Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1016: The effective way -5 ”No, no, no...”

Kiri muttered absentmindedly as she darted like an arrow, praying that her motherʼs home had somehow survived. But... ”No!!”

Swoosh!

The house was a bit farther from the center of the conflict, so it hadnʼt been crushed under the warlordsʼ feet. However, the flying debris from shattered homes and the collapsing ceiling had fallen on it, leaving half of it destroyed. ”Mother... Mother!!”

Kiri rushed inside, frantically breaking apart rocks and wooden beams that made up the houseʼs roof. Finally, she saw what she was looking for. ”Mother!!” ”Pfft...” There lay an old woman with pale silver fur and empty white eyes. Her usual chair was shattered, and she herself was pinned beneath a massive wooden beam, barely clinging to life. ”Please, hold on!” Kiri kicked the beam away and held her mother in her arms, tears streaming from her eyes. ”Iʼm sorry... itʼs my fault... itʼs my fault...”

BOOM BOOM

Behind her, the battle raged on, the ceiling growing unnaturally hot and beginning to melt, dripping molten rock onto the demi-cats below. ”My daughter... it is not... your fault...”

Queen Tao spoke with difficulty, trying to lift her hand to touch her daughterʼs cheek.

Kiri guided her motherʼs hand to her face and continued, sobbing. ”It is my fault. I donʼt know how they found this place, but they must have followed me. Itʼs my fault... everything I planned was wasted. I shouldʼve handled things outside on my own...” ”Sniff... Sniff...” ”My daughter... it is not... too late...” Queen Taoʼs voice was soft and fragile, as if clinging to the edge of life. ”Do you have any advice, Mother?!” Kiriʼs eyes lit up with hope. ”My daughter... go out and surrender... perhaps they will... perhaps they will spare some of us...”

Queen Tao then began coughing blood. Cough Cough.

She struggled to continue. ”If this battle continues.... we will perish... everyone will perish...” ”But...” Kiri looked at the battlefield with despair and a heavy heart. At that moment, most of her race were desperately trying to ignore the heat that had begun to scorch their fur, throwing themselves at the warlords and the still-pouring army of the True Beginning from the four portals.

But this direct, desperate clash only added to the casualties. The amount of spilled blood and burnt corpses had reached horrifying levels. ”My daughter... listen... In the past, we managed to rise again, even after they killed your grandmother... after they killed all the elders... because the army was still standing. If this battle continues and all our strongest warriors die... there will be no fighters left to inspire hope, no one from the royal family to carry the banner. Our race will have no future.” Queen Tao struggled to breathe as she finished her plea. ”Do it, my daughter... they might hate you for a while, but years later... they will appreciate what you did today. Surrender, and perhaps we will find mercy among them.” ”

Kiri stared into her motherʼs blind eyes for a few seconds before nodding several times. She gently laid her mother down, turned her back to her, and prepared to go out and declare their surrender.

But after a few steps, she stopped, looking back with a cold expression. ”Whatʼs my fatherʼs name?” ”Ah... Ah... He...”

The old woman clutched her chest, writhing in pain. She tried to speak, but no sound came from her mouth.

Kiri raised an eyebrow before gripping her dagger. ”My mother isnʼt this weak. Iʼll give you three seconds to answer... Whatʼs my fatherʼs name?” ”....Heh... Hehehe~” The old woman lifted her head, letting out a sly laugh. ”And who would know, little bitch?”

Swoosh!

