Lord of the Truth

1075  The Green-winged grim reaper

"...I'll go help," Caesar muttered as his eyes locked onto the chaos surrounding Amon.

"Are you sure?" Sakaar asked hesitantly.

Caesar's condition had worsened since the battle had begun. His once vibrant demeanor had faded; his skin was now as pale as milk, and his apparent blue veins —struggling to keep him alive— were now clearly visible beneath his white, almost translucent flesh. His body resembled a frozen slab of ice, marred with streaks of blue and red all over. Just looking at him gave one a sense of exhaustion and unease.

But still, Sakaar didn't dare stop him. No one else could take his place. If Sakaar left, Caesar and Richard wouldn't be able to hold back their enemies here. And if Richard left, it was uncertain whether he could even last long enough to reach the battlefield!

Though Richard seemed to move with more energy than anyone else, his vitality was draining at a terrifying pace. His blood flowed with difficulty, and not a single vein in his body remained intact. Were it not for his constant use of the Flame of Life to heal himself, he would have collapsed and died already. Even with the Flame of Life sustaining him, it was unclear if he could last another ten more minutes.

"Yes, yes I'm sure, I'm fine..." Caesar cracked his neck gently, careful not to snap it unintentionally. He turned and prepared to leave. He knew exactly Sakaar's train of thought, there was no one else to go.

"...Wait a moment," Sakaar stopped him, turning toward Richard. "Hey, Crown Prince, your brother needs his wings."

"No, leave him alone! He has enough to deal with!" Caesar stopped in his tracks and shouted back, but even he couldn't stop himself from glancing sideways at Richard.

Since stepping through the portal and long before Robin sat on his throne, Caesar had wanted to ask for his fiery green wings. But the shame of making such a request held him back.

Their father had brought them here as equals; how could he ask his younger brother for help in battle? The last time he had asked was embarrassing enough.

BAAM!

08:14

Richard crushed the jaw of a Marshal Elite between his hands, then glanced over his shoulder and unleashed a massive, dense green flame toward Caesar, "On the way!" he shouted before turning back to drive a Seal Nail into the chest of his opponent.

Shwaaalaaa!

The green flames ignited across Caesar's body, forming into two massive wings of life energy.

GASP!

Caesar closed his eyes and lifted his face skyward. In that moment, he felt as though he had been dancing on the edge of death, only to be pulled back into life by Richard. His pale, cracked lips began to regain their color. The veins beneath his skin vanished, and his once ghastly complexion began to look healthy once more as if a corpse had been revived.

Though his fatigue and countless injuries from battling Marshals and hundreds of martial emperors were still evident, the rapid restoration of his vitality was undeniable.

"...Thank you, little brother. I know you need this more than I do." Caesar sighed as he felt the power of life surging through him. The energy infused in these wings was immense— Richard hadn't hesitated to pour in the life force of nearly a thousand beasts.

"Ha! Don't worry about it. Just go and draw their life force out for me. It'll all be mine anyway!" Richard laughed maniacally, though the blood streaming uncontrollably from his eyes ruined the sentimental moment.

"...Take care of the boy," Caesar whispered as he patted Sakaar on the shoulder. Then, without another word, he turned and launched himself toward the west, where the battle of a thousand combat emperors raged on.

Swooooosh!

Like a black comet, Caesar shot across the battlefield, leaving a trail of ominous black flames in his wake.

The goblins and soldiers below could only glance upward in awe and terror as the fiery streak lit up the darkened sky. Caesar's ominous aura, combined with the unrelenting pressure that radiated from him, seemed to drag the air from their lungs. It was as if death itself had decided to descend upon the battlefield.

Swoosh!

In a heartbeat, Caesar reached the core of the conflict—a swirling maelstrom of destruction where the most powerful combatants from both sides clashed. Below him, the Great Serpent Empire's army stretched as far as the eye could see, their formations vast and imposing, their countless warriors locked in deadly battles against the goblin forces. Yet to Caesar, they might as well have been ants.

Without so much as a glance at the chaos beneath him, Caesar soared overhead, his focus fixed entirely on the towering figure ahead, especially what was happening behind him!

"..."

Amon shifted his massive head slightly, recognizing the familiar figure approaching. When he realized who it was, Amon stopped swinging his enormous arms and ceased using his blood halos. Instead, he focused ahead, completely ignoring the martial emperors attacking him from behind.

"Bring him down!!"

The martial emperors relieved that Amon had finally stopped flailing his colossal limbs and unleashing his blood aura, caught their breath and returned to attacking his massive frame with everything they had.

But—WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A rain of black flames fell upon them from above.

"ARRRGHH!"

"What's happening to me? What's happening?!"

The martial emperors didn't feel the searing pain of fire when the flames touched them. Instead, they experienced a sharp, agonizing cold in their chests, as though the life force within them was being forcibly expelled.

"Use the Minor Heavenly Law of Corrosion to counter it!!" one of them finally shouted, managing to stave off the pain in his chest by burning part of his own Duergar Blood to extinguish the black flames.

"What's going on here?!"

The martial emperors all surrounded themselves with transparent purple barriers, desperately trying to suppress the effects of the Secondary Law of Corrosion. Yet, despite their efforts, every passing second drained their Duergar Energy, weakening them further.

CRACKLE!

In that moment, the black flames erupted into the sky, turning it into an oppressive night.

The aura of death gripped every heart on the battlefield, sending chills deep into their bones. All eyes turned skyward, fear etched into their very beings.

From the menacing cloud of black fire descended a lone figure. He held a black halberd in his right hand, his left hand resting calmly behind his back. He stood directly between Amon's enormous frame and the nearly one hundred combat emperors gathered against him. Beyond them lay the largest battle currently raging: the clash between hundreds of the Great Serpent Empire's martial emperors, the demon emperors, and the Five War Lords.

The black flames enveloped Caesar's entire body before spreading outward, forming a barrier that seemed to separate him—and Amon—from the rest of the battlefield.

Though he stood alone, his presence was overwhelming. An unshakable aura of menace radiated from him, and the martial emperors, almost involuntarily, took a cautious step back.

Faced with this sudden and undeniable threat, Caesar looked down at his new opponents, his gaze cold and unyielding.

"Playtime is over. No one else will cross this line. I am your opponent today!"