Lord of the Truth

1082  Purple madness

Amon took a step forward.

RUMBLE!

BOOOOOOOM!

The sheer, unimaginable weight of the monstrous being —standing at a staggering 300 meters tall— crashed down upon the battlefield with devastating force. The very ground beneath his colossal foot shattered into dust, sending violent tremors rippling outward like an earthquake. In an instant, an entire battalion —ten thousand soldiers strong— was obliterated. Some were crushed into oblivion, others sent flying like ragdolls, while the rest scrambled in sheer terror, fleeing from the unrelenting force of destruction.

”CHAAAAARGE!”

”FOR HIS MAJESTY!!”

Yet, despite the horrifying display of devastation, fear did not take hold of the remaining battalions. Not even for a second. Instead, they roared in unison, their battle cries piercing through the chaos like an unstoppable wave.

To them, this was no longer a battle against an unstoppable monster. Amon had become just another obstacle— a challenge they had to overcome, a test of their loyalty and strength. Their emperor, their planetary conqueror, stood tall and unyielding, his presence alone an unshakable beacon of power. To earn his favor, they had to break through.

At the front lines, the Empireʼs soldiers struck the demons with everything they got quickly making up for the losses under Amonʼs foot.

BAM BAM BAM

Every blow sent demon bodies flying, the sheer force of their attacks shattering bones and armor alike. Blood painted the battlefield, turning the once-dry soil into a scarlet wasteland. Yet, behind the first ranks of warriors, the entire rear divisions of the Empireʼs army had one goal in mind— cripple Amon once more.

But then—

SWOOSH SWOOSH

The crimson halos that Amon had used to guard his back —once an impenetrable defense— were no longer needed there. The moment Caesar took control of that front, Amon redirected every single drop of energy toward defending against the onslaught of infantry.

One after another, battalions threw themselves forward with every ounce of strength they had. They struck with swords, spears, and siege weapons, yet—

The colossal halos of blood met them head-on.

The swirling barriers of crimson energy slashed through the battlefield like bladed whirlwinds, intercepting countless attacks before they could even reach Amonʼs body. Thousands of weapons clashed against the barriers, yet most of the strikes never made it past the midway point.

However, this defensive wall came at a heavy cost.

Each intercepted strike evaporated a portion of Amonʼs blood, causing the halos to shrink little by little. The radiant shields grew thinner, flickering like dying flames.

Yet Amon did not stop.

BOOOOOOOOM!

He took another step forward.

”FOLLOW THE KING!!”

The demons, witnessing yet another battalion being wiped out before their eyes, felt a renewed surge of power burning deep in their hearts. Their king was still standing. He was still moving.

Like ants scrambling beneath a colossal titan, they rushed forward, trying to seize this fleeting moment of momentum.

”....”

Amon released a deep, guttural groan.

A sound that no one heard.

His monstrous form trembled for a brief second.

A silent pain coursed through his body, unseen by those around him.

He could feel it— he was beginning to collapse.

Perhaps no one had noticed, but his towering height was slowly diminishing. With each second, he shrank, little by little, his massive frame losing its edge as the blood loss reached an unsustainable rate.

When he had expanded earlier, the transformation had been excruciating— his bones had snapped apart, his organs had been ripped to shreds, only to reform and stretch beyond their limits.

And now… It was happening in reverse.

His body was contracting, forcefully compressing, and the pain was unbearable.

In just a short span of time, the sheer amount of blood he had expended had already cost him ten full meters of his height.

The unbearable agony was nearly blinding. His mind flickered between lucidity and darkness, his vision blurred by the waves of suffering.

But he knew one thing.

He could not stop.

The battlefield was crumbling. Across every front, his forces were either halted or losing ground. He was the only one left who still had a chance to push forward.

No matter the cost— he had to keep moving.

RUMBLE!

Amon raised his foot once more.

The next battalion, knowing they were next in line, broke formation immediately, scattering like leaves in a storm. No one wanted to be the next to end up flattened into the earth.

And then—

A single, deafening roar shook the heavens.

”HHHSSSSAAAAAA——!!”

Then—

OOOOOOOOOOMMMM

The Purple Sun —the celestial fire that loomed over the battlefield—suddenly shuddered.

