Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1200 1200: End of the world

Crack… crack…

Above him, the sky began to ripple, compress, then fracture with a sound that echoed like the groaning of a dying world. Jagged rifts spread across the skies, each one stretching the length of an entire mountain range. From every rift poured a dense, radiant gray light—an oppressive force that smothered the atmosphere and pushed the very ground downward, as if trying to crush the planet under its weight.

Robin stumbled backward, one step, two, heart pounding. His breath hitched in his throat. His lips trembled, trying to form words that wouldnʼt come.

”AAAA…AA... AAAA…”

”AAAAAHHHHH!!”

A chorus of screams erupted. The guests of the coronation—nobles, citizens, servants—all those who had only just begun to leave the grandstands and flood into the streets—froze like statues as they turned their gazes upward. The sight of the sky breaking was more than shocking—it was devastating.

The weak-willed among them collapsed on the spot, unconscious. Their minds simply couldnʼt bear the crushing weight of that celestial catastrophe.

”Oh no…”

Richard dropped to both knees. His homelandʼs sky was shattering, the symbol of their safety torn asunder. And yet… he did not burn with anger. No fiery aura burst from his body. No cry of defiance escaped his throat.

He simply collapsed.

This… this was not something he could fight. It wasnʼt something he could challenge or oppose. Against this level of power, he could do nothing—nothing but kneel and hope. Hope that this wouldnʼt be their final day.

The Three Beast Kings trembled. They took slow, fearful steps backward, lowering their heads instinctively, terrified that if they moved too boldly, whoever was behind this destruction might notice them… and erase them.

It didnʼt matter whether someone was a simple soldier, a proud imperial knight, or even a decorated general—everyone retreated. Everyone turned inward. They began to silently relive the moments of their lives, not daring to look left or right, as if doing so might draw attention.

The end had come.

The end of all things.

Whoooosh.

Suddenly, a glow shimmered before Robin. The spirit of Planet Jura —Juri— manifested once again, shimmering like moonlight in the midst of a storm. Her voice was shrill with terror.

”Robin! Robin, sheʼs here! Sheʼs arrived! Donʼt let her destroy me— Donʼt let her erase me!!”

”...!!”

Robinʼs eyes widened. He clenched his teeth so tightly his jaw ached.

He turned to his side and screamed at Rinara,

”You said sheʼd take a few days! You said we had time! Were you lying to me?! Were you playing games at a time like this?! You—!”

But to his surprise... there was no mockery on Rinaraʼs face.

No arrogant smirk.

No condescending laugh.

No taunting remark waiting on her lips.

”....”

She was staring upward too, brows furrowed, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

She didnʼt understand either.

”Damn it all…”

Robin clenched his fists, fingernails biting into his palms. He looked upward again, his irises gleaming with furious light. He activated the Eye of Truth at its maximum potential—100%—then narrowed his eyes and muttered,

”Zoom lens.”

Vwooooom.

The world around him shifted in an instant. His vision shot upward through the fragmented atmosphere, slicing through layer after layer of shattered sky, beyond the veil of light and into the cold vacuum of space.

And then…

He saw her.

There, in the silent, endless dark, floating effortlessly—was a woman.

She wore a pitch-black gown, so dark it seemed to absorb light itself, embroidered with blood-red gemstones that shimmered like dying stars. The dress clung to her frame from the chest upward, elegant and intimidating, before flowing wide at the bottom like a storm cloud.

Her arms were covered with black silk gloves that reached past her elbows. Her face was hidden behind an ornate black mask, from which a single, blood-red jewel dangled against her cheek. Only a sliver of her was visible—her delicate chin, her full, crimson lips… and perhaps her silver-white hair, bound tightly with a long, black pin that resembled a weapon more than an ornament.

Robinʼs mind barely registered her allure. He didnʼt admire her lips or her gleaming hair. He didnʼt have the luxury.

All of his attention—all of his fear—was consumed by her eyes.

Those piercing, merciless crimson eyes.

Eyes that screamed one thing and one thing only:

Murder.

And with those same eyes—eyes that radiated nothing but pure, murderous intent—the mysterious woman lifted both her arms, calmly and gracefully, until they hovered parallel to her shoulders. Her motion was smooth, elegant even, but filled with dreadful finality, like a queen passing sentence upon the world.

