Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1977 trap

On that war-weary planet- ”Hm~” Aro lay sprawled across the table meant for meetings and strategic planning, completely disregarding its purpose. His hands were clasped comfortably behind his head as he stared at the scenery around him, a faint, lazy smile tugging at the corner of his lips, as if he were on vacation rather than standing at the center of a war zone.

The moon orbited the planet at an unnaturally fast pace, tracing a pale arc across the sky, Blue vessels of the Note-4 family descended one after another, their massive hulls casting long shadows over the ground. Even the sight of terrified birds fleeing in chaotic flocks-from one stretch of land to another, startled by the thunderous presence of those colossal ships-felt pleasing to him. To Aro, every detail of this scene was strangely calming, almost beautiful. ”Shouldnʼt you be preparing plans to destroy that planet, my dear husband?” Flora approached the table Aro was lying on, planting one hand firmly on her hip. Her posture carried both annoyance and familiarity, the kind only someone close to him could display so openly. ”No need~” Aro replied with a small, confident smile, his tone light and unconcerned. ”Silas isnʼt stupid. He knows this is a trap. Why should I waste my energy putting on an act?” ”If you donʼt intend to act, then why not go lead the soldiers and prepare the fleets in anticipation of his arrival?” Flora gestured toward the hundreds of ships lined up on the surface, their armored frames gleaming under the sky. ”No, thank you.” Aro shook his head slightly. ”This is the only bait I have besides myself-an army that looks unprepared. If all the ships were in the air, fully armed and ready to engage, even Silas would grow wary and refuse to show himself. And if I keep them hidden entirely, heʼll suspect Iʼve laid an even more vicious trap and still wonʼt appear. Leaving them on the ground is the optimal choice their presence is tempting, sitting there like ducks, exposed, waiting to be blown apart... Who can resist blowing some Supremacy note Gen-4 up?”

After that, Aro cast a sideways glance with one eye, his expression sharpening just a little. ”More importantly, has everyone taken their positions? I mean those who are actually useful, of course.” ”Everything is ready.” Flora nodded firmly, without hesitation. ”Then stop bothering me.” Aro chuckled, waving her off lazily. He pointed toward the worn, dilapidated space gate nearby. ”Go back to Planet Apocalypse and wait for the good news. Today we will-oh? Oh? What are you doing?!”

Flora suddenly grabbed Aroʼs ear with surprising strength. She leaned forward until her face was close to his, locking her gaze onto his eyes with undeniable resolve. ”Iʼm not leaving here.” ”Fine, do whatever you want!!” Aro jerked his head away and turned toward her, irritation flashing across his face. ”At least calm yourself a little, my old wife- we have a son whoʼs centuries old!” ”Old?!” Flora rolled up her sleeve and stepped closer, her movements slow and deliberate, clearly preparing to crack her husbandʼs skull open.

But-

BOOOOOOM

One of the nearby Note of Destruction-4 vessels suddenly exploded, the shockwave rippling through the air. ”Has he finally found his courage?” Aro leapt off the table in an instant, his relaxed demeanor vanishing. His eyes widened with raw excitement, a grin forming as adrenaline surged through him.

Boom Boom Boom Boom

Several vessels from the Note of Flood and Note of Destruction classes began to detonate one after another. This time, Aro clearly saw the cause-the sky itself was raining orange meteors, blazing trails carving through the atmosphere as they descended. ”All ships! Weʼve fallen into a trap!” Aro roared, his voice carrying across the battlefield. ”Prepare to engage the enemy!”

Naturally, the captains and soldiers inside the vessels had no idea this was how the day was meant to unfold. Had they known, they would never have been sitting inside their ships with such ease and confidence. ”Move, move, move!” ”Protect the Marshal!” ”For the Empire!!”

Engines roared to life as the ships began activating, hatches slamming shut one after another. Even so, the explosions continued to shake the planet violently. Every orange meteor that struck either obliterated a Flood Note-class vessel outright or punched clean through the wing or hull of a Destruction Note-class ship, disabling it completely.

