Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1835 Brightʼs distress ”.....?”

Everyone surrounding Alexander furrowed their brows, exchanging tense and questioning glances toward him, but that was all-no one dared utter a single word, as if his remark about attacking a Guardian was completely ordinary, a trivial matter in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps, in a war as merciless and chaotic as this, such actions were indeed considered normal... ...The state of war in Sector 101 Middle had undergone dramatic and irreversible changes over the last thirty years. This transformation began after two Monarchs and their respective Guardians-aside from Lord Zaryon-entered the fray and divided the colossal army among themselves. Each of them received roughly 300 fleets at that time and initiated a series of unpredictable and widespread invasions. Every strategic balance, every prior expectation, and every carefully laid plan was shattered in an instant.

The entirety of the once-mighty Crumbled Dreams Empire collapsed within just a few short years, other than Lord Hedrick himself and whatever broken armada he still have, everything else Crumbled.

Planet Shathar was forced to flee repeatedly, relocating to random and isolated areas across the sector to avoid annihilation. The fleets of the once-millennium Crumbled Dreams Empire were decimated, reduced to the point where they could no longer mount direct assaults or engage effectively in large-scale battles...

And above all, they lost their status, no longer have enought planets to be called a millennium Empire.

Everyone had expected that Lord Hedrick would announce a surrender or, at the very least, attempt a direct escape to preserve his remaining forces.

But something extraordinary and completely unexpected happened...

Initially, reinforcements composed of 50 formidable fleets from the Centennial Cradle Empire arrived, decisively eliminating the threat emerging from the southern front. Their intervention changed the dynamics of the battlefield entirely.

Following this, intelligence about the identities, the number of forces, and the destructive capabilities of every participant in the Allied Army began to circulate. This information spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves of instability through the ranks of those powers. Panic, mistrust, and uncertainty spread faster than any conventional weapon, leaving the coalition forces in a state of complete disarray.

Other empires in nearby sectors seized this unprecedented opportunity, dispatching troops and fleets to capture planets and resources belonging to the coalitionʼs members, in a maneuver reminiscent of what the Centennial Cradle Empire had done decades earlier.

These revelations alone forced a significant number of forces to withdraw from the coalition, reducing the five armadas-originally each consisting of approximately 350 fleets- to a mere 80 fleets each.

By this point, the Allied Army had almost completely disintegrated. The massive force, once intended to consist of 6,000 fleets, had dwindled to roughly 400, leaving only a fraction of its former power.

Seizing this critical opportunity, Hedrick mobilized his entire remaining army and launched a targeted strike against a Monarch and his forces, surrounding them in a meticulously executed trap.

A colossal battle ensued, during which Hedrick inflicted severe and nearly fatal injuries on his opponent -ripping out his heart and fracturing his soul domain - before the Monarch managed to escape by leaping into one of the few surviving vessels at his disposal.

As for the Monarchʼs armada, originally numbering around 80 fleets, more than half were completely destroyed, and every surviving vessel sustained substantial damage, leaving them barely operational.

The battle was catastrophic in every conceivable sense for the Allied Army. The Monarchʼs injuries forced him to disappear entirely from the battlefields and, effectively, from the entire sector. The remnants of his forces scattered in chaos, merging with the remaining armadas in a desperate attempt to regroup.

From the original five armadas, each containing 350 fleets, only four remained, each reduced to fewer than 90 fleets.

The sudden and unexpected turn of events stunned that quarter of the universe. Word of Hedrickʼs seemingly impossible victory spread rapidly, reaching every corner of the cosmos: Lord Hedrick had triumphed in a war that everyone had deemed unwinnable!

Naturally, this seismic shift did not go unanswered. The abrupt destabilization disrupted every political calculation, rendering previous strategies obsolete. The remaining fleets of the ruthless Zavaros Empire and the cursed Darvion- who had been officially barred from entering the sector-launched a swift invasion into Sector 101 Middle. They advanced rapidly, distributing their forces strategically, and quickly increased the number of fleets per armada back up to nearly 250, restoring a sense of numerical strength even amid the chaos. After the four Law Domination Realm experts entered the fray, followed closely by nearly a thousand fleets from two Behemoths, there almost no one remained standing at the borders of the 101st sector, everyone got it!

