Lord of the Truth

1091  Count down

(Hey… If you want to survive, then retreat or take cover—far away from the army of the Great Serpent Empire. Iʼll give you ten seconds. After that, donʼt blame me for what happens next.)

Sakaarʼs mouth fell open, his eyes widening in sheer disbelief. The weight of the message that had suddenly appeared in his mind was overwhelming. His breath hitched as he hurriedly activated the same soul imprint that had delivered the warning and sent back an urgent reply.

”What do you mean? What exactly is going to happen?! You think you can just appear out of nowhere and say something this cryptic?!”

(...Nine.)

”...?!”

Sakaar instinctively took two steps backward in midair, his pulse racing. A creeping sense of unease crawled up his spine, yet he dared not ask further questions. Instead, his sharp gaze darted around him, scanning the battlefield— then downward toward the chaos below.

Retreat? That was impossible.

Every single soldier of the True Beginning Empire was currently locked in a brutal, life-or-death struggle. If they were suddenly given an order to fall back toward an instant space portal, they simply wouldnʼt be able to comply. Anyone who turned their back on the enemy in the middle of such ferocious combat would be cut down instantly.

Take cover? Where?!

There were nearly a million soldiers desperately trying to force their way into Richardʼs control zone— a fortified region that had been carefully prepared in advance. Meanwhile, nearly 1,500 Battle Emperors swarmed the skies above, circling like a storm of enraged hornets.

Where in the world were they supposed to go?!

(...Eight.)

”…!!”

Something inside Sakaarʼs mind snapped.

He stopped overthinking entirely. His instincts took over, driving him toward the only person who could possibly provide a solution in a moment like this.

”Richard, Son of the Lord, we beg for your protection!!”

”Arrrghh… Do I look like Iʼm playing around here?!” Richard barely managed to lift his head, his voice straining with exhaustion as he roared back. His eyes were shut tight, unable to withstand the excruciating spiritual pressure weighing down on them. The sheer force of it had reached an unbearable level.

(...Seven.)

”Son of Lord!!”

Sakaar had no time to argue. He used his underworld daisies as Shields to block an incoming attack, then immediately turned his full focus back to Richard, shouting with all his might—

”Erect a dome around us! Donʼt hold back— pour every ounce of your strength into it! Every single drop of life energy you have!!”

”What?!” Richard forced one of his eyes open, straining to glance up at Sakaar. His body trembled under the overwhelming pressure. ”Even if I use every bit of my energy, a barrier like that wonʼt last more than twenty seconds against this level of concentrated firepower!”

(...Six.)

”Thatʼs more than enough! JUST DO IT NOW!!”

Sakaarʼs voice erupted like a desperate war cry, his tone leaving no room for hesitation.

Richard heard it— that unmistakable tone of pleading urgency, something far beyond mere battlefield panic.

And so, he did not ask again.

”Understood.”

KRRRRR… KRRRRRR!!

The very ground beneath their feet began to crack.

Deep fissures ripped through the battlefield, splitting open the earth as an enormous wall started to rise.

It wasnʼt a structure of ordinary stone— it was a monstrous construct, forged from a mix of earth, metal, shattered weapons, skeletal remains, and fragmented armor.

The colossal barrier surged higher and higher, its towering presence casting a massive shadow over the battlefield.

(...Five.)

Sakaar panicked and started scanning the battlefield. The voice had warned him to take cover from the army of the Serpent Empire… But what about the hundreds of martial emperors scattered among them?!

If the dome was completed while all of those martial emperors were still trapped inside, would the voiceʼs threat come true?

He had to push them out—but how?!

(...Four.)

”Amon!!”

Sakaarʼs desperate shout rang through the battlefield.

At that moment, Amon was on his knees, battered and barely defending himself. To an outsider, he might have seemed defeated, a warrior who had lost all strength. But in reality, he was serving a crucial purpose—drawing in a massive number of battle martial like a giant punching bag.

”Use every drop of blood you have left and push the Serpent Empireʼs martial emperors back! You donʼt have to do any damage, just push them away!!”

Amonʼs muscles tensed. A low, guttural growl rumbled from his throat, ”.....Grrrr!!!” as the bloody auras around his body surged wildly. His size expanded dramatically, his veins glowing an ominous red.

SLASH—SLASH—

Amon was no longer using his blood auras as whips for attack and defense. Instead, they had become projectiles.

”UURGH!!”

Any martial emperor struck by Amonʼs blood blasts was sent flying hundreds of meters backward.

In a mere blink, he had cleared the entire western half of the battlefield.

(...Three.)

”Caesar, Son of Lord, I beg you— just one last time! Push them back! I wonʼt ask you for anything else!!”

Sakaarʼs voice was filled with raw urgency as he shouted at Caesar.

Caesar sighed deeply. His silver-gray eyes were dull, yet unwavering. Slowly, he raised both hands.

Then, with a single clap, his eyes snapped wide open.

”Return to nothingness—10%.”

FWOOM—

A sphere of white and black flames shot out from Caesarʼs palm, soaring toward the densest cluster of martial emperors engaged in combat on the eastern side of the battlefeild.

Then—

BOOF—

A small, almost unimpressive explosion erupted.

”.....!!!!”

Yet, despite its size, the effect was catastrophic.

Hundreds of martial emperors —and even demon emperors— felt their hearts seize with terror. A fear so deep, so primal, that it burrowed into the very core of their existence.

Caesarʼs wide-scale attack hadnʼt even drained a single drop of life force from them.

Yet the sheer intensity of their soul-crushing dread left them paralyzed, their minds utterly blank.

One by one, they began falling from the sky— and among them was Caesar himself.

(...Two.)

”...”

Even Sakaar felt his own heartbeat falter, the suffocating fear threatening to consume him.

But the voice inside his mind snapped him back to reality.

”Where do you think youʼre going?!”

With a furious cry, he swung his hand with all his might.

His ten compressed underworld daisies suddenly began duplicating at a rapid pace.

In an instant, the ten underworld daisies became over three thousand— each one locking onto a falling martial emperor and striking them mid-air.

The underworld daisies were too weak to deal any real damage. But that wasnʼt their purpose.

Their only goal was to push the martial emperors away—and they fulfilled that purpose perfectly.

KRRRRRRR—

At last, with the final martial emperor expelled, Richardʼs dome of protection was sealed shut.

Sakaar gulped, his body trembling slightly as he braced for the final countdown.

He had a feeling —no, a certainty— that something massive was about to happen.

He had sacrificed everything.

Richardʼs last drop of power.

Amonʼs last reserve of strength.

Caesarʼs last ember of will.

Even his own underworld daisies— all of them had been expelled beyond the dome.

Whatever was about to happen… it had to be worth it.

And then, he heard it.

The last message from that mysterious voice.

(...Sigh~ Well done, demon. Master is lucky to have you. Farewell… One.)

RUMBLE—RUMBLE—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—