Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2338 War Sovereignty

”...The Lord of Sky Opening City in Mid Sector 100 has finally decided to come out after all this time!”

”...!” Jabba froze where he stood for a brief moment before slowly turning toward the source of the familiar voice, his expression stiffening for an instant as recognition flashed across his face.

It was a dark-skinned man with a large mustache, broad shoulders, sky-blue hair, and remarkably clear eyes whose confident smile made him stand out even among the bustling crowd.

”Klein, canʼt you keep your voice down?!” Jabba shouted in a deliberately lowered voice before hurriedly looking around to gauge everyoneʼs reaction, hoping the outburst had not drawn more attention than necessary.

He certainly didnʼt want a Third Grade Truth Chosenʼs shout to draw everyoneʼs attention to him, causing them all to surround him asking for help, requesting guidance, or simply trying to get acquainted. He had something important to do, and wasting time here chatting with strangers was the last thing he wanted.

”....” But Jabbaʼs wary gaze soon turned into frustration as the tense expression on his face gradually relaxed. ”Alright, this is starting to get annoying.”

No one cared about Jabbaʼs identity. Everyone merely gave him an extra glance to get a look at his appearance before calmly returning to whatever they had been doing, as though he were just another passerby who had happened to emerge from the city headquarters.

After all, they had come to benefit from Lord Robinʼs vast experience, learn from the countless theories circulating throughout this place, and push humanity forward through research and cooperation, not to get acquainted with a nameless face whose appearance alone meant nothing to them.

Of course, most of them had no idea that ninety percent of the research they were discussing, studying, or carrying around in every direction was ultimately built upon Jabbaʼs blood research, using foundations he had established long before they had ever laid eyes on those documents.

”Haha, you finally came out! Youʼve been in there for almost five years!” Klein spread both arms dramatically, proudly showing off his manly muscles as though welcoming an old companion returning from a long journey.

Klein, a Third Grade Truth Chosen specializing in arrays, was the face of this place and its greatest source of technical authority. Anyone who worked alongside him, sought advice, or needed assistance with array-related matters inevitably came to him first, making him the natural center of countless discussions every single day.

Even so, unlike all the ignorant people around him who only saw Jabba as an unfamiliar face, he genuinely seemed happy to see Jabba, with not even the slightest hint of pretense in his expression.

”Heh~ I achieved a theoretical breakthrough in what I was pursuing. I need to meet Master.” Jabba replied calmly before instinctively looking around once more. ”Are there any Shadow Swords here?”

Whoosh.

Near Jabba, a Shadow Sword emerged silently out of thin air as though it had been waiting nearby the entire time.

”How may I assist the First Disciple?”

”Of course there are...” Jabba laughed lightly. ”I want to meet Master. Where is he right now?”

”His Majestyʼs current location is not known precisely. Please wait a moment. I will retrieve the requested information and return to you as soon as possible.” The Shadow Sword respectfully nodded before disappearing once again without leaving behind the slightest ripple.

”Good!” Klein nodded approvingly as he watched the Shadow Sword leave. ”Itʼll take him some time to make the trip there and back.”

”How is that good? I wanted to—” Jabba frowned deeply, only for his words to abruptly transform into, ”Whaaa!”

Klein grabbed his wrist without warning and immediately began striding rapidly toward the exit, practically dragging him along. ”I have to say this, Your Majestyʼs disciple, youʼre truly a genius. Even though youʼre only a First Stage Truth Chosen—” Klein looked Jabba up and down once more, carefully reassessing him from head to toe. ”Oh, youʼve already reached Level 17? Well, youʼre still First Stage.”

”Whatʼs the matter, Klein?” Jabba narrowed his eyes. Although being evaluated so casually irritated him somewhat, that irritation was quickly overshadowed by his growing curiosity regarding what had prompted Klein to speak with such unusual excitement.

”Honestly, when you handed me those theories, I didnʼt expect them to be this profound. I thought most of the work would fall on me through modifications, repeated experimentation, and countless rounds of refinement. I established the first array to implement your theory perfectly, planning to begin by identifying its flaws, correcting them one by one, and improving everything in later versions.”

Klein continued, ”...and I was genuinely enjoying every step of that process because developing the War Sovereignty Array System would have been a tremendous achievement for me and a source of pride recorded under my name for years to come.” Then he turned toward Jabba with an expression that mixed admiration with helpless resignation. ”But you decided to ruin all that fun, huh?”

