Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2093 Monsters eat monsters

Young Sector 101 - Planet Virilion

Sakaar stood atop the peak of a towering mountain, his hands placed behind his back and tightly clasped together as if he were restraining himself. A cold wind swept across the rocky summit, yet he did not move. His soul sense spread outward like an invisible tide, expanding across a vast range that covered nearly a quarter of the entire planet.

Or more precisely...

It covered the underground demon city that had already grown so large that it connected two continents together through an immense network of tunnels, chambers, and subterranean halls.

The number of demons had experienced an explosive increase over the past centuries, driven by the growing need for them in the expansion of the Young Sector 101, exactly as the orders had commanded. The number of corpses delivered to the planet each day had also increased dramatically, easily covering their food requirements and even exceeding them. With such abundance placed before them, there was little reason for restraint. So why wouldnʼt they increase their reproduction rate once again and push their numbers even higher?

The two hundred who had originally arrived here a few centuries ago had multiplied beyond imagination.

They had turned into millions.

Their population had now grown larger than that of the original race inhabiting this planet. In terms of numbers alone, they had already surpassed the natives and quietly become the dominant race of Virilion.

Of course, their entire existence was still confined underground. Their cities, their nests, their storage halls, and their breeding chambers all remained hidden beneath the planetʼs surface.

Not because they feared the members of the Shattering Meteor Empire. No, not at all.

At this point, they were closer to assistants and servants to the demons..

The real concern was something else entirely.

The fear that one of Lord Hedrickʼs enemies might one day arrive at this planet, investigate its strange developments, and uncover what had been quietly built here over the centuries.

Because of that possibility, leaving the underground world was still strictly restricted. Only those wearing the engraved armors were permitted to move on the surface.

A considerable number of those armors had arrived recently, and their production was continuing to increase steadily. The headquarters itself no longer played any role in manufacturing armor sets; the facilities here had long since become capable of handling the entire process.

The underground layers provided one layer of concealment and protection.

The engraved armors provided another.

And yet...

Sakaarʼs rigid stance on the mountain peak clearly showed that he was uneasy. There was something that troubled him.

A change was taking place right now, unfolding before his senses. A subtle transformation that had begun to spread among the demons.

But he could not determine whether that change would ultimately lead to something beneficial...

Or something disastrous. ”Hmmm?”

At that moment, Sakaar slowly turned his face toward a specific direction, focusing on a particular location deep beneath the planetʼs crust, toward a certain hall hidden within the underground city.

Through his soul sense, he could perceive everything that was happening there.

Every movement.

Every sound.

Every presence.

And most importantly...

He could clearly see the very thing that was causing him concern.

BAM ”Next!”

One of the massive demons slammed a heavy metal gate behind him with brutal force, the sound echoing loudly through the dim corridor. ”Me!!”

A young demon quickly stepped forward from the line. He held a small bowl in both hands and approached cautiously, his posture bent in a respectful bow as he walked. His movements carried a strange mixture of nervousness and humility, as if he were afraid that even the low ceiling of the corridor might strike his head if he dared to stand too straight. ”Do you have any contributions this week?” the large demon asked, his voice rough and heavy, like a boulder grinding against another. ”N-No.... I still havenʼt reached the age of my first raid yet,” the young demon said while shaking his head quickly. ”Iʼll just take the basic portion.” ”Hmph.”

The large demon snorted impatiently and roughly snatched the small bowl from the youthʼs hands.

Without another word, he turned around and pulled open the metal gate behind him. The interior beyond the gate was hidden in deep darkness. He stretched his arm inside, holding the bowl out of sight, and waited silently for a moment.

After several seconds passed, the bowl slowly emerged again.

It was now filled halfway with an extremely dark liquid.

The color was so intensely black that it seemed to swallow the surrounding light. Compared to that liquid, even the already black underground corridors appeared faintly illuminated.

Floating in the center of the liquid was a solid chunk.

It remained completely still, yet it was no less black than the thick fluid surrounding it. ”Thank you! Thank you!!”

The young demon bowed repeatedly, his voice filled with genuine excitement and gratitude. He hurriedly grabbed the small bowl with both hands, holding it carefully as if it were something precious.

Then he stepped back out of the way. ”Filthy burden...” the larger demon barked with visible disgust before waving his hand impatiently toward the line. ”Next!”

The next in line stepped forward, carrying a large leather bag over his shoulder. The bag sagged heavily with weight as he lifted it slightly and spoke with pride, ”It has ninety contribution points this week!” ...but Sakaar no longer paid attention to the line.

The noise of the corridor, the exchanges between the demons, even the constant shuffling of bodies waiting for their portions all faded from his awareness.

His entire focus shifted toward the young demon.

