Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1521: A reality out of dreams

”Morgana, it’s over. Surrender.” Aman among them stepped forward with his arms folded across his chest, his voice echoing with an arrogance that dripped with certainty, as though the outcome had already been sealed and he alone dictated the fate of all present.

Robin’s brows furrowed sharply. That man was no ordinary cultivator—his aura alone revealed him to be at least a mid-level Nexus State. In fact, Robin would not have been surprised if he proved to be high-level, a monster whose attacks could shatter mountains and reduce armies to dust.

”You have no right to call me by that name.” The Shepherdess’ black brows drew together, her voice like cold iron.

”And who does, then? Your brother, your mother, your father? Your family? Where are they now?” The man’s lips curled into a smile laden with venomous meaning. ”Names exist so the living may speak them aloud, not so the dead may drag them with them into the grave!”

Craaaackle

Morgana—the Shepherdess—waved her hand with deceptive gentleness, and the great violet dome of soul force collapsed in an instant. Then the air itself howled, as waves of violet energy rose and twisted around her like a storm given form, raw power waiting only for her command to be unleashed.

”There is no need for blood today. I came to do what I must and then leave. But for those foolish enough to stand in my way... I do not mind swelling the ranks of my specters.”

”Heheh... then swell them.” The man laughed darkly, raising his hands toward the heavens. In response, the sky itself split apart with a deafening roar, and from the rift descended a rain of colossal lightning bolts that threatened to erase everything below.

KATCHAAAAAA!

Robin’s eyes widened, his eyelids twitching violently. His suspicions were confirmed beyond doubt—this was indeed a high-level Nexus State!

BANG

BANGBANG
At once, Morgana’s storm of violet soul force condensed into countless shields, spinning and twisting like parasols of energy. They caught the falling bolts, redirecting their fury before dissolving into nothingness.

”Incredible...” Robin’s eyes gleamed like polished gems. This was no crude display of raw strength—it was mastery, it was technique honed to an art.

Morgana then thrust her own shimmering shield forward with power. ”So be it! Take them, my children!”

SHAAAAAAAAAHH!!

The legion of specters howled as one, their wails shaking heaven and earth. From the weakest shades to the towering generals, all fell into a frenzy. The violet flames in their chests blazed brighter than ever before, and their strikes fell with the weight of falling stars.

”What?!” The red-coated Nexus State staggered back as half the specters he had been fighting moments ago suddenly swarmed him with relentless fury.

And the other half? They turned as one toward the new arrivals.

Craaaackle

The fleet of starships had brought nearly two thousand seasoned experts. Each man and woman wore their own distinct armor, wielded their personal techniques and weapons, speaking tongues from dozens of worlds—yet every single one of them was a nightmare to face. Though they had stepped into the dominion of a Battle Emperor, they had come prepared, armed with methods specifically designed to deal with specters.

Tens of thousands of demons hurled themselves forward, claws and fangs flashing under violet light. The clash shook the battlefield—but none of the newcomers fell. Their formation held, their techniques flawless, their coordination near perfect.

”...” Morgana’s brows twitched as her sharp gaze swept the scene. This was not what she had envisioned, not what she desired.

BAAAAAAAAAAAM

BOOMBOOMBOOM

The battle raged on for half an hour—an eternity of slaughter.

Robin finally exhaled, his head tilting with quiet disappointment. ”A loss.”

The specters’ ferocity, amplified by Morgana’s dreadful chants, had turned them into a fearsome army. A force that, had it faced Caesar’s legions or Aru’s armies, could have ground them all into dust. Even with the demons’ newfound evolution, the outcome of such a clash would have been uncertain.

But now? The reality was grim. Morgana stood against nearly forty World Cataclysms, six Nexus State cultivators, and two thousand fully equipped Martial Emperors trained for one purpose only: to annihilate specters.

The battlefield was littered with glowing fragments. The once endless horde had been reduced to barely a quarter of its former size, their corpses dissolving into heaps of yellow emeralds that blanketed the land so thickly the earth itself could no longer be seen.