”What are you talking about?” Jabba frowned, and then—whoosh—the two of them stepped out of Sky Opening Cityʼs headquarters. The instant they crossed the entrance, Jabbaʼs eyes widened to their absolute limits as the scene before him unfolded in full, ”Good heavens!”

Bang. Bang.

The enormous plaza before the hall, the vast open area connecting the main hall to the rest of the cityʼs facilities and serving as the central passage between its many divisions, had been completely occupied by a giant whose sheer size dominated everything around it.

Jabba slowly raised his gaze upward, casually examining the giantʼs countless details while simultaneously trying to locate its highest point, only to find that his eyes had to continue climbing higher and higher before finally reaching its head.

That thing was terrifying. Its aura overflowed with power and unmistakable uniqueness, as though he were looking at an entire army condensed into a single individual capable of fighting independently on the battlefield. Yet Jabba felt no fear whatsoever, because he recognized exactly what he was looking at from a single glance, and the familiarity hidden beneath its overwhelming appearance instantly answered all of his doubts.

It was a War Sovereignty Array, or more precisely... a War Lord.

”So this is the improved version...” Jabba murmured quietly while carefully observing every visible detail, comparing it with the countless designs and theoretical models he had envisioned over the years.

The War Lord stood nearly fifty meters tall, towering above the surrounding structures like a fifteen-story tower brought to life!

Its body radiated an artificial golden brilliance exactly as Jabba had instructed Klein during the design stage, causing every metallic contour to shine with majestic splendor under the surrounding light. Encasing its exterior was a sophisticated light array that prevented anyone from seeing what was happening inside the War Lord, concealing every movement made by those controlling it. Covering that was a complete set of illusory armor, designed immediately after the craftsman had taken the necessary measurements and personally tested movement from within so that every plate would appear perfectly natural despite not physically existing.

The War Lord wielded an enormous mace nearly as tall as itself, giving the impression that even a casual swing would flatten entire fortifications, while its massive face was filled with intricate expressions and countless refined details rather than the stiff appearance of an ordinary construct. It served as both the commanderʼs face and the heart of the array itself, granting the giant an unexpectedly natural sense of life, as though a living warrior rather than a constructed weapon stood before everyone.

”Of course itʼs the new version—your version!” Klein enthusiastically slapped Jabba on the shoulder before pointing upward with unmistakable pride. ”There are five World Cataclysms inside, connected through flexible energy links exactly as you designed them. They also function as the arrayʼs five potential hearts, and each one already knows its exact position in the chain of command. If one dies, the next immediately assumes command without interrupting the arrayʼs operation, making this array practically immortal on the battlefield unless every single heart is destroyed.”

Then he continued with a broad smile that clearly reflected his excitement, ”Right now weʼre in the middle of taking measurements for the appropriate weapons, armor, talismans, and curses, while simultaneously gathering enough resources to begin full-scale mass production once all the remaining preparations are complete.”

”.....” Jabba asked somewhat hesitantly after remaining silent for a moment, ”There really arenʼt any problems with it?”

”Nothing has shown up so far.” Klein shook his head with confidence. ”The only issue weʼve encountered is the coordination and smooth circulation of energy between the five hearts while jointly executing techniques, since synchronizing five separate operators is naturally more difficult than controlling a single core. But thatʼll gradually solve itself with experience and repeated practice, and weʼll also be able to evaluate everything much more accurately once we throw this War Lord into an actual battlefield where genuine combat conditions will expose any remaining imperfections.”

”We canʼt simply send it into battle and have it fail. The arrayʼs reputation would suffer immediately, and Masterʼs reputation would inevitably suffer alongside it. After all, he was the one who pioneered this entire type of combat array, while Iʼm merely refining and expanding upon his work because he doesnʼt have the time to personally oversee every improvement...” Then he frowned thoughtfully. ”It has to be absolutely perfect when it makes its first public appearance.”

”So, do you have a solution?” Klein turned toward him before gesturing at the towering array standing nearby. ”Go ahead and take a look. I already examined every part of it with a Third Stage Truth Eye, and I couldnʼt find a single flaw anywhere.”

”....” Jabbaʼs iris slowly began to rotate as countless hidden symbols seemed to awaken deep within his eyes.

”...Perhaps you were looking at the wrong thing.”