Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1374: Tension between the Allies-3

”...Lady Elinor, your visit has brightened my day and lit up the entire planet, I am truly honored.”

Caesar’s words were poised like a sword in its sheath—polite on the surface, but honed just beneath.

”Hehe~”

Elinor pivoted gracefully, turning her entire body toward him. Her movement was feline—fluid and full of intent. She gently bit the tip of her index finger in mock flirtation.

”A simple smile would’ve convinced me.”

A faint smile—barely more than a twitch—formed on Caesar’s lips.

”When one watches battlefields burn and inhales the scent of death daily, the eye loses its taste for beauty the moment it finds it. That’s all, my lady.”

Tap... tap...

Her heels echoed against the floor as she slowly circled him, her tails drifting behind her like trails of firelight through fog.

”Fascinating...” she said softly.

”No fear... no awe... I sense only irritation. As if my presence is an inconvenience you’re forced to tolerate.”

Then she brought her fingers to her lips and let out a quiet, mocking laugh.

”It seems war hasn’t just scarred taste for beauty, it’s corroded your ability to feel at all.”

”Are you implying that I should fear you, Lady Elinor?”

Caesar tilted his head slightly, his eyes locked on hers without blinking.

”Why would I fear a supposed ally? As I recall, we were the ones who supplied you with vital intelligence regarding the coming storm. We continue to provide you with arms and resources. Even your World Cataclysms —assigned to us by your own decree— still receive their generous salaries without lifting a blade. If anything, I expect gratitude.”

Elinor’s expression remained poised, but her gaze turned colder.

”As for the intelligence—we’ve yet to confirm whether it’s anything more than an embellished rumor. Even I haven’t detected the slightest ripple, how would you know about it? As for your weapons? You’ve never sold us anything that matches what your own soldiers wield. Your surplus is always what you hand down to the desperate. And your resources? We pay for them. This isn’t charity.”

Her nine tails stirred more forcefully behind her.

”And those World Cataclysm you speak of? They’re the only reason your Empire isn’t ashes.”

”On the contrary,” Caesar said, his voice now laced with an edge.

”If not for my father’s excessive patience, you wouldn’t have received a shred of that information. I wouldn’t have shared it at all, especially not for free. And to be honest—”

He raised his chin slightly.

”—a part of me hopes you ignore our warning. When the clock strikes midnight, I’d love to see whose ’rumors’ were closer to the truth.”

He took a step away from her, deliberately widening the space between them.

”As for the weapons—you choose lower-grade gear because your warfront budgets are a shadow of what’s required to maintain a force like ours. And the resources? We indeed sell you our excess, but we do it at half the market rate.”

Then he turned fully, his cape sweeping behind him like a banner.

”As for your World Cataclysms... They have been thanked, paid, and treated better than most of our own officers. You’re welcome to retrieve them with a kiss on top.”

A muscle twitched at the edge of Elinor’s jaw. Her blood simmered.

A mortal. A child in the grand scheme of cosmic history. Barely at the edge of Emperor class, and yet speaking to her like she was an irritant.

”That’s not very kind,” she said, her tone dropping an octave.

”You abandon your allies the moment a newer, shinier alliance comes knocking? Do you think your old ally won’t take offense?”

”Tsk~”

Caesar cast a glance over his shoulder, a deep scowl on his face.

”And what about some accountability from your side? Since the day we launched this campaign against the Iron Boar Empire, we’ve been practically begging for additional support—daily. Whether to hold the line or to push forward, all we requested was a few World Calamities to stand in the backlines, snack on appetizers, and watch. Not to fight. Just to watch. Yet how often did you answer?”

His voice rose slightly, filled with restrained fury.

”We’ve managed to conquer only four planets in 170 years—not for lack of strategy, not for lack of strength, but because of your chronic negligence. Every time we advanced, we were forced to pause for years, sometimes decades, just to wait for backup that never came. And when it finally did? They stayed a single day—then vanished. Every time we loose our gains overnight and paid for it with blood.”

Elinor’s gaze sharpened like a drawn blade. Her tails stilled. Her voice became frost.

”We have more important fronts. Or have you forgotten how many enemies we face? Are we expected to freeze all our operations... because you want to expand your precious little empire—one that doesn’t even belong to us?”

”Nonsense! Do you take us for children who’ll be pacified by such words?”

Caesar’s voice thundered through the tent.

”We have detailed intel on every single World Cataclysm under your banner—their positions, their assignments, your active fronts and campaigns. If you had lent us even half of your available forces when we needed them, we would’ve conquered at least twenty planets by now. The Iron Boar Empire would’ve been utterly crushed!”

”We’re not obligated to move at your whim,” Elinor snapped back, her tone tight with irritation.

”Any grand empire has its own hierarchy of priorities. And don’t delude yourself into thinking the Iron Boar Empire will collapse so easily. The closer you push an empire like that to the brink, the more they’ll unleash their hidden weapons. Corner even a gentle kitten long enough—and it’ll bare its fangs.”

”Seems to me,” Caesar raised his voice, pride swelling in every syllable,

”that the top priority of the Great Nine Paths Empire is to contain the growth of the True Beginning Empire. And secondly, what’s the problem if they do unleash their hidden weapons or retaliate ferociously? We’ll crush them regardless. I dare say, only an army sent by a Behemoth could stand against ours—and even then, we would still emerge victorious!”

Elinor exhaled slowly.

Her eyes narrowed, studying him.

That aura—it wasn’t normal. Dominating. Heavy. Unnatural.

A fourth-stage Law wielder shouldn’t be able to apply this kind of pressure—not to her.

She had met his father once, speaking casually with her eldest sister as though they were old friends, even though her sister could erase him from existence with a mere gesture. But his arrogance made sense. He was on the cusp of being a Great Truth Chosen.

But this young man?

Where was his overwhelming confidence coming from?

Was it that black flame he once used to chase off a World Cataclysm?

Or... Is the source of arrogance, is his father?

Elinor’s voice turned cold.

”...I actually came today to inquire about your new allies. The source of the World Cataclysms that have been popping up among your ranks lately. But now I see your opinion of the Nine Paths Empire runs deeper than I thought.”

Her golden eyes glinted.

”That... could be dangerous.”

”As long as my father stands behind us, our allies are infinite.

He favored you once, and chose you over many. That’s all there is to it, you are not that special.”

Caesar responded with icy calm.

”And please, don’t concern yourself with threats coming from our direction. In fact—this might be good news for you. Tell Her Majesty that we won’t be requesting reinforcements ever again. She’s free to refocus her efforts on other warfronts. As for us—we’ll move forward at our own pace.”

Elinor’s brows drew together in clear displeasure.

”Bold words. But can you back them up?”

Her voice dripped with doubt.

”The fewer planets the Iron Boar Empire holds, the more World Cataclysms they’ll concentrate into each one. And the more planets you claim, the more you’ll need to defend. I don’t know who your new allies are— but no one gives unconditional support the way we have!”

Click—

The flaps of the command tent suddenly parted open.

In stepped the bald old man, his posture now far more resolute.

”Your Highness Caesar,” he declared, voice loud and firm,

”I accept your terms. The Maizer Family, with all seven of our World Cataclysms, is ready to pledge full allegiance under your banner. We await your orders.”