Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2361 Patch clarification

”...Hahaha!”

”...” Qarun quietly watched Sevarʼs loud laughter, barely concealing the anger simmering beneath his otherwise composed expression. ”I was given a mission, I completed that mission, and that was the end of it.” He then gestured toward Sevar with a slight tilt of his head. ”On the other hand, youʼre hardly in any position to speak to me like that... you deserter.”

”Heh...” Sevarʼs laughter gradually slowed before fading away altogether. ”Iʼm not competing to see whoʼs more loyal to the Seer. I chose my own path for my own reasons. I had no desire to become a puppet in someoneʼs hands, manipulated however he pleased without even knowing why I was being moved from one place to another.” He then fixed his eyes upon Qarunʼs. ”That war which destroyed my homeworld after I reached the Middle Belt... it was part of his plan to ignite a cosmic war that would damage the pawns of his enemies. He intended to use my hatred against his enemies after the destruction of my homeland, and he very nearly succeeded in doing exactly that... but not quite.”

”Not quite?” Qarun laughed lightly. ”You certainly sound strong and clever... almost as though one of the patrons hadnʼt contacted you personally and told you every bit of this.”

”....” Sevar slightly raised his head. ”And what if one did?” he replied calmly, though there was nothing calm hidden beneath his voice. ”When I spoke to the Seer and told him what had happened to my homeworld, do you know how he answered me? He told me he wasnʼt a babysitter, and that I should bear the responsibility myself and move on with my life...” Then he let out another bitter laugh. ”That lying bastard. He can weave the Patches and foresee what will happen hundreds of thousands of years into the future, yet he couldnʼt see what was about to happen to my homeworld and my people?!”

”Hmm... so because he failed to warn you about what was coming,” Qarun replied with a faint smile, ”you decided to betray the universe?”

”Thatʼs a foolish statement, big brother. But I wonʼt call you a fool,” Sevar answered clearly. ”You donʼt have a patron, and our mutual friend never bothered telling you anything, so allow me to enlighten you instead.” He continued in the same steady tone. ”The truth is that there are countless other universes—hundreds of them. Across those universes, throughout the endless sea of years, a handful of extraordinary individuals managed to master six Master Laws and underwent physical transformations that elevated them beyond the rest of us. They gave themselves a title... the Transcendents.”

He continued calmly, his expression remaining relaxed. ”Those Transcendents all desire something from one another—something called the Seals. But because there are so few of them, and because they cannot simply command armies to eliminate one another, they have no choice but to fight with their own hands whenever conflicts arise. Yet since none of them wishes to enter wars that might truly endanger their precious lives... they devised another method. They exchange those Seals through wars, wagers, and dirty games played across the countless universes under their control, using those universes as pieces upon a board. At the end of every cycle—at the end of every one hundred million years—the victors and the losers are determined, and the Seals are redistributed accordingly.”

Then he pointed first at himself, then toward Qarun. ”You and I were both serving someone who was trying to win a few Seals for himself. No... even worse than that...” Sevar burst into loud laughter. ”The seer was the last Transcendent to join the group. Heʼs the most despised among them, and everyone has their eyes fixed on his freshly acquired Seals. So whatever pitiful schemes heʼs carrying out now are most likely nothing more than desperate attempts to preserve as many of those Seals as possible... without provoking his enemies any more than absolutely necessary.”

”...” Qarun had already heard more than half of that information before. Even so, hearing it laid out so bluntly caused his expression to stiffen ever so slightly.

”Hehehe... does it make you feel miserable?” Sevar smiled, clearly amused by Qarunʼs silence. ”Well then, hereʼs something that might restore a little of your enthusiasm. The Master was born in B-14 three cycles ago. I suppose you could say heʼs one of us... and that we ought to serve him with our blood and our souls!!”

”....” Qarun narrowed his eyes until they became thin slits. ”Your new patron told you all of this?”

”Mhm. The other patrons are different from the Seer. They actually have to make an effort. They have to offer benefits, information, and all sorts of incentives to convince you to join them without causing too much commotion or striking too many threads.” Sevar looked off into the distance before continuing in the same composed tone. ”Because this is the universe the Seer wagered on, the one heʼs overseeing, heʼs permitted considerable freedom to interfere and choose his candidates however he wishes.”

”...If he possessed enough prestige and influence within the Pantheon, no one would even dare become a Patron inside his universe. But reality is what it is. Weʼve been cursed with nearly half the Pantheon planting traitors everywhere, if youʼd like to put it that way.”

Then he slowly spread both arms. ”Just look at me. After the Weaver took me under his wing, the Master sent more than half of his candidates after me to kill me. But he never attacked me personally, nor could he. Otherwise, the Weaver would simply respond by killing one of his candidates as well. According to the customs of the Pantheon, itʼs forbidden for the Weaver to interfere directly. But the Master doesnʼt hold enough status to do anything about it. The most he can manage is take the matter before the court.”

A bitter smile gradually appeared across his face. ”I truly wish someone else were responsible for Universe B-14—some highly ranked Transcendent, even if they originally came from another universe. At the end of the day, they would still support us, strengthen us, and protect us because they would want victory above all else. But tsk, tsk~ such is our fate... and the fate of B-14, whose ranking slips lower and lower with every cycle until itʼs on the verge of becoming nothing more than a farm under the Seerʼs stewardship.”

”Arenʼt you one of the very reasons itʼll decline and become a farm?!” Qarun exclaimed in open disbelief. ”Who has harmed this universe and delayed its progress more than you? If I hadnʼt stood in your way, you wouldʼve reduced everything to rubble long ago!”

”Hey there, big brother, letʼs not pretend to be innocent here.” Sevarʼs brows knitted together deeply as he looked directly at Qarun. ”Do you really need me to remind you how you obtained Creation and Identity? Or do you honestly think I donʼt know exactly how that happened?”

”...I did what I had to do and obtained them for his sake—for the sake of building a strong foundation for his faction within this universe!” Qarun declared as he forcefully waved his hand, his voice carrying absolute conviction.

”Heh~” Sevar simply laughed without adding another word, his expression overflowing with undisguised mockery, as though Qarunʼs explanation had only made the situation even more amusing in his eyes.