Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2311 Sector 101 status

Mid Sector 101 — Radiance Galaxy

Here, within the throne hall of Radiance Galaxy, the seat of the Ruler of Purity, the very hall that had once welcomed every Behemoth and every great Martial Emperor with dazzling splendor and immaculate brilliance, where countless rulers had once stood in awe beneath its radiant white ceilings... was now shrouded in darkness.

Kaylis sat upon her throne in oppressive silence and a gloomy atmosphere, staring toward the opposite side of the vast hall. Her vacant eyes remained fixed upon a distant wall as though she had fallen asleep without ever closing them, her body motionless despite the passage of time.

Her eyes...

The captivating eyes of Kaylis that had once enchanted everyone fortunate enough to look into them. Kaylis, who had been the dream of every Behemoth, every Martial Emperor, and every ruler since the day she stepped onto the stage, until she ultimately announced that she had married, entirely at random, a man from the Pureheart Family—a weak man who lived beneath her shadow throughout his life and eventually died peacefully in his own bed after several thousand years of fruitful life and prosperity.

A man who had lived as nothing more than a breeding mule, a means for Kaylis to bear children who would strengthen the family, preserve its rights, and ensure its future, a means to drive away the powerful suitors who would have cast her into their shadow and swallowed her family whole... a means of keeping Darvion away from her life.

Yet he lived without regret or resentment. He had slept beside the woman every ruler throughout the universe dreamed of possessing, the woman who had become the heroine of every man's fantasies after laying eyes upon her.

The woman who, if you were to look at her now, would make your instincts recoil and force your gaze elsewhere without even realizing it...

Those enchanting eyes had become sunken and pitch black. Her face had grown so thin that the outlines of her bones were plainly visible, her hair was barely arranged, and her lips had become dry and cracked from long neglect.

It was the appearance of a woman who had spent years surviving on the streets... not the Holy Kaylis whom the universe once admired.

Step Step

"Mother," a young woman hurried in through the open doorway with quick footsteps. "We need to talk."

"Hmm?" Kaylis turned toward the voice with absent-minded eyes that struggled to focus. "Sirene?" she asked in surprise. "...What do you want?"

"I want to mobilize the army." Sirene, the young woman with thick curly hair, wore a firm, serious expression. "And I want it to happen immediately, without any further delay."

"...Has something happened?" Kaylis asked without any energy, as though even asking the question itself had exhausted what little strength she still possessed.

"The battlefield has quieted down, and no one expects anyone to make a move anymore. It's time for us to strike." Sirene continued firmly. "...After the initial outburst of rage from the sons of the Cursed Darvion following the death of their eldest brother, and after their rampage throughout the entire sector, things are no longer as dangerous as they were before. We can move now while everyone else's attention remains elsewhere."

"...." Kaylis formed a faint smile. "Their rampage subsided, and their movements became calculated, not because they grew tired or became afraid of something, but because they already obtained exactly what they wanted."

She continued, "...The capitals of all the Six Great Powers were attacked. Every one of them was forced to flee more than once using Random Displacement equipment. Several of their major planets were destroyed as well—planets of industrial, logistical, and military importance that had taken countless years to build. Everything was reduced to nothing... Those so-called Six Great Powers were humiliated in every possible way imaginable, and continuing such violent offensives against them no longer serves any purpose."

"...Every other force throughout the sector is exhausted. They've all depleted their armies and abandoned resistance. Every ruler has hidden two spacecraft beneath the ground and no longer dares deploy them, whether offensively or defensively. No one wants to become the next target. No one wants to keep paying the price for a war that was never theirs to begin with... Most powers ranked at the centennial level or below have already accepted the reality that Darvion is now their new master, whether they admit it openly or not."

Then something resembling a faint laugh escaped through her nose. "Even the armies of the Six Great Powers no longer appear anywhere. They have completely vanished from the battlefield. Even Note Squadron, which accomplished several major feats and earned quite a reputation throughout the conflict, no longer exists." Then she turned toward Sirene with calm eyes. "Under such circumstances, do we say Darvion's sons have calmed down, or do we say their enemies have surrendered and they simply no longer have anyone left to fight?"

"...." Sirene lowered her gaze for a moment. "...I always told you not to trust that person called Lord Human. He is using us, just as he is using everyone else. He supplies weapons and spacecraft without hesitation, but he never sends any genuine experts to assist us. What are weapons and spacecraft supposed to accomplish against Royal Soul Masters of the seventh grade and above?" Then she raised her head and stared directly into her mother's eyes. "I still believe your agreements with him are unfair, one-sided, and completely unjust."

"...I didn't have many choices." Kaylis quietly looked away once more, her expression showing neither anger nor regret.

"What about now?!" Sirene spoke rapidly, unwilling to let the matter end there. "Cancel that so-called partnership and reclaim your rightful position while we still gain practically nothing from him anyway."

"...I still don't have any choices." Kaylis let out a quiet chuckle. "Even if all he provides is equipment and money, if not for what the Shadow Swords have been doing, we wouldn't even be standing here having this conversation. The arrays they continuously deliver to those six, the endless pearls, the healing talismans, and the nearly limitless financial support they provide, whether through resources or intelligence, are the very things keeping them alive and allowing them to continue existing... while at the same time keeping the sector in a state of calm instead of falling into absolute submission before Darvion."

"...." Sirene slowly nodded. "I have a solution." Then she slightly lifted her chin. "Give me the army and twenty of my siblings. I'll take advantage of the calm here and move all of them toward Mid Sector 102. We can exploit the properties of Forced Purification to defeat Darvion's retinue. Over there, he possesses no more than 500 armadas and only ten of his sons. We can win this battle!"

"Heh~" Kaylis laughed softly. "First of all, Darvion alone could tear every one of you apart." Then she turned toward her daughter. "Second, you are not permitted to leave the sector. That would violate my agreement with the Shadow Swords regarding you."

"Are you seriously bringing up that agreement again?!" Sirene shouted in frustration. "Your empire is falling apart before your eyes, and you're wasting away here under depression and the weight of your own failures, yet I'm the one who's expected to marry some complete stranger? Let me command the army. Let us die honorably on the battlefield if we must. That would be far better for me and for our entire family. At the very least, history would remember us with dignity instead of remembering this pathetic farce!"

"Silence!" Kaylis finally allowed genuine emotion to surface in her voice. "I already have more than enough hostility with the Cursed Galaxy. I will not go and violate my agreements with the Shadow Swords as well simply so you can throw yourself into the arms of your knight in shining armor. Learn how to control yourself. I didn't even know your father. He was chosen for me on the very day of our wedding after the pressure against me became unbearable!"

Sirene pressed her hand firmly against the side of her head. "What does any of that have to do with me? I'm not a Behemoth. It's not as though I dream of—"

Hooom

At that moment, a rectangular golden gate materialized beside the hall, its appearance immediately interrupting their argument.

"...?!" Sirene instinctively leaped backward, while her mother immediately rose from her throne. A destructive radiance burst forth from Kaylis's eyes as both women instantly prepared themselves for battle, every trace of their previous argument disappearing.

Then, step... step...

"...Richard?"