Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1871 Enemies?

”How?” Hedrick spread his arms wide, as if presenting the entire absurdity before him. ”Letʼs assume, purely for argumentʼs sake, that I leave-tell me, how exactly would that miraculously solve everything?” He lowered his arms slowly back onto the armrests, leaning forward slightly. ”Orion, youʼve lived your whole life pampered and sheltered. Youʼve never tasted a real war, never stood on a battlefield... but youʼre not an idiot-not that catastrophically foolish.” Then he locked his gaze into both of Orionʼs eyes with piercing intensity. ”Tell me then, based on everything youʼve spent your whole life studying, what are the Behemoth forces doing at this exact moment?”

”.....” Orion slowly eased himself into his seat, back stiff. ”That doesnʼt matter.” ”What do you mean it doesnʼt matter?” Hedrickʼs voice rose sharply, incredulous. ”Fine-then Iʼll spell it out for you. One of them expands like a maddened conqueror, striking at the powerful first so the weak collapse in terror, and the other one expands patiently, methodically, swallowing every free planet one by one until it finally evolves into a Grand Millennial Empire- after which it sets its gaze on the true cosmic powers.”

He jabbed a finger toward Orion, voice erupting, ”These are the Behemothsʼ classic sector-subjugation strategies, you blind fool! This is the very first thing a Behemoth does after obtaining a galaxy seed-unify an entire sector through overwhelming force! They are doing in Mid Sector 101 what your mother never had the courage or the vision to do!!”

”.....” Orionʼs jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth violently. ”I spoke with them at length-both the Cursed Behemoth Darvion and the Savage Behemoth Zavros. Both of them insisted their purpose is to eliminate the threat that is you, and once youʼre gone, theyʼll cease their military bases expansion.”

”Alright, alright, donʼt inflate yourself into the center of the universe.” Hedrick let out a sharp laugh, mocking. ”Tell me, did you speak to the Behemoths themselves, or to their polished, rehearsed representatives?”

”Thatʼs what I thought.” Hedrick flicked his hand dismissively. ”Did you really swallow the nonsense that their whole sector-subjugation campaign is because of me? What connection do I have to their ongoing war with the other Millennial Empires? Do you truly believe theyʼll politely pack up and leave the moment I disappear?”

He shook his head slowly, almost pitying. ”Nothing but daydreams-childish fantasies dressed as diplomacy.”

”...This is how diplomacy works, Lord Hedrick,” Orion replied, voice steadier but simmering with restrained anger. ”The cosmic order is shifting. And even though you are neck-deep in this war you dragged us into, you must have heard whatʼs unfolding across the universe ever since the first rumors about the Cosmic Elder spread... This is no longer the only cosmic-scale conflict.” Orion drew a deep breath, regaining his controlled fury. ”All we can do now is stand with whatever side appears righteous. We must expel you. Only then can we negotiate with them and salvage whatever good remains.”

”.....” Hedrick stared at Orionʼs face, his expression hardening into something unusually serious.

Until the day the adult space beast revealed itself, every major power across the cosmos hid in the shadows, watching and waiting like predators conserving energy. Then the rumor of the Cosmic Elderʼs death tore through the stars, and soon after, the colossal adult space beast appeared-only for everyone to erupt in joy when it was slain. But that brief celebration collapsed when further reports spread-news confirming the Elderʼs impending death... and his multiple marriages that shook cosmic politics to their core.

That was when the gates of hell burst open everywhere. No one cared about slow scheming or delicate conspiracies anymore. The strong began eyeing the weak openly, viewing them as their next inevitable meal. Most star academies shut themselves in, refusing to bother with anything happening outside their fortified walls. As a result, the number of pirates multiplied, and red- and black-plague nests spread like wildfire across countless systems.

The entire universe spiraled into madness in the span of mere decades-an age of reason collapsing into pure chaos.

Even the Cursed Behemoth and the Savage Behemoth began moving openly, no longer hiding their ambition, as they marched to devour the entirety of Mid Sector 101!

