Lord of the Truth

Claaang

Caesar pushed open the towering gates of the reception hall of the Multi-Planetary Cradle Empire, his steps echoing across the marble floor, his face carved with curiosity and one eyebrow raised higher than the other, as if he had come half-convinced this entire summons was no more than an elaborate prank.

Yet the reality before his eyes confirmed every word his brother had spoken.

It was her.

Though he had never once seen her in person, recognition struck him instantly and without hesitation...

There she sat, deep within the vast hall, a vision of devastating beauty. Her features were so flawless they might have been painted by the brush of a divine artist. She wore a gown tight above, clinging like liquid silk to her form, then flowing wide below, trailing across the floor like a river of fabric. Upon her head there was no crown, for she needed none—the natural majesty of her presence was greater than any jewel or diadem.

Her hands were folded delicately one atop the other, her posture regal, her small nose tilted upward in an expression that seemed to dismiss the world itself. And then... the final strokes of the masterpiece: the furry fox-like ears upon her head and the nine long, swaying tails behind her. They drifted in the air like branches stripped by autumn winds, each one a silent proclamation of power and lineage, and together they sealed the scene into something unforgettable.

Renara, sovereign of the Nine Paths Empire, sat in that moment as though she owned the hall, the land, and even the very air around them. Four figures surrounded her, each formidable in their own right—either peak World Catastrophe Realm cultivators or failed Nexus State warriors—but beside her they blurred into the background, diminished to shadows, irrelevant.

"...Her Majesty, the sovereign of the Nine Paths Empire herself, here in person—what a marvel indeed." Caesar's voice, though steady, carried the awe that had briefly seized him. For a moment, even the Supreme General faltered before her aura.

Then, regaining his composure, he placed one hand behind his back, lifted his chin, and advanced with a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Had I known, I would have prepared a welcome worthy of your stature."

"How could you not know?" Renara's voice was sharp and crystalline as her small mouth opened, her amber eyes locking with his. "You are the one who drove away every envoy I sent, telling them I must come personally. Or perhaps you were certain I would never answer, and this was your convenient way to sever ties and then tell your father the fault was mine?"

"You caught me." Caesar raised both hands in mock surrender, the playful gesture at odds with the charged atmosphere. Taking the seat directly opposite her, he left a broad span of air between them, yet close enough that the faint fragrance of her presence reached him, mingling with his own.

Resting his arms upon the chair's sides, he leaned back and let out a soft laugh. "It is indeed a surprise... Her Majesty, who shattered the historic ties between our empires through endless refusals and broken exchanges of envoys, is the same one who now comes here of her own accord? Tsk tsk~ The world truly does turn on its head."

"..!!" Renara's fingers clenched tightly in her lap, the light tremor betraying the storm that surged beneath her calm expression.

"Caesar!" barked one of the failed Nexus State elders at her back, his voice booming in protest. "Cosmic powers rise and fade by the day, alliances form and collapse by the hour. We came here today to mend what time and misfortune have broken! There is no need for such poisonous words to provoke the Nine Paths Empire. We are here for reconciliation and for the benefit of all!"

Caesar slowly turned his gaze toward the speaker, raising his head in deliberate mockery, a strange smile playing across his lips. "Oh, it's you—sir. The one once tasked with protecting and supporting my army. The same man I used to beg to march with us, to send even a single World Cataclysm expert to aid us—yet all you ever did was pretend to sleep, or give me a nod at best. And now... you've finally found your voice?"

"Caesar!!" The elder roared again and stepped forward, his anger boiling over, ready to remind this upstart general that he had once been beneath his command for nearly two centuries.

"I am Supreme General Caesar, you old fuck." Caesar's voice cracked like thunder through the hall, arrogant and absolute. "If you wish to beg for aid, then beg properly. If not, then do not come at all!"

"Beg? You dare—" The elder advanced two more steps, veins standing out along his neck. He knew restraint was needed, yet the pride forged over hundreds of thousands of years burned in his throat like fire, refusing to be swallowed.

"Enough." Another elder, one with seven long tails swaying like whips, stepped forward to halt him. His voice was deep, resonant, and final. "...Enough."

"...!!" Grinding his teeth until sparks of soul force almost seemed to flicker from his jaw, the first elder forced himself back two steps, retreating to his place in silence.

For no matter what pride or fury consumed them, the truth was undeniable.

They had seen the countless World Cataclysm auras surrounding this place since their arrival. They knew beyond doubt that at this very moment they were being enveloped, trapped in an invisible cage. They knew the silent Planetary Emperor lurked nearby.

Yet even with all that, it was not those dangers that stayed their hands.

It was Caesar himself.

