Lord of the Truth

Outside the Negotiation Site—

A heavy silence hung over the battlefield-turned-diplomatic ground, where the fate of an entire civilization wavered on the edge of annihilation.

"....." Elizabeth stood at the edge of the overlooking platform, her arms tightly crossed over her chest, her posture exuding both authority and restraint. The wind played with strands of her golden hair, but she paid it no mind. Her round face, often adorned with a playful smirk or a knowing smile, was now stiff with an unfamiliar seriousness, her piercing gaze fixed on the distant horizon. There was something unnerving about the shift in her demeanor—something unsettling about how quiet she had become.

She exhaled slowly, eyes narrowed.

Bzzzt—

The hum of the spatial portal in front of her continued uninterrupted. More soldiers. More weapons. More tools of war were flowing onto the planet with each passing moment. Every newly trained Shadow Sword, no matter their level of experience, was thrown straight into the fray. There was no time for hesitation, no room for second thoughts this Planet had become a battlefield of absolute urgency.

Despite Elizabeth's ruthless campaign, where she had all but crushed the Demi-Cats' resistance, slaughtering more than half of their warriors in a single decisive strike, their remnants still proved elusive. The survivors had vanished into the vast stretches of the planet, using their mastery over the Path of Darkness to blend into the shadows. Now, only those who wielded the Light or Darkness paths could effectively hunt them down, track them through the void, and eliminate them.

Cleansing an entire planet —one teeming with warriors who had nowhere to run and nothing left to lose— was no simple feat.

And then there was the guilt.

Elizabeth had participated in many military campaigns. She had taken lives, conquered worlds, and made difficult decisions in service of the empire. But this… this was different. The weight of exterminating an entire species, of wiping out not just warriors but families, entire bloodlines, entire histories—it pressed down on her chest like a vice.

There was only one realistic way to end this war without complete genocide—Queen Tao and her daughter, Kiri, had to surrender. If they could be convinced to bow their heads, to acknowledge defeat, then there was still a chance for a partial surrender. Even if only 10% of their kin followed their lead, it would make a difference. It could be enough to prevent total annihilation.

But Elizabeth scoffed at the thought. As if those two would ever kneel.

Of all the warriors in their race, Queen Tao and Kiri were by far the most unyielding. If there was anyone less likely to surrender, it was them.

Just as her thoughts drifted deeper into uncertainty, a voice broke the silence beside her. "There's no need to worry, General Elizabeth." The voice was smooth, confident—too confident. "Supreme General Aro is an expert in handling situations like this. I'm sure it won't be long before meaningful negotiations begin—negotiations that will satisfy all parties involved."

Elizabeth didn't even turn to look at him at first. Her brows twitched, irritation creeping into her otherwise impassive face. When she finally did glance sideways, her expression was nothing short of exasperated.

"What exactly are you?" she asked, her tone carrying an edge of disdain.

The man beside her smiled. His features were sharp, refined—his presence exuded an aura of someone who had once commanded great authority. He placed a hand over his chest in a practiced, almost theatrical manner before speaking.

"Ah, I suppose we haven't been properly introduced." His voice was silk, his movements precise. "I am Haros, former Marshal of the Great Serpent Empire, and currently serving as an assistant to The Third Supreme General in the True Beginning Empire."

"Stop bringing up that 'Third Supreme General Aro' nonsense, understood?" she snapped, her patience wearing thin. "I won't believe a single word of it until I see an official decree with my own eyes."

The idea of someone like Aro being placed at the same rank as legends like Caesar and Sakaar was ridiculous—laughable, even. It didn't make sense. It didn't belong in reality.

She turned away, her annoyance palpable. "Once your so-called 'Supreme General' walks out of that negotiation chamber in disgrace—as he undoubtedly will—take him and leave. Get out of my sight. My mood is already sour enough as it is. I don't need more reasons for a headache."

A long pause followed.

"....." Haros maintained his ever-present smile, but for the briefest moment, something flickered in his eyes—a strange, unreadable light.

By all accounts, his individual strength far exceeded hers. On paper, his rank as an assistant to a Supreme General placed him above her in the empire's hierarchy. And yet, he had to hold his tongue. He had to endure.

Why?

Because his rank was little more than ink on a page—an empty title without substance. He and his allies had no real army. No official recognition from the empire's true centers of power. Only Robin Burton had any faith in their so-called 'potential.'

And faith alone was not enough.

As the tension thickened, another voice suddenly joined the conversation—a soft, yet steady female voice that carried a weight of certainty.

"Don't worry, General Elizabeth." The words were spoken gently, but there was confidence beneath them. "I trust that Supreme General Aro will be able to convince them. And if he can't… well, at the very least, he won't make the situation any worse than it already is."

Elizabeth turned toward the newcomer.

Standing there was Sandria, daughter of King Volp.

Unlike Haros, whose presence felt somewhat forced, Sandra's aura was effortless. She was composed, calm—completely at ease despite the high-stakes situation surrounding them.

