Lord of the Truth

1063  Pain

”What in the hell...?!” The general shouted in disbelief as he turned around sharply. ”Is... is that a demon?”

Another general chuckled at his wordsو ”What do you mean ʼa demonʼ? Weʼve been fighting them for months. Look anywhere, and youʼll find one.”

He turned around to continue mocking his colleague— until his voice trailed off.

One by one, the other generals followed suit, along with several combat emperors who had a moment of reprieve. Each of them gazed in that direction, their heads slowly tilting upward. And the higher they looked, the wider their mouths fell open in shock.

There, looming over the horizon, was a giant—no, a walking mountain.

The monstrous figure moving toward them had the color of deep, bloodstained crimson and two enormous horns sprouting from its head. That, and only that, was what resembled a demon.

Everything else... was beyond comprehension.

The colossal being stood at least 300 meters tall, its massive claws stretching tens of meters long. Rows of jagged fangs ground against each other, emitting a horrific screech that sent chills down spines.

It had no intact skin—its powerful, pulsating muscles were laid bare, and shreds of torn, rotting flesh hung loosely from its body like ragged, decayed garments. A thick, grotesque tail trailed behind it, carving deep scars into the earth with every dragging movement.

And the stench... it reeked of countless rotting corpses, an overwhelming scent of death that suffocated the battlefield.

SPLURT SPLURT

Explosions erupted from within the titanʼs body as geysers of dark, viscous blood burst forth. Yet the blood did not spill away; it writhed unnaturally, slithering back into its wounds through other orifices, making the creature seem eternally encased in a swirling halo of its own essence.

”...Oh no. Itʼs going to trample them!”

One of the generals snapped out of his daze, pointing towards the advancing titan—but it was already too late.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The titanʼs foot, dozens of meters wide, came crashing down with earth-shattering force, crushing an entire battalion of the Great Serpent Empireʼs troops under its sheer weight.

Panic consumed the soldiers of the empire. The sheer terror of the monstrous entity drove them to flee in every direction, abandoning their positions.

Mere moments ago, their focus had been entirely on the demonic army of hundreds of thousands. Now, their minds and hearts refused to stay still—they could not face that.

It looked like something pulled straight out of the hellish legends passed down through generations.

Even the demons themselves—creatures of chaos and destruction—trembled at the sight.

Some fled in sheer terror.

Some fell to their knees, paralyzed with fear.

And others... others gazed upon the beast, noticing the resemblance between themselves and this monstrous being.

Slowly, reverently, they prostrated, chanting in awe as if witnessing the return of an ancient deity.

”KIYEEHHH!!”

”What are you fools doing?!”

A booming voice cut through the battlefield.

Finally, Amonʼs lieutenant emerged from the shadows, spreading his arms wide.

”It is King Amon! Hahaha! It is the KING!!”

”The King...?”

”King Amon!”

”Hahaha! KING AMON!!!”

A deafening roar erupted from the demon army, all 200,000 of them screaming in unison.

A surge of morale coursed through their ranks, reigniting their spirits.

Their wounds, their fatigue, their dwindling numbers—none of it mattered anymore. Just moments ago, they had been like fish trapped in a barrel, cornered and outmatched. But now...

”KING AMON HAS ASCENDED! FOLLOW THE KING!!”

Even the demon emperors, each engaged in fierce battles against two or more enemies, shouted with renewed vigor, their lungs straining to pour their devotion into the air.

...Amon looked around his feet ever so slowly to glance back at the horde of demons dashing from under him towards their enemies with intense bloodlust. His bloodshot eyes flickered with a cold, vacant light.

His vision was barely functioning— at best, he could make out vague silhouettes.

To reach this monstrous size, he had forced his blood to seep into every fiber of his being. It flooded his organs, stretched them to their limits until they ruptured, and then he healed them. He forced it into his very marrow until his bones fractured and shattered, only to be fused back together with his own blood as a binding agent.

His nails, tongue, even his reproductive organs—everything had exploded and been reconstructed countless times in a cycle of agony no living creature could comprehend.

Amon now resembled a man who had spent days in an icy hell, naked and starving, his body on the verge of collapse, his limbs numb and unresponsive. Pain wracked his very soul, an unbearable torment that gnawed at him without respite.

He could barely remain conscious, driven forward by nothing but a primal instinct ingrained deep within him.

The pain... The pain is unbearable...

What was I trying to do?

...Ah, yes.

Destroy the enemies of the Lord.

”...AAOOOHHHHHHHH!!!”

Amonʼs deafening roar erupted with unfathomable depth and power.

The space before him rippled violently, distorting and bending in unnatural waves—but oddly, no one actually heard the sound.

Instead, they felt it.

An invisible force pressed against their skulls, making their minds reel in disarray. Soldiers from the Great Serpent Empire and even the demons themselves dropped to the ground, clutching their ears in agony, blood trickling from their noses and mouths.

The weaker ones collapsed outright, succumbing to internal hemorrhages.

BOOOOM! A tremor.

Amon took another step forward, this time heading straight toward the city.

”Follow the King!”

”FOLLOW THE KING!!!”

The demon army erupted into a frenzied battle cry.

There were no formations anymore. No discipline. No strategy.

Like a rabid horde, they stormed toward the city, trampling over the imperial soldiers who, mere moments ago, had them cornered.

”This is bad!”

One of the Great Serpent Empireʼs generals stumbled back, his face pale.

”King Amon of the demons?! Who was supposed to kill him?!”

Another general barked, fury etched into his features.

A third general clenched his fists tightly in response.

”Youʼre blaming us now?! We rushed here because of the soul creaturesʼ assault! If we hadnʼt returned, the Fourth and Fifth Battalion wouldʼve been wiped out!”

”Come on guys, all of you calk down, youʼre all overreacting! I fought Amon before. he is strong but I know his limits. So what if heʼs grown a little bigger? Itʼs probably just an empty size, a big balloon! I can take him down easily!”

”He is right, letʼs just attack his leg and he will come crashing on the demon army!”

But then, one of the more perceptive generals muttered, sweat trickling down his temple. ”...What are you all talking about? Can any of you sense the sheer power of that thing?”

His voice trembled, ”That aura... Iʼve only ever felt it once before.” Then he shut his mouth, afraid to say anymore.

The oldest and sharpest general in their ranks turned swiftly toward the city, his expression grave.

Without hesitation, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

”To all units—an enemy approaches from the rear! Halt the advance and prepare for engagement!”