Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2121 Jin

Bam

Shaddad slammed the door open with a burst of force and rushed down the stairs like a flood that had finally found an outlet, as if all the pressure that had been building inside him for years had suddenly been released. His exhausted eyes regained a sharp glimmer of life, and the rigid expressions that had long been frozen on his face began to soften, slowly rediscovering the shape of a smile he had not worn in a long time.

Just as he was about to descend into the vast plaza below, his steps slowed for a brief moment... hesitation creeping in.

He lived at the very center of Sky Opening City, within the branch of the Grave Empire, and surrounding his residence was an enormous square that was almost always crowded with researchers from all paths and specialties. Nearly everyone who faced difficulty in their work, or simply needed a moment to breathe and clear their thoughts, came to this plaza to change the atmosphere, exchange ideas, and speak with colleagues... perhaps in hopes of stumbling upon a solution.

Which also meant that every time Shaddad stepped into that square... he would inevitably be surrounded, questioned, and delayed.

After all, he was still a disciple of the Lord Human!!

Shaddad cleared his throat lightly. ”Ahem, ahem,” then strode forward with renewed determination, raising his voice as he entered the plaza, ”I am in a hurry right now, anyone who has any questions should-”

He stopped mid-sentence.

Then his eyes slowly swept across the scene before him.

The plaza was more crowded than usual, far more than he had expected... yet strangely, no one paid him the slightest bit of attention.

In fact, they were not even paying attention to one another.

Almost every researcher in the city had gathered around a single point on one side of the plaza, forming a dense crowd. They watched that spot with intense concentration, their senses seemingly shut off from everything else, as if they feared missing even the smallest detail unfolding within that circle. ”....” Shaddad found this deeply unusual, his brows knitting together in confusion. He instinctively glanced toward the gate. This... would actually be the perfect chance to slip out unnoticed, to leave without being surrounded and delayed for once.

But after a moment of internal conflict, he turned his gaze back toward the gathered researchers... and began walking toward them.

It would be far too strange for his curiosity as a researcher not to pull him in. Something of this scale... something that could gather nearly the entire research community... he could not simply ignore it. ”Hmm?” It did not take long before Shaddad reached the outermost layer of the crowd, composed of researchers of various races and appearances. His brows lifted slightly as his eyes focused on the center...

There, sitting calmly on the ground, at the very heart of everyoneʼs attention... was Drok.

Drok-the first individual to break through into the World Cataclysm using arrays. The leader of the Body World Cataclysm Unit, the elite force that Marshal Aro deployed only as a final option, when he intended to erase an army or flatten an entire city without leaving behind even the faintest trace.

Why was Drok here... sitting like this?

And why was everyone surrounding him with such tension and focus, as if witnessing something of immense importance?

Shaddadʼs brows tightened further. ”Oh, City Lord, you seem surprised.” A voice came from his side, approaching until it stopped beside him. ”Did no one inform you about what is happening today?” ”....” Shaddad turned his head slightly.

Standing beside him was a young man who appeared human, his messy hair covering much of his upper face and falling along the sides of his eyes. Yet through the strands, one could still catch a glimpse of his eyes... both drowsy and sharp at the same time, an odd and unsettling combination.

A faint smile rested on his lips, barely separating them, a smile that was difficult to read, neither clearly genuine nor entirely artificial.

Shaddad turned his gaze forward again. ”...No, I do not know. I usually receive updates at the beginning of each month through a message in the Soul Society, but I have not read anything for several months... I have been somewhat occupied.” ”Oh, then allow me to explain quickly.” The young man pointed toward Drok at the center. ”There is experiment today... regarding a body martial art.” ”A body martial art?” Shaddadʼs surprise deepened as he turned his head again, his interest immediately piqued. ”Do you mean what I think you mean?” ”Mm.” The young man nodded slightly. ”There are only a handful of body martial arts in the entire universe. Most of them revolve around reinforcing the body during battle, or enhancing movement to allow greater leaps and mobility. And all of them belong to the old body system, from before the creation of the Fifth Path.” Then he gestured toward the center of the gathering. ”But today... we might witness the birth of something new. Something that belongs to us.” ”...?!” Shaddad turned back toward Drok, his curiosity now fully ignited. One of the greatest flaws of the body path had always been its lack of refined techniques, the absence of true laws or martial arts that could elevate its users beyond brute force. A body cultivator was often treated as nothing more than a living shield, a tank to be pushed into the front lines, expected to endure blow after blow.

