Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2165 Dawn Light-1

Mid Sector 101 — Bright Galaxy

Upon her radiant throne, within a throne hall that seemed as though it had been sculpted from pure light and absolute clarity itself, where every surface shimmered with a soft, sacred glow that erased shadows before they could even form, Kaylis sat with an air of quiet composure, her posture relaxed, almost effortless, as if the weight of the universe itself had no authority over her.

Her eyes, once capable of shaking the hearts of even the bravest warriors and bringing them to their knees with nothing but a glance, were no longer the same. Though they remained closed, faint dark circles lingered beneath them, subtle yet unmistakable, and even a few fallen lashes rested against her pale skin, betraying the exhaustion she could no longer conceal.

Her once vibrant cheeks, always carrying a natural flush of life, had now sunk inward, hollow and lifeless, resembling those of a corpse drained of vitality, while her lips, which had always resembled fresh cherries full of color and allure, now appeared dry and faded, closer to decay than life.

Even her pure and sacred aura, once flawless and untouchable, now trembled with instability, flickering like a fragile spiderweb stretched too thin, ready to collapse under the slightest pressure. Yet despite all of this visible deterioration, anyone who truly understood Kaylis, anyone who had witnessed her presence before, would still recognize her instantly.

They would know.

They would understand that it was the accumulation of negative karma that had carved this state into her, that such damage did not come from battle wounds or external harm, but from something far deeper, far more insidious.

And more importantly… they would know that this current state was an improvement.

That she had been in a far worse condition the moment she returned from her assault on Darvion that day.

Silence lingered in the hall, heavy yet respectful, stretching for several long minutes as no one dared to disturb her thoughts.

Then finally, Kaylis slowly opened her eyes.

Within them, beneath the fatigue, a trace of disbelief surfaced.

”So… it was real…”

”Of course, Your Majesty,” a masked Shadow Sword spoke immediately, his tone filled with respect, his posture straight and unmoving. ”How could I ever dare to lie to you?”

”Arkail has truly declared an official partnership with Lord Robin?!” Standing beside the throne, Orion raised his voice, unable to contain his shock. ”But why?!”

He had come here with a clear purpose.

To stop his mother from making any decisions while under the influence of her accumulated negative karma.

He had prepared himself for resistance, for tension, even for conflict.

But not for this.

Arkail himself might be known as relatively peaceful, someone who rarely involved himself in wars of conquest or domination. He had little interest in wealth and had long been considered one of the poorest among the Behemoths.

But that did not matter.

Because the Path of Time itself was terrifying.

No one willingly chose to fight someone who wielded it.

And no one dared to stand against someone who specialized in it.

”Wait…” Orionʼs thoughts began to race as realization slowly crept in. He turned his gaze around the hall, as if trying to piece together fragments of a puzzle that had been hidden in plain sight. ”Recently, Arkail the Temporal Behemoth has begun invading nearby sectors… and he even threatened the Gravity Behemoth,” he continued, his voice lowering slightly as the implications deepened. ”His number of products has multiplied significantly, and with it, his profits have surged… he has already escaped the circle of poverty among Behemoths.”

His eyes returned to his mother, now filled with a different kind of realization.

”Are you saying… he has been orbiting around Lord Robin for quite some time now?”

Kaylis gave a slow, deliberate nod, her expression calm despite the weight of the conclusion, ”Blood and wealth… war and prosperity…” she spoke softly, yet every word carried undeniable certainty. ”These are the shared traits of all those whose names become tied to his. That… is the future of anyone who chooses to align themselves with Lord Robin.”

Then, without warning, her gaze shifted sharply toward the Shadow Sword before her.

A subtle change. Yet enough to make the air grow colder.

”That leads me to wonder…” she continued, her voice now quieter, more deliberate, ”why have I only received the blood… and the war?”

The Shadow Sword did not hesitate.

”The principle of balance and necessity plays a role as well, Your Majesty,” he replied with unwavering respect, his tone steady. ”And beyond that… everything has its proper time.”

”Is that so…?” Kaylis murmured.

Her lips curved slightly, forming a faint, unreadable smile.

”Are you implying that there is no balance between us?”

Her voice remained soft, yet each word pressed down with invisible weight.

”That you have no need to offer me anything in return?”

Another small nod.

”That you do not require me… and therefore do not see me as worthy of support in weapons and wealth? How… interesting.”

Kaylis had already been given more than enough time to carefully evaluate her position, to dissect every angle of it with the clarity of someone who had lived long enough to understand how cruel balance could truly be.

A terrible position.

