Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2285 Preparing a rival?

”...The Crimson Plague thatʼs lurking over there.”

”.....”

The moment those words reached everyoneʼs ears, several people furrowed their brows with unmistakable concern, instinctively recalling every rumor they had ever heard regarding that mysterious force, while others broke into broad smiles, as though they had finally found something worthy of their attention amid all the tedious military planning that had dominated the meeting until now and were eager to see whether those stories truly held any weight.

”...Is there something we still donʼt know?” one of those present asked. He was a man seated at the very end of the table, so inconspicuous among this gathering of supreme powerhouses that he was barely noticeable, his presence hardly worth mentioning when compared to everyone else in the room, and under normal circumstances no one would have expected him to interrupt the discussion at all.

He was one of Zargulʼs planetary emperors stationed in Young Sector 98.

He was still merely a Martial Emperor, but he had been brought into the command chamber specifically to coordinate the planetary landing operations that would begin after the major battles came to an end, since matters involving occupation, deployment, and planetary administration would ultimately fall into the hands of those capable of surviving within the Young Belt.

No matter how powerful the people gathered here were.

And no matter that every single one of them possessed enough strength to destroy multiple planets if they wished, reducing civilizations to dust through sheer overwhelming force...

They could not set foot upon the soil of any of those worlds or even breathe their atmosphere until everything on them had already been reduced to ruin, because they were natives of the Middle Belt, and the environmental suppression alone was enough to prevent them from operating freely on the surface of Young Belt planets.

That was why, once Nihari had been secured, this man and the forces under his command would be the ones descending onto the planets to occupy them, sweep every corner for remaining resistance, establish settlements, secure strategic facilities, and reorganize the conquered territories into a stable governing structure capable of sustaining long-term rule.

”The True Beginning Empire possesses three armies commanded by three principal Marshals,” the Syndicate envoy answered without the slightest hesitation. ”The First and Third Armies have transferred virtually all of their personnel either into the Middle Belt or to Young Sector 98. Almost none of them remain here anymore, and they took the overwhelming majority of their fleets, heavy equipment, elite personnel, and large-scale military assets with them.”

”Then only the Second Army remains?” the Planetary Emperor frowned. ”And what exactly does that have to do with the plague?”

”That army is the plague,” the Syndicate envoy replied gravely, allowing those words to settle over the room before continuing. ”Discovering their true nature proved extraordinarily difficult. Whenever they leave the Nihari Galaxy, they always wear specially designed armor thatʼs incredibly difficult to penetrate or examine, preventing ordinary observation methods from revealing anything beneath. More recently, theyʼve drastically reduced the number of operations that take them outside the galaxy to attack other planets, making surveillance and intelligence gathering on them far more difficult than it used to be and forcing us to rely upon much more elaborate methods.”

He then interlocked his fingers upon the table.

”But nothing is supposed to remain hidden from the Syndicate. We therefore summoned several Royal Soul Masters to perform thorough examinations of whatever lay beneath those suits of armor through specialized investigative techniques, and the conclusion was beyond doubt—they are unquestionably a Crimson Plague.”

”How can a plague wear armor and field an army?!” The Planetary Emperor felt as though he were on the verge of losing his sanity. ”And not just that—theyʼre organized to such an incredible degree that you couldnʼt even identify what they truly were at first glance?! What kind of plague even behaves like that?”

”Quiet.”

One of the Nexus State experts gestured toward the Martial Emperor, signaling him to lower his voice before turning his attention back toward the map, his expression remaining calm despite the increasingly unbelievable discussion.

”...Weʼre dealing with the followers of this generationʼs Great Truth Chosen. We should expect absolutely anything, no matter how unreasonable or impossible it may sound according to ordinary standards.”

”Focus on the attack plan,” the Seven-Star Royal Soul Master repeated in a calm voice that nevertheless left no room for disagreement, immediately steering everyoneʼs attention back toward the battle that awaited them.

”The fighting throughout the region surrounding the safe zone will be extremely fierce. The True Beginning Empire has increased the number of defensive fleets to fifty Note-4 Fleets, forming multiple defensive layers around the entire protected region.”

”.....”

”I believe all of you understand exactly what that means. Even though we nominally possess one hundred and forty fleets, those fleets are nowhere near full strength. Many are missing a significant number of vessels, while countless others are burdened with accumulated damage and mechanical failures left over from the battles in Young Sector 98. With all due respect to everyone present, even if every one of those fleets were in perfect condition, they still wouldnʼt be capable of confronting fifty Note-4 Fleets head-on under favorable defensive conditions.”

The man frowned deeply.

”The battle there will be unbelievably brutal, and weʼll undoubtedly lose a number of our warships before the defensive perimeter collapses. However, we possess an advantage of nearly fifty Nexus State experts and Royal Soul Masters, in addition to our Seventh Brother himself. Because of that overwhelming superiority, victory will undoubtedly belong to us in the end, even if the price proves somewhat higher than weʼd prefer.”

