Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2140 War of the Shadow Swords

There had already been a rising wave of anger toward the expansion of the Shadow Swords and the hidden motives behind their movements, and this sentiment had long been embodied in the firm resistance of the Behemoth of Destruction to their presence in the surrounding sectors.

Yet, that resistance did not merely grow, it surged to an overwhelming level after the announcement of the Cosmic Elder, as if something unseen had suddenly unified countless wills against them.

For instance, the sectors between 105 and 115 had already been caught in a prolonged state of war against the Shadow Swords, led solely by the Behemoth of Destruction. Despite this, the local forces within those sectors had continued to support the Shadow Swords and accept their presence, because the Shadow Swords stood as a counterbalance to the Behemoth of Destructionʼs relentless desire to dominate and claim absolute authority over them.

It could be described as a matter of autonomy and survival. The Behemoth of Destruction sought to bring all under his control and viewed the Shadow Swords as a direct obstacle to his long-term plans, while the local powers saw in the Shadow Swords a tool, or perhaps even a shield, that allowed them to maintain their fragile independence in the face of overwhelming force.

So much so that even the Behemoth of Oppression and the Savage Behemoth chose to ignore the existence of the Shadow Swords altogether, allowing them to participate freely in the siege and prolonged conflict against the Behemoth of Destruction for years without interference, as though their presence was simply another piece on the battlefield.

But then, something changed without warning.

The powers across sectors 105 to 115 abruptly turned against the Shadow Swords. Those who had ongoing dealings with them severed all connections immediately and without hesitation, while those whose secrets were held by the Shadow Swords no longer feared exposure or retaliation. It was as if an invisible agreement had been reached, and they simply began behaving as though the Shadow Swords no longer existed.

More than that, some of those forces escalated their stance even further, launching direct and unprovoked attacks against the Shadow Swords, treating them not as allies or tools, but as enemies that needed to be removed.

The Behemoth of Oppression and the Savage Behemoth also moved decisively, striking the nearest Shadow Sword strongholds and forcibly expelling them, dismantling their positions one after another. Fortunately, their actions were not aimed at complete annihilation, but rather at removal, so while the Shadow Swords suffered losses, they were not devastating enough to cripple them entirely.

Yet the result was no less severe.

In a single night, the Shadow Swords across those sectors found themselves cast out, stripped of land, allies, and infrastructure, as though they had been nothing more than invasive growth uprooted entirely from the soil without warning or resistance.

The same pattern repeated in sectors 103 and 104, regions where the Shadow Swords had operated in relative peace and stability, conducting routine operations without attempting to provoke conflict or disrupt the balance. Despite this, the Savage Behemoth attacked them regardless, dismantling their headquarters and erasing their presence as if their restraint held no value. And naturally, the Cursed Behemoth required no invitation nor justification. He had already deployed all of his remaining forces within the Mid sector 102, turning them into a relentless hunting force tasked with climinating every Shadow Sword scattered across that region, leaving no room for negotiation or retreat.

Suddenly, the path ahead of the Shadow Swords beyond the Mid sector 101 became completely sealed, as if an invisible wall had descended across the stars, cutting off their expansion and isolating them from further advance.

And that was not the end of it.

The Behemoth of Relativity, stationed within the Mid sector 85, initiated a full-scale war against what he publicly labeled as the forces of sabotage, which, in truth, referred entirely to the Shadow Swords.

He did not confine his actions to eliminating their presence within his own sector. Instead, he mobilized vast fleets and launched a sweeping, coordinated offensive that extended far beyond his borders, striking across a wide span from Mid sector 80 all the way to Mid sector 91. It was a campaign so sudden and so expansive that it shocked every faction that heard of it across the universe.

What made this even more unsettling was the fact that the Behemoth of Relativity had no prior conflict or hostility with the Shadow Swords. Yet he moved as though driven by deep personal hatred, directing his forces with the clear intent of eradicating them entirely, as if their very existence was an unforgivable offense.

Even more peculiar was the reaction of the inhabitants within those sectors. They made no effort to aid the Shadow Swords, nor did they respond to the warnings that the Behemoth of Relativity was merely using them as a pretext to extend his dominion over their territories.

They refused to utilize the Shadow Swordsʼ communication networks, refused to engage in trade with them, and rejected any form of cooperation entirely, as though an unspoken fear or decision bound them all.

Instead, they quietly began gathering their own forces, strengthening internal communications among themselves in silence, preparing for the possibility of sudden aggression similar to what the Behemoth of Destruction had once unleashed.