Sandria had been approached by Aro himself only days ago, an offer extended to her to join his ranks as an assistant to a Supreme General. And she accepted.

Since that day, she had been at his side, following him wherever he went just like Haros.

Elizabeth wasn't sure whether she found that amusing or concerning.

Either way…

Time was running out.

"Miss Sandra, I've heard quite a lot about you." Elizabeth's sharp eyes swept over Sandria from head to toe, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest. She made a deliberate effort to ignore the fact that Sandria had just referred to Aro as "Supreme General."

"May I ask what exactly you and this demi-serpent are doing here? Shouldn't you be off somewhere establishing that so-called 'third army'?"

Her tone carried a distinct edge of irritation, one that had been growing sharper ever since she set foot on this planet.

The massacres, the battles, the stubborn resistance of the natives—everything had weighed on her, darkening her mood considerably. And now, just when she thought she was done dealing with the insanity, these three fools appeared, speaking as though they had suddenly risen above her in rank and importance. It was enough to make her blood boil.

"As a matter of fact, preparations for the Third Army are already well underway," Sandra responded with a calm, measured voice. "As for why we're here—Supreme General Aro personally requested our presence. He said he wanted us to witness firsthand how he carries out His Exllency's will to peacefully subdue all planets, to get to know his ways more."

Like Haros before her, Sandria bore Elizabeth's condescending tone without complaint, her expression remaining composed.

Elizabeth let out a slow, sarcastic chuckle, a smirk curling at the edges of her lips. "Subduing all planets peacefully? Now that's a—"

BANG!

The doors behind them burst open with startling force, interrupting her mid-sentence.

Aro stepped out with an ear-to-ear grin. "Done!"

"...!!" Sandra and Haros immediately exchanged pleased smiles, their eyes glinting with satisfaction.

Elizabeth, however, did not share their enthusiasm. Her face darkened further as she turned to him sharply. "What do you mean 'done'?"

Aro shut the door behind him with almost comical gentleness before clapping his hands together. "Queen Tao—and, more importantly, Governor Kiri—have agreed to submit to the empire under a set of specific conditions." His grin widened as he began listing them off one by one. "First, they demand full autonomy in governing their people. Second, no imperial troops will be stationed within their cities. Third, they want unrestricted access to trade with the empire. Fourth, if we ever take anything from their planet, we must compensate them fairly. And finally, if they are ever called to fight under our banner, they will only do so if compensated in a manner they deem appropriate. There are a few other minor details, but those are the key points~."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "This…?!"

Aro let out a loud, hearty laugh. "Before coming here, I studied His Highness Caesar Burton's original negotiation plan to understand the framework I was working within. And guess what? They were going to get all of these benefits anyway—plus a few more."

Elizabeth frowned deeply. "How did you do it? I offered them even softer terms than these, yet they rejected me every single time. It was like talking to a wall!"

Aro shrugged, lifting his hands in mock innocence. "What can I say? It's charisma." His playful tone lingered for a moment before his expression turned serious. "The important thing now is summoning His Highness Theo. From today onward, he'll be the one overseeing them."

Elizabeth's brow furrowed further. "Theo? Why Theo?"

Aro's lips curled into an amused smirk. "Apologies, General Elizabeth, but their hatred for you has now surpassed even their hatred for Xanox after that underground assault." He let out a dry chuckle. "However, they still hold a deep respect for the Shadow Swords since they managed to defeat them on their own battlefield. They specifically stated that they would only follow them if necessary. That race has a natural affinity for darkness, so I believe His Highness Theo will be able to make excellent use of them."

Elizabeth let out a slow exhale, her golden eyes narrowing in contemplation. "That actually makes sense…" After a brief pause, she muttered, "...Thank you."

Aaro grinned, giving her a dramatic salute. "Haha! My pleasure!"

Then, he turned to Haros with renewed energy. "Alright, let's move! We need to head to Poison Rock as soon as possible. We must select the candidates without delay. Also, that prisoner you mentioned earlier—your words piqued my curiosity. I want to meet him. If there's even a slim chance we can rescue him before he's sacrificed, then we need to act fast!"

WHOOSH!

Before Haros could even nod, a Shadow Sword materialized in the center of the group, a rolled-up scroll in hand, "A message from Her Highness Zara."

"Hmm?" Aro took the scroll with both hands, quickly unsealing it and scanning its contents. His expression gradually shifted from curiosity to something more contemplative, "So soon?! I knew it was invadable, but this is just..."

Elizabeth, who knew Zara well enough to be intrigued, raised an eyebrow. "Hey, What does Her Highness want?"

Zara was not someone who sent messages lightly. In fact, outside of her father and brothers, she rarely acknowledged anyone at all.

Crack.

Aro closed the scroll and ran a hand over his forehead, exhaling slowly. "She's ordering us to speed up negotiations with the humans of Planet R-2 and the dwarves of Planet S-1… because she wants to begin the Imperial Spaceship Construction Project."