One that exposed weakness.

One that invited pressure.

One that practically begged others to exploit her, to reduce her standing piece by piece during negotiations, to push her into unfavorable terms while masking it under the illusion of cooperation. And this was not something limited to Robin alone. Anyone with ambition, anyone with the slightest hunger for advantage, would see her current state as an opportunity.

She knew that well.

Because she had already lived through it.

She had met countless Swords and envoys of various empires over the years, faced them across negotiation tables, listened to their polished words that hid sharpened intent beneath them. And through all those encounters, she had come to understand one unchanging truth:

They did not care about softening reality.

They did not care about preserving dignity.

They did not care about feelings, status, or the image one held in the eyes of others.

Truth, in their world, was not dressed.

It was delivered as it was.

And she had tasted from that bitter cup more times than she could count.

As for Orion, he was not as composed.

Not yet.

The calm that Kaylis carried did not exist within him, at least not in this moment. His anger was clear, written across his face without restraint, his expression sharp, his presence tense as if ready to erupt at any second.

”Shadow Sword,” he spoke, his voice carrying restrained fury, ”what exactly brought you here today? To insult us? To belittle us? To stand here and remind us of our position?” His eyes narrowed. ”Just because Arkail has become an ally to your master, we suddenly have no value left?”

He raised his hand, pointing directly at the envoy.

”And secondly, the First Sword no longer even finds the time to contact us through the interstellar network, so now he sends… envoys of lesser standing?”

”His Highness was urgently summoned by His Majesty,” the Shadow Sword replied without hesitation, his tone respectful yet steady, completely unaffected by the hostility directed at him. ”Unfortunately, he is not available at the moment… for anyone.”

A brief pause followed before he continued.

”And secondly… I intended no insult.”

His voice did not rise. His posture did not change. But his words carried weight. He slowly opened his hands, as if presenting an unavoidable reality.

”What I meant is simple. There is no balance between the Bright Galaxy and its enemies. No matter how much we supply you with weapons or Pearls, it will not alter the outcome in any meaningful way.”

He let that sink in before continuing.

”Bright Galaxy is, by nature, a peaceful domain. We understand that… and we respect it. But from a military perspective, from the standpoint of war… it requires a complete and fundamental transformation.”

His tone grew firmer, more precise.

”It needs the construction of an entirely new army. Not reinforcement… reconstruction. An army capable of securing control over its own sector before even considering confronting Darvion.”

A brief silence passed.

”That is why we chose to direct our support elsewhere… toward the Big Six, and toward Lord Hedrick.”

”...”

”And regarding necessity,” the Shadow Sword continued, his gaze steady, ”we do not require you to stand on the front lines, nor to lead invasions across sectors.”

He tilted his head slightly.

”And you yourselves do not seek such a path. So why would we force you onto a road that was never yours to begin with?”

He shook his head once, calmly.

”All we have ever wanted… was for you to remain alive. Free. Untouched by the chaos consuming the rest of the sectors.”

His voice softened, just slightly.

”And I believe… we were a good help in achieving to a significant degree.”

”....” Orion exhaled slowly, some of the tension in his expression easing, though not entirely gone. He gave a slight nod. ”It seems the First Sword chose his envoy… more carefully this time.”

”Were?” Kaylis straightened ever so slightly upon her throne, her presence shifting.

”Things have changed,” the Shadow Sword replied immediately. ”The Pureheart family is no longer what it once was.”

His tone carried a quiet certainty. ”They are no longer peaceful individuals incapable of wielding weapons. They have experienced war firsthand. They have endured loss… and survived it.”

His eyes did not waver. ”They have trained under experts. They have taken control of warships. They have defended their homeland with their own hands.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

”And their numbers have increased significantly as well, thanks to the expansion policies we actively promoted.”

Now his gaze settled fully on Kaylis.

”They are no longer observers of conflict, they are participants. They are prepared… for what comes next.”

Then his voice shifted, carrying a more decisive tone.

”You no longer need to wait for the wedding. You no longer need to delay for the wedding.”

He took a small step forward.”

”Declare an official partnership with Lord Robin… just as Arkail has already done.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

”After that, our support will change accordingly.”

”Wealth.”

”Weapons.”

”Training.”

”Intelligence.”

”Administrative systems.”

”Everything required to elevate you will be provided without reservation.”

His smile deepened slightly.

”We will reshape you… into a true Behemoth galaxy.”

Then, with calm confidence, he delivered his final words—

”The light of dawn has finally arrived…”

Then he opened his arms with a smile.

”...rejoice.”