Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1105: A New Role

(Meanwhile, within the Time Stilled World, Leo’s POV)

*Step*

*Step*

Leo paced around his room with his hands behind his back, as he restlessly awaited the result of the Cult’s first attack.

It had already been a few days since the army departed, and according to initial estimates, today was the day they were supposed to conquer the first planet.

"Come on, come on... I could have wrapped this up days ago..."

He muttered under his breath, his gaze flickering toward the communication array again and again as he waited for confirmation that Planet Satoru had fallen without complications.

He had waited for battle results before, yet this time felt different, as for the first time, he was not at the front leading the charge.

He was waiting, just like a Cult Master was supposed to, and that alone felt... unnatural.

A part of him knew exactly how easy it was for him to win this battle, if he himself had chosen to step on to planet Satoru.

As he knew with certainty that no force stationed there could have resisted him, as four hundred million soldiers or not, he could have ended the war inside half an hour.

And yet, he had chosen not to go.

That decision lingered in his mind as he stopped pacing for a brief moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as he exhaled slowly.

It was not an easy choice.

Because sending others into war, knowing that some of them would not return, was far more difficult than walking into battle himself.

If he fought, then he controlled the outcome.

If he led from the front, then losses could be minimized.

If he took responsibility for every battlefield, then in theory, he could protect his army from unnecessary death.

And yet, that path carried its own cost.

A cost that was not visible immediately, but one that would surface over time if left unchecked.

Because a victory handed down from above carried no weight...

A planet conquered without struggle would never feel like it truly belonged to those who occupied it, which was why he had to let others fight for it.

*Sigh*

He exhaled slowly, as although he did not like this truth, he had come to accept it as part of his growth.

Because the value of victory was never defined by importance alone, as it was equally shaped by the difficulty required to achieve it.

If something could be obtained easily, then no matter how powerful or important it was, it would never be respected in the same way as something earned through effort and sacrifice.

Gold held value because it was rare.

Power held value because it was difficult to obtain.

And territory would only hold value if it was fought for.

If he simply walked into every battlefield and crushed the enemy alone, then the Cult would grow strong in numbers, yet hollow in spirit.

Soldiers would lose purpose.

Commanders would lose relevance.

Future generations would inherit land that they had no connection to, and over time, that disconnect would weaken everything the Cult stood for.

*Clench*

Leo clenched his fist slightly as that thought settled deeper within him.

He did not like it.

He did not like the idea that some of his men would die when he had the power to prevent it.

He did not like the idea that sacrifice was necessary for something as abstract as meaning.

And yet, he could not deny its truth.

Because an army that never fought its own battles would never truly become an army.

It would become a shadow.

A force that existed only because one man carried it forward.

And if that man ever fell, then everything built upon him would collapse just as easily.

That was not the future he wanted.

If the Cult was to rise again and dominate the universe, then it needed to stand on its own strength.

It needed soldiers who believed in what they were fighting for.

It needed Commanders who could lead without depending on him.

It needed generations who would protect what they inherited, not because they were told to, but because they understood the cost at which it was obtained.

And for that to happen, they needed war.

Real war.

War that tested them.

War that demanded something from them.

War that forced them to grow.

*Step*

*Step*

Leo resumed pacing once more, his steps slower now, his expression calmer as he settled deeper into that understanding.

His role had changed.

He was no longer just a warrior who could solve every problem with his own strength.

He was the Cult Master.

And that meant his responsibility was no longer to fight every battle himself.

It was to create the conditions where his people could fight those battles on their own.

To guide.

To enable.

To shape the direction of war without being the war itself, as that was what his role demanded of him.

It was a heavier burden.....

And a lonelier one.....

Because it required restraint in moments where instinct demanded action.

Because it required trust in others where certainty lay within himself.

And because it required him to accept outcomes that he could have prevented, had he chosen a different path.

*Pause*

Leo stopped once more, his gaze settling on the distant horizon of the sealed world as silence filled the space around him.

"...You better let others have fun too, Veyr, I haven’t sent you to fight this war, just so that you can crush them in my stead just as easily...."

He muttered quietly, as he hoped Veyr understood this concept of letting soldiers bleed for victory as well as him.

So far, based on their conversations leading up to this war, he felt as though Veyr understood his role perfectly, and yet, understanding it and witnessing his men die were two different things.

There was a possibility that in the heat of the battle, Veyr decided to personally intervene to minimise losses, which was why he eagerly awaited the result of the battle....

Not because he doubted a Cult victory.

But rather because he wanted to see how it was achieved.