The Bright Galaxy, overwhelmed and unable to enforce any restrictions, allowed everyone to pour in without exception, effectively opening the gates to chaos and uncontrolled incursions.

Of course, Hedrick did not let this extraordinary opportunity slip by without taking decisive action. He broadcasted the unfolding events across multiple channels, delivering a devastating blow to the prestige and authority of the Bright Galaxy. Footage circulated showing nearly a thousand fleets, originating from the accursed Darvion Galaxy and the brutal Zavaros Galaxy, actively engaging him within Sector 101 Middle-proof that the Bright Galaxy could not maintain control over its own territory!!

Predictably, Bright Galaxy denied the reports with calm confidence, returning to their customary silence... Yet whispers and leaks soon revealed that every major figure within Bright Galaxy was furious that they had stopped the foreign forces from entering until this critical moment.

Some officials even faced punishment for not reading the situation, highlighting the internal tensions and fractures within their leadership.

The position of Bright Galaxy in Sector 101 Middle had never been more precarious in its entire history... and this vulnerability came with profound and far-reaching consequences.

Traditionally, Bright Galaxy allowed empires under its domain the freedom to govern themselves, expand their territories, and pursue their ambitions, in exchange for regular annual taxes and the requirement to report all movements and significant activities.

But after these events, all the millennium empires had completely ceased paying taxes and refused to coordinate or communicate with Bright authorities.

The planetary emperors openly declared: without the protection and enforcement of Bright Galaxy, why should we contribute anything at all?

Bright Galaxy attempted to manage the crisis, claiming it was merely a series of personal disputes, hoping to downplay the severity of the situation. But such reassurances accomplished nothing. The presence of the accursed Darvion forces and the brutal Zavaros fleets, roaming freely throughout Sector 101 Middle, spoke louder than any words or claims could, projecting undeniable power and influence.

Consequently, the millennium empires declared full independence, seizing control of their own destinies.

Following their lead, the Centennial Empire asserted its autonomy, succeeded by the Multiple Empires, and eventually even smaller kingdoms and clans followed suit, breaking away from Brightʼs nominal authority.

The entire sector began to operate as if the Bright Galaxy did not exist at all, as though the vast, powerful Behemoth had vanished entirely from its own territory.

Recognizing the severity of the situation, Bright Galaxy attempted to respond by dispatching forces to pressure several smaller kingdoms and minor empires in a desperate attempt to restore order, but these efforts were futile... Bright Galaxy, once the dominant Behemoth of the sector, found itself trapped within the very region it was meant to control, stripped of all respect, authority, and real influence.

To reclaim their former status, they would have to take one of two audacious measures... either expel the foreign forces in a grand and heroic display of defending their holdings and asserting dominance over their followers, or mobilize their armies to subjugate the millennium empires scattered across the sector. Success in this latter strategy would force the remaining empires to submit, one by one, restoring Brightʼs authority.

But... neither course of action was realistically possible.

They could not remove their allies without first completely eliminating Hedrick, the sharp thorn in their side, whose presence blocked any attempt at reasserting control.

Moreover, they lacked the strength to confront all the millennium empires in the sector simultaneously. Any attempt to attack a single empire would provoke the others to unite against them; even the Centennial Empires would likely join the opposition, ensuring a catastrophic defeat. This represented the unprecedented low point of Brightʼs power and influence in the sector.

The solution?

Silence.

Bright Galaxy was forced to endure a humiliation unlike anything a Behemoth had ever faced in history, swallowing their pride and remaining silent while the chaos unfolded. They could only hope that once Hedrick fell, they might find a way to recover and restore some semblance of order.

Yet Hedrick showed no signs of falling anytime soon, standing resolute and unyielding, a constant reminder of the Bright Galaxyʼs inability to maintain its control and the growing irrelevance of its once-untouchable authority. The sector, now teeming with independent empires, rogue fleets, and shifting alliances, was rapidly evolving into a domain where Brightʼs presence was little more than a distant memory, a ghost of a power that had once been absolute.