Their only real chance of victory lay in endurance... in surviving long enough to wear down their opponent, and then, if fortune allowed, closing the distance and ending the battle with a single decisive strike.

Reinforcement techniques, enhanced leaps, and even crude ramming methods had given practitioners of the Fifth Body Path additional power... but they had never truly filled that gap.

They were enhancements... not evolution.

If what was happening here truly aimed to create a new body martial art...

Then this gathering was not merely a demonstration.

It could very well be the beginning of a transformation for the entire path. ”Hoooh-” At the center of the circle, Drok released a long, drawn-out breath, his chest rising and falling heavily as if he were preparing for something immense, then-”AAAAAAAH!!!”

Drokʼs energy erupted violently from within his body, surging outward in a blazing wave that took on the shape of crimson flames. The force of it expanded in all directions, distorting the air and pressing against everything nearby, forcing the surrounding researchers to retreat several more steps despite their efforts to remain steady. ”...?” Shaddad frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he carefully observed.

In theory, it was possible to manifest energy in such a visible and external form... but practitioners of the Fifth Path were not meant to release the energy stored within their cells like this. That energy was supposed to remain contained, circulating internally with maximum efficiency.

Letting it spill outward like this...

It was wasteful.

And more importantly-

He had never taught them such a technique.

So how did Drok learn it?

Then something began to happen.

Drokʼs body started to change.

At first, it was subtle... almost unnoticeable.

Then it became undeniable.

His entire frame began to swell, his muscles expanding, his bones shifting beneath the surface.

His skin stretched, tightening further and further as if being pulled from within, until it reached its absolute limit-

Then it tore open. ”AAAAAAAH!!!”

Drokʼs scream tore through the plaza, raw and filled with unbearable pain, yet he did not stop, did not retreat, did not even hesitate.

More muscle fibers ruptured, splitting apart violently as blood sprayed outward in every direction, painting the ground in dark red... yet his body continued to expand, as if driven by something beyond his control. ”What is... this...?”

Shaddad found himself slowly lifting his gaze upward, his expression shifting into unmistakable astonishment.

Within only a few minutes of continuous screaming-minutes that stretched endlessly in the perception of those watching-Drokʼs height had reached nearly five meters.

Five meters.

Though his body had turned into a grotesque mass of torn flesh, exposed muscle, and fractured bone... he was still alive.

Still conscious.

His eyes... were still focused.

This... was a human.

A mere human.

And yet he had expanded to such a monstrous scale!! ”This is unbelievable!” ”Have we truly stepped into a new era of body martial arts?” ”The first trial... it succeeded... almost...!”

Dozens of senior researchers spoke at once, their voices overlapping, some trembling with excitement, others already scribbling notes at a frantic pace, trying to capture every detail before it slipped away. ”Ugh... I canʼt... anymore...” Drok muttered weakly, his voice barely audible, his mouth dripping with blood.

Then-Poof-

His body suddenly released massive amounts of energy in the form of scorching vapor, a wave of heat rolling outward.

His massive form rapidly shrank, collapsing in on itself as he fell backward onto the ground with a heavy thud.

His body convulsed violently, trembling uncontrollably under the strain of what he had just endured... yet he had not died.

He was still alive.

Still conscious. ”Get the medics! Quickly!” ”Who has the trinity array? Use it on him immediately!!” ”Stabilize his internal structure first-donʼt let the collapse spread!” ”....” Shaddad slowly parted his lips as he watched everything unfold before him, his gaze fixed, unblinking. ”Amazing...”

At that moment, one of the oldest researchers approached with a broad smile, a First-Rank Truth Chosen, his excitement barely concealed.

Just as Shaddad was about to raise his hand and stop him, to say this was not the time- ”Haha, Master Jin, you are truly incredible!”

The researcher passed right by Shaddad as if he did not exist at all, heading directly toward the young man standing beside him. ”...You?” Shaddad turned sharply toward the messy-haired youth. ”You were the one behind what just happened?” ”I only tried to contribute a little.” The young man, Jin, greeted the approaching researcher casually, then turned back toward Shaddad with that same faint, unreadable smile. ”Could we speak for a moment? It would be my pleasure to converse with a disciple of Lord Human.” ”Thereʼs no time for that.” Shaddad stepped closer, placing his hand firmly on Jinʼs shoulder before pulling him forward without hesitation. ”Youʼre coming with me!”