Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1987 The Silent Slayer

Planet Orginus - Middle Sector 100

”Very well... Iʼve cleared some time for you,” Caesar said, casting a brief sidelong glance at the Shadow Sword before lowering his eyes to the scroll resting in his hand. His fingers tightened slightly around it. ”So then-what exactly is this supposed to be?”

”Please.”

The Shadow Sword stepped forward with measured calm, offered the scroll to Caesar, then retreated a few steps to stand respectfully at a distance once

more, his posture straight and silent.

”Hmmm...”

Caesar unfurled the scroll and began scanning the lines at speed. His eyes moved rapidly, trained from years of command, but when he reached the middle of the report his brows drew together sharply. A faint crease formed between them. Even so, he did not stop reading. He continued all the way to the final line before finally lifting his gaze and fixing it squarely on the Shadow Sword.

”Lord Hedrick... did all of this?”

The Shadow Sword inclined his head in a small nod.

”Lord Hedrick followed Marshal Aroʼs directives, which were conveyed to him by His Highness Theo. However-yes. In the end, Lord Hedrick himself was the one who killed Guardian Silas. As a result, the war can be considered virtually over.”

Caesar looked down at the scroll again, rereading a few lines as if to confirm them, then abruptly tossed it onto the desk. The sound was dull but sharp enough to echo in the quiet chamber. He lifted his head and stared at the Shadow Sword, restrained anger simmering beneath his composed expression. ”What happened after Lord Hedrick departed the battlefield?”

”You are referring to what transpired on the battle planet, Marshal?” the Shadow Sword asked to be certain. When Caesar did not object, he continued.

”Both sides were already suffering from severe, long-term exhaustion, as well as critical injuries across all ranks. However, two decisive factors ultimately tipped the scales in Marshal Aroʼs favor. First, a number of wing leaders and their aides had withdrawn earlier with his knowledge. Those individuals managed to recover a portion of their strength and re-enter the conflict at al critical moment. Second, there were the remaining Note-4 vessels-machines that, quite simply, do not know rest.”

”...From that point onward, the battle continued for roughly another hour, though at a noticeably reduced pace. Even so, Marshal Aro himself managed to personally bring down three World Cataclysms during that final phase. Eventually, a fresh Note-4 armada arrived, and with its support our side finally secured victory. Approximately half of the enemy forces were captured, around a quarter were killed, and a number of Nexus States managed to escape amid the chaos.”

Caesar raised a hand and slowly rubbed the space between his eyes. For a fleeting moment, he felt the urge to scoff at the idea that several Nexus States had escaped. Yet he restrained himself. If he were in Aroʼs position, he knew full well he would not have been able to keep dozens of Nexus States confined to a single planet either. He had tried-personally-and suffered greatly just to keep three contained on one world. Even then, the royal uncle of the Twilight Spectrum Empire had managed to escape, and only the Syndicateʼs intervention had ended him.

After nearly a full minute of silence, Caesar finally spoke again.

”Then why request a closed meeting?” he asked, his tone calmer but no less sharp. ”If those individuals escaped, the details of this battle will leak by the end of the day. There are no secrets left to protect.”

”The closed meeting concerns what follows from the report, Your Highness,” the Shadow Sword replied, gesturing subtly toward the discarded scroll.

”His Highness Theo advises that you continue the war against the Seven Thrones Empire at a slower, more controlled pace for at least the next ten years. He will not be able to bring Lord Hedrick in to assist before that time.”

”...Additionally,” the Shadow Sword continued, ”His Highness, the First Sword, believes this adjustment should not place an undue burden on you. Your war against the Seven Thrones Empire is fundamentally different from Marshal Aroʼs war against the Holva Empire. Your conflict with the millennial Seven Thrones Empire is defined by cautious maneuvering, gradual territorial control, and steady expansion of the warfront-on both sides. As such, neither empire has suffered the loss or gain of many core worlds, nor has there been a single, decisive, all-or-nothing battle.”

”By contrast, Marshal Aroʼs war was personal in nature-devastating, volatile, and impossible to predict. The number of casualties was immense, and the count of destroyed planets was staggering. This was largely because he began the war with overwhelming force by detonating the planet Draclon. While this brutal approach allowed him to erase the millennial empire in a relatively short span of time, it also forged a deeply personal and irreconcilable enemy-one embodied by Lord Silas himself.”

