Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2351 live

Mid Sector 500—

Step Step

A mature woman wearing a light-colored midriff-baring dress hurried through a series of long, seemingly endless corridors whose polished walls stretched so far into the distance that their end could not be seen. She moved forward without slowing for even a moment, every step carrying her across entire miles as though the space within the Society had been folded beneath her feet. Yet despite crossing such astonishing distances with each stride, it still took her several long minutes to travel from one point to the next, as though the corridors themselves continued extending the closer she came to her destination.

When she finally came to a stop, she found herself standing before an enormous gate that looked ancient in style despite appearing completely new, its craftsmanship blending the dignity of countless ages with the flawless finish of something only recently created.

The woman let out a long breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, then slowly raised her hand and knocked with obvious tension. Bang Bang. Afterward, she remained standing perfectly still, not daring to knock a second time as she quietly waited for permission.

At last, a voice rose from below, making her swallow hard almost instinctively. ”Come in.”

”Hoooh~” The woman sighed in relief as much of the pressure weighing on her shoulders immediately disappeared. She quickly pushed the gate open before the invitation could be withdrawn and hurried inside. ”First Brother, thereʼs a new emergency.”

”Oh?” Morval was flipping through a glowing book at that very moment, calmly turning its luminous pages with an unhurried rhythm as though he had not been expecting any visitors. ”What kind of emergency is beyond the Third Sisterʼs ability to handle?”

”They brought the case to me, but I had no choice except to pass it on to you.” The mature woman spoke rapidly, clearly unwilling to waste even a single second. ”It concerns the Shadow Swords.”

”...?” Morval froze mid-turn, his hand pausing over the glowing page the moment he heard that name. He quietly closed the glowing book, carefully returned it to its place upon the table, then turned toward his sister with noticeably greater interest. ”Go on.”

”Several Shadow Swords in Mid Sectors 98 and 102 have started livestreams using the Soul Sapling as a medium. At this very moment, everything their eyes see is being continuously transmitted through the Soul Sapling into the livestream halls without interruption. Right now theyʼre mixed among the billions of broadcasts constantly flying throughout the halls every passing moment, appearing to everyone as nothing more than another ordinary stream among the countless ongoing transmissions,” the Third Sister explained.

”The Soul Society ignored this unusual behavior from the Shadow Swords even though our automatic scanners detected bloodshed and killing within those broadcasts. Thatʼs perfectly normal, however. Many factions deliberately use public broadcasts either to intimidate their enemies, gain widespread fame, or deliver warnings to their rivals, so incidents like these rarely justify immediate intervention.” She then frowned more deeply. ”But the Shadow Swordsʼ broadcasts have surpassed everything weʼve seen. They attracted an extraordinary number of viewers within an unbelievably short period of time, exceeding even our monitoring systemsʼ expectations. At this moment alone, millions are already watching, and the audience continues to grow with every passing minute.”

”Thatʼs good for us.” Morval nodded without showing the slightest concern. ”So whatʼs the problem?”

The Third Sister answered immediately. ”The problem is that Theo, the leader of the Shadow Swords, has submitted a formal request for unlimited-budget promotion of those broadcasts so they can be displayed throughout every hall. He also officially requested that they must not be interrupted under any circumstances, regardless of what happens during the broadcasts.”

”...” Morval slowly rubbed his chin while carefully considering every implication of the request. ”Promotion across every hall, combined with guaranteed immunity from interruption... thatʼs a privilege reserved for only a tiny handful of individuals. Money alone could never purchase treatment like that, regardless of how much someone is willing to pay.”

In truth, perhaps only three or four individuals possessed the authority to do such a thing without obtaining prior approval. The instant they began a broadcast or pressed the promotion command, whatever they wished to show would immediately be displayed before the entire universe without interruption or interference from the Society, regardless of the nature of its contents.

Interas had requested precisely this privilege tens of millions of years ago. During a certain war, he destroyed a major empire in Mid Sector 34 before publicly executing its ruler live on the Soul Society. An enormous controversy erupted when the Soul Society attempted to shut down that broadcast while it was still being transmitted.

It was widely believed that this very incident became the primary reason the previous Director of the Society was dismissed from his position and replaced by his successor after provoking influential figures he never should have antagonized.

The next Director established a law prohibiting interference with broadcasts of that level, declaring that the owner of such a broadcast would bear complete responsibility for everything shown within it and all consequences arising from it. He then placed only a select few names on the exemption list, a list that had since grown to five individuals: Interas, Marlik, the Cosmic Elder, the Archon, and Qarun.

Only those five possessed that privilege. Everyone else was required to obtain authorization beforehand, and their broadcasts would remain under close supervision from beginning to end. The Society retained the authority to terminate any such broadcast whenever it deemed necessary or whenever its rules had been violated.

”...” Morval tapped his knee thoughtfully for several seconds while weighing the potential gains against the possible risks. ”We canʼt afford to lose Lord Robin. If weʼre expected to respect those five because of their status and strength, then Lord Robin is even more important to us than any of them. Our profits have already doubled because of the Soul Legacy Array, and the value heʼs brought to the Society in such a short period surpasses what most of those individuals contributed over countless years.”

