Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2354 Uprooting young roots

Somewhere in Sector 801—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Hah... hah... ngh..."

"Stay away from me... no no no no!!!"

A young man burst through the dense undergrowth and tangled branches of the sprawling purple forest in sheer panic, scrambling on both his hands and feet as though every instinct in his body had abandoned dignity in favor of survival. He pushed violently against the ground, seized every branch within reach, and hurled himself forward with desperate determination, trying to squeeze out even the smallest shred of momentum that might carry him a little farther from whatever pursued him.

"Huff... huff...!!" His vision was beginning to fade beneath overwhelming exhaustion, dark spots creeping into the corners of his sight. Sweat soaked every inch of his body, mixing with dirt, shattered leaves, sharp thorns, and the torn remains of his clothes until he looked more like a hunted animal than a cultivator. Yet despite every muscle screaming in agony, his legs stubbornly continued driving him forward, refusing to stop while even the slightest chance of escape remained.

Because the moment he stopped—

Bang!

"Aaaagh!!" His legs finally betrayed him, buckling without warning and sending him crashing face-first into the ground with enough force to knock the remaining breath from his lungs.

"N-No..." He hurriedly forced himself upright into a sitting position before immediately beginning to shove himself backward between the enormous tree trunks and scattered leaves with trembling hands.

"N-No... no!!"

Every instinct within his very existence screamed at him to flee.

To keep running.

To survive.

To escape before it was too late.

His soul itself seemed to be warning him that his final hour had already arrived.

But his body had reached its absolute limit and no longer responded to those desperate commands.

Then—

Hummmmm...

The young man stopped.

And surrendered.

At that moment, everything around him had already been erased.

His entire surroundings had been crushed into fine dust before being flattened into a single level, as though an unimaginably vast force had casually pressed the world beneath an invisible hand. Trees, stones, hills, and every trace of the once-lush forest had disappeared completely, leaving behind nothing but a barren expanse stretching in every direction. Only he remained untouched, sitting there without so much as a scratch, staring upward with his mouth hanging open and despair filling every corner of his face.

"Are you done?"

At that moment, a shadow slowly descended from the sky.

A young man standing nearly two meters tall, blessed with dark skin, silky black hair, and a white star tattoo engraved upon the center of his forehead.

He descended unhurriedly, both hands calmly clasped behind his back as though he were merely taking a leisurely stroll rather than confronting a fleeing enemy. His gaze settled upon the exhausted young man below with open contempt.

"You caused them to request my personal appearance by name. Now that I've actually come all the way here... at least struggle a little. Don't make this so disappointingly easy."

"Who are you... who are you...?" the young man asked between uncontrollable shivers, his voice barely resembling his own.

"Who are you, and what do you want?!"

"My name is Drathan, eldest son of Intiras the Tyrant. Hehe... do you feel better now? Do you finally know who I am, little frog?" The newcomer slowly examined the young man from head to toe with leisurely interest, as though evaluating an insignificant specimen rather than a living person.

"You're barely three hundred and forty years old, yet you've already reached Level Twenty-Nine. That's actually quite impressive. Not many reach that point so early without extraordinary fortune."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." The young man continued dragging himself backward on both hands despite knowing it accomplished nothing.

"Please... I'm just a weak person. I can't even fly. What could someone like you possibly want from me? Please... just let me leave. I don't want any trouble."

"Hahaha... weak? A Master Identity Law user... calling himself weak?" Drathan laughed loudly, genuinely amused for a brief moment before every trace of humor abruptly vanished from his face, replaced by icy seriousness.

"Who helped you? Who handed that Law over to you?"

"...?!"

The young man felt as though his heart had leaped straight into his throat.

His thoughts became hopelessly tangled.

He had absolutely no idea how he should answer.

Meanwhile, his brown eyes began rotating in perfect circles as strange symbols, unfamiliar letters, and incomprehensible numbers materialized deep within his pupils, spinning together in an intricate pattern.

"Really? Right now?" Drathan mocked him with open disappointment.

"Even if you possessed the fifth grade of that thing, you still wouldn't necessarily be capable of killing me. Yet you're actually trying to use the second grade against me?"

He casually waved one hand.

"Answer my questions, accept a Slave Seal, and I may decide you're still worth allowing to live."

"I... I never received help from anyone!" the young man shouted despite the overwhelming terror threatening to consume him completely.

"I reached this incredible Law through my own abilities alone! And I refuse to become anyone's slave, no matter who stands before me!"

Bang!

The young man's eyes suddenly froze in place.

Then—

Swoosh!

He vanished.

"..."

