Lord of the Truth Chapter 1860 The terms

"...You are no longer welco in the Mid Sector 101," Orion declared with a cold, unyielding tone that carried the weight of a final verdict.

"...?" Hedrick slightly furrowed his brows, confusion mixed with irritation flickering on his face. "Are you pretending to be stupid now?" He slapped his knee sharply, the sound echoing like a challenge.

"When the rumors about the seed spread, I sent your people in the Bright Galaxy a clear ssage a crystal-clear declaration- that I would abandon the entire sector the mont Virillion ascends. I told you I would relinquish every single one of my planets-worlds I personally cultivated and developed for hundreds of thousands of years. I said I would leave them to you intact: with their mines, their natural resources, their industrial chains, their refineries, their factories, their palaces, their cities, their population, and even their standing armies. I made it clear that I would only take Virillion, my private vault, and a handful of my closest, most trusted followers, and that we would depart in silence. And still-none of you bothered to reply!"

"Sothing along those lines did happen," Orion admitted with a slight nod. "But your offer ca far, far too late- long after your issue beca public had spread across the entire universe. And beyond that, it wasn't sufficient. Not even close."

"What do you an not sufficient? Are you seriously joking with right now?" Hedrick's voice rose, brimming with disbelief. "We're talking about five thousand fully-developed planets-five thousand! Can you even begin to assign a value to sothing of that magnitude?" He leaned forward, anger simring beneath every word. "And what do you an the offer ca after I was exposed? What does that change for you? Do you honestly believe I was trying to buy ti? That I wouldn't have made the exact sa offer had I succeeded in keeping Virillion hidden?"

He pointed directly at Orion, his gesture sharp as a blade. "How exactly do you think I would have carried five thousand planets with ? Even now-at this very mont I'm not confident I can successfully take Virillion into another sector. It's a gamble, a colossal risk, one I'm still sohow willing to attempt. The only difference lies in the condition in which I would leave those five thousand planets behind... Would I leave them pristine-developed, thriving, ready for production and service for generations to co? Or would I reduce their facilities to ashes and rubble before departing?"

A fierce gleam flashed in his eyes. "Who could have imagined that you, of all people, would be the ones to destroy everything with your own hands."

"It's not as straightforward as you make it sound. Life isn't black and white. We have no obligation to believe your words simply because you uttered them," Orion replied while shaking his head in stern rejection. "Moving Virillion to another sector? You call it a gamble; I call it pure impossibility. No one has ever accomplished such a feat except the tyrant Interas. So yes, it's obvious-you're lying. You're simply waiting for Virillion's ascension so you can place it beside Shathar and shift your headquarters there, creating two galaxies within a single sector"

"I have my own thods to relocate it," Hedrick muttered, brows tightening in defiance.

"Even a two-year-old child can lie," Orion scoffed, waving dismissively. "And you yourself admit it's a gamble. So tell what if you fail? When the Virillion seed remains stuck in Mid Sector 101, would you then graciously hand it over to us? Or would you cling to it, refine it, nurture it, and claim it solely for yourself?"

"... And that is why you decided to bring external enemies into our sector?" Hedrick asked, showing a thin, knowing smile.

"They're not enemies. You are the enemy." Orion's eyebrow twitched with restrained fury. "You command the strongest empire in this sector without contest. My blessed mother appointed you precisely because she foresaw what was coming. She smoothed the path before you, made your conquests effortless, because she saw you as a well-disciplined dog-a loyal hound capable of guarding her farm. Who could have imagined that the sa dog would grow complacent, would dare to betray its mistress, and dream of abandoning both her and the farm!"

"Oh? I'm a guard dog now?" Hedrick let out a deeper, fuller laugh this ti, as if genuinely entertained rather than insulted. "How adorable... truly. For the first ti in ages, I almost feel like I'm part of your little circle, even though I only ever see your faces during those grand, pompous ceremonies you hold once every few hundred thousand years."

He leaned back without a hint of irritation. "Let's imagine this: the guard dog grows weary-tired of endless vigilance, tired of a master who cannot even protect himself. So what does the master do? He brings two lions into the farm to simply to provoke the dog? Tell , do you actually enjoy the chaos you've unleashed?"

"... We honestly did see you as our guardian-the shield and sword of the entire sector," Orion replied, his tone carrying both disappointnt and cold judgnt. "We believed you were soone honorable, soone who wished to repay the vast debt you owe my blessed mother. But now..." A slow, cutting smile ford on his lips. "Now you have beco the greatest threat of all. Not them. They're manageable-we can deal with them using whatever thod we deem appropriate."

He straightened, pointing sharply at Hedrick as his voice rose.

"You found a galaxy seed, and the first thought that crossed your mind was to refine it for yourself? And in the best, most generous scenario-take the seed and abandon the sector entirely? After everything my mother did for you?"

His finger trembled with restrained anger.

"She saved your life. She believed in you when you had already drowned in despair and lost every shred of faith in your own worth!" Hedrick released a long, slow breath, as though emptying years of buried

emotion.

"...No one understands the depth of the gratitude I carry for Kaylis The Pure. She showed rcy to a broken mind at its worst. She gave life when I had none. I spent countless stretches of my existence building this mighty empire -shaping it, refining it, fortifying it- so that one day it would be handed to her, along with anything else she desired."

His eyes hardened, voice dropping into a heavy seriousness.

"I would have fought for her without hesitation. Because for all those years, I was grateful that she gave the chance to pursue my vengeance. That vengeance beca the reason I kept breathing... and now she stands in the path of that reason. That is the point where our loyalties clash."

Orion stared at him with visible contempt.

"Dwelling on the past changes nothing and resolves nothing," he said coldly.

"Let's focus on the reality in front of us."

He paused briefly before speaking again, tone firm and authoritative.

"A safe route will be arranged for your departure from the sector. You may take your followers with you, and we will even allow you to take your most seasoned, veteran soldiers-even if they number in the millions. The transportation costs will be covered entirely by Bright Galaxy."

Hedrick's gaze sharpened. "If you had listened to my request from the very

beginning and allowed to leave peacefully, none of this would have erupted. You wouldn't be trapped in the ss you're drowning in right now." He held his stare for several long seconds.

"Lord Hedrick, please focus on the terms," Orion insisted, irritation seeping through. "I do not want disputes later, nor do I want you claiming you

misunderstood anything."

His voice stiffened.

"Do you agree?"

"No issue from my side," Hedrick nodded casually. "Once Virillion is upgraded,

I'll take my n and my vault and leave. Until that happens, I'll cease all operations and restrict myself entirely to the planet Shadhar. My forces won't

leave it. I won't leave it."

"That-right there is why I asked you to pay attention to the terms," Orion muttered with a shake of his head. "Did you hear ntion Virillion in the agreent? Did I ntion Shathar? Did I ntion the vault?"

"No, no explain this to slowly, very slowly." Hedrick replied, a strange, unsettling smile spreading across his face.

"Very simply, Lord Hedrick," Orion said, every word slow and deliberate, "you

may save yourself and your n. And nothing else whatsoever. You can forget anything called Virillion. And you can forget the imperial vault as well-it will be used to compensate for the war damage."