Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1106  Scream

The Middle Planetary Belt– Planet Destra – The Throne Hall

”Father, it has been months of these meetings. Wonʼt you grant me what I seek?” The son, Harry, spoke in a pleading tone. ”I keep receiving reports from my dominion, and things are not going well there.”

The patriarch of House Destra had listened to them all from the very first meeting, yet he had never granted them what they had come for outright. Instead, he convened new meetings every few days, silently watching as they argued amongst themselves, only to announce, once again, that the meeting was postponed.

The head of House Destra smiled. ”And what is the harm in spending some time with your father? We do not gather every day, after all.”

”Tsk~ Your skin is thicker than the castle walls,” his sister, Hilary, shot him a sideways glance. ”Just how much debt have you accumulated by now? Have you ever repaid anything from before, and yet you ask for another loan? And this time, youʼre requesting planetary-grade armament of the sixth tier all at once? Youʼre simply delusional!”

”What business is it of yours? Father will be the one to decide!” Harry snapped, clearly irritated by his elder sisterʼs remarks. Then he turned back to The head of House Destra. ”Father, you havenʼt given me what I want yet, but neither have you outright refused. Why not give me a clear answer? If you reject my request, I will stop bringing up the matter.”

”Hmmm… Your sister is not wrong,” the father spoke in a calm yet commanding voice. ”Last time, when I lent you some of my guards to defend your multi-planetary empire, your debts soared to dangerous levels. For that service alone, you committed 20% of your total planetary output for the next thirty thousand years. If we calculate the remaining services, you now owe 65% of the total output of all your current AND future planets for the next 220,000 years. Do you not think that is enough? If you take on a sixth-tier planetary armament now, I fear you may have no resources left to continue your expansion.”

Whistle~ Hilaryʼs eyes widened before she let out a laugh. ”Wow, that is truly pathetic.”

”Tsk~ Your recent flurry of one-day marriages has certainly made your heart bolder, hasnʼt it? Not all of us can spread our legs to get what we want!” Harry spat to the side.

”Did you hear that, Father?!” Hilary pointed at her brother, yelling. Were it not for the rule forbidding combat in their fatherʼs presence, she would have attacked him already.

”Harry, do not speak of your sister in such a manner,” the head of House Destra admonished him. ”If you say such things, what does that leave for strangers to say?” Then he turned to meet Hilaryʼs gaze directly.

”Speaking of what strangers say… Has the time not come for you to put an end to these actions?”

”...You taught us to use every weapon at our disposal to expand our power. My beauty is one of my weapons. What fault is it of mine if these two clowns are envious of me?” Hilary averted her gaze from her fatherʼs piercing eyes.

”The reputation of House Destra must be tied to destruction and pride, not these kinds of methods.” His eyes gleamed with a threatening light that sent shivers through the room. ”Do as you please, so long as you do not stain your reputation —and mine along with it. As punishment for the recent rumors about you, I will increase your debt by 7% of the total output of your current and future planets for the next sixty thousand years.”

”..!!!” Something in Hilaryʼs mind snapped!

She had just managed to rid herself of one of her previous debts, reducing the total burden to 38% of her planetary output for the next 160,000 years. She had chosen those particular methods precisely to avoid further debts that drained her dry day and night, preventing her from truly enjoying her possessions.

One of her main reasons for attending todayʼs meeting had been to use her fatherʼs influence to suppress the rumors about her within the Soul Society and the various intelligence organizations that specialized in buying and spreading news. The very thought of accruing debt simply for this request had cost her several sleepless nights.

But… that damned fourth brother had just saddled her with another debt, without even acquiring something in return!!

”Hey, is that a killing intent I feel directed at me?” Harry scooted slightly away in his seat before pointing at his sister. ”Father, do you see this? She wants to kill your son!”

”Hilary is a good girl and would never do such a thing.” Their Father didnʼt spare either of them a second glance.

This was how every meeting had gone over the past few months— neither had the fourth sonʼs request been approved nor denied, nor had the third daughterʼs plea even been acknowledged. Most of the time, the siblings would clash verbally, or more debts would be imposed upon them for one reason or another, seemingly without any real purpose.

If the animosity between the four siblings had cooled even slightly since the last quarter-millennial meeting, today had certainly reignited it to its peak.

The fatherʼs gaze finally settled on the second son, Hadison. ”What about you? Have you considered making a request? A loan, perhaps? A favor?”

”Everything is fine with me. Iʼll simply maintain the 10% for the next quarter-millennium. You may focus on my siblings.” Hadison nodded with composed dignity.

Who in their right mind would willingly entangle themselves in this corrupt debt system?

He had already rid himself of every last debt and, for the first time, declared that he owed nothing and would take no further loans. That was when their father had finally broken his silence—not in approval, but in fury.

A new decree was issued that day: as long as the children continued using their bodies, which were innately attuned to the Path of Destruction, they would be required to pay a perpetual 10% of their planetsʼ total output.

That decision had enraged every sibling— against their father and against the second son. Why should they be taxed 10% of all they owned simply because of the way they were born?!

What followed was a bloodbath involving the eldest brother and all the— well, no one is allowed to speak about it anymore.

But in the end, the Fatherʼs decree took effect anyway.

”Oh? What a pity…” The Father mused before his expression shifted slightly. ”I have verified intelligence that the Centennial Empire of Volsung has been stockpiling weapons at an unprecedented rate. Moreover, they are currently negotiating an alliance with the Centennial Empire of Kadrak. I wonder… why?”

”..?!” Hadison stiffened instantly.

Volsung and Kadrak were the two largest empires in his sector. The only plausible reason for their alliance… was him!

Such monumental news should have already been circulating within the Soul Society, intelligence agencies, and assassination networks. And yet, he had heard nothing before this moment.

Of course, it never even crossed his mind that his father might be lying.

”It seems you have something to ponder until our next meeting. Letʼs reconvene in a week. All of you, remember this—” Their fatherʼs gaze swept over them, his voice thick with amusement. ”As long as your father is here… anything is possible. You merely need to choose wisely and—”

BAAANG!

A deafening sound suddenly echoed through the hall.

All eyes snapped toward Helen.

She had shattered the armrests of her throne.

Her usually pristine eyes were now laced with crimson veins of fury as she bellowed, ”The rat dared?!”