Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2423 New order

Planet Apocalypse—Mid Sector 99

This planet had once been the most active and lively planet in the entire sector when it came to the constant arrival and departure of generals and enormous military forces, with important figures and troops moving through it continuously, as well as countless announcements, threats, deals, negotiations, and military movements that had once made activity here almost never cease.

But ever since Marshal Aro departed toward the east, and ever since all the powers throughout the sector had submitted in one way or another and the situation surrounding them had finally settled... the planet had become considerably quieter compared to the endless activity that had once filled it.

It was now primarily used for northern meetings, major celebrations and large seminars, and perhaps for the final training sessions of generals before their departure, as well as giving those generals an opportunity to become properly acquainted with one another before eventually setting out toward the various battlefields where they would carry out their missions.

But what most people didnʼt know was that the planetʼs formidable defensive capabilities and the extremely tight security surrounding it had also been exploited for an entirely different purpose... turning this seemingly quiet planet into the back door leading directly toward one of the most mysterious planets in the entire universe, Donara.

Rattle

A small cargo vessel passed quietly by the magnificent palaces, the beautifully decorated Space Gates, and the vast gardens spread throughout the area, traveling at a deliberately slow speed through the aerial lanes specifically designated for vessels like it as though trying its best not to attract unnecessary attention, until it finally began descending toward one particular island... more precisely, toward a Space Gate positioned at the very edge of that island.

Then, Kshhh— the vesselʼs door slid open, and from within stepped a red-haired young man with a broad and cheerful smile covering his face. ”A beautiful good morning to you!”

”Hmm?” One of the guards immediately stood from his position and approached the young man, then extended his open palm toward him in a clear request for identification. ”A new courier?”

”Ahaha, deliveries have been increasing lately.” The young man laughed somewhat awkwardly before quickly handing over several papers and identification chips proving his identity, his movements carrying an obvious trace of nervousness despite the smile he was attempting to maintain.

”....” The officer didnʼt rush through the inspection and instead took his time carefully reviewing everything the young man had handed him, checking the documents and chips before finally nodding twice and returning all of them to their owner. ”Do you actually know what youʼre getting yourself into? Have they properly told you whatʼs waiting for you on the other side?”

”Mhm.” The young man nodded quickly after taking his things back. ”I have a general idea of what to expect.”

”Heh.” The officer laughed briefly at that response, then turned slightly and gestured toward one of his subordinates. ”Prepare the gate.” After issuing the order, he returned his attention toward the young man standing before him and continued, ”The fact that youʼve managed to become a courier assigned to Donara, where His Majesty himself resides, means that youʼve accumulated a frightening number of points and earned yourself an extremely high position, but donʼt let any of that go to your head once you get there. Keep your mind focused entirely on the mission youʼve been given.”

”Of course!” The young man immediately gave a proper military salute, then quickly and somewhat shyly moved toward the Space Gate that had already been prepared for him. Just before entering, however, he turned around again and gave the officer a slight bow. ”Thank you.” After that, he stepped directly into the gate. Bzzzt

”Hehe.” One of the guards laughed quietly from beneath his mask after watching the young man disappear through the gate. ”Thatʼs already the seventh one weʼve gotten this month.”

”Anyone want to bet that this one will resign too?”

”Iʼm betting heʼll resign today.”

”...” The officer cast a long, penetrating glance toward the Space Gate through which the young man had just disappeared, then slowly nodded several times as though seriously considering the matter. ”Heʼs a good kid. Heʼll hold out, Iʼm certain of it, he has that light in his eyes...” Then he tilted his head toward the other guards and casually added, ”Record my bet. Heʼll resign after whole three deliveries.”

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Bzzzt The red-haired young man emerged from the other side of the Space Gate with the exact same hopeful and enthusiastic smile still spread across his face.

Then, Bleeergh! he immediately bent over and began vomiting without even having enough time to properly understand what had struck him.

The overwhelming smell of fresh blood was mixed together with the rotten stench of old entrails throughout the incredibly heavy air surrounding him, creating such a suffocating atmosphere that anyone attempting to breathe normally in this place would feel as though they were trying to forcibly drag filthy stones through their own nostrils with every breath they took.

”Hey, use your breathing aid, rookie.”

”Haaaa!!” The young man reacted immediately to the reminder, quickly pulling out the golden chain he had been given and putting it on without wasting another moment, and only after doing so did he finally manage to begin breathing somewhat properly again...

Even with the golden chain helping him, breathing remained difficult and uncomfortable, almost as though someone were continuously pressing a thick pillow directly over his nose and obstructing every breath he tried to take, but compared to what he had experienced only moments earlier, it was already considerably better.

He then slowly turned toward the person standing beside him, intending to thank whoever had reminded him before his condition became even worse. ”Thank you... They warned me about this before I came here, but I was nervous and—”

The young manʼs voice suddenly caught in his throat before he could finish what he was saying... because the figure standing directly beside him was an enormous Demon dressed from head to toe in sweat-stained crimson armor.

