Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1954 Part of the deal

Upon the shattered ruins of the imperial palace of the Twilight Spectrum Empire-

Swoooosh-

A pale-blue star, glowing as though a brilliant lamp burned at its very core, streaked through the air at terrifying speed toward Elenor. Then-Baaaam!-the instant the star struck the ground, a colossal surge of energy detonated outward. A heartbeat later, an overwhelming glacial wave followed, flooding the land with killing frost and sealing an area stretching for hundreds of kilometers inside a frozen hellscape of ice and death. ”Ahh!!”

Elenor slammed her nine tails violently into the ground, driving them deep and using them as a launching platform to hurl herself backward like a loosed arrow. She escaped the edge of the destruction by a hairʼs breadth, cold and pressure tearing past her. Only after reaching a barely safe distance did she finally twist around, her eyes stretched wide in pure shock. ”...?!”

Step.

Understanding dawned far too late.

Rinara emerged calmly from within the dense, swirling frost fog. Her eyes burned with condensed fury, her nine tails glittering with radiant stars as though each one carried a fragment of the heavens. In that moment, she looked less like a living being and more like a figure torn straight from ancient legend- an unstoppable mythical executioner who had reached the absolute pinnacle of power and descended to erase her enemies. ”Rinara...”

Elenor staggered backward step by step, her voice trembling. ”What happened to you? Youʼre not my sister. Youʼre not the girl I grew up with. Youʼre not the one who taught me how to read and write...!!”

Even as the words left her mouth, Elenorʼs eyes darted wildly in every direction, searching, calculating, panicking.

When she caught sight of what had happened high above to the planetary emperor, her heart seized painfully. He had been completely surrounded by seven Nexus States-and they had decapitated him without hesitation!

What kind of madness was this?!

Hadnʼt the entire star field declared Rinara the number-one criminal precisely because she had done the same thing to another planetary emperor before? And now these monsters dared to repeat that same atrocity here?!

But the horror did not end there.

Seven additional Nexus States were surrounding her alone, floating above with their arms folded, watching as if this were nothing more than a grand theatrical performance. They had sealed the sky completely, cutting off every possible escape route-yet at the same time, they deliberately left her fate entirely in Rinaraʼs hands.

And beyond them...

Roughly fifteen more Nexus States had formed a wide perimeter around the battlefield, having already struck and disabled every aerial port, military barracks, space portal, and strategic facility across the planet.

They were engaged with world catastrophes and several armadas desperately trying to rescue their emperor-unaware that he was already dead. Even so, the fifteen Nexus States never moved an inch. Their spiritual senses remained locked onto Elenor like relentless radar, like predatory birds that had spotted a fat, helpless insect and were simply waiting their turn.

Thirty.

There were thirty Nexus States on this half of the planet alone!! ”Rinaraaa!!”

Elenor screamed again, tears and terror overflowing from her eyes. ”Why all this hatred?! Why go this far just to hurt your own sister?! I wanted nothing but to preserve the empire of our ancestors-to carve a place for us in this world! Without me-without everything I sacrificed to keep you pure and faithful to your principles-you wouldnʼt even be alive today! Why do you hate me this much?!” ”If only we had died...”

Rinara muttered coldly as she continued to advance.

Then-*Shaaa-*a triple-headed spear materialized in her grasp. This was the strongest planetary armament inherited by the Nine Paths Empire, a third-tier offensive planetary weapon, forged solely for annihilation.

Without hesitation- *Baaa-*she thrust forward.

On the opposite side of the planet-

The royal uncle glanced back, his expression twisted with pain, rage, and deep-seated hatred. Through his spiritual sense, he could clearly feel what had happened to the planetary emperor who had attempted to force his escape. He could sense Nexus States tearing through army strongholds, barracks, arsenals, ports-every pillar that once upheld the empire- ”Damn it...” the royal uncle muttered through clenched teeth. ”The Twilight Spectrum Empire is finished.”

He steadied his breathing, hardened his resolve, and continued upward beyond the planetʼs atmosphere. Moments later, he broke through into open space.

Once there-

Everything was already decided.

