Lord of the Truth - Chapter 1198

Chapter 1198: Suspended fear

Outside—

The air outside the grand hall was thick with tension—palpable, suffocating, and electric in its unnatural stillness. It was as though the very sky held its breath, and the winds dared not move. A massive sea of nearly two hundred thousand spectators sat crammed within the towering coliseum, their eyes wide with dread, their bodies frozen with fear. They were no longer gathered in celebration of a coronation or ceremony—no, that idea had long since evaporated.

They remained only because they were afraid. Afraid that even the smallest action—standing up, moving, speaking, breathing too loud—might displease His Excellency. Were it not for that shared terror, they would have already fled through the portals, disappearing without a trace. But none dared to take that risk. Not today.

So they sat. In silence.

Sweat poured down their faces in thick streams, soaking their clothes and pooling at their feet. Every single display screen, those magical floating projections that once drew cheers and applause, now flickered dimly, ignored. No one looked up. All eyes were cast downward—toward the ground, their own feet, or trembling hands clenched in their laps. No one wanted to see what might happen next. No one wanted to draw attention to themselves.

They were waiting. Waiting for a judgment, a sentence, a storm.

And the source of all this dread? A single woman.

A glowing figure, radiant and fierce. A divine storm of light and beauty. She was breathtakingly beautiful, an existence that surpassed understanding, but her presence was monstrous. Inhuman. With a few careless gestures, she had dismantled the powerhouses of the empire. With a smile, she had threatened the planet spirit itself. Her words had turned kings into children and generals into statues.

But she wasn’t the only source of fear.

Even on the noble platform, where the empire’s elites and commanders stood, the atmosphere was no better. If anything, it was worse. The air was heavy, like a boulder pressing down on every chest. Everyone was waiting for the outcome of the meeting. Waiting to know what fate His Excellency would decide.

For the demons in particular—this was a turning point. This one conversation could change everything. Their future was suspended by a single thread, dangling over an abyss of ruin.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Pacing. Relentless pacing.

Caesar moved back and forth with rigid, agitated steps, his hands locked behind his back. His heart pounded like a war drum. Every fiber of his being screamed that something was wrong. His father—alone, inside that chamber—with her. The thought made his blood boil. He clenched his jaw. He hated the fact that he was too weak and his father had to act.

Across from him, leaning nonchalantly against one of the stone columns, was Holak. The only one among them who seemed utterly calm—perhaps too calm. With an air of arrogance, he finally broke the silence.

He gestured lazily toward Caesar, Zara, and the others with a shrug.

“Seriously, what’s wrong with you people? All this fuss and panic—for what? The big guy took over. That’s the end of the story. Calm the citizens down, get back to work. Stop trembling like children.”

Caesar snapped. His voice, sharp and strained, cut through the tension like a blade.

“Do you not realize the situation we’re in? Are you so numb you can’t feel what’s around us? That woman—she’s a monster. If negotiations break down, who knows what she might do?”

“You’re being dramatic,” Holak replied casually, waving a hand. “Your father has faced worse than her. He’ll be fine.”

At those words, Sakaar turned to him with a sneer. His eyes narrowed. His voice was thick with venom.

“Oh? Is that why you didn’t join the battle earlier, Holak? Sat on your butt like a coward, watching from a distance while we fought the soul shard? Maybe you thought the Lord would show up and save the day, huh?”

“Exactly!” Holak said with a grin, laughing. “Maybe you’re smarter than you look, creepy thing! I knew he’d show up. I trust him more than you trust yourselves.”

Sakaar’s face twisted in disgust.

“I’ve always known you to be full of shit. Now I know you’re a liar, too. Listen closely—if His Excellency gives the order to kill us or exile us today, I’ll make sure you die before I do.”

“Haha! Why wait, then?” Holak laughed, not bothering to move from where he was seated. He stretched a bit, then pointed to himself.

“Go ahead. Try it. I won’t even stand up. I’ll destroy while sitting on my butt.”

“…!!!”

Sakar lost it.

Zzzzznnnnn

In an instant, a single Underworld Daisies bloomed in his right hand. The flower pulsed with dark energy, draining his blood at a horrifying rate. Its speed of rotation accelerated, its aura exploded outward in a violent storm of force, and yet the flower itself did not grow or divide. No—its power only intensified.

“Enough!”

Richard, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and grabbed Sakaar’s shoulder firmly.

“Is this really the time? My father in defining you and this is how you behave? Do you want to prove to that woman that you are a disease?”

