Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1031: Fake Gods

A few minutes had passed since the battles of the City of Hope began-

BOOM!

Four battlegrounds had spread out in four directions around the portal, each one devastated in its own unique way.

The fight between Caesar and Marshal Serbal was marked by counterattacks, with each trying to evade their opponentʼs deadly strikes before retaliating. Up to this moment, neither had suffered any significant injuries. So, where did all those missed attacks land? In the city, of course, many many towers turned into dust under their crazy might.

Meanwhile, Richardʼs battle against Marshal Zanox and Marshal Lacross was no less violent- if anything, it was even more intense. The three of them had already started accumulating injuries. Richard kept charging aggressively toward Marshal Zanox, who was simultaneously trying to protect the dark blue pyramid and remain within 100 miles of the spatial portal. Marshal Lacross, on the other hand, pursued Richard relentlessly, seeking any opportunity to kill him while also engaging with the living city!

The fight between Hulak and First Marshal Celebos had reached a temporary stalemate. After Hulak persistently chased his opponent, laughing like a specter of death, Celebos had had enough. He began burning through his vast blood reserves, creating three separate manifestations of Durger The Devourer and settling into a defensive stance at their center. Of course, these manifestations were insufficient to defeat Hulak, who wore the Purgatory Armor, but they were enough to halt his reckless onslaught. Now Hulak circled around Celebos and his three Durger manifestations, searching for a weakness or simply waiting for the manifestations to exhaust themselves and dissipate.

SLASH! SLASH!

Naturally, the most attention-grabbing fight was none other than Sakaar and Soul Creature Hovenheim against 400 high-level martial emperors!

With the full emergence of Hovenheim, many imperial guards had turned their focus toward it, relieving some of the pressure on Sakaar. By guarding his back with the colossal spiritual entity, Sakaar managed to direct his attention fully toward his enemies. However, even after all these minutes, not a single guard had fallen- not even the 300 marsial elite had sustained serious injuries!

”....” Sakaar extended his soul sense to reassess the situation, his brows furrowing in frustration. He had underestimated this enemy greatly.

He could merge several of his daisies to create one with 10% of the Blood Seaʼs power, sufficient to kill the guards outright. But doing so would significantly weaken his defenses, leaving him vulnerable to injury. Those purple clouds were exceedingly dangerous-there was no room for reckless experimentation against the Path of Destruction.

Alternatively, he could maintain his current strategy. The rate of daisy destruction had slowed considerably since Hovenheimʼs appearance. By prolonging the battle, he could wear his enemies down until their blood reserves were depleted, and then finish them off.

He was confident he could hold his defensive stance for an extended period, but could His Excellency keep up with the soul unit losses at this rate?

Back at the portal-

”...Iʼve heard of you prostrating before your Overlord, with your nose and chin touching the ground. Even prisoners of war in my empire arenʼt treated that way.”

”Youʼre just ignorant, utterly ignorant! Do you think I should treat you and the Goddess of Blood and Destruction in the same manner?” Pythor pointed at Robin with a serious expression. ”How we deal with mortals is one thing, and how we deal with gods is another. How can you conflate the two? Donʼt you show your Overlord the same respect? No wonder he hasnʼt helped you since the war began, even after the appearance of the Cataclysm Sealing Cubes, I was waiting for some kind of retaliation from your Overlord to confirm his stance, but there was nothing. But I get it now, Youʼre a rowdy servant!”

”Why would I care? Just false gods. One does not become a god simply by gaining immense power. Do you even know what the word ʼgodʼ truly means?” Robin waved dismissively.

”A god is the focal point, the ultimate destination. By their command, one dies while anotherʼs life is spared. They are the embodiment of divine wrath, immortal, untouched by the ravages of time, and noble beyond the reach of slanderous tongues,” Pythor declared, lifting his head with pride evident in his voice. ”A god is the personification of strength, authority, and might- the one who grants blessings if they so choose and obliterates kingdoms at a whim, the rightful owner of the land and the souls above it.”

”That definition...” Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully while looking down at the ground before lifting his head to meet Pythorʼs gaze. ”Wait a minute, are you indirectly describing yourself?”

”And what if I am? Doesnʼt the definition apply to you as well?” A half-smile spread across Pythorʼs face pleased that his opponent had caught on to his insinuation. ”Every mountain has a higher peak behind it, and every king has one who surpasses him. This diminishes neither the mountain nor the king.”

”But then, does the term god still retain any meaning? How does your description differ from that of any ruler over a mortal kingdom? The only thing missing is immortality, and that can be attained by refining a planetary spirit. Beyond that, even a father might call himself a god within his own household!” Robin shook his head, unconvinced. ”This is precisely why I hold no respect for those who attach such grandiose titles to themselves, and I certainly have no intention of taking such a title for myself.”

”...Oh, then what is your definition of the term from your perspective?” Pythor extended his hand calmly.

For ten thousand years, this was the first time heʼd had a conversation with someone of equal stature. Even though one of them would die by dayʼs end, savoring the discussion was a must.

”...I donʼt know yet. Someone like me shouldnʼt be defining god in the first place. At best, I can search for one. A true godʼs definition must be like them-true and eternal. Only they can define themselves. Opinions and definitions from people like us are irrelevant...” Robin shook his head firmly.

”Come now, rejecting the concept so adamantly must mean you have your own viewpoint!” Pythor teased with a laugh.

”Heh~ If you want my view on what a god is, then we must look for the creator of this universe. This precise system didnʼt come into existence by chance. Anyone else who hasnʼt created something of this magnitude and complexity doesnʼt deserve the title. No matter how the description is twisted, theyʼre nothing but frauds!” Robin gazed at the horizon, lost in

thought.

This wasnʼt the first time his mind had wandered to such topics-patterns and laws surrounding them couldnʼt be mere coincidence.

”....” Even Pythor rested his chin on his right hand, falling into a contemplative silence.

A full minute passed before Robin turned to Baithor with a chuckle, changing the subject. ”You mentioned your Overlord as the Goddess of Blood and Destruction. Is it a man or a

woman?”

”We donʼt know. Every time we only encounter their red and black soul fragment - like the one that tore through your demon army- or they just go to fight the enemy leader directly. We never see them.” Pythor replied calmly. ”However, there are rumors suggesting theyʼre a woman. The Ghassan Empire promoted this idea heavily, perhaps because she kicked their emperorʼs butt a couple of times? Regardless, we decided to play it safe and address the Overlord as a man. Thatʼs what Iʼve done since my first encounter with them, and theyʼve never corrected me. Until they do, Iʼll continue addressing them as male.” Then, pointing at Robin, he asked, ”What about you? You laughed while asking. Have you ever met your Overlord in person and know for certain whether theyʼre a man or a woman?” ”......Come to think of it, no, I donʼt know anything for sure about him either.” Robin raised an eyebrow, then smiled. The idea of the All-Seeing God being a woman felt odd. He then raised both eyebrows toward Pythor. ”So, shall we fight now, or...?”