They could not touch him. They could not even risk angering him. To oppose THIS Fourth-Stage Law user recklessly would not simply bring consequences—it would bring their inevitable end, each step of defiance dragging it closer and closer until it devoured them whole.

The elder with seven tails—the same calm figure who had once carried to Renara the bitter news of her abdication and told her she must go herself to the Cradle Empire—allowed a faint, knowing smile to cross his lips as he stepped forward with deliberate grace.

"I have heard," he began, his voice carrying a calm weight that filled the vast hall, "that you are the eldest son of Lord Robin Burton, the Planetary Emperor of the True Beginning, sovereign of the Young Sector Empire... Tell me, may I ask just how close your bloodline stands to the Silent Emperor himself?"

"..." Caesar blinked once, genuinely surprised by the question. Slowly, his gaze slid back toward Renara, studying her carefully.

The meaning behind such a question was crystal clear. It meant Renara had kept her silence. She had not told them that Robin Burton was in truth the one they called Human—the future Great Truth Chosen who was rising with unstoppable momentum, a man whose wealth was without boundaries and whose influence reached further than their imagination. To them, the Silent Emperor was still a puzzle, perhaps a servant, perhaps an ally, but certainly not the same man.

"At the very least, it seems we still have some foundation to build a conversation upon." Caesar nodded with satisfaction, his lips curling faintly. "Very well then. What is it you wish to propose?"

"Ha ha, excellent that you asked, younger brother. In fact—" the seven-tailed elder responded quickly, eager to seize the moment.

But he never finished his words.

"Did I ask you, old man?" Caesar's voice cut across the chamber like a blade. He did not even grant the elder the courtesy of his gaze. His head remained unturned, his eyes still locked on Renara, dismissing the others as though they were little more than dust in the wind. "I intend to negotiate with your ruler, not with the chorus that trails behind her." He flicked a hand toward the gates behind him, the gesture sharp and final. "Please—step outside and wait."

The four elders froze, their brows furrowing into deep lines of displeasure.

Finally, the strongest among them moved. His voice, rough and heavy with the authority of countless years, rang through the hall: "Brother Caesar, at present the Nine Paths is governed by council. It is our law that all must be present to hear and to vote."

Though he tried to cloak his tone in reason, the venom in his words was unmistakable. This was Darmic—Renara's own uncle, the same man who had once nearly drawn his blade against Robin upon his first arrival on the planet Azakra.

"Oh, a council, is it?" Caesar laughed softly, the sound rich with mockery. Still, his eyes never strayed from Renara's.

"..." Her fists tightened in her lap until her knuckles turned white. There was nothing more humiliating, nothing more corrosive to her pride, than hearing such words in her presence.

Caesar's sharp eyes caught every flicker of that humiliation. He saw the suppressed anger in her cheeks, the shame hidden behind her lifted chin. That was enough for him. Finally, he turned his gaze toward the four elders, his smile hardening into something edged.

"I have no intention of binding myself to an empire that cannot even speak with one voice. Imagine it—every request, every treaty, every promise requiring me to pacify each of you, to wait for your council to assemble, to argue until you are all convinced, and then to endure a vote that might be repeated endlessly depending on your moods. This is not governance—it is childish squabbling dressed as politics. And I have no patience for children."

Once more his hand rose, pointing firmly to the doors behind him. "Leave. Wait outside and allow me to speak with the sole representative of your empire... Or, if you will not, then take her with you and let us end this farce here and now. I will not waste another heartbeat."

"...."

The four elders exchanged long, dark looks, the fury smoldering in their eyes plain to all. Yet age had taught them the bitterness of restraint. With the forced dignity of elders too seasoned to erupt in open rage, they curved their lips into stiff, brittle smiles. Step by slow step, they retreated, their exit drawn out like a silent protest.

Each one, however, turned back before crossing the threshold, their gazes stabbing toward Renara, heavy with unspoken warnings, as though to caution her not to tread too far astray.

Creaaak

The massive doors groaned shut behind them. Caesar waited, motionless, until the final echo of the latch faded. Only then did his smile return, sharp and satisfied. "Now," he said, his tone lighter, more relaxed, "we can talk. This hall is sealed, soundproofed to the last stone. No ear beyond these walls will ever hear a word."

Renara released a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The storm of humiliation that had built within her slowly ebbed, replaced by the icy composure she had perfected over years. She straightened her back once more, her chin lifting high, regal and unyielding. "…Very well, let us speak. I demand—"

But Caesar interrupted, his grin curling into something dangerous.

"Oh, before you start demanding... Did you know your dear sister lies naked at this very moment in the bed of the Twilight Spectrum's Emperor?"