After another few seconds, he gave a decisive nod. ”Grant their request. Iʼll personally add Lord Robinʼs name as the sixth. His position as President of the Cosmic Academies gives him more than enough standing to deserve this privilege, and his contributions make it extremely difficult for anyone to object to such a decision...” He smiled faintly. ”I think heʼll appreciate a gesture like this.”

His thoughts had already shifted toward Robinʼs next invention, imagining how it would continue enriching the Society while opening entirely new streams of revenue and opportunities that no one had even considered before.

Simply because Timari had treated him well, Robin had responded with extraordinary generosity by releasing all of those astonishing creations. He had even willingly given up several advantages and considerable profits for their sake. If such generosity had been his response to ordinary kindness, then what might he do if they publicly granted him this special treatment and elevated him to stand alongside those five distinguished figures?

”I strongly advise against that!”

The Third Sisterʼs sudden outburst immediately pulled him out of his daydream, forcing his thoughts back to reality as he turned toward her once more.

”Hmm?” Morval frowned slightly, the confusion on his face becoming more obvious than before. ”Is there something else?”

”Look at the broadcasts yourself!!” The Third Sister quickly took out several discs without wasting another second. Dozens of different scenes immediately unfolded side by side before Morval, each projection showing a different viewpoint while collectively forming a much larger picture of the ongoing events.

At first, Morvalʼs brows knitted tightly as he silently observed everything before him, carefully scanning one projection after another without rushing to any conclusions...

It appeared to be a massive battle taking place throughout outer space, but there was nothing particularly unusual about that considering the recent developments surrounding Lord Robin. Everyone among the upper ranks already knew that Lord Robin was the one standing behind the Cradle and the Grave, so it was only natural for those forces to launch attacks throughout Mid Sectors 98 and 102, striking territories, military positions, and followers belonging to the two Behemoths—the sorcerer and the Cursed. Such retaliation had always been expected sooner or later after everything that had happened.

Perhaps the Shadow Swords simply intended to provoke those Behemoths through these broadcasts, draw their attention, or—

”Hmm?” Morval narrowed his eyes slightly as something within one of the projections suddenly caught his attention. ”Those tightly clustered planets... isnʼt that the Enchantment Galaxy?” His voice immediately rose several degrees as realization struck him. ”This attack is aimed at the Enchantment Galaxy itself?!”

”Look over there!” The Third Sister pointed toward another projection that had been overlooked among the dozens of displays. ”That phenomenon appearing in those images belongs to the Curse Galaxy as well. The signatures match perfectly.”

”A simultaneous assault on two galaxies?!” Morval slowly rose from his seat, no longer able to remain sitting as his expression gradually turned solemn. ”What exactly are Lord Robinʼs followers trying to accomplish? Has he completely lost his mind? Both of these offensives are destined to end in failure and eventual retreat. I understand that such an operation will infuriate Darvion and Zargul and perhaps force them into making mistakes afterward, but what possible benefit could justify such losses if defeat is inevitable from the very beginning?”

He immediately waved his hand decisively. ”Suspend the promotion until I send Timari to contact Lord Robin personally and inform him of this complete farce. His adopted son is about to drag his reputation through the mud before the entire universe!”

”First Brother,” the woman calmly waved her hand, causing most of the broadcasts collected from countless different viewing angles to disappear one after another until only two projections remained floating before them. ”Focus here.”

”....?!” Morvalʼs brows furrowed violently the instant his gaze landed upon the remaining images. ”...Hedrick came out of seclusion? And that girl... Renara from the Nine Tails Wing? What are those two doing in the—... Oh... Huh?”

Morvalʼs eyes widened to their absolute limit as his thoughts abruptly came to a complete halt, the expression on his face changing so dramatically that it was as though he had suddenly witnessed something he never believed could exist.

”.....No.”

”First Brother, what do you want to do?” the Third Sister asked cautiously after noticing the unprecedented change in his expression, no longer able to guess what he had just discovered.

”...” Morval continued staring at the remaining broadcasts for another full minute without blinking, his eyes still open as wide as possible while repeatedly examining the same two figures as though attempting to convince himself that he was not mistaken. ”...Their limits have been nullified.”

”Excuse me?” the Third Sister asked instinctively, unable to understand what those words were supposed to mean or why they had caused such an overwhelming reaction.

”...” Morval tightly grabbed his head with both hands, forcefully pressing against his temples as though trying to calm the turmoil filling his thoughts. ”...Approve the promotion and allow the broadcasts to proceed without any conditions for now, exactly as requested, until I receive new orders regarding them. Do not interfere under any circumstances unless someone above me personally issues different instructions.”

Bang. He furiously kicked his chair with enough force to shatter it into countless fragments scattered across the room before immediately rushing out without another word, his hurried footsteps echoing through the corridor as he disappeared almost instantly.

”....?” The Third Sister frowned as she watched her brother rapidly vanish into the distance, following a path she knew all too well. ”That direction... heʼs going to see Father?”