Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1717 Marshalʼs awakening

Somewhere within the vast expanse of the Young Sector 101 -

”Umm...” Marshal Fargus slowly opened his eyes, his eyelids heavy as stone, his mind swimming in a fog of confusion. He stared forward blankly, vision

adjusting to what appeared to be a wall of pure white - seamless, unbroken, with no door, no window, not even the faintest shadow of a line. ”...” After a long pause, he raised his hand and began to gently massage his forehead, fingers trembling as if trying to coax his scattered memories back together.

”Ah- the Young Space Beast!” Fargus suddenly jolted upright, his entire body tensing as adrenaline surged through his veins. He sat up violently after having been sprawled on his back, panic flickering in his eyes. ”This...?!”

It took him a few seconds to realize what he was actually seeing. He hadnʼt been staring at a wall at all - it was the ceiling. Even so, his surroundings were still peculiar: a perfectly sealed room, smooth on all sides except for a small metallic door to the right. A faint hum reverberated through the walls, accompanied by rhythmic tremors beneath him. The sensation was unmistakable. He was inside some kind of moving structure... perhaps a spaceship.

”...What exactly happened...?” Fargus murmured, his voice hoarse. He lowered his gaze, trying to piece together the fragments of his last memories. The final thing he could recall was deploying a fourth-degree Extremity Gear to erect a barrier that shielded Verilion from annihilation. Then... the Space Beast had smashed through his defense and after that, everything went black. Nothing remained in his mind but silence and void.

”Hm?” His thoughts were interrupted as his eyes drifted downward - and then widened in disbelief. He realized he had been lying atop a bed woven entirely from Energy Pearls, their soft glow pulsing faintly beneath him like a living heartbeat.

He raised his hand again, examining it closely, rotating it in the light. Then he looked over his uniform, his chest, his arms. The dried blood that once covered him was gone. The deep wounds heʼd suffered - nearly all of them - had vanished without a trace. Even the energy core within him, which had been cracked and completely drained, now shimmered weakly once again - about five percent recharged. The conclusion was clear: the Energy Pearl bed had been designed to restore him.

His body still felt sluggish, weighed down by exhaustion, and the dull ache of internal injuries lingered deep within. Yet, despite all that, his energy pathways were stabilizing. His life force was no longer fading. It was recovering. Somehow - impossibly he was alive, breathing, and conscious.

”Just what in the...” Fargus muttered faintly, voice barely above a whisper.

Shhhk the small metallic door slid open with a hiss, releasing a soft gust of sterilized air. A crimson-armored soldier stepped in, ducking slightly to squeeze his curved horns through the narrow doorway. Once inside, he straightened his back, his presence firm and disciplined.

”The guards heard a noise and called for me,” the soldier said from behind his mask. ”Had a pleasant rest, Marshal?”

”.....” Fargus looked at him from head to toe, his expression unreadable. ”Itʼs you... the one whose horns grow from his eyes. The wielder of those bloody daisies.” He gave a few small nods, then exhaled deeply. ”So youʼre the one who pulled me out of that mess.”

”You survived because youʼre strong, Marshal,” Sakaar replied, stepping forward with measured calm. He took two slow steps and crouched before Fargus. ”All of Verilion survived because of you.”

”Donʼt try to flatter me,” Fargus said with a dry chuckle that turned into a cough. ”If it werenʼt for you and the Hammerbearer, both I and Verilion would have been erased from existence.” As he spoke, Fargus raised his gaze toward Sakaarʼs face, his tone softening. Then he extended his hand forward. ”I donʼt say this often... but thank you.”

”...” Sakaar hesitated - just for a moment - then reached out and clasped Fargusʼs hand firmly.

Clank!

In that instant, Fargusʼs grip tightened like a vice, refusing to release him. ”Itʼs you, isnʼt it?”

”What are you talking about?” Sakaarʼs brow furrowed as he tried to pull his hand free, but Fargusʼs strength, though diminished, was still formidable. ”Youʼre the one who spoke to me from within the planet,” Fargus said sharply, eyes narrowing. ”The voice that told me reinforcements were on their way. Youʼre Marshal Sakaar, the silent guardian whoʼs watched over Verilionʼs surface for the past century and half.”

”...Release my hand,” Sakaar said flatly, his tone composed but laced with warning.

