Lord of the Truth

The Grand Plaza—

Anyone who reached this place had already walked through the astonishing promenade, beheld the majestic streets of the imperial capital, and witnessed the marvels of the smart city. They had seen buildings that stretched into the sky, streets that shifted and adapted, and a city that almost breathed with life. Yet, no matter how high their expectations soared, no matter how much they thought they had seen, they see more as they took the next step forward.

In truth, the area they were currently traversing—starting from the golden outer wall and leading up to the Grand Plaza—was merely the inner district of the imperial capital. This colossal zone, which to many seemed like a dreamlike city pulled from legend, was originally never meant to house the public. It was intended solely for the Imperial Palace, the administrative headquarters, and the esteemed Burton family. On official records, this region wasn't even ten percent of the capital's actual size!

However, due to time constraints and strategic considerations, Caesar, the mastermind behind the coronation, had chosen this location for the event, constructing what was now known as the Grand Plaza—a place designed to leave even the most powerful awestruck.

The plaza itself was a monumental structure, a grand colosseum capable of accommodating an overwhelming crowd of 200,000 spectators. Towering stands surrounded the space, each one meticulously constructed to offer a perfect view of the proceedings. Directly before them lay an exceptionally broad avenue, stretching out like an endless river of stone, beneath a vast and open sky—a space reserved for military parades, state ceremonies, and grand performances.

On the opposite side of the avenue, a magnificent elevated platform stood proudly, its architecture radiating an unmistakable aura of authority. Every inch of it had been carefully crafted, the materials used in its construction undoubtedly among the rarest and most durable in existence. This was the space reserved for the most powerful and influential figures, the ones who shaped history with their very presence.

At this very moment, the colossal stands were nearly full, with only a few remaining seats left unoccupied. Despite the sheer magnitude of the gathering, there were no loud conversations or mindless chatter. No music, no distractions—just silence. Yet, it wasn't the silence of boredom, nor was it the silence of impatience. It was the silence of sheer anticipation.

Everyone in attendance was utterly captivated, their eyes locked forward, their breathing barely audible, their minds unable to process what they were witnessing. Even King Aiko, despite everything he had seen so far, found himself entranced the very moment his eyes landed upon it.

"This…?" He muttered, his voice barely escaping his lips.

A deep chuckle erupted beside him. It was Joseph, his tone laced with immense pride.

"Haha! What do you think? You're looking at the pinnacle of the Empire's achievements… The crown jewel of innovation! The peak of technological brilliance, developed by the City of Research and Development. The masterpiece of craftsmanship, brought to life by the Nihari blacksmiths, the dwarves of S-1, and the brilliant human engineers of R-2. The absolute culmination of efficiency, where every single component was meticulously selected to form the perfect whole!"

Then, with a dramatic wave of his hand, he added, "Even the Imperial Capital itself did not require as much effort and precision to construct as this 'tiny' beast!"

"T-Tiny?! What do you mean, tiny?!" King Aiko's voice rose in sheer disbelief as he instinctively pointed ahead.

For standing before them, in the expansive street that separated the stands from the grand platform, was a colossal war machine unlike anything he had ever seen.

It was a warship, but not just any warship.

Its rear section housed an immense propulsion system, composed of nine primary thrusters, each one a monument to engineering excellence. Three were positioned on each side, while six were concentrated in the center, forming the ship's core drive system. The front section, in stark contrast, was shaped into three distinct heads, the central one being the largest and longest of them all.

The design philosophy was clear: efficiency over excess. The ship's main propulsion came from the six central thrusters, while the side engines were specifically crafted to provide unmatched maneuverability, allowing it to change direction with unparalleled ease.

From the rear thrusters to the very tip of the central head, the ship measured a staggering 100 meters in length, with an imposing height of 30 meters. At a glance, it was abundantly clear that this single vessel was more than capable of transporting an entire small army.

The command bridge, rather than being positioned at the forefront of the central head as one might expect, was instead strategically located at the upper-middle section of the ship—nestled between the thrusters and the three heads, granting it optimal visibility and protection.

Yet, despite its immense physical presence, what truly set it apart was its outer hull.

The entire surface of the ship was engulfed in intricate engravings, forming a network of cryptic patterns, etched with a precision that seemed almost inhuman. At first glance, they might appear to be mere decorative embellishments, added purely for aesthetic appeal. But to those with knowledge of ancient inscriptions, it was clear—this was no mