Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1043: Beneath animals

One of the mountain ranges in the northern region-

”Damn it, what the hell should I do in the mess? Argh...” Charles Burton, the second in command of the Shadow Swords, clenched his teeth as he observed the scene from afar.

A mental message finally reached him, stating: (Charles, what exactly is happening in the north? More than half of the Great Serpent Empireʼs army has already arrived, and more ships are landing!) The Shadow Sword instantly recognized the source of the message- it was the Supreme General, Sakaar. Quickly, Charles infused his soul sense into the Sound Ring, selected Sakaarʼs soul imprint, and replied while biting his lip, ”Apologies, but it seems the rest of the northern army of the Great Serpent Empire is also on its way. Thereʼs nothing we can do to stop them.” (What are you saying? What do you mean the rest of the army is on its way? What exactly is happening on your end? Have the Nihari Giants uprising forces been subdued?!) On the other side, Sakaar was nearly losing his mind.

Although six Giant clans had been destroyed by the Great Serpent Empire, they werenʼt annihilated to the point of extinction as Richard had done with the Azel Tribe. A large number of survivors from these six clans managed to escape. The same applied to the two clans attacked by the Demons.

Currently, there were eight partially destroyed clans and three clans at full strength, including the Ashira Tribe, which was allied with the True Beginning Empire.

The Ashira Tribe, in cooperation with the Fire Salamander Organization, managed to gather all those fleeing giants and formed a powerful coalition consisting of hundreds of Emperors and millions of soldiers. They spread across the northern region to harass the Great Serpent Empireʼs forces day and night. Coordination between them was made easy through the Sound Rings, which had been taken as spoils of war from the True Beginning Empire.

Naturally, with a little help from the Shadow Swords network, which fed the Ashira Giants detailed movements of the Great Serpent Empire forces step by step, they not only survived under the intense siege but also became a thorn in the side of the Great Serpent Empire— even after the arrival of the Imperial Guards!

It so happened that the Ashira Tribe, which had gathered and led this alliance, chose the day of the negotiations to launch a full-scale attack on the largest concentration of the Great Serpent Empireʼs army in the north. They informed their followers, citing intelligence from the Fire Salamander Organization, that the Great Serpent Empire would engage with the Third Sky Chosenʼs forces in the south, presenting a prime opportunity to wipe out their northern army entirely.

As expected, their followers obeyed, as the Ashira Tribe had been the reason for their survival thus far.

Finally, the day arrived, and the great battle began. The giants attacked ferociously, as if their lives depended on it, spurred by their displacement and the devastation of their cities. Everything was going perfectly according to plan... Until the Great Serpent Empireʼs ships began retreating!

Leaders of the Ashira Tribe shouted at their followers to prevent the enemy from leaving, but instead, the giants began cheering as if they had already won the war.

The Ashira Tribe, trying to set an example, advanced alone into the battle, hoping the others would follow. Yet, after more than half an hour, the Ashira Tribe found themselves fighting solo while the rest of the giants were busy scavenging the fallen for loot.

”I donʼt know what to tell you, Supreme General, but the battle is over here. The giantsʼ army has lost the will to fight and has begun rummaging through corpses for spoils, they are hopeless” Charles muttered, unsure whether to laugh or cry at the absurdity of their behavior. This useless race never ceased to baffle him.

(No, this doesnʼt make sense-not even by the standards of giants!) Sakaar exclaimed in shock. He had always relied on logic and predictability, and his expectations for the giants were clear and straightforward: when their mortal enemy retreats, they would engage to kill as many as possible. Isnʼt that what any rational being would do? Even animals would act this way if they see their target retreat!

But instead, they relaxed the moment their enemy withdrew, feeling victorious, and immediately reverted to seeking indulgence.

(I should have known... Itʼs my fault for elevating that filthy race and treat them as humans- or even animals!) Sakaarʼs voice, filled with frustration and bitterness, sounded once more. His hatred for that race burrowed even deeper into his bones.

He should have anticipated such an outcome. The so-called Niyari Giants were the ones who had killed their Truth Chosen and then spent hundreds of thousands of years basking in the prosperity built by the Truth Chosen while using weapons invented by others to bully less fortunate races.

Sakaar nearly ground his teeth to dust in fury. If not for the First Truth Chosen who appeared among them by mere coincidence and passed his research and flame to the second Truth Chosen, that lazy race would now be hauling carts like the cattle they are!

”What do we do now, Supreme General?” Charles quickly asked as he watched seven more ships seal their gates and prepare for liftoff. ”Do you want me and the Shadow Swords to intervene personally?”

(No. Most of the Shadow Sword Emperors have been dispatched across the eight planets of the Great Serpent Empire. Youʼre left with only a handful of ordinary Shadow Swords. Your intervention would achieve nothing; it would only expose the Ashira Giantsʼ ties to us. You may retreat. Your mission in the north is over. Go and lead the Five Warlords to support General Amon.) Sakaar commanded. ”Understood. But what about the overall war in the City of Hope? The Five Warlords wonʼt tip the scales. The entire plan hinged on stopping the northern army here, and the demons stopped their Southern army!” Charles asked hurriedly, feeling deflated.

The Ashira Tribe and the Fire Salamander forces were doing all they could and more, but very soon, the entire army of the Great Serpent Empire would likely leave the north. At most, 1-2% of them might remain behind.

This meant that, within half an hour, the City of Hope would find itself surrounded by over 1000 martial emperors, around 600,000 soldiers, and dozens of ships hovering above. Even the entire Demon army in the South hadnʼt been able to do anything against them!

(...) This time, Sakaar did not respond.