In mere moments, nearly a quarter of the ships stationed on the ground were either destroyed or left crippled, burning wrecks scattered across the surface.

Swoooosh-

At that very instant, a colossal orange meteor tore through the heavens, its blazing tail ripping the sky apart as it plunged downward-this time aimed directly at one of the mother ships, Note of Supremacy-4, just moments before its engines could fully ignite. ”Stop it!!” Aro roared at the top of his lungs, his voice shaking the air itself.

Those things were priceless-masterpieces of engineering and power. Sacrificing one so cheaply was absolutely unacceptable!

Whoosh!

In the next heartbeat, a figure burst out from within the vessel, breaking through layers of shielding as if they were mist. He soared above the mother ship, robes snapping violently in the heated air. Then-Bam!-with a casual wave of his hand, he struck the orange meteor head-on, violently twisting its trajectory and hurling it back toward the depths of space.

Swoooosh! Swoooosh!

Across the battlefield, similar scenes unfolded almost simultaneously. Every meteor that had been on a collision course with the mother ships was intercepted mid-descent by figures who appeared out of thin air-descending from nowhere, striking with terrifying precision.

They were faces known throughout the sector.

They were the Wing Lords.

Once Aro was certain that every mother ship remained intact, he straightened and lifted his head. Thunder gathered around his voice as he shouted upward, his words carrying a crushing authority: ”Which coward dares to start an attack like this?! Silas-I know youʼre here! Show yourself if you have even a shred of courage!!”

Doooooom-

No sooner had Aro finished speaking than the world itself seemed to respond.

The night sky above twisted unnaturally, its darkness bleeding away into a deep, ominous orange, as though a second sun had risen far too early-and far too close.

Shwaaaala-

The clouds ignited and burned to nothing. Terrified birds plummeted from the sky in showers of scorched feathers. Even the moon orbiting the planet began to fracture, spiderweb cracks spreading across its surface as it failed to endure that overwhelming pressure- that suffocating, absolute heat.

From within that apocalyptic vista, a small silhouette slowly emerged, drifting calmly amid the chaos.

A familiar silhouette. ”Silas...” Aroʼs brows knitted together tightly as he pointed upward in fury. ”How dare you attack my forces on the ground?! Arenʼt you a Guardian-one bound to a Heavenly Law?! Where is your honor?! Where is your shame?!”

The Guardian paid no heed to Aroʼs accusations. His gaze swept calmly across the planet below, taking in the burning wreckage and panicked movement, before a faint, almost amused smile formed on his face. ”Thirty Nexus States... and eighty World Cataclysms,” he said lightly. ”Is this the trap you prepared for me? It seems I spoiled your surprise rather early.” ”... What are you talking about? What trap?”

Aro instinctively took a step back, his confidence wavering. His eyes darted around-to the Wing Lords hovering above the mother ships-and he barked angrily, ”What are you fools doing outside the ships?! Get back in position!”

He turned again to face the Guardian, sweat beginning to bead along his temples. ”Listen carefully, Silas. Iʼm willing to spare your cousinʼs planet-but only if you accept a deal. Total surrender. No conditions.” ”Hahaha... are you still clinging to that stupidity?”

The Guardian looked down upon him, his eyes igniting with raw, murderous fury. ”A planet will be destroyed today-without question.

But it will be the one youʼre standing on.”

He raised a single finger and pointed toward the space gate.

Zoooo-!

A searing beam of orange light tore through the atmosphere, striking the gate with surgical precision and reducing it to drifting dust in an instant. ”Youʼre not leaving this place.”

Then his finger shifted downward. ”Kill them all,” he commanded coldly. ”Once everyone here is erased... the

Grave Empire will collapse completely.”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of Nexus States-and no fewer than a hundred World Cataclysms- burst through the dense orange radiance, descending slowly and deliberately. Planetary weapons hummed with lethal power in their hands as they bared their fangs, eyes locked on their prey. The true slaughter was about to begin.