The one who had taken his bowl and quietly slipped away from the line. He moved quickly, almost nervously, until he reached a dim corner of the corridor where the shadows were thickest. There, he crouched down and hugged the bowl tightly against his chest as if it were something sacred, as if he were holding a fragment of the sky itself.

Then, with a hand that trembled slightly from excitement, he raised the bowl.

And began to drink.

Gulp

Gulp

Gulp ”Ahh~”

The small demon released a satisfied sigh as warmth spread through his body. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his finger, careful not to waste anything, then slowly licked the finger clean so that not even the smallest drop would be lost.

Afterward, he reached into the bowl and grabbed the solid chunk resting within the dark liquid. Without hesitation, he bit into it twice and swallowed it down.

A wide and rather ugly grin stretched across his face. ”Haha, itʼs good... just like everyone says!”

The small demon rose to his feet, feeling a sudden surge of strength and vitality flowing through him. His body felt lighter, his mind sharper. Delighted with his portion, he turned and hurried to leave the narrow alley where he had crammed himself to eat in peace.

But- ”Gghhh!!!”

Suddenly, the small demon froze.

A violent pain erupted inside his body.

He collapsed onto his knees, both hands flying toward his throat. ”АААААААНН!!!”

His cry echoed through the underground corridor.

Moments later his hands shifted downward, clutching his chest and stomach as the agony intensified. His body twisted uncontrollably as he rolled across the ground, writhing in unbearable pain.

Around him, the other demons continued with their lives as if nothing had happened.

As if one of their own was not struggling with death right before them.

Some simply walked past him.

One demon did not even bother to step around his body. He jumped over him casually, as if the writhing figure on the ground were nothing more than a stone lying in the corridor.

Even Sakaar continued observing everything with cold composure.

His expression did not change.

He simply watched.

Waiting.

That bowl, of course, contained the blood of a space beast along with a small piece of its flesh.

When Sakaar had first obtained it during the battle around Virilion, he had treated it as a priceless treasure. At that time, he used it mainly as a research material, studying its properties carefully in order to expand the Blood Atlas further and deepen his understanding of both himself and the path he wished to pursue. Occasionally, he had used a tiny drop of that blood as a final push whenever he was attempting a breakthrough.

And he had done the same for certain demons under his command. Whenever one of them struggled while attempting to break through and become a King, Sakaar would grant them a drop or two.

The effect was extraordinary.

Just a single drop could unleash a surge of energy comparable to swallowing an entire mountain of ordinary blood.

Because of that, Sakaar had treated the blood as a strategic resource. Whenever he or one of his subordinates required a breakthrough, they would consume a drop.

It was simply a method to increase the number of Kings under their command and thus serve the Master more efficiently.

But recently... Things had changed.

This blood was no longer rare.

It no longer carried the same overwhelming value.

The Shadow Swords had begun delivering enormous quantities of resources from space beasts. Tons of flesh, rivers of blood, piles of bones, and even the entrails and organs arrived in shipments large enough to fill entire storage chambers.

And every month, another shipment followed.

Faced with such abundance, Sakaar eventually concluded that keeping this treasure reserved solely for assisting breakthroughs was no longer a wise decision.

So he began distributing it more widely.

At first, only small portions were given.

But gradually, the amounts increased. That was when the problem began to reveal itself.

A strange and unsettling effect started appearing among the demons who consumed the blood.

Any demon who swallowed this blood would face one of three possible outcomes once it settled in their stomach.

The first outcome was simple digestion.

This happened to roughly seventy percent of those who consumed the blood or flesh of space beasts.

The blood of beasts did not directly increase the level of demons. Demons were designed to grow stronger and achieve breakthroughs through the blood of humans and other similar races. Their path of evolution was tied to that source alone. However, because the blood of space beasts was so incredibly dense with energy, it could still serve as a powerful supplement.

Like bread eaten beside the main dish.

A demon who drank that blood or consumed a piece of that flesh would not feel hunger again for years. Their body would remain filled with energy, allowing them to continue fighting tirelessly.

For the less talented members of the army, this was an ideal form of nourishment.

The second outcome...

Death.

This path represented more than twenty percent of all those who attempted to consume the blood.

The blood and flesh of space beasts were incredibly active, violently energetic, and overwhelmingly powerful.

For many demons, their bodies simply could not withstand it. Nearly one out of every five demons would collapse where they stood, their bodies failing under the violent reaction caused by the blood. Soon afterward, their corpses would be burned where they lay.

And now that food of many kinds had become plentiful, the demons no longer even bothered with the old ritual of honoring the dead by consuming their remains.

As for the third outcome...

Just under ten percent of those who swallowed this blood did not simply digest it.

Nor did they die.

They transformed.