2309 - Spear
"....?" Darvion and Zargul both stared at the scene from beginning to end in shock.
"...Those." Zargul pointed towards the wearers of the crimson armor. "Are you absolutely certain they are the Crimson Plague?"
"Without a doubt!" The Son replied. "Everyone who escaped confirmed that the Syndicate Envoy recognized them, and the blood techniques they use were famous during the Era of the Abyss of Doom!"
"Heh..." Zargul showed a smile, then began to laugh deeply. "Hahahaha!"
"Lord Robin is finished this time." Darvion shook his head. "What a loss; I thought he was a better opponent than that."
"Hahaha! The fool killed himself!" Zargul continued laughing. "The sacrifice of my son and my fleets was not in vain!"
"....?" Zargul's son was greatly confused, then suddenly his eyes widened. "Reputation!! How did I not think of that?"
"Hmm." Darvion nodded. "Once news spreads that the Crimson Plague are the ones protecting the True Beginning Galaxy, his credibility will be destroyed, and the Cosmic Elder's reputation will be ruined. The Stellar Academies may turn against him, led by the Lord of Thrones Qarun, who will order an investigation against him and bully him as he pleases... all because of the recording we now possess."
"The Lord of Thrones will undoubtedly be pleased with this." Zargul nodded. "Something like this won't just halt the advance of the Cosmic Academies—it will utterly destroy them." Then he turned to Darvion. "Do we sell it to him, or gift it to him?"
"...It's the sacrifice of your son, your men, and your fleets. You decide." Darvion shook his head.
"Come now, my friend, haha." Zargul slapped Darvion on the back. "You provided us with the Arrays of the Wretched World, and I provided you with the Arrays of the Eternal Chains and the Silent Seal. We are, technically, merging through this war we will undoubtedly win. So what's the harm in giving me your opinion on something like this?"
"..." Darvion nodded. "Then, my opinion is that you gift it to the Lord of Thrones. I know you lost a great deal to obtain this recording, but trying to extract any compensation from the Lord of Thrones is unrealistic. And don't attempt to use the Disk before he has examined it and made his decision—trying to bypass him always ends badly... It's better to gift it to him and make a good impression."
"...You're right." Zargul nodded, clearly pondering his words.
"I'll go prepare." Darvion began walking solemnly toward the entrance.
"Why bother?" Zargul called out to him. "The Council of Thrones will handle it once this Disk reaches them. There's no need for us to make a move anymore."
"..." Darvion's expression twisted into pure rage. "Nothing will quench my fury except creating thousands of new Arrays of the Wretched World using the planets of the Cradle Empire."
"..." Zargul was stunned for a moment and remained silent until Darvion left. "He's taking this too personally."
Then Zargul turned to his son.
"Here." Zargul tossed the Disk lightly into his arms. "Make a thousand copies of it, and try to send a copy to the Council of Thrones by every possible means until it reaches them. We cannot predict the reach of the Shadow Swords and that human's followers."
"Understood."
Somewhere in Middle Sector 115—
Amid the pitch-black silence of space, an old man with white hair floated, his hands clasped behind his back.
He appeared to be in his thirties, with long white hair cascading backward like a waterfall, as if his hair itself feared touching his face. His prominent cheekbones and jawline carved strong masculine features, while his bright red eyes, gleaming like rubies, were the definitive proof of his identity.
The Father of the Destra Family...
Helmor the Destroyer.
Helmor maintained his focused gaze ahead, as if he could see the depths of the universe, motionless, without even a single blink, and remained in this state for a long time.
Then, finally, he raised his head slightly and opened his mouth.
“The Scars of the Laws in the universe are increasing, and the Rejection is accumulating. More and more Master Laws are being used across multiple sectors, and by more than one person… It seems the All-Capable has been more active than usual lately.”
Then he smiled.
“But no matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries, no matter how many candidates he gathers… the matter has been decided.” Then he began moving his left hand forward. “B-14 will walk the path that has been set for it.”
*Bang*
Helmor shattered the space before him, then took a step with all grace and arrogance.
*Clatter*
And when he placed his next step, the scene had changed.
At that moment, an entire galaxy was completely besieged.
The defense forces numbered about four thousand fleets, identical in shape and color, while the attackers numbered no more than five hundred fleets.
The numerical difference was terrifying, but there was something that compensated for this gap.
Nearly thirty youths with sapphire eyes were using the laws of the Path of Destruction in a terrifying, repetitive, and coordinated manner. Each strike from one of them would bring down several vehicles or tear holes in space that swallowed everything.
As for the five hundred fleets standing behind them, they did nothing but fire random shots here and there, while they, like Helmor, stood back and watched the massacre.
And of course, facing those thirty were fifty people trying to stop them.
They all wore gray clothes and large necklaces, using suppressive spiritual attacks and piercing arrays, but their attempts to halt their enemies always ended tragically...
They looked like a handful of amateurs fighting professional killers.
Ooom
At that moment, a shadow appeared beside Helmor...
A tall young man dressed in black and gray, with a handsome, masculine face, clean-shaven, but with his black hair tied atop his head, and eyes that wavered between white and gray. He wore two armors between his wrists and elbows, and held a massive war spear.
And although it seemed like just an image that couldn't emit any aura, that person appeared as a lord of wars, with an overwhelming and conquering presence.
“....” Helmor smiled.
"Come with your real body, as long as you're holding onto the spear."