Zzznnn—

The dark flower slowed. Its energy faded. Its motion stilled. Sakaar released his battle stance with a low growl, exhaling sharply. He wasn’t calm—but he was in control again. “…Enjoy the next few minutes of your life, Holak,” he said coldly. But know this—my word stands. I won’t die before you do.”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned away and walked toward Amon and the three demon generals, his steps heavy with unresolved fury.

“Shoo, shoo—go find yourself a raw dwarf thigh to gnaw on, and give our ears a rest from your irritating voice.”

Holak waved his hand dismissively in the air, as if shooing away a mangy mutt that dared to bark too close. His tone was mocking, layered with a laziness that only added insult to injury. He leaned back further, completely relaxed as chaos and tension brewed all around him.

“Now… where was I again?” he murmured, furrowing his brows as if genuinely trying to recall some forgotten point of wisdom. Then his eyes lit up, and he pointed with a slow, almost lazy finger toward Richard.

“Ah! That’s right—your old man. The guy’s got some serious power on him. You should focus on calming the masses instead of stressing—”

“Enough. Shut your mouth.”

The interruption came sharp and sudden.

Richard’s voice cut through the air like a blade, every syllable laced with absolute command. The green fire blazing in his eyes flared, no longer subtle or passive—it was a royal edict in elemental form.

Without another word, he turned his back on Holak, his cape brushing behind him with every step, and walked away with purpose to rejoin Caesar.

Holak blinked, barely fazed. He scratched the side of his head, muttering under his breath.

“Tsk… Rude little brat. No manners at all. What’s wrong with this generation? Where’d all the proper upbringing go?”

Step.

Richard came to a stop beside Caesar. A few feet away, Peon and Theo hovered close, their presence silent but tense. The atmosphere among them was heavy, the kind of pressure that builds before a storm.

“…What are we going to do?” Richard asked in a low, hushed tone.

“If that woman forces Father to exile the demons—what then?”

He tilted his head just slightly, his gaze flicking to Sakaar.

“I can tell they’ve been speaking telepathically for a while now. Their expressions are tight… not good signs. And removing the demons won’t be as easy as she might think. Or as clean.”

Caesar ground his teeth, his jaw locked in frustration.

“Forget the demons. We’ve got a bigger issue.”

His voice trembled slightly with intensity.

“Did you see how she looked at the city? At the buildings, the warship… like she was dissecting everything with her eyes.”

He paused, then continued with gravity.

“Did you hear her tone when she mentioned the Black Flame? That wasn’t curiosity. That was intent. I’m afraid this conversation won’t end with the demons. They’re just the prelude. A bargaining chip at best.”

Peon’s face darkened, and he nodded slowly.

“Her arrival is a disaster we weren’t ready for. A calamity wearing a silk dress and a calm smile.”

Then he turned toward Caesar again.

“Was it really necessary to summon Deivos?!”

“How was I supposed to know the damn thing had a cursed soul shard inside its head?!”

Caesar snapped back in a half-whisper, his tone somewhere between guilt and irritation.

“Enough,” Theo cut in, raising a hand firmly.

“All this talk is pointless. Useless. Nothing we say will change what’s happening. The only thing left for us to do now…”

He paused, his voice quieting,

“…is wait for orders.”

He turned his head, looking out over the city. It now felt distant, alien. As if it were already claimed by another power.

“Orders might come to surrender everything she’s seen. Everything.”

He pointed at his own chest.

“Maybe the command will be to dissolve the empire entirely and place it under her control.”

His eyes moved toward the demons.

“Or maybe… it’ll be to destroy the demons outright. As a show of trust.”

Then he turned back to face his brothers. Slowly. Deliberately.

His gaze was steady, calm, final.

“Whatever Father decides—it won’t be easy. And it won’t be kind. So brace yourselves… and be ready to obey. Obey with no second thoughts.”

TRRRRHHHHH—!

The sound split the silence like lightning.

Everyone froze.

They knew that sound. It was as familiar to them as their own heartbeat—the spatial tear of His Excellency arriving.

But this time… no one stood out of respect.

They stood out of raw, unfiltered fear.

Gulp.

A nearly synchronized sound echoed as dozens, if not hundreds, swallowed dryly.

Every eye turned. Every breath was held.

They were about to hear something that could change their future forever.

“Caesar!!”

It was Robin.

He came crashing out of the spatial rift like a bullet of panic, wide-eyed and breathless, as though the sky itself was falling behind him.

“There you are—Richard, Caesar, all of you!”

His words tumbled over each other, rushed and scattered. He scanned his surroundings like a man lost in a nightmare.

Then his voice sharpened—urgent. Terrified.

“I need you to begin evacuating the planet. Right. Now.”

“WHAT?!”

The word exploded from every throat in the courtyard like thunder.