Lord of the Truth

1058  Fighting the two marshals -2

'The main demon army failed to contain the situation...?' Richard felt his world collapsing around him. The sudden onslaught of events, fast and chaotic, was enough to shatter anyone's perception of reality. "Oh no, oh no...!!"

"Interesting." Even Marshal Laccros took a few moments to assess the situation. The sudden chaos sweeping across the battlefield was incomprehensible, but he couldn't afford to lose focus. He had a mission to complete.

"This... this is your doing!!"

Crackling

"What?!" Lacros stiffened as the air around him began to shift. Richard's voice, once laced with frustration, had grown deeper, darker—like a beast awakening.

"What is... happening?!" Laccros's eyes widened in shock. The man he had been watching just moments ago seemed to have vanished, replaced by someone—or something—else entirely. Dark green flames roared to life in Richard's hair and eyebrows. His teeth ground together with such force that the sound resonated like a symphony of agony. His expression had transformed from irritation and anger into pure, unfiltered bloodlust.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"What the hell is this?!" Laccros shouted in panic as the ground within a ten-mile radius fractured and split at an alarming speed. From the jagged earth, green flames erupted like molten lava, morphing into massive, clawed hands that reached toward him.

"I need to get out of here!!" Terrified by the unprecedented turn of events, Lacros slammed his foot into the ground and shot into the air, desperate to escape.

But Richard's voice, now a guttural growl, echoed next to his ear, sending chills down his spine: "You're not going anywhere."

BAAAAAANG!

"Bfffffft—!!!" Lacros felt something smash into the top of his head with such force that he couldn't even let out a scream. His skull vibrated violently from the impact, leaving his senses reeling and his thoughts a scattered mess.

Swoooosh!

The marshal plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing into one of the city's towers with earth-shaking force.

BAAAAM!

Just as Richard had been moments earlier, the building collapsed onto Lacؤros, burying him beneath tons of rubble.

"..."

Richard, now engulfed in the eerie green fire, remained hovering above the ruins, his sharp gaze locked on the wreckage below, waiting for any sign of movement.

Silence...

Beneath the debris, Lacros lay trembling in fear.

Richard had already been formidable, a relentless force who had tormented them for over an hour. But none of that could compare to the devastating blow that had just struck his skull. The raw power and malice behind it were unlike anything he had ever faced.

Marshal Lacros's eyes bulged slightly from their sockets, blood streaming from them as his shattered skull radiated pain. His teeth were all broken, and his body trembled from the devastating blow. What could he possibly do now?

'Forgive me, Xanox... I can't do anything more against this lunatic. You're on your own now.'

Gritting his teeth, the marshal stopped breathing entirely. He slowed his heartbeat to near stillness, mimicking the behavior of cold-blooded beasts. Forcing himself into a deathlike hibernation, Lacros pretended to be lifeless beneath the rubble.

"...?"

From above, Richard scanned the debris with his heightened spiritual sense. The marshal's presence was utterly still—no heartbeat, no breath, not even the faintest movement of his blood. Undeniably lifeless.

But Richard smirked. "Really? Playing dead... against someone wielding the Law of Life?!"

SHWOOOSH!

Molten green flames erupted from the rubble, swallowing everything in their path.

"Arghhh!" Lacros couldn't keep up the act any longer. He slammed the ground and shot forward like an arrow, heading toward the battle between Pythor and Robin. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, help me!!"

Swoosh!

But he didn't get far. Another crushing blow struck his spine, slamming him back down.

BAAANG!

"Haaavff... Haaavff..." Blood poured from every part of his body. His back was shattered, and his swollen eyes barely stayed open. He clawed at the ground, dragging himself forward. "Your Majesty... Xanox... anyone..."

BAAAM!

Richard landed heavily on Lacros's left arm, shattering it instantly.

"AAAAARRRGHH!!"

"And where do you think you're going, huh?" Richard sneered, leaning closer. "If my father doesn't call for aid, no one approaches his battlefield. Do you think that your Pythor gives a damn about what happens to you? You know what... let me show you, as one last favor for a dead man."

With his bare hands, Richard crushed the remnants of the marshal's helmet, revealing his battered, bald head. Then he lifted Lacros's broken body into the air, gripping his cracked skull tightly. "Look. Does this look like someone who has time for your nonsense?"

"...?!"

In the distance, His Majesty Pythor fought with ferocity, his roars echoing through the chaos. He wielded two whips— they were gifts from General Cyril after conquering a planet. Each whip was crafted from the entrails of a King Beast that had survived five million years in the Mid-Belt, and their handles were made from its scales.

But even with these epic weapons, Pythor failed to land a single hit on his opponent. His desperate cries for aid had likely reached Pythor's ears by now, but the king didn't spare him a glance— not even for a fraction of a second.

"Y- Your Majesty..." Tears mixed with blood in Lacros's eyes as despair consumed him.

BAAAAANG!

"Bfff---!!" Lacros spat out a thick stream of blood, his body growing colder by the second. Glancing downward, he saw a fist piercing through his chest.

Then came the final words he would ever hear.

"Go on your way."

SHHHH—

Visible green energy began flowing from Lacros's body into Richard's hand. It was his remaining life force—thousands of years' worth of dense vitality, siphoned away with terrifying ease.

"....."

The pain of his life force being drained was indescribable, but Lacros managed to keep one eye open, straining to witness His Majesty's battle for one last moment.

Until his eyes closed forever, and his head slumped to the side.

BAAAM!

Richard tossed the lifeless body aside, shaking off the blood and viscera clinging to his hands. Then, his gaze swept the battlefield, searching for the bearer of the dark blue pyramid.

BAAAM!

"Hmm?"

Richard glanced down at his right arm, where one of his veins had burst, spraying blood uncontrollably.

"...I need to hurry."