Then, as if answering Pythorʼs call, it began to pulse.

Wave after wave of pure, concentrated energy burst forth from its core, radiating outward in all directions.

Then a sharp buzzing sound filled the battlefield.

The eyes of every single soldier from the Empire of the Great Serpent flashed with a deep, eerie purple glow.

For a moment, silence fell.

Even those who had been frantically fleeing from under Amonʼs colossal foot —those who had just been running for their very lives— suddenly froze in place, standing eerily still as if their minds had been forcibly shut down.

”….?” Amon frowned.

Even Caesar and the rest of the commanders paused in confusion.

The battlefield, which had been an inferno of chaos just seconds ago, now stood eerily still— as if time itself had halted.

Then—

”RAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOR!!”

A monstrous, unified roar erupted from every soldier of the Serpent Empire.

”FOR HIS MAJESTY…!”

”FOR HIS MAJESTY…!”

”FOR HIS MAJESTY…!”

Their voices merged into one, an overwhelming mantra of devotion that thundered across the battlefield.

Their expressions —once filled with either determination or fear— were now twisted into something else entirely.

Pure. Unfiltered. Savage. Bloodlust.

Like wild beasts released from their chains, they bared their teeth in manic grins. Drool dripped from their mouths as their eyes burned with violent intent.

Then, as if driven by a force beyond reason, they charged forward once more.

But this time—

They werenʼt trying to avoid Amonʼs impending attack.

They were charging toward him!

CLANK! CLANK!

Entire battle formations crumbled as rank after rank dissolved into utter chaos.

The Great Serpent Empireʼs generals abandoned their positions, their once-cunning battlefield formations now replaced with raw, animalistic hunger.

The disciplined army of the Empire of the Great Serpent had become something that resembled the demons.

No—

They had become something far more terrifying.

Moments ago, the demons had been like waves crashing against an impenetrable dam— desperately trying to break through their enemyʼs unshakable defense but couldnʼt without Amonʼs help.

But now—

They were like waves crashing against a tsunami, The Great Serpentʼs advance was horrifying!

”Oh no…”

One of the demon generals muttered in horror as he noticed the sudden shift in their enemyʼs behavior.

BAM BAM

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Amon stomped down once more, crushing the ground beneath him and taking thousands of enemy soldiers with it.

But this time—

Something was different.

SWARM SWARM

The infantry soldiers —those who should have fled in terror— began climbing his legs like insects.

They scrambled up his massive form, their hands clawing at his skin, their bodies piling on top of each other like an unholy horde of ants swarming prey.

Amon snarled.

He swung his halos of blood, the crimson energy carving through their ranks like a scythe through wheat.

SHHHHK!

In one minute alone, he killed more than he had in his last two stomps combined.

And yet—

They did not stop.

Not for even a single second.

They kept climbing.

Their limbs twisted and broken, their bodies impaled by his counterattacks—yet they kept moving without hesitation.

Their numbers did not dwindle.

If anything—

They only seemed to grow.

”Fall back, you damned fools! Do you not care for your own lives?!”

Caesar roared in frustration, watching in shock as one hundred and fifty Imperial combatants came rushing at him like rabid dogs.

Their bodies burned away as they charged through the black flames, their very lifespans halved in the process.

And still—

They did not stop.

”What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Confusion turned to horror as everyone realized—

This wasnʼt normal.

This wasnʼt just discipline.

Something unnatural was happening to the soldiers of the Serpent Empire.

And then—

The situation escalated even further.

SWOOOOOOOOSH SWOOOOOOOOSH

Massive warships began appearing one after another, emerging from the skies like harbingers of destruction.

TSHHH

The hatches of the starships opened.

But the soldiers inside—

They did not wait for landing gear.

They did not wait for descent ropes.

They did not wait for a controlled landing.

Instead—

They jumped.

”WHAT?!”

”HEYAAAAAA—”

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Like meteors crashing into a river, the soldiers plummeted from the ships—each one slamming into the ground with earth-shaking force.

The impact left craters where they landed, some of them breaking bones upon impact.

But even the ones who fractured limbs—

DID. NOT. STOP.

They rose immediately, limping, crawling, running—

And charged straight for Amon and the remaining demon army with insane, suicidal fervor.

The battlefield had turned into pure madness.