Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1660: Betrayal

”FARGUUUUS!!!”

The Marshal of the Allied Army spun around and unleashed a thunderous roar that made the entire void tremble, ”Do you truly believe you can stand against all of us alone? Against an army of this magnitude?!”

What answered him, however, was not words—but the sight of Fargus extending his hand outward, his expression cold and unreadable, before clapping his palms together with a deafening crack that echoed through the void.

”Shard Refinery.”

Instantly, the space around Fargus fractured, as if reality itself had been struck by a hammer. It splintered into shimmering shards that reflected starlight like pieces of broken glass suspended in the cosmos. The very air seemed to ripple—then came the sharp sound: swooshswoosh!

”You’re courting death!!” the Marshal bellowed, his massive bull form shaking the fractured plane. His three crimson eyes blazed like burning suns as he lowered his enormous head, horns glinting with chaos energy, then launched himself forward in a violent charge.

BAAAAAAAAAAM!

The devastating impact of the attack swept through the area like a storm of raw energy. Yet, to the Marshal’s astonishment, the wide-range explosion barely slowed him down—his thick hide only bore a few shallow cuts and glowing scorches, nothing more than a mild irritation. His fury only deepened; rage and humiliation surged through him as his crimson eyes seemed ready to erupt in fire.

Not everyone was so resilient. ”Aarghhh!!” The Nexus States and World Cataclysms stationed behind him screamed as the force rippled through their ranks. Some vomited blood, their energy fields flickering violently, while others barely managed to stabilize themselves, staggering in midair.

Without hesitation, they counterattacked—swinging their hands, channeling laws and energies toward the fractured space surrounding them. They had to stop the enemies who were escaping through the rifts.

”Fracture Dive!!” Fargus slammed his fists together, the impact echoing like thunder. BAAAAM! A colossal explosion tore through the void once more, distorting everything in sight. When the light faded, Fargus was gone—vanished without a trace.

He reappeared an instant later, standing high above the shattered wall of space itself, his figure outlined by the flickering light of chaos energy. Raising his hand, he aimed downward at the World Cataclysms and Nexus States below—those already close to breaking through the barrier—and whispered coldly, ”Heart Crumble!!”

”Arghhh!!” The five nearest World Cataclysms screamed in unison. Their monstrous forms convulsed, blood spewing from their mouths as invisible force pierced through their cores. One of them lost his entire transformation, his colossal body dissolving as his soul flickered and vanished into the void—lifeless.

”Damn it!” The others immediately fell back, constructing defensive barriers of various colors, all trembling before the sheer destructive might of the Path of Destruction itself.

Fargus, however, didn’t pursue. His gaze moved slowly across the cosmic battlefield. His officers and generals had already scattered, spreading in all directions like a storm of blades, striking mercilessly at the fleets that surrounded the planet. He could see the distant bursts of light—massive explosions blooming one after another. He could feel the terror of the ships scrambling to escape the collapsing defense line.

The once-unified planetary perimeter was now a scene of absolute chaos. With the sudden appearance of nearly forty Doomsday Wardens, the entire battle had turned into a slaughter. Every warship now fought not for victory, but for survival alone.

”Hmm?” Fargus narrowed his eyes. He extended his soul sense, scanning the planet and surrounding orbit for any remaining allies. His consciousness swept through the void like a tide—then halted.

He sensed movement. A small vessel, sleek and faintly damaged, was attempting to seize the brief moment of calm to activate a nearby space portal.

”Trying to escape...?” Fargus muttered under his breath, his tone icy, his gaze sharp as a blade. Within his chest, anger and hatred ignited like wildfire. Could it be? Had that crimson bastard deceived me all along?!

”FARGUS!!!”

The roaring voice of the colossal bull shook the stars. He had found his prey again—but this time, he did not charge physically. His energy gathered at his horns, pulsing with cosmic power.

”Epoch Shock!!”

BAAAAAAAAAAM!

Space itself compressed and screamed. The force of the attack crossed the void in an instant, slamming into the distracted Fargus before he could fully react. The impact threw him backward, crashing him hard against the jagged wall of fractured space he himself had created.

”Bvfft—!!” Blood sprayed from his lips, scattering into glowing droplets that drifted in zero gravity like dying stars.