”...So His Highness, the First Sword, is asking you to slow the pace-because you are fully capable of doing so. For instance, you might launch a single offensive per year instead of six, while focusing more on defense and on strengthening and consolidating your armyʼs forces, ensuring that your positions are secure and prepared for the long term. This will give time for conditions to align and for the right opportunity to arise, allowing him to invite Lord Hedrick to intervene once again, at a moment most advantageous.”

”...And we are confident this will not present any real problem. After the news of Lord Hedrickʼs arrival and his killing of Lord Silas spreads, the millennial Seven Thrones Empire will naturally treat you with extreme caution. Their engagements and maneuvers will become calculated, measured, and restrained, simply by the knowledge of Hedrickʼs presence. Most likely, the Guardian-ruler of the millennial Seven Thrones Empire will vanish for a prolonged period... creating the perfect window for you to slow down and consolidate your

power.”

”Heh~”

Caesar chuckled softly, a quiet laugh escaping him like a ripple through calm

waters.

”May I ask, Your Highness, what amuses you?” the Shadow Sword inquired, his tone steady but probing, eager to absorb every detail he could report back to the First Sword accurately.

Caesar lifted his head slightly, letting the faint light catch the edges of his stern

face.

”Inform Theo that I will proceed entirely at my own pace-and that I will not require the aid of Lord Hedrick for this campaign.”

”...Are you certain of this, Your Highness?” The Shadow Swordʼs eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of concern crossing his otherwise stoic gaze.

”Absolutely certain.”

Caesar gripped the scroll firmly, feeling its weight for a moment before tossing

it into the flames. The paper curled and blackened rapidly, leaving only ashes drifting in the warm air.

”I do not need external forces from distant sectors intervening to clean up my messes like some other overconfident fool. I am fully capable of managing my own affairs, and I will do so without distraction.”

”In that case, please proceed with caution, Your Highness.”

The Shadow Sword bowed deeply, a gesture of respect, then stepped back and dissolved silently into the shadows beneath his wing, vanishing from sight. Nearly an hour passed, with Caesar remaining at the massive windows, his eyes scanning the distant horizon, unmoving, lost in thought-planning, calculating, and anticipating the moves of enemies unseen.

Knock Knock

The sound echoed sharply through the chamber. A girl appeared in the

doorway, elegantly dressed in a short formal dress, radiating an imposing presence. She knocked once more, and then stepped inside, her movements

precise and deliberate.

”Marshal, you have a visitor,” she announced, her voice calm yet commanding. Caesar raised an eyebrow, turning sharply toward the doorway.

”Renara came?”

Nearly ten long years had passed since the Battle of Kriythorn. From that day

onward, Caesar had not laid eyes on Renara, not once. She had retreated for only a single day following the battle, only to reemerge with renewed intensity -resuming her leadership of the war against the millennial Seven Thrones Empire, silent, relentless, and more ferocious than ever. Over the course of the decade, she had eliminated three Nexus States and pursued countless others across the sector. Indeed, more than half of the victories claimed by the Double Centennial Cradle Empire in this ongoing war were due solely to her efforts. And it was not only in combat. She had led attacks on four planets near Orginus -planets devastated by plague from the recent sector-wide outbreak-and had skillfully incinerated their surfaces without causing planetary destruction. Her precision and efficiency left no room for error.

Was there a problem? A need for extermination or execution? Renara was the answer. She was the solution.

Yet now, she no longer came to question orders or to express concern about

strategy. She no longer arrived to attempt to sway Caesar into attacking the Twilight Specters Empire. She no longer... interfered. She no longer concerned herself with outcomes. She had become something far greater than a mere warrior-she had become a silent, lethal instrument of war, disciplined and

unstoppable.

”No, Marshal,” the girl replied evenly, her voice cutting through the tense

silence. ”You have a scheduled visit from envoys representing the Human Union

of Middle Sector 100. Are you prepared to receive them, or should I turn them

away?”

Caesarʼs gaze lingered on the horizon, unflinching, for several long seconds. Then, with a faint, deliberate gesture, he waved his hand gently.

”Let them in.”