The war in Mid Sector 101 is unquestionably the hottest and most violent conflict at the moment, without the slightest doubt-but it is far from being the only raging war across the universe.

”...So you do realize their true aim isnʼt simply to expel me. You just... intend to use me as a sacrificial offering to appease them, to calm their rage, so you can crawl back into negotiations afterward?” Hedrickʼs lips curved into a strange, unreadable smile. ”Tell me, what exactly will you do after convincing me to leave after I abandon my vaults, my accumulated treasures, and my entire armada? Will you run to kiss their boots, begging them to stop their occupation of the sector?”

”You donʼt understand a single thing...” Irritation washed over Orionʼs face again, thicker than before. ”And please -stop pretending you possess some moral superiority over us. You let your own five thousand planets fall -either destroyed or left for their populations to be massacred- simply because of your obsession with acquiring Verilion. Hundreds of billions died for your dream. No-thousands of billions perished! And if that werenʼt enough, the enemies used your presence as justification to enter the sector and begin their expansion. You are a selfish, ruthless man who sees nothing but blood. My only regret my only one-is that someone like you remained under our protection for all those long years.”

”Hmmm~” Hedrick released a long breath and rubbed his hand over his head, as if trying to massage clarity into a chaotic conversation. ”I donʼt know exactly how this will sound, but... Iʼm not doing all of this for Verilion anymore.” He paused, letting silence hang. ”Yes, the war began because of the seed. But it continued because I stepped into it. And I will not walk out of it defeated, tail between my legs. I refuse to let anyone say I lost a war. Do you understand what kind of man I am?”

Orionʼs expression darkened to its absolute worst since the meeting began... This was arrogance in its purest, most unfiltered form.

This man this force of destruction- was willing to postpone, or even abandon, the dream of controlling a galaxy seed, one of the rarest treasures in existence... yet he was not willing to accept a single story, a single rumor, a single whisper saying he had been defeated. Pride mattered more to him than

dream, treasure, or life.

”By the way,” Hedrick added suddenly, snapping his fingers sharply, ”you just

said the enemies used me as a pretext to enter the sector and expand, yes?” Then his mouth curled into a slow smile. ”You were calling them allies just a moment ago. What happened to that?”

”...” Orionʼs previously furious expression shifted into visible shock, his eyes flickering wide before he regained a cold, dead calm. ”I was speaking out of anger and chose the wrong words, thatʼs all.”

”Oh, come on, Orion.” Hedrick leaned forward slightly. ”Why donʼt you tell me whatʼs truly happening? The Behemoth of Curses is supposed to be your closest ally- heʼs the one who helped your people gain control over this sector in the first place. He visited your galaxy once, and the pure Kaylis visited him several times afterward. There are countless marriage ties binding your two families. The newest and most significant of them is your sister, The Sparkling Sereneʼs, upcoming marriage to Lord Damier himself, the eldest son of the Behemoth of Curses.”

Hedrickʼs smile grew stranger, almost eerie. His crimson eyes opened wider, staring deeply and directly into Orionʼs. ”You know your ridiculous offer -that I leave the sector will be rejected without hesitation. Iʼll walk out of here and continue doing exactly what I choose, exactly as I desire. But maybe... maybe if I hear the truth, I might feel a bit of sympathy for you. Who knows? Maybe Iʼll even consider leaving.”

”There is nothing to say,” Orion replied, eyes lifeless as cold stone, ”and we do not need anyoneʼs sympathy.”

”Then there is nothing left to discuss.” Hedrick nodded with finality. ”Return to hiding inside the Bright Galaxy and watch events unfold from the safety of your walls-just like the rest of the frightened citizens.”

At that exact moment -before Hedrick could even rise- another voice cut

through the tension:

”Wait, Lord Hedrick. This meeting may never happen again. In just a few years,

some of the people in this room may very well be dead. Isnʼt this the perfect opportunity to lay the truths bare? I believe Lord Orion will be gracious enough to speak... and if he wonʼt, then perhaps /will.”

”Hm?” Orion furrowed his brows sharply and turned toward the source of the

unexpected voice.

It was Theo.