Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1615: The Rising Empire

”...My lady, didn’t you once say that you knew her personally?”

Helen’s brows twitched ever so slightly beneath her black mask. ”I would hardly call that single encounter a personal acquaintance.”

The Empress of the Nine Paths... she had manifested only as a fragment of soul on that dreadful day, stepping forth with a threat that she would strike down the Pit of Destruction Empire if Robin or the planet Jura were to suffer any harm.

That was all.

That was the extent of Helen’s so-called personal connection with Rinara.

Their exchange had been little more than a confrontation—just a handful of lines, nothing more. Words dripping with menace and warning, spoken back and forth like sharpened blades. And in the end, the golden fragment had simply vanished, leaving nothing behind, no gains for either side. Or at least, that was what Helen believed at the time...

Yet in the centuries that followed, subtle changes began to ripple through the Nine Paths Empire. Helen had paid them no real attention at first—why should she? —until a rumor spread, faint and uncertain, that they had somehow obtained a merged law. The instant Helen heard it, she knew exactly where the source lay.

That woman. That schemer. She had worked behind the scenes, weaving her web to win the favor of the True Beginning Empire! Rinara might have posed as a mediator, playing the role of the innocent who only wished to preserve Jura, but Helen saw it clearly even then—she had been plotting to seize control from the very beginning. Her tone, her words, everything had betrayed it. Why was it that she was cast aside so easily, while Rinara was rewarded with a merged law?

It was infuriating—utterly unfair! And yet... who was there for her to complain to? No one.

”My lady,” Serafina’s voice came quickly, earnest and soft, ”I am your servant and the keeper of your secrets. You’ve always told me everything. Even if your relationship with Rinara wasn’t warm, at the very least you spoke with her once, shared a history, however brief. That gives you a thread—a chance to open a conversation with her.”

”A conversation about what, exactly?” Helen’s lips curved into a wry smile. ”About how best to dismantle my realm and pledge my service to another empire?”

Since the rumors of the merged law first surfaced, Helen had followed the major news about the Nine Paths Empire, even if she ignored the smaller details. And the last thing she had heard was staggering—that Rinara had dissolved her empire of seven million years and joined a newly rising empire, seeking protection within it.

”My lady, before Rinara aligned herself with the Centennial Cradle Empire, her situation was dire. She was besieged—hemmed in by one Centennial empire and no fewer than six other powers bent on her destruction. After she publicly announced the beheading of the Pink Bull Emperor, her enemies multiplied further. It was a storm that promised the utter annihilation of her and her people. And now... look at her,” Serafina tried to justify with urgency.

”...By making that choice, she shed not a single drop of extra blood from her people. She safeguarded all twenty-three of her worlds, preserved the structure of her Nine Halls, and now fights every enemy she once faced—only this time backed by the full might of the Centennial Cradle Emperor!” Then she added quickly, ”Do you know, my lady? Not long ago, the Centennial Cradle Empire struck at one of Rinara’s old planets, reclaimed it, and then returned it to her people intact!”

”...They’ve already ascended to the rank of a Centennial Empire, then?” Helen tapped her fingers against the balcony railing, her tone edged with dry irony. ”When was their rise officially declared—two centuries ago?”

”Even less,” Serafina answered in a rush. ”The entire sector is ablaze with their name. Their speed of growth and expansion has no precedent. The Centennial Cradle Empire now draws human clans and powers as moths to a flame. Their numbers of World Cataclysms have already passed the hundred mark!”

”This... is dangerous for the powers surrounding them,” Helen murmured, her voice carrying both weight and bitterness. ”If they continue at this pace, they might one day ascend all the way to claim the title of a Millennial Empire. That kind of strength would shake the entire sector.” She exhaled a slow sigh, her shoulders lowering slightly. ”Fortunately, for now at least, they do not share the same starfield as we do. That small gap of distance is a blessing.”