The Twilight Spectrum Empire had fallen, utterly shattered, yet that did not mean he would remain idle. It did not mean he would sit and let this defeat define him. Far from it-he would take his revenge. He would rebuild what had been lost, he would restore the empire to heights of glory it had never before reached. And he would do so with strategy, precision, and ruthless efficiency. First, he would make his way to the Millennial Seven Thrones Empire, a realm of vast power and influence. There, he would request assistance, a temporary alliance to protect the handful of planets they still controlled. In exchange, he would leak just enough information, carefully measured, to satisfy them without weakening his own position.

Then, beyond that, he would sell other secrets to the Soul Society, the highest bidders who craved power, influence, and wealth. Through these actions, step by step, deal by deal, he would rebuild his empire-laying foundations more secure and far-reaching than ever before. And then, when the moment was right, he will- ”Easy there, little fella. Where exactly do you think youʼre going?” ”..?!”

The royal uncle froze completely, his body locked in place, his eyes wide with shock, disbelief, and a dawning sense of dread.

It wasnʼt that he wanted to see who was speaking-it was that his very body refused to respond. A pressure, suffocating and absolute, bore down upon him from every angle. He felt like a helpless child trapped beneath a roaring waterfall, each drop a hammer blow, ready to crush him at any moment. With agonizing effort, he turned his head slightly, just enough to glimpse the source of the voice. Terror and disbelief etched themselves across his face, his expression twisted as though he were gazing upon the Angel of Death itself. ”Y-you...”

Before him stood a figure, slightly shorter than expected, wearing a loose yellow robe that swayed gently with the movement of the wind-or perhaps the pull of some unseen energy. His expression was calm, almost casual, yet his smile was wide, unsettling in its confidence, radiating an authority that could not be ignored. ”You... itʼs... itʼs really you...” the royal uncle stammered, barely able to find his voice. ”The one running the Syndicateʼs operations... in Mid Sector 100... why are you here?! Why would you... why would a... a Monarch... move for someone like me?!”

His voice trembled with fear, anger, and disbelief all at once, teetering on the edge of tears. ”Why... why would you act personally for me?” ”I asked myself the exact same question when the job came through!” The man in the yellow robe clapped his hands together with a sharp, deliberate sound, as if punctuating each word with certainty. ”Turns out... there was a removal order issued against the leaders of the Twilight Spectrum Empire as part of a one-hundred-billion Pearl contract!”

Then he laughed, deep and resonant, almost echoing in the royal uncleʼs ears. ”Tell me, my poor, unlucky friend-what on earth did you do to end up in a deal of such staggering magnitude?” ”On... one hundred billion... Pearls?!”

The light in the royal uncleʼs eyes began to dim, fading under the weight of incomprehension. He had never, in all his long life, encountered even one percent of that sum. He felt the sheer, staggering enormity of it press down on him. ”Itʼs... it has to be him... without a doubt... that man... Robin Burton!!” ”Aha!” The man in the yellow robe gestured at him twice with deliberate, precise movements. ”So thatʼs why you all had to die the way you did. Because you couldnʼt keep your tongues in check. Now I understand-oh yes, now I understand.”

The royal uncle stared forward, a strange, almost resigned smile playing across his face. ”Do what you must...”

Then, deliberately, he closed his eyes. ”As for Robin Burton... he will regret this.

He will regret it, because that boyʼs lack of experience caused him to overlook something a single, crucial detail. And that detail... will be his undoing.” ”You mean the Soul Lord guy?”

The man in the yellow robe raised one brow, his calm certainty only heightening the royal uncleʼs panic. ”...?!?!”

The royal uncleʼs eyes snapped open in terror once more. He swiveled to the side, panic overtaking him. ”N-no...” ”Yes!”

The man in the yellow robe laughed again, a quiet, knowing chuckle. ”You used three, maybe four of his soul borrowings to evade the Nexus States covering the planet. Clever, yes-but that boy is part of the deal as well. The removal order applies to him too.” ”Impossible!!”

The royal uncleʼs voice roared across the space around him, trembling with disbelief and fear. ”It is impossible for you to reach him! No one can ever know his location, and even if you did-you could never touch him!!” ”Isnʼt he... in the Savage Behemoth Galaxy, in Mid Sector 105?”

The yellow-robed manʼs tone was calm, almost teasing, yet carried the weight of inevitability.