Around her limbs, a suffocating cloud of gray energy began to gather. It wasnʼt simply fog or smoke—no. It was a dense, heavy mass of something far more sinister.

The energy curled and twisted like it had a will of its own, hungry and ravenous. Then, with terrifying slowness—agonizing slowness—she began to descend.

Crack… crack…

More fractures appeared in the sky. Not just little lines of broken space, but enormous rifts—each one spanning the length of countries countries.

The fourth-stage space shell around planet Jura was falling apart like a mirror struck with a hammer.

From within these rifts, a blinding gray radiance spilled forth—thick and oppressive, pouring down like inverted waterfalls. This light wasnʼt divine. It was destructive. It sought to erase, not illuminate. It came down like judgment from the heavens, and anything it brushed against—trees, soil, buildings, even air molecules—was immediately unmade, scattered into oblivion without resistance.

”Damn it all!!”

Robin took two trembling steps back, his instincts screaming at him to flee, though he had nowhere to go.

The air around him had become heavy. Dense. Breathing felt like dragging molten iron into his lungs.

Just her slow descent alone… was compressing the entire upper atmosphere beneath her. It was like a balloon being squeezed by an invisible hand from above—only a matter of time before it popped. And when it did… the devastation would be planetary.

”Juri! Do something—anything!!”

Robin suddenly shouted, his voice laced with desperation as he remembered the planetary spirit still clinging to life.

”I ALREADY triggered sixth-level planetary defenses, you absolute moron!! What the hell do those ʼtruth-seeingʼ eyes even show you?!”

Juriʼs voice roared back inside his head, brimming with frustration and fear. She still saw Robin as a cursed existence—a harbinger of doom.

”…?!”

Then finally, Robin noticed.

He saw it.

The only reason those gray torrents hadnʼt yet incinerated the surface of Jura… was because an opposing force was holding them back. A force pushing upward, fighting against the relentless pressure.

It was Juri.

She was using every shred of her essence, her power, her existence—to keep this world from collapsing under the weight of a single woman.

But it was obvious.

It wouldnʼt last.

Robin clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. Those red eyes… that overwhelming power… the sheer fact that she unleashed such destruction without a single warning, without a declaration, without reason… It made Robin feel utterly, absolutely small.

Like a goldfish trapped in a tiny bowl.

And outside that bowl, peering in with gleaming fangs… was a cat.

A predator.

One that didnʼt want a conversation.

One that wanted to eat.

”…Juri. Connect me to her. Let her hear me.”

Inhale…

Robin took a long, deep breath, forcing the tremble out of his voice. Then, releasing the air slowly, he opened his eyes and put on a painfully forced smile.

”Welcome, honored guest… such a powerful entrance! Was it truly necessary to go so far? You could have simply called my name, and I wouldʼve appeared immediately to greet you.”

”Oh? The planetary emperor Robin Burton chooses to address me directly? How flattering.”

The woman in black responded at last, her voice like silk dipped in venom. She descended even faster now—closer, heavier, deadlier.

CRAAAAAAAAAACK—CRACK—CRACK!

”Arrghh!!”

Robin felt it. A quake shook the very crust of the planet. Mountains trembled. Oceans rippled. Cities screamed. The entire world responded to her presence with fear.

Yet still, Robin forced the smile. His lips trembled, but he kept his tone steady. Barely.

”Haha… Iʼm glad you remembered my name this time. Itʼs… honestly an honor. But why the mockery, my lady?”

His voice cracked slightly, but he pressed on.

”To my people, I may be an emperor. But I know very well I am not one in your eyes. I donʼt seek to challenge you. So, please… why donʼt we lower the tension a little? Destroying such a tiny planet isnʼt worthy it of someone as great as you. You donʼt need to prove anything.”

”Letʼs talk. Please. There must be another way—some neutral ground we can find together.

Destroying planet Jura will bring benefit to no one.”

”…Iʼll benefit.” Her answer was instant. Cold. Absolute. And with it, she dropped even lower.

Robin laughed nervously, struggling to think, scrambling for words.

”Well then… why not benefit more? Haha… I mean—if you want gain, Iʼm open to negotiations. Please, just send a soul shard. Weʼll discuss this like reasonable powers. Surely… surely there are peaceful solutions. This is just a minor grudge, isnʼt it?”

”It is large enough for me.”

Her reply cut through the air like a knife of fate.

And once more, she descended.

CRAAAAACK—