”Well, my lady, that’s not entirely reassuring,” Serafina answered softly, her tone careful yet unwavering. ”To gain the title of a Millennial Empire and truly rule it, the sovereign must be at least a Seven Stage law user, A Guardian or a Monarch. The Cradle Emperor, as he’s called, is still only in a high-level Nexus State—just like you. Some whisper that he’s merely a puppet, a mask for someone greater who hasn’t shown themselves yet. Others believe the rumors are just lies to confuse their enemies. Nothing is certain.”

She allowed a faint, almost mischievous smile to surface. ”And secondly, what does it matter if they are not in our starfield? Traveling between our starfields is not the impossible journey. With the use of a space gate, it would take barely a few hours.”

Helen turned her head, her black mask catching a glint of fading light, eyes narrowing in suspicion. ”Why would we ever walk willingly into the den of such a rising beast? What could possibly make us step toward them rather than away?” Her tone grew sharp as a blade. ”...And why, Serafina, were you prying about my acquaintance with Rinara?”

”My lady, don’t misunderstand me.” Serafina straightened slightly, her hands still clasped before her. ”It is not idle curiosity. The truth is, everyone in the starfield—and beyond—now clings to the feet of this surging power. The Centennial Cradle Empire has established itself as the heart of its starfield. Every surrounding force is either locked in battle with them or bending knee in submission. And their influence is spreading further, catching the eyes of the entire stellar domain.” Her voice carried both respect and unease. ”Much of this came after they unveiled a new system... the Wings System.”

Helen arched a brow, the words ringing oddly in her ears.

”With this system,” Serafina explained, ”a force that joins them does not lose its name, its treasuries, or even its planets. All remains intact. The only change is symbolic: from an empire or a family, the name shifts to ’Wing of such-and-such.’ It is an alliance structure unlike any we have seen before.”

Her words gained a subtle edge. ”And they don’t simply provide protection to these wings. They lavish them with weapons, armor, and resources. Every single wing that has sworn allegiance so far has only spoken praises—loudly, publicly. They even invite others in the Soul Society to follow suit, turning their submission into a rallying cry rather than a shameful act.”

Helen’s silence stretched. Her body turned slowly, her gaze fixed firmly on Serafina. When she finally spoke, her tone was low, dangerous, edged with warning. ”Serafina... I may see you as a sister, closer to me than most in this broken court. But be very, very careful with your next words.”

Serafina swallowed, lowering her eyes in respect, her voice trembling just enough to show she understood the weight of the warning. ”...All I mean, my lady, is that it appears to be a profitable bargain. The situation as it stands...” She hesitated, then admitted, ”...it pleases no one. Not you, not your soldiers, not your people.”

Helen turned back to the balcony, her eyes sweeping over the ruined gardens, the scarred palace grounds, the weary soldiers below whose armor was so incomplete it barely deserved the name. Her lips curled in a bitter smile. ”...Perhaps I truly made my greatest mistake when I lashed out at the Ghassan Empire. I was young, reckless, drunk on the illusion that my personal might could conquer anything. I dismissed the value of armies, of supplies, of resources. I thought everything could be seized by my power alone. That arrogance... set the tone of my reign, and now, this wasteland is the fruit I must reap.”

Her fingers drummed lightly against the railing, then tightened into a fist. ”But do not mistake regret for surrender. That does not mean I will run crawling to another sovereign, offering my dominion on a silver platter merely because he dangles resources before me. If I were to bow to anyone, it would be to my elder brother, not to a child empire barely two centuries old.”

She finally turned, her eyes burning beneath her mask. ”Serafina, do you understand what my brothers would do if they learned I had bent the knee to such an upstart force?”

”My lady...” Serafina spoke faster now, her words tumbling out in a rush. ”What good is listening to your brothers? They’ve always tormented you, mocked you, and belittled your rule. It doesn’t matter whether you join the Centennial Cradle Empire or not—they will always find a way to make your path harder.” She drew in a breath, then offered a small, hopeful smile. ”And besides... we don’t even need to fully join the Centennial Cradle Empire to reap benefits from them.”

Helen’s eyes narrowed. Her body stilled. She tilted her head ever so slightly. ”...Explain further.”