Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2193 the reason?

After reading everything available regarding the history of The Necrofortress Galaxy, Caesar gradually came to understand a disappointing truth resting beneath all the fragmented records and terrifying legends surrounding that dead region of the universe:

It was ultimately a dead end.

The records contained no cultivation techniques capable of guiding him further, no carefully documented experiments, no inheritances preserved by previous users of the Path of Death, nor even fragmented personal experiences capable of helping him understand what was happening to his own body and soul as he continued sinking deeper into that terrifying path.

There was simply nothing.

And the more Caesar reflected upon the matter carefully, the more natural that absence began to feel.

After all, what exactly was The Necrofortress Galaxy in the first place?

A dead galaxy.

A galaxy without a ruler, without proper civilization in the ordinary sense, and without a single genuinely living and rational individual capable of intentionally organizing knowledge or preserving it for future generations.

Who among the undead would emerge to write manuals explaining their cultivation methods?

Who would sit calmly recording discoveries and theories?

Who would willingly explain their path to outsiders?

And even if someone somehow managed entering those dead worlds safely enough to question the undead directly, who among them still retained enough humanity to answer coherently?

For the undead, time itself had effectively stopped.

Even if millions of years passed around them, they would barely perceive the difference because every sensation allowing living beings to truly feel the passage of time no longer existed inside them. Fatigue, aging, urgency, ambition, fear of death, attachment to tomorrow, longing for descendants, dreams for the future... all of those emotions depended fundamentally upon life itself.

And life was precisely what the undead abandoned.

A being incapable of sensing time and incapable of dying would naturally never feel the need to preserve experiences for successors or descendants, because what future truly existed for creatures already standing beyond death itself?

Even concepts such as greed, ambition, planning, fear, and desire gradually lost meaning there. The undead of The Necrofortress Galaxy did not seek conquest, expansion, prosperity, or glory the way ordinary civilizations did. Most of them wanted only silence, stillness, and uninterrupted peace within their dead worlds, causing anything that disturbed that peace to become an enemy automatically regardless of whether it was human, beast, or something else entirely.

As long as a creature remained alive, as long as its life vein remained full and its soul properly preserved within its body, then from the perspective of the undead...

It was prey.

Thus, after exhausting everything the cosmic records could offer him, Caesar eventually found himself returning once more toward the original path:

The tablet left behind by his father.

The only true clue he possessed regarding the Path of Death.

Yet unsurprisingly, the same obstacle remained waiting for him there exactly as always.

The tablet itself was filled with strange inscriptions and fragmented symbols similar to the ones Lord Human apparently witnessed personally while studying the Path of Death, accompanied only by several brief explanatory lines clarifying the most dangerous sections, but beyond that there was almost nothing else. No polished cultivation methods, no elaborate explanations, no carefully crafted techniques, and nothing resembling the terrifyingly detailed inheritances Lord Human normally created for other laws, even combined ones capable of shaking sectors.

And Caesar understood exactly why.

It was painfully obvious that his father suffered greatly while writing every single word upon that tablet.

Even Lord Human, a man capable of creating impossible cultivation systems and monstrous combined laws beyond ordinary understanding, clearly avoided remaining connected to the Path of Death any longer than absolutely necessary, writing only the minimum required before stopping completely.

Truthfully, Caesar could not even blame him for that.

Because even now, after developing an affinity toward the Path of Death so unnatural it bordered on absurdity, he still failed to feel comfortable around it. More accurately, he still instinctively feared it... or perhaps feared what it was slowly turning him into.

Yet avoidance had already become impossible.

The Path of Death was now the only road leading toward the level of power Caesar desired, and if he truly wished to understand what was happening to him, then depending upon others would accomplish absolutely nothing.

He would have to experiment personally.

He would have to continue pushing himself deeper.

And naturally, what better place existed for experimentation than a battlefield overflowing with death, fear, hatred, suffering, collapsing souls, and endless killing? Such an environment suited the Path of Death infinitely more than isolated cultivation chambers ever could.

That realization alone was what ultimately convinced Caesar to return to frontline warfare after such a long absence. He wanted to test practically the things he learned from the tablet, hoping perhaps to create one or two techniques capable of strengthening the Flame of Death while simultaneously deepening his understanding of the Major Death Law itself.

But then...

Arkathion happened.

Everything spiraled beyond his expectations.

He lost control, killed his own subordinates, and forced Raiden to strike him down personally simply to stop the situation from worsening further.

Thinking back upon the entire incident now while continuing down the palace corridor, Caesar released a long sigh.

”Heeih~”

If Point Zero possessed a voice, it would probably be insulting him endlessly by now.

Still, despite everything, a faint smile eventually appeared upon his face because his experiments had not been entirely useless. In fact, the progress itself frightened him slightly. The percentage of the Major Death Law contained within his techniques increased enormously after studying the tablet, while his mastery became deeper, denser, and significantly more dangerous to the point where he now genuinely feared using those techniques openly during battle lest he attract unwanted attention or accidentally injure both himself and everyone nearby.

Especially after what happened today...

It had become painfully obvious things could not continue this way much longer.

Sooner or later, he would either understand the Path of Death properly...

Or lose himself inside it completely.

”Hey!”

Serafina suddenly extended her hand before Caesarʼs face and began waving repeatedly in an attempt to regain his attention.

”Would you stop daydreaming already?!”

”...?”

Caesar halted briefly before turning toward her with visible irritation.

”Move your hand away from my face if you still wish to keep it attached to your arm.”

”...!”

Serafina immediately furrowed her brows while lowering her bottom lip slightly, feeling deeply insulted despite forcing herself not to answer back.

Caesar was weak compared to truly monstrous entities within the universe, that much was undeniable.