”.....” Fargus held on for a few more seconds, the tension heavy in the air, then finally let go. He leaned back slightly, breathing out. ”I still owe you my life, Marshal Sakaar. All I ask for... is an explanation.”

”The armors are similar,” Sakaar replied, resting his palm calmly on his thigh, ”and our voices even more so.”

”This is absolute nonsense.” Fargus swung his arm through the air with force, his voice echoing off the white metallic walls. ”What kind of fool do you take me for? Iʼm the one entrusted with guarding Verilion - its shield, its wall against annihilation. Iʼve seen you with my own eyes before fighting on the surface of the planet. Do you honestly believe I wouldnʼt recognize you sitting right here before me?” He leaned forward, his tone deepening. ”And not just you! The one wielding that monstrous hammer who grows to titanic size in battle, and the other commanding that squad of projectile warriors - Iʼve seen all of you, scattered across Verilionʼs surface, appearing in separate incidents whenever disaster struck. Donʼt treat me like a blind fool.”

”Thatʼs all youʼll get from me,” Sakaar replied without hesitation, his tone sharp and controlled like a blade barely sheathed. ”Donʼt make me regret pulling you out of that battlefield alive.”

”...” Fargusʼs face hardened. His thick brows furrowed deeply as silence fell between them. He didnʼt respond - but his eyes said enough. He didnʼt believe

a single word of what Sakaar just said.

”You donʼt need to believe my words,” Sakaar continued, his voice steady, though the faint edge of fatigue crept into it. ”You donʼt even need to investigate or question me. All thatʼs required from you, Marshal, is faith faith in the one who sent us to defend Verilion.” He lifted his chin slightly, the dim crimson light from his armor gleaming across his face. ”Have we not fulfilled our duties? Havenʼt we done exactly what we were sent to do?”

”... Youʼve done that - and more.” Fargus finally muttered, nodding once, slow

and heavy.

”Then there should be no tension between us,” Sakaar said curtly, his words deliberate and clipped. ”Thatʼs the only reason I came here to confirm that

much.”

”... You realize I have to ask, right?” Fargusʼs tone dropped, deep and grave, like a judge preparing a verdict. ”Thereʼs only one kind of entity in the entire Young Sector capable of entering and leaving planetary boundaries without triggering any of the sectorʼs restriction protocols.” His gaze traced over Sakaar from head to toe, evaluating every inch of him - the armor, the horns, the faint aura that seemed to ripple unnaturally around his body. ”...Youʼre not one of those,

are you?”

”.....” Sakaar went silent. For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the low hum of the shipʼs core.

The plague...

He knew what Fargus was referring to. The plagues - the various forms of that ancient corruption - were the only things unaffected by planetary restrictions. They werenʼt classified as living beings, merely self-propagating infections of reality itself. And now, Fargus was testing him.

How was he supposed to answer this?

Did the Shadow Swords foresee that this moment this exact confrontation -

would occur the moment they revealed themselves?

Should he have let Fargus die on Verilionʼs surface instead of interfering? Yet if

Fargus had perished, who would remain to lead the armies, to stand as the celestial shield and spearhead of Verilionʼs defense?

”...Whether I am one of them or not,” Sakaar finally said after a long pause, voice low but firm, ”shouldnʼt concern you too deeply, Marshal. What matters is that we will continue our vigilance, our protection, our unseen service. You, on the other hand, must continue your tireless work, as you always have. And in time, everything will return to how it once was.” He folded his arms. ”Do we have an understanding?”

”...” Fargus didnʼt answer immediately. He simply stared into Sakaarʼs eyes, his gaze heavy with thought and a hint of defiance. After several seconds of

silence, he said slowly, ”No. We donʼt.”

”...?” A subtle shift coursed through Sakaarʼs aura a ripple, like tension in the

air.

”Weʼre not going back to how things were,” Fargus said with conviction. ”I want you all of you to keep fighting by my side, to remain stationed around Verilion. His brow tightened as he spoke, his tone ironclad. ”The battles have evolved beyond anything weʼve faced before. The frontlines are collapsing faster than ever. I canʼt hold the defense alone anymore.”

”.....” Sakaar turned his head slightly, exhaling a quiet breath. His expression remained unreadable, but his voice carried a restrained heaviness. ”That will be... difficult. You said it yourself - youʼve already seen all of us across Verilionʼs surface. Whether thatʼs true or not, donʼt you think the allied fleets might have noticed the same?”