Yet despite their fear, they did not dare accept any assistance from the Shadow Swords for reasons that remained unclear, and in some cases, certain factions even went so far as to actively assist the Behemoth of Relativity in locating and attacking Shadow Sword strongholds, accelerating their collapse with their own hands.

What had once been a vast and steadily expanding network was now facing coordinated rejection, pressure, and isolation from multiple directions at once, as if the entire surrounding universe had, in a single moment, decided to push

back.

The Behemoth of Gravity himself chose a restrained yet calculated approach, limiting his direct involvement to dispatching forces into the Mid sectors 91 and 90. Despite the fact that both of these sectors were already saturated with the forces of the Behemoth of Relativity, no clashes broke out between them. Instead, both sides maintained a tense and deliberate silence, observing one another without crossing the line.

They remained there as silent watchers, their fleets positioned with precision, and through their mere presence, the Behemoth of Gravity issued a clear, unspoken declaration. These sectors marked his boundary, and within them, nothing would be permitted to occur beyond the hunting of the Shadow Swords. Any further escalation would be treated as a violation.

At the same time, he did not remain passive elsewhere. He personally directed attacks against the Shadow Swords in sectors 91, 92, and even extended his reach into sector 93, striking with controlled aggression that demonstrated both intent and restraint.

Yet even he did not dare step into the Mid sector 94. There, the forces of the

Temporal Behemoth had spread with astonishing speed, establishing a firm defensive presence and openly declaring that they would intercept and repel anyone who attempted to enter the sector. It was a line drawn not in words

alone, but in absolute resolve.

Because of this shifting balance, Theo found himself in an unusually complex

and precarious position.

The Shadow Swords could now exist openly only within the stretch between Mid sectors 94 and 101. Outside of that narrow band, their presence had transformed into dispersed, individual movements, operatives traveling rapidly between planets, avoiding fixed positions, avoiding recognition, and blending into the flow of countless worlds.

And yet, despite this forced adaptation, they had not withdrawn from any of those sectors. On the contrary, their numbers had grown even further, spreading deeper beneath the surface of those regions.

Theo had no intention of abandoning even a single inch of any place where he

had once planted a Shadow Sword. To him, retreat was not an option, only

transformation.

Thus, a new era for the Shadow Swords began. An era of forced embedding, of survival through infiltration rather than dominance.

Theo issued orders that shocked even his closest followers: ignore those who attempt to ignore you, and destroy those who attempt to destroy you. Following these commands, all sleeper cells and active Shadow Swords within those hostile sectors began to operate as a true subversive force, embodying the very reputation that had long been used against them. However, their actions were not random. They were precise, targeted, and retaliatory, focused on those who had initiated hostility. They carried out coordinated bombings deep within enemy territories, raided secured warehouses and resource depots, hijacked transport vessels and supply lines, leaked and sold critical intelligence that destabilized entire factions, and executed high-profile assassinations against influential figures. One by one, their operations began to erode the foundations of their enemies.

For the first time, the Shadow Swords fully revealed their darker face. They abandoned their previous image of assistance and neutrality, setting aside diplomacy and extending only the blade.

And that alone was enough to shatter stability across those sectors, driving

them into levels of chaos far exceeding anything they had previously endured. Some factions, witnessing the consequences, grew hesitant and fearful, choosing to avoid direct confrontation with the Shadow Swords altogether, afraid of suffering the same fate as those who had already fallen. Others took a different path. They aligned themselves with whichever Behemoth was attacking their sector, offering cooperation in exchange for protection, and actively joined in the campaigns against the Shadow Swords. Loyalties fractured, alliances shifted, and uncertainty spread.

Chaos became the new order.

A chaos that continues even now.

In response to this escalating turmoil, Theo deployed the numbered Shadow

Swords across all contested sectors, granting each one full authority within their designated domain, turning them into autonomous pillars of control capable of acting without delay.

He went even further. Theo began absorbing underground organizations within those sectors, whether through negotiation or force, dismantling their independence and bringing their networks under his command. He seized their

intelligence archives, their hidden resources, and their manpower, reshaping them into extensions of his own structure.

Through this war, Theo achieved something far greater than simple survival. He systematically dismantled every underground organization across the sectors between 80 and 115, rebuilding them to operate entirely under the Shadow Swords, transforming former chaos into controlled influence.

Even beyond his own forces, he sought support from highly capable figures within the empire who had no direct connection to the Law of Darkness, expanding his reach through alliances rather than reliance on a single path. Among them was Elizabeth... and she agreed, stepping into the storm that was only just beginning to unfold.