Drathan simply stared at the place where he had disappeared without displaying even the slightest trace of surprise, tension, or urgency. One corner of his mouth rose ever so slightly, revealing only disappointment, as though he had expected something considerably more impressive.

Then he slowly lifted his head.

"Hm!"

An immense surge of energy erupted from his body like an invisible tide before spreading across the entire planet within mere moments, sweeping over every mountain, forest, valley, and ocean with overwhelming precision.

After a brief pause, his gaze settled upon a particular direction before he slowly closed his fingers into a fist.

"Come."

Poof!

The young man instantly reappeared in the exact same place from which he had vanished.

"W-What...?!"

Drathan lowered his gaze toward him once again, his sleepy-looking eyes remaining completely emotionless.

"You used Identity to alter the clause defining your existence here, causing yourself to be transferred to another random location somewhere on this planet. Against someone else, that little trick might actually have bought you a little more time... but unfortunately for you, this isn't the first time I've played this game, nor is it the first time I've hunted someone who believed that technique could save them."

"..."

The young man stared miserably into Drathan's face, every last shred of hope fading from his eyes as he finally understood that every possible avenue of escape had already been sealed.

"Why...? I haven't done anything..."

"We won't wait until you do."

Drathan slowly raised his hand and pointed it downward.

The young man panicked, his expression collapsing completely as the realization of his situation finally overwhelmed him.

"Wait! Wait! You said you wanted to brand me with a Slave Seal? I agr—"

Bang!

The young man's head exploded before he could even finish the final word, his body remaining upright for the briefest instant before collapsing lifelessly onto the ruined ground beneath him.

"Eyes without radiance mean you're not a Candidate, and the absence of a Fragment means you have no Patron," Drathan said as he casually flicked his hand, as though he had merely brushed away a speck of dust. "Just another weed that managed to sprout in a carefully prepared and meticulously cultivated field despite every precaution... and every weed, no matter how stubbornly it grows or how long it survives unnoticed, ultimately shares the exact same fate."

Rumble...

At that moment, a medium-sized spacecraft descended not far from Drathan, its engines gradually quieting as the vessel slowed before touching down upon the devastated terrain left behind by his overwhelming presence.

"You may leave. I'll take a brief look around Sector 802 before returning." Drathan had already begun extending his senses across the nearby planets, silently inspecting one celestial body after another while preparing to depart at his own unhurried pace.

"Sir!!"

Hiss!

The spacecraft's hatch slid open, and a man rushed out clutching a recording disc tightly against his chest, sprinting toward Drathan with unmistakable urgency as though every passing second carried enormous consequences.

"Please, watch this first! These are recordings from a live broadcast inside the Soul Society. The broadcast is still ongoing, and these scenes happened only a few minutes ago, but you absolutely have to see them before you leave. I wouldn't have interrupted you otherwise!"

"What could possibly be on that disc that would make me change my mind about spending a little time wandering around?" Drathan asked dismissively, barely sparing his subordinate a glance, his voice making it perfectly clear that he expected nothing remotely worthy of his attention.

Considering the overwhelming amount of work awaiting him throughout the Tyrant Galaxy, missions like this that occurred only once every few thousand years were practically the only opportunities he ever had to relax, clear his mind, and spend time away from endless responsibilities. In his eyes, almost nothing in existence was important enough to justify cutting that rare vacation short.

"Please... just watch it," the spacecraft's captain pleaded earnestly, refusing to give up despite the obvious irritation in Drathan's voice. "I've already received word that His Excellency the Tyrant is watching these exact same recordings right now, and there's a strong possibility he'll summon you back because of what they contain. At the very least, you should know why he'll be calling for you before that happens."

"...?"

One of Drathan's eyebrows slowly rose, genuine curiosity finally replacing a portion of his indifference.

Then he reached out, injected a thread of his soul into the recording disc with mild curiosity, and activated the stored recording.

Almost immediately, his brows drew together so tightly that the relaxed expression on his face disappeared altogether.

"...?!"

He continued watching without saying a word for several more moments, his eyes carefully following every detail before he finally broke the silence.

"Hedrick has always been one of the Soldiers, but he never possessed power anywhere near this level. What exactly has he become now... an Executioner? ...or an Unbound One?!"

Bang!

"Damn you, Helmor... and damn the Guild for allowing itself to fall into such a miserable situation. What unbelievably rotten timing... deciding to make their move at that exact moment, and doing so in such an openly provocative and infuriating manner." The recording disc shattered into countless fragments within Drathan's hand as his grip unconsciously tightened, unable to withstand the force produced by his agitation.

Then he shouted, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice any longer,

"But... Unbound Ones? Has that damned Seer finally lost his mind after suffering one setback after another, or has he truly become desperate enough to make a decision like this?!"