It wasnʼt as though the young man had arrived here without knowing anything about what awaited him on the other side of the gate, because he had already been explicitly told that the Crimson Plague currently controlled the planet, but knowing that information and actually standing beside one of them were entirely different experiences, especially since he had never before found himself this close to one of these creatures... The aura radiating from that enormous Demon was so extraordinarily dangerous that every instinct within the young man seemed to react to its presence, making him feel as though he were standing directly beside his own natural predator!

”Tsk.” The Demon clicked his tongue after looking at the stunned newcomer, then simply raised a hand and pointed forward without showing any interest in continuing the conversation. ”Go deliver whatever you came here to deliver, then leave.”

”Yes, sir!!” The red-haired young man immediately straightened himself and responded at once, then turned his gaze forward and hurriedly began moving in the indicated direction... only to suddenly stop in his tracks once again after finally paying attention to what was actually in front of him.

He had been sent directly to the Space Gate located closest to the battlefield.

From where he was currently standing, he could clearly see an enormous number of imps gathered around a massive Space Beast, skinning its enormous body and eating its flesh... and at the same time, he could see yet another Space Beast being dragged through the gate completely dead and pulled directly into the planet!

He had certainly been told before coming here that there was a battle taking place in this place... but what he was looking at now wasnʼt a battlefield at all, it was nothing more than a graveyard!!

”Move!”

”Yes, sir!!!!” The young man immediately quickened his pace after hearing the command, hurrying forward without daring to waste another moment while his eyes continued darting rapidly around the surrounding area, trying to take in everything happening around him as he moved.

The sheer number of imps surrounding him was staggering enough to make it difficult to focus on any single place for long. In this plaza alone, there were around sixty thousand of them gathered together, every single one wearing their sweat-stained armor, and every single one of those tens of thousands of imps was currently occupied with something...

Some of them were dragging enormous corpses away from the surrounding area, others were cutting those corpses apart, draining and collecting their blood, or even simply eating from them directly where they stood... Yet strangely enough, even that savage and seemingly barbaric feeding appeared organized when observed carefully, as though every action had its own place and purpose. Nothing happening here was being done without a reason!

However, once the young man continued forward and drew close enough to a certain area, his wandering eyes finally began to notice an entirely different event taking place nearby...

At the far right side of the area, directly beneath the enormous circular Passage Gate, there was a long line of imps standing one behind another in an extraordinarily strict and orderly formation, patiently waiting for their respective turns before the gate.

Whenever one of those imps finally reached the front of the line and found himself standing directly before the gate, he would begin removing his armor piece by piece with visible ease and even a strange sense of pleasure, then hand all of it over inside a spatial ring to an Demon King seated beside the gate. Once the armor was completely removed, the impʼs true crimson body would finally be revealed, covered from one end to the other in numerous purple scars, an extraordinarily powerful body whose sheer strength seemed capable of shaking the surrounding space and rivaling a World Cataclysm... Then, without showing the slightest hesitation, the Demon would leap straight into the gate while laughing.

The exact same scene continued repeating itself over and over again, following practically the same sequence every single time and with such consistency that, after watching it happen again and again, the red-haired young man began to feel as though time itself was somehow repeating endlessly within that particular spot!

”Arenʼt you the new courier? What did you bring with you?”

”Ah!” The young man jumped in fright when the unexpected voice suddenly came from beside him and immediately turned his head toward its source, only to discover an enormous Demon standing right next to him who was at least four meters tall.

He quickly forced himself to regain his composure when he noticed the rank displayed upon the enormous impʼs armor and realized that the one standing before him was an Demon King. Without wasting another moment, he respectfully bowed and extended the spatial ring he had brought forward with both hands. ”Here you are, sir. Five completely new platforms.”

”Five?” The Demon King repeated while giving a slight nod, then reached forward and took the spatial ring from the young manʼs hands before casually waving him away. ”You can go back now. Bring more with you next time.”

”Y-Yes, sir!” The young man immediately bowed once again and prepared to obey, but before actually leaving, he suddenly gathered enough courage to call out after him. ”Sir, may I ask you a question!?”

”Hmm?” The Demon King turned back toward the young man with obvious surprise at being stopped, but after looking at him for a moment, he nevertheless gave a small nod and allowed him to continue.

”Why are all of them taking off their armor?!” The young man didnʼt hesitate any longer after receiving permission and immediately pointed toward the long, orderly line beneath the Passage Gate. ”Isnʼt doing something like that dangerous?”

”Heh.” The Demon King gave a mocking laugh after hearing the question, then turned away again and resumed walking as though the answer were something perfectly obvious to him. ”Because theyʼll never return to this universe again, so thereʼs no longer any point whatsoever in continuing to hide their true nature... Freedom is the very foundation of us Plague, and that freedom weʼve sought has finally come to us in the form of this passage.”

”....” The young man remained silent for a moment before bowing deeply toward the departing Demon King. ”Thank you for enlightening me.” Then he slowly released a long breath, took one quick glance in the direction of the famous mountain he had heard about... and finally turned around and began heading back toward the gate.

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One light-hour away from Planet Donara—

”.....” A masked figure quietly pulled a strange device into his spatial ring, concealing it completely before a satisfied smile appeared beneath the mask covering his face. ”Letʼs go. We have the footage we wanted.”