Yet his position placed him above emperors ruling thousands of planets.

A single order from him could cause several Royal Soul Masters to tear her apart instantly, and even the young Ziegler she left behind moments ago would already prove an extremely troublesome opponent for her to face directly.

In truth, Caesar would not even need to issue the command personally.

If Serafina attempted something as simple as slapping him, the hidden formations spread throughout the palace would activate automatically before she could even complete the motion, restraining her instantly before subjecting her to a horrifying fate.

And this was not merely speculation.

Something nearly identical had already happened before.

One of the current wings belonging to the Multiple Centennial Cradle Empire, an emperor ruling a Double Empire containing ninety planets, once attempted assassinating Caesar personally after losing control during political negotiations. The result became famous throughout surrounding sectors because the palace formations restrained the man instantly before he was publicly crucified for all to witness, only for his own nephew to step forward calmly afterward, inherit the empire without resistance, and officially join the Cradle Empire as a loyal wing.

The story spread everywhere not merely because of the execution itself, but because everyone understood the meaning behind it clearly:

Within the Cradle Empire...

Touching Caesar meant declaring war against the entire imperial structure itself.

”...” The moment clear dissatisfaction appeared across Serafinaʼs face, Caesar released a quiet sigh before forcing a faint smile onto his own expression, though the exhaustion hidden beneath it remained obvious enough that even Serafina noticed it immediately.

”Things are not going well on the battlefield right now, and we need every bit of help available. Even I was there personally.” His voice remained calm while he continued walking through the palace corridor without slowing his pace. ”Go kill a few World Cataclysms and come back afterward, alright?”

And before Serafina could properly answer him...

He simply continued forward as though the discussion had already ended.

Naturally, that only irritated her further.

Because despite the strange and inconsistent way the empire treated her at times, Serafina was not some insignificant outsider begging for scraps of recognition or attention. She was one of the greatest contributors within the empire by far, to the point where many commanders privately acknowledged her importance despite her uncertain allegiance.

In fact, among all unofficial members and external allies connected to the Multiple Centennial Cradle Empire, one could easily argue she ranked second only to Renara herself regarding confirmed kill counts during wars and campaigns. For years she participated in battles across multiple sectors, hunted dangerous targets personally, and accepted missions most people would refuse even hearing about, while the amount of enemies she slaughtered for the empire steadily increased year after year.

And after Renara entered several consecutive secluded cultivations for extended periods...

Serafina nearly surpassed even her.

Yet despite all of that effort and contribution, she still did not officially belong to the empire. No oath bound her formally, no contract guaranteed where her loyalty truly rested, and no one could confidently claim understanding what she would ultimately choose if forced between the empire and something else important to her.

Technically speaking, she remained little more than an extraordinarily dangerous mercenary orbiting continuously around the Multiple Centennial Cradle Empire without ever fully becoming part of it.

Because of that, interactions with her always carried a strange atmosphere.

The empire trusted her enough to assign missions, grant authority, and reward her contributions generously...

But never enough to lower its guard around her completely.

”What exactly is your problem?!” Serafina hurried after him once again, genuine frustration filling her voice now instead of simple annoyance. ”I wait month after month just to speak with him for a little while, and if my presence bothers all of you this much, then why donʼt you simply sell him to me already?!”

”No problem, Iʼll sell him.”

Caesar answered immediately while taking one final turn toward his destination, his tone so calm that for a moment Serafina almost thought he was serious.

”But only under one condition.”

Only then did he finally glance back toward her properly.

”You tell me the real reason youʼre so obsessed with him.”

”...?”

Serafinaʼs steps slowed slightly.

For a brief moment, hesitation and uncertainty actually appeared on her face before she resumed following him again, though this time her pace became noticeably quieter.

”Canʼt...” She hesitated awkwardly before lowering her voice. ”Canʼt you see it yourself? Heʼs...”

Her words became softer.

”Handsome.”

”No one lies, Serafina.” A small smile finally appeared upon Caesarʼs face, though it carried obvious disbelief.

Then he stopped moving altogether.

They had already arrived before a massive door located deep within one of the palace sections, a place isolated enough that even the surrounding corridors felt unnaturally quiet. The entrance itself looked ancient and heavy, its dark metallic surface covered in layered defensive inscriptions glowing faintly beneath the palace lights while enormous locking formations rested across its edges.

With a simple gesture of his hand, Caesar instructed his assistant to open the door before turning back toward Serafina again.

”So suddenly you care about handsome men now?” His tone carried open amusement. ”To the point where youʼre invading enemy empires and collecting dozens of heads just to earn enough points to style his hair?”

Then he tilted his head upward slightly.

”Tsk~ At least tell a believable lie.”

Krrr

The enormous door behind him slowly began opening with a deep metallic sound echoing throughout the corridor.

”That is the truth!” Serafina immediately raised her voice defensively, her entire face turning noticeably red. ”My mistress used to forbid me from interacting with the opposite gender, and now I finally have my chance!!”

”...” Caesar raised an eyebrow slowly. ”That was good. For a moment there, I almost believed you.”

”B-but I am telling the truth!” Serafina protested again, embarrassed and irritated simultaneously. ”I really did fall in love with the Silent Emperor and—”

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Completely.

The interruption happened so suddenly that even Caesar noticed it immediately.

Serafinaʼs widened eyes were no longer focused on him.

Nor on the opening door itself.

They were staring toward something beyond him.

Toward whatever existed inside that room.

Then slowly...

Almost unconsciously...

She took two hesitant steps forward.

Her breathing became uneven, while the redness on her face disappeared completely beneath growing shock.

And when she finally spoke again, her voice no longer carried embarrassment, irritation, or stubbornness.

Only fear.

Confusion.

Disbelief.

”...My Lady?!”