blood.

Blood that soaked the ground; Blood that splattered across faces and armor, Blood that filled the air, misting in the wind like a cursed fog.

(My owner… If you wait for your body to fully recover, there will be no army left for you to lead.)

Robinʼs expression twisted in agony as heard Evergreen.

”Do you think I donʼt know that?!”

He roared, his voice nearly cracking under the weight of his own frustration.

The veins on his forehead throbbed, his body trembling violently.

”But if I use that technique without proper preparation, I will die before I even finish it! They just need to hold on a little longer… a little longer…”