Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1669: evacuation

”Ohhhhh—”

The cosmic beast opened its colossal maw wide, revealing rows of serrated fangs as it lunged straight toward Verilion.

Even though its size rivaled that of a small planet like Jura— It looked like a mere worm creeping toward an enormous apple.

And yet, everyone knew what would happen once the worm reached the apple.

”Move away!!” Fargus unleashed his full might once again. Hoooom!

The trajectory of his strike was meticulously calculated—the precise point of impact, the required amount of energy to produce the desired spatial distortion—Fargus had poured every ounce of his military experience into that blow.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A tremendous spatial explosion erupted near the left side of the cosmic beast’s jaw, forcing it to release a deep, guttural roar. ”Aaaawoooooh—!!” The monster veered slightly to the right, its massive body dragging waves of warped space behind it.

Then came the fleets of the Alliance Army.

”No!!” Marshal Brontor bellowed, twisting his command ship around while shouting into the comms, ”What are you doing out there?! Fire up the engines and retreat—retreat immediately!!”

Without hesitation, he charged forward, lowering his three sharp horns, directing them straight at the enormous creature.

The sight of Brontor’s brave charge was absurd and awe-inspiring at once—a microscopic organism challenging a cosmic whale. But—

BAAAAAAM!

A massive strike detonated beside the cosmic beast, forcing it once again to alter its course, pulling away from the core of the alliance formation!

BAM!BAM!BAM!

The beast’s colossal frame tore through the midst of the fleets once more, harvesting thousands of ships from both sides in a single devastating sweep.

Yet this time, the Crumbled Dreams Empire suffered the greatest loss.

”Brontor!!” Fargus gritted his teeth, glaring toward his opponent who had chosen to play the same game. He truly wanted to rush over and teach that fool a lesson, but the cosmic beast was already beginning to loop back, preparing for another strike.

Now was not the time for personal battles.

FROOOOOM!

Every ship ignited its engines—no matter which empire they served, no matter how deep their hatred for Verilion or how fierce their desire to defend it, they all turned their ships in the opposite direction and began to flee.

The intense spatial turbulence prevented them from jumping directly to full speed. They drifted like fragile paper boats tossed about in a raging cosmic sea, yet their engines continued to roar, pushing them farther and farther away—enemies and allies side by side in desperate flight.

”Wait!!”

From both factions, the World Cataclysms and Nexus States abandoned their duels, dashing toward the nearest vessels they could find—ally ships, Hedrick’s ships, it didn’t matter. Survival was now their only law.

”My king!!”

”Arrghh!”

All the demons rushed in from every direction, forming a chaotic circle around Sakaar. No one tried to stop them, and they made no attempt to stop anyone else. For today, even these terrifying entities had learned what true fear was.

”Big brother!!” Amon shrank rapidly in size, his voice trembling. ”Did you know that thing was coming? What is it exactly?!”

”This isn’t the time.” Sakaar struck him on the back, pushing him toward the nearest transport ship. ”All of you—board the ship and leave now! Get as far away from Verilion!!”

”Right away!!”

All the demon kings surged back into the ship once more — the massive transport that had already begun to move, its colossal engines roaring as it turned its back fully toward Verilion.

Could they return to the planet now? Of course they could. No one was paying them any attention anymore; no one had the time or will to stop them. But return... for what? What would be the point? What if that monstrous creature truly managed to pierce through the planet’s crust? Would they go back just to die themselves — to feed the monster with their own bodies?!

”Big brother, what about you!?” Amon stood at the ship’s hatch, his claws gripping the metal edges as the automatic doors tried to close. He refused to let them shut. His gaze fixed on Sakaar’s back — the elder demon was still standing outside, motionless, his figure outlined by the dim crimson light reflected from Verilion’s surface.

”Leave!!” Sakaar shouted, his deep voice echoing across the metallic corridor. He waved his arm with force that shook the air. ”This planet is my responsibility. I will not move — not even an inch — before I know its fate!”

After those words, Sakaar clenched his claws so tightly that sparks flickered between them. In sheer strength, he was nowhere near Fargus or Brontor. Compared to those two, he was a mere shadow — if even their combined might could only slightly divert the course of the Space Behemoth, then for him, joining the fight would be pure suicide.

But still... he would not go anywhere!

When he stood before His Majesty again — before that being who trusted him with Verilion’s protection — and was asked why he allowed the planet to be destroyed, he needed at least one thing: an answer.

Pa — at that moment, he felt a light touch on his back, followed by Amon’s familiar voice:

”I’ll stay with you.”

”What?!” Sakaar turned sharply, his expression shifting from anger to shock. Behind him, the transport ship had already detached and was speeding away, its lights fading into the void. Only Amon remained, standing defiantly amidst the scattering dust and sparks.

”Are you insane?! Do you want to die here?!”

”Don’t worry,” Amon replied with a calm conviction that felt older than his years. ”I told them to go to the rendezvous point — the one we used before coming here — and wait for us there.” His tone hardened, his eyes gleaming faintly with determination. ”I’ll stay with you, brother. That’s final.”

”.....”

Sakaar exhaled slowly — a deep, heavy sigh that carried the weight of realization. The cargo transport had already disappeared into the distance; arguing now was meaningless. So he turned back toward the burning horizon and focused on what was coming.

The skies of Verilion had gone eerily quiet.

Moments ago, hundreds of thousands of warships filled the heavens — their cannon fire had created a false sun, a storm of light and sound raging directly above the planet. Now, all of that chaos had given way to stillness. The battlefield had become a graveyard of silence.

Sakaar could still sense the positions of countless ships retreating. Even now, warships of every size were fighting against the gravitational pull of the Space Beast’s presence, struggling to escape the zone of distortion before engaging their hyperdrives. They were like fragile paper boats tossed in a raging cosmic sea — but still, their engines burned, pushing them farther and farther away.

Enemies and allies alike fled side by side, united only by terror.

Shhhh

From within the planet’s atmosphere, more ships were clawing their way into orbit — remnants of the Allied Army who had fought on the ground. The mere sight of that colossal creature drifting above was enough to make every survivor abandon the fight and run for their lives.

Those ships, however, carried no elite warriors, no grand strategists — just terrified soldiers and wounded men. Neither Fargus nor Brontor gave them a second thought.

Fargus did not try to steer the creature away from them; Brontor did not lift a finger to defend them. They left them to their fate — whoever escaped, escaped; whoever perished, perished.

Now, around Verilion, only a handful of figures mattered: the Space Beast, the two Marshals, and standing far below — Sakaar and Amon.

BAAAAAAAAAAAM!

Fargus unleashed another cataclysmic strike, channeling every last reserve of his strength. His face had turned pale beneath the storm of cosmic light; the toll of constantly exceeding his limits was beginning to deform his very essence.

Even though he continued to draw energy from the swirling primordial chaos surrounding him, that process itself drained him deeply — a slow, merciless erosion of his will. He could not endure much longer.

With visible strain, he looked across the void toward his rival and shouted hoarsely, ”Brontor! Everyone’s gone! Stop this damned game and focus our strikes in one direction so we can drive it away before it’s too late!”

”...Heh heh,” Brontor’s laugh echoed through the void like a twisted growl. ”I have a better idea.”

He turned abruptly, facing Fargus directly — his three horns glinting with murderous intent — and launched himself forward at terrifying speed.

”Come on... let’s finish what we started!!”

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!