He continued speaking while pointing toward the deeper regions inside the marked area displayed upon the map, tracing a route that extended all the way toward the galaxyʼs core.

”Once we break through that heavily fortified region, the Nihari Galaxy will be laid completely open before us. By then our fleet will have suffered substantial losses, and all of us will require rest, repairs, and fresh supplies after such an intense engagement. That is precisely when our friends from the Young Belt will begin their role by rapidly occupying those planets, securing strategic locations, and gathering every available resource that can be transported away before the enemy has any opportunity to reorganize.”

”Rapidly? How am I supposed to occupy the planets of an entire galaxy rapidly?” The Planetary Emperor raised his head in disbelief. ”And secondly, will I even have enough men left to occupy anything after that battle against the Note-4 Fleets? Theyʼll all be dead inside their transports before they ever get the chance to do anything, so where exactly am I supposed to find the manpower to carry out all those responsibilities afterward?”

”...Do you actually have a solution, or do you simply want to prove that your voice deserves to be heard in this room?” one of those present raised his voice at him, clearly irritated that the discussion had once again drifted away from the primary assault plan.

”Allow me to gather every Young Belt force into a single fleet and move to occupy one of the outer planets belonging to the True Beginning Empire. A large planet, but one that possesses very few defenses. From there, Iʼll preserve our men while securing food, breathable air, and whatever medicine, raw materials, industrial supplies, and useful resources I can find for the rest of you as the campaign progresses. Isnʼt that the logical course of action if our role is to support the occupation rather than participate in the main fleet engagement?”

”....”

”Is there a nearby planet that fits those conditions?” another person immediately asked while studying the tactical projection hovering above the table.

”There is one,” the Syndicate envoy replied as he pointed toward a particular planet displayed on the map, causing several information markers to illuminate around it. ”That one over there. Itʼs almost completely devoid of military forces, yet theyʼre constructing enormous administrative complexes, vast warehouses, training facilities, military barracks, and gigantic cities across its surface... and nearly all of them are practically empty. There are only enough personnel to maintain and operate the facilities.”

”Empty?” one of those present asked in complete bewilderment. ”Then why go through all that trouble? Building infrastructure on that scale requires an enormous investment of manpower and resources.”

”We donʼt know the reason,” the Syndicate envoy answered. ”They simply continue expanding and strengthening the planetʼs infrastructure while using those facilities to conduct both practical and theoretical training exercises for newly recruited personnel. We canʼt say with certainty what theyʼre planning, but the entire operation gives the impression that theyʼre raising a governing race for an empire theyʼre building with their own hands, preparing administrative talent long before they actually need it.”

”...?”

”Have they become so bored that theyʼre actually creating future rivals for themselves? Or do they simply believe no one will ever be capable of threatening them?”

”The reason doesnʼt matter. This planet is perfect!” The Planetary Emperor pointed toward it with unmistakable excitement, his earlier frustration immediately disappearing. ”Itʼs already a fully prepared staging ground from which we can launch our offensives against the rest of the galaxy! We wonʼt have to waste time constructing supply depots or defensive positions ourselves.”

”Give him exactly what he requested.” The Seven-Star Royal Soul Master gestured toward the Planetary Emperor without showing the slightest hesitation. ”Assign him an entire fleet, carrying all three million veteran ground troops—the finest soldiers from every empire under our banner—along with every piece of equipment, every talisman, every logistical asset, and every resource they could possibly require. Turn that planet into a firm foothold as quickly as possible, establish a stable supply line, and then prepare to begin attacking the galaxy within a single day.”

”Yes, sir!!”

The Planetary Emperor saluted sharply before rushing out of the chamber without giving anyone the opportunity to reconsider the decision, fearing that even a brief delay might cause someone else to claim the assignment instead.

For the ground forces, staying away from the coming space battle was the greatest outcome they could possibly hope for, since their true value would only become apparent once the fleets had finished carving open a path for them.

To die trapped inside a warship, watching the battle unfold while being powerless to do anything except wait for the hull to rupture around them, was a humiliation no true warrior could endure, especially for soldiers who had spent their entire lives fighting face-to-face upon planetary battlefields.

The Seventh Son cast one final glance around the room, making sure there were no remaining objections before bringing the meeting to its conclusion.

”Once the ground forces have departed, weʼll launch our assault against the Safe Zone immediately. Thereʼs no need to waste time planning what comes afterward. Weʼll crush the Note Armadas, regroup our army, restore our formation, and then see what lies beyond them before deciding our next move according to the situation.”

”Yes, sir.”

Everyone offered a military salute in perfect unison before following him out of the chamber, leaving behind the slowly fading tactical projections as preparations for the largest assault of the campaign officially began.