Kiri raised her blade, her eyes wide and her fur bristling with intensity. ”Speak, Demon. Where is my mother?!” ”First, May I ask how you knew?” The blind old womanʼs smile was chilling, as if it came from a ghost. ”The word ʼsurrenderʼ would be the last thing Queen Tao would ever say. Sheʼd prefer the complete annihilation of our race over uttering that word!” Kiri shouted again, wanting to kill whatever stood before her but fearful of losing the chance to find her mother. ”Hahaha.”The old womanʼs face began to change rapidly, her body growing larger and transforming until she turned into a youthful human woman, round-faced with large eyes. ”Hmm, plausible. But what a question youʼve chosen... Who knows your fatherʼs name, sweetie? Over the past three days, Iʼve captured several of your kind and interrogated them. None of them know anything about your origins except your mother, and I couldnʼt get a thing out of that old hag. Youʼre likely an illegitimate child and your father is some random dog, yet you ask as if itʼs your greatest secret.” ”No...”

Kiri stumbled back several steps until she tripped over a stone and fell. ”You... Youʼre dead! I cut off your head myself!!”

Of course, the figure before her was none other than Elizabeth, and she didnʼt bear a single scratch. ”What kind of monster are you?!” Kiri screamed, forgetting her intent to find her mother. She simply leaped from the ground, her eyes burning with the desire to kill. Slaaash!

BANG!

In a disturbingly familiar scene, Elizabethʼs head fell to the ground, rolling a little before coming to a stop. ”Hey, this is ruining my pretty face. Could you grow up a bit?”

Elizabethʼs head spoke with a little anger. Her body took two steps, picked up the severed head, and casually tossed it in the air like a leather ball. ”Perhaps itʼs time to think rationally?

Killing this body will get you nothing.” ”How... How?!”

Terror and fear gripped Kiriʼs heart and feet.

Elizabethʼs head chuckled. ”Hehe, itʼs a simple trick when you have complete mastery over the fourth stage of the Plant Path. Didnʼt you know there are plants of all colors and shapes? Some plants produce blood-like liquid; others have skin-like textures. Crafting this body required just a bit of basic knowledge about different types of plants. Then came the first stage of the Life Law and the first stage of the Soul Law to create a connection with it. What can I say? I enjoy studying various laws to expand my horizons. Hehe.” Finally, her body grabbed the head and placed it back on her neck with a grin. ”A replica? All this time...”

Kiriʼs eyes widened before she shouted angrily. ”Didnʼt you say youʼd trust me? Youʼre all the same! Traitors, all of you!!” ”Hahaha, look whoʼs talking!” Elizabeth laughed softly. ”I accompanied you with my real body at first. But when I noticed your repeated glances behind you and your unjustified pauses along the way, I swapped bodies without you noticing. True, Iʼm neither the strongest among His Excellencyʼs generals nor the best army leader. But I wasnʼt born yesterday to let a child like you and a muscle bitch like her assassinate me. When I was running intelligence systems and wreaking havoc in the other three empires, your mother hadnʼt even ascended the throne yet!”

Creaaak!

Next to Kiri, several roots and leaves emerged from the ground. They oozed liquids and began forming into more Elizabeths. One by one, duplicates of Elizabeth appeared.

The nearest one grabbed Kiri by her short hair. ”Ahhh!!” Then it dragged her toward the battlefield and lifted her head high. ”Do you think the outside world is full of roses and peace? Do you think you have known suffering yet? You Have seen nothing! I accompanied you with my real body, genuinely intending to negotiate a deal that would grant your people a decent life. And what did you do? Look at what youʼve done to your people! Look at the consequences of your actions!!” ”Mercy... Order them to stop... please...” Kiri spoke weakly, her body void of any will to fight. What good would it do to cut through these plant replicas? How would that help save her mother or stop the massacre of her people?

It would only provoke this human further. Elizabethʼs gaze turned cold as she stared directly into Kiriʼs eyes. ”...I saw and heard everything that happened to that replica. I tried to speak through it to plead for mercy. Did you show me mercy? Can you imagine watching yourself get killed, only to hear two harlots discussing your corpse like itʼs a dead dog?! But no matter...”

A faint smile appeared on her face. ”When His Excellency gave us permission for total annihilation, I didnʼt understand at the time why he would grant such an order. But after dealing with you all, I understand now. I understand perfectly.”