Published at 19th of May 2026 6:36 am

Chapter 1743 Military Truth

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Aranal, Haynam Empire.

Standing at the grand balcony overlooking the sprawling city, the leader of the azirai devils, Volgron, watched the army gradually settle into disciplined formations.

There were three hundred thousand devils conscripted for the conquest of Tron. Among them, there were many Mana Core Magi. However, only two of them were given total command over them.

One was the shadowkin, Rekan, who was currently already at the frontlines. The second was the azirai, Volgron.

He shifted his attention to the twilight sky and sighed. It was a stark change in scenery, for he was always used to the ash-red sky of the Second Layer or the perpetual dark sky of the First Layer.

When he gazed at the clear skies and the flora and fauna in the distance, he felt that they were quite unpleasant to look at. But soon, he would turn this world hopeless and dreary. That was something he was looking forward to.

An imp flew toward him and knelt at his feet. "Master!" it greeted deferentially.

"What is the lich up to?" Volgron asked.

"He's gathering the human Magi," said the imp. "They are preparing to set off once your army has assembled."

Volgron hummed in response. He recalled his interaction with the lich and thought back to how effortlessly the man had slaughtered his devils in the underground chamber.

Although he disliked admitting it, he believed that the lich had every right to be arrogant. He had the strength to back it up. Even his three Elders were powerful Magi. The devils respected strength above all.

So he turned to the imp and instructed, "Tell our people not to get in his way."

The imp blinked in surprise. But it nodded nonetheless. "Yes, master!"

It was about to leave, but Volgron's words held him back.

"Wait," said the azirai.

A few moments later, the shadows cast by the balcony's railings stirred. Soon, a shadowkin emerged and appeared before Volgron.

"I bring intel from Rekan," said the shadowkin as he got down on one knee.

Volgron grabbed the scroll and unfurled it as he asked, "How's the situation at the frontlines?"

"Not… great." The shadowkin shook his head.

Volgron couldn't help but frown a little. He soon understood the reason as he read the contents in the scroll.

"Oh?" The azirai arched an eyebrow in amusement. "How interesting."

He shifted his gaze to the shadowkin and asked, "Does Rekan need anything?"

The shadowkin shook his head. "He hasn't asked for anything specific."

"Very well." Volgron nodded. "You may return. Both of you."

With that said, the azirai leader headed deeper into the royal palace.

***

Inside a vast chamber, the Cult Leader and the three Elders had gathered.

The Stone Lord, Leland Haynam, respectfully reported, "We still have about three hundred thousand men in the front lines. Another fifty thousand in reserve. With the addition of the devils, our numbers will double. And this is excluding the undead army each of us commands."

"It's a fortunate thing that the Dark Valley shields our lands from the east," said the Wind Lord, Alain Grey. "And Indus in the west has long since been out of the equation."

The lich had been silent for the entirety of the discussion, but when the Dark Valley was mentioned, the green orbs nestled in his sockets flared intensely.

Alain turned pale and quickly stopped talking. Leland also turned quiet, sensing his master's sudden change in temperament. Meanwhile, Marden lowered his head, expertly concealing the peculiar gleam in his eyes.

Right at that moment, the doors to the chambers swung open, and a towering, red-scaled azirai set foot inside. He wore dark armor etched with mysterious runes, and his wings were folded behind him, adding to his imposing presence.

None of the elders spoke out about the devil entering without permission. They didn't dare to. After all, the azirai was someone, they believed, who was on par with their great master when it came to strength.

"Lich," said the azirai as he approached the table. "I have news from the frontlines."

He stood in front of the table, arms crossed. "Why don't you introduce yourself? It's rude to keep calling you 'lich'. I'd find it just as impolite if someone kept calling me 'devil'. My name is Volgron. What's yours?"

The Elders were flabbergasted. They couldn't believe that a devil was actually trying to be courteous.

But more than that, they were actually quite curious about their master's true name. Although each of them had their own guesses, they didn't know for sure.

The lich said indifferently, "What news?"

"You cold fuck." The azirai snorted in displeasure and hurled the scroll at him.

Leland grabbed the scroll midair and unfurled it. A few seconds later, his expression turned grave. He turned to the lich and said:

"Master, it would appear that the enemy has obtained intelligence on the devils. They even seem to have bits and pieces of information about the different devil species."

"How…" Alain's eyes narrowed. "How is that possible!"

The Cult Leader remained silent, but the dreadful and cold aura radiating from him betrayed his inner feeling.

"Of course…" Marden murmured, his expression shifting as realization dawned on him.

"What is it?" Leland turned toward him. Everyone did.

Marden looked at the lich with a complicated look and said, "It is as you'd suspected, my lord. There is still a traitor in our midst. Otherwise, it's impossible for the enemy to receive intel on our allies so quickly."

He then quickly added, "Leland, Alain, and I were with you the entire time. From the moment the devils arrived, up till now… we never left your sight. So there is no way any of us could send this crucial piece of intel to the enemy."

Marden could see Leland and Alain show subtle expressions of relief. He even sensed the lich's aura calming down ever so slightly.

He continued in a solemn voice, "We didn't even know what kinds of devils would emerge from the portal. If there is a traitor… he isn't among us!"

Volgron listened calmly to Marden's words. He shifted his gaze to the lich, who stood silently. He couldn't help but think to himself:

To have intelligence of this level leaked to the enemy…

Either the lich and his men have been careless, or…

We're facing something far more dangerous.

As someone who spent most of his life on the battlefield, Volgron understood a simple military truth.

More often than not, it wasn't strength that decided wars. It was information.

He turned to the Cult Leader and said in an icy tone, "This is something that affects all of us."

Volgron's eyes narrowed, and he continued:

"How about you let me interrogate those men you have in reserve in the city?"

The lich remained silent. A long time later, he nodded ever so slightly.

"Go ahead."

And so, the devils and the cultists began searching for the traitor who didn't even exist.

Well, not in the cult's reserves, anyway...

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