The balance was shattered. The opposing army had not lost even a single soul, while Morgana herself was locked in a desperate clash against two Nexus States. Though she still held her ground with unyielding resolve, it was a battle against time itself.

(Will you try to help her?) Nery’s voice trembled softly inside Robin’s mind.

”...No.” Robin calmed her with a single word, his voice steady. ”She’s fascinating, yes... but not enough to warrant my hand.” His gaze shifted suddenly, fixed upon something else beyond the carnage. ”In truth, my curiosity lies more with that tower...”

(You can sense it as well?)

”Mn, that tower is far from ordinary. It isn’t merely some grotesque monument for butchering lives and stacking corpses in neat, calculated piles. No... there’s something stirring within, something concealed beyond the reach of my senses. It reminds me, in some strange way, of...” Robin narrowed his eyes, his voice low and contemplative, ”...the stepped pyramid on Orphan’s Blood Planet?”

He shook his head slowly, regret flashing across his face. ”A shame... I cannot study it closely, nor can I remain here until this battle reaches its end.”

For should the Shepherdess fall, nearly fifty World Cataclysms and multiple Nexus State cultivators would be left without a target to fix their attention on. Even if he was shielded by several layers of protections and wards, nothing was absolute when one dealt with entities of that level. One stray glance from them could unravel every safeguard he had.

(At the very least, you still have the stepped pyramid on Orphan’s Blood waiting to be examined. To this day, you’ve uncovered nothing of its secrets.)

”...You’re right. It’s time to leave.” Robin exhaled a long breath, his tone resigned, then began edging backward with careful, deliberate steps, preparing to trigger the Law of Space and vanish from this slaughterhouse.

Something had drawn him here. That inexplicable pull... Was it the Shepherdess herself, or was it the mysterious tower? Either way, he knew better than to gamble his fate against the colossal force of the Hand of Shadows Syndicate’s army. Not today. Not here.

BOOOOOOOOM!

KSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—

”...?!” A shrill, violent screech tore across the battlefield, metal grinding against stone with a sound that made even Robin flinch. Against his better judgment, his gaze snapped back toward the Shepherdess.

At that instant, her body crashed onto the ground, sliding helplessly across the dirt for hundreds of meters before halting in a cloud of dust and shattered debris. She landed heavily on her rear, her legs trembling, drained of the strength to hold her upright any longer.

Her face was a mask of pain, yet burning beneath it was something else—rage, and an unyielding determination that refused to be extinguished.

Her left hand clutched desperately at the gaping wound in her abdomen, blood pouring through her fingers, while her right hand pressed into the ground, supporting her failing body. She tried, with all the stubbornness she could muster, to keep herself from collapsing fully onto her back. She struggled to maintain even the illusion of readiness for battle.

But deep inside, she knew. It was futile. Her body was ensnared, wrapped in a suffocating shroud of hostile energy, restrained by countless invisible chains that tightened with every breath. Even the final mercy of ending her own life had been stripped from her.

”Tsk~ That was far more troublesome than it needed to be.” The commander of the Hand of Shadows wiped his hands together as though brushing off dust, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield with calm disdain.

Around him, his soldiers stood drained of their arsenal; their talismans burned to ash, their borrowed spirits and enchanted relics broken or depleted. Priceless treasures worth billions of pearls had been consumed like kindling in the furnace of this battle.

And yet, the leader’s lips stretched into a merciless grin. ”No matter. The Shepherdess’ specter will more than repay every loss.”

”Kill me if you dare!!” Morgana’s voice cracked as terror spilled into her obsidian eyes. The words were brave, but the tremor in them betrayed the truth—what she feared most was not death, but the cursed fate of being bound into eternal servitude as a specter.

Her right hand clawed at the earth, dragging her body backward in a desperate crawl. But her retreat was pitifully short-lived. Already, shadowed figures had encircled her, hemming her in from all sides.

”....!!!!”

Robin’s eyes widened to their limits, his fists curling so tightly his knuckles whitened. His heart pounded violently in his chest.

This scene —this exact scene— he had witnessed it twice already today, in his dreams.