BANG!

The Shock of the Ages was the final blow — the decisive force that fractured the already weakened spatial barrier. The sound echoed across the void like the roar of collapsing worlds.

”Advance! Move forward and annihilate them all! Don’t let a single one return to their ships!!” the Marshal bellowed, his voice booming like thunder through the comms and across the battlefield.

The World Cataclysms and Nexus States emerging from their vessels meant they were now exposed—within reach. Inside their ships, they could rely on their engines’ speed and defense to escape; but outside, floating in open space, they were prey waiting to be hunted. Now they faced two choices—die here or scatter through the void in panic. And in most cases, scattering was no different from dying, especially for the World Cataclysms who could barely survive a few hours unprotected in the cosmic vacuum!

”Understood!!”

Dozens upon dozens of monstrous entities—each vastly different in shape, size, and aura—spread like a storm around the planet’s atmosphere. The air rippled with their energy as they launched toward what would become the ultimate, bloody confrontation.

The Marshal’s confidence was palpable. Once the World Cataclysms and Nexus States were erased today, they could turn their forces around and crush Hedrick’s fleets, forcing them into retreat. At that moment, the war would be decided—the end sealed in fire and ruin!

”Wait!!”

Fargus’s roar cut through the chaos like a blade. He wiped the stream of blood that trailed down his chin, his crimson aura flaring as he thrust his arm forward, the veins in his body pulsing with raw energy. ”Stop right there!!”

BOOOOOOM!

”ARGHH—!” The jackal-shaped creature screamed only once before its body went limp, drifting helplessly through the shattered air of the battlefield. Its soul faded into silence.

That was no ordinary strike. It was The Crumbling Congestion — an advanced destructive technique that shattered layer after layer of space, compressing them all into a single gravitational force that crashed down on the target. To the victim, it felt like being dragged to the bottom of a boundless ocean made of pure pressure and darkness. When the difference in power was that massive... the attack was nothing less than a death sentence.

”Stop right there, Momo.”

The enormous bull-like being, towering over 300 meters tall, materialized beside Fargus with a flash of warped light. The death of one of his subordinates didn’t faze him; instead, a sinister grin stretched across his face as he savored the expression of rage and disbelief in his opponent’s eyes.

”You’ve made a monumental mistake, Fargus. You never should’ve left your ship. Inside it, you had safety. You could’ve escaped, regrouped—maybe even survived this day. But now? Now you’ve handed me your life. My trap worked perfectly, just as planned!”

”.....”

Fargus gritted his teeth, fury pulsing in every fiber of his being. His sharp gaze swept across the vast battlefield that surrounded him.

BOOM!BOOM!

All around, his subordinates were being overwhelmed. The Doomsday Wardens who had followed him so loyally were now surrounded by fleets and cosmic monsters. Hundreds of ships fired from all sides, and at least two World Cataclysms attacked each one relentlessly.

Even worse, sixteen Nexus States had already encircled his top generals, their combined power crushing through every defense. The Shell of Crumbling, that ultimate defensive art his soldiers relied on, was indeed mighty—but not impenetrable. Not under this level of concentrated fire. It was only a matter of minutes before those protective shells cracked apart and his men were reduced to dust.

And he knew... his arrogant foe would never allow him to return to his ship. No—he wouldn’t even bother attacking directly. He’d simply pin him here, keep him restrained, and let time and despair do the work. Once all of Fargus’s followers were dead, reinforcements would come, surround him, and end his life as well.

Had he made a mistake?

Yes.

A fatal one. He had lost everything—not because he was fooled by a simple trick, but because he had placed his faith in that crimson liar who fled the field... Sakaar!

That treacherous, worthless—

”Hmm?”

Something flickered in the corner of his awareness. Fargus froze, his head turning sharply as he scanned the distance. For a moment, his expression was filled with disbelief—then, slowly, a dangerous smile curved across his bloodstained lips.

In the far-off darkness of space, he saw it—a small, sleek spaceship cutting through the void, glinting faintly under the light of shattered stars.

A ship he knew all too well.

”It seems...” he murmured, voice deep and low, ”the long-awaited support—has finally arrived.”