Timeless Assassin

Chapter 956: Top Priority

(Meanwhile, Across Righteous Faction Worlds, Common Civilian POV)

Across the countless worlds governed by the Righteous Faction, the execution livestream continued to play without interruption, projected onto massive public screens, orbital relays, and household displays alike, as trillions of citizens bore witness to a moment that was sure to quietly and irrevocably fracture their belief in the order they had grown up trusting.

At first, disbelief reigned.

As they watched Leo step onto the execution platform and break the first chain, something unseen yet deeply ingrained began to crack within their collective psyche, as the image of absolute Righteous authority faltered under the weight of undeniable reality.

*Gasps*

*Murmurs*

*Muted talking*

Whispers rippled through gathered crowds and private living rooms alike, voices low and uncertain, as eyes remained locked on the screen.

"What’s going on...?"

"Someone tell me the Evil Cult isn’t really about to succeed."

Yet no one answered them, because no one could.

Despite trillions of them praying for the Cult to fail, the fact remained that Leo continued to move freely, unchallenged and unopposed, as no divine enforcers descended from the heavens to correct the situation.

"Is this the end of the universal order as we once knew?"

It was no longer a dramatic thought, but a logical one, as an unsettling pattern emerged with each passing second, eroding certainty the longer the execution proceeded without correction.

Why was no one stopping him?

Soron was only one God.

Leo was only one warrior.

And yet, together, they had shattered an execution overseen by the Universal Government itself, tearing through elite formations that were supposed to be untouchable, unstoppable, and final.

"How can this be happening?"

A merchant on a Righteous trade world murmured, his voice shaking despite himself, as he watched chain after chain fall apart.

"If this is allowed... then who exactly is protecting us?

If this is allowed then can we even trust the Righteous Faction to maintain universal order?

If they can’t even execute one criminal.... Can they even keep us safe anymore?"

He questioned, as his words made many faces stiffen.

*Clank*

*Clank*

As Veyr’s final restraints collapsed and the Cult Dragon finally began to rise, the disbelief curdled into something far more dangerous than panic, as a realization silently spread through the minds of those watching.

If this could happen here, under full surveillance, against the full authority of the Righteous Faction, then the image of invincibility they had relied on for generations was nothing more than a carefully maintained illusion.

"If this war is any indication of what comes next,"

A scholar whispered on a distant academic world, his gaze distant and hollow,

"Then the Cult will soon not just be resisting us anymore....

They will push back and expand.

And if they choose to do so... who exactly is going to stop them?"

He wondered, as Military veterans, analysts, and ordinary citizens alike began to notice the same troubling pattern, as footage replayed across the universe, showing Cult warriors moving with discipline and resolve, while Righteous elites faltered, hesitated, and collapsed beneath pressure they were never meant to endure.

"Our armies don’t fight the same way,"

A former officer admitted quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

"At the same tier, our people look weaker.

Slower.

Almost like they are less prepared for wars that don’t follow traditional rules...."

He said, as he realized that the years where the Righteous Army dominated universal peace were gone.

—-------

(Meanwhile, Ru Vassa’s POV)

If there was one thing Ru Vassa despised more than watching the Chakravyuh collapse inward on itself and being forced to chase Soron across the Third Dimension, it was being forced to do so alongside seven other morons, as she found herself increasingly baffled by just how petty, disorganized, and fundamentally incompetent her so-called peers truly were.

’Just how long does it take to corner one man?’

She wondered bitterly, irritation simmering beneath her calm exterior as her thoughts drifted back to the reasons she had been dragged into this mess in the first place, each one more unpleasant than the last.

’I’m tired, I’m grumpy, and I would very much prefer to be doing literally anything else right now,’ she thought sourly, ’but of course, I don’t get that luxury.’

Since the moment the Great Clans had signed the subservice agreement, their autonomy had become conditional, binding them to the Universal Government’s whims whenever Soron was involved, as whether they liked it or not, they were expected to assist in eliminating him whenever the situation escalated beyond control.

And today, it had escalated.

Which in itself should have been sufficient reason for her to help.

However, it still wasn’t the only one.

Because beyond the inescapable obligation, there was also something far more fundamental at play, something Ru Vassa understood better than most of the others chasing alongside her.

For she understood that Soron, and him alone, was the Cult of Ascension’s spine, its shield and its sole reason for relevance.

While no-one else truly mattered.

For Gods like them, it did not matter whether the Cult followers numbered in the dozens or in the hundreds of millions, because without a defender of Soron’s caliber standing at their head, they could be erased with a flick of intent.

Which was precisely why the Cult Dragons, the Cult Army, and even the Demon of Omega himself barely registered as priorities.

For they were nothing more than symptoms, while Soron was the disease.

And as far as the Great Clans were concerned, once Soron fell, everything else would collapse naturally, the Cult crumbling into irrelevance without its cornerstone, as that was the logic they operated under.

Cold.

Efficient.

And dangerously oversimplified.

Which was why, despite the Cult army being out there, they only focused on killing Soron first.

As for them, nothing else truly mattered.

So long as Soron remained alive, every victory against the Cult would be temporary, every suppression incomplete, and every so-called triumph nothing more than a delay.

Kill Soron, and the Cult would wither on its own.

Fail to do so, and no amount of soldiers, propaganda, or executions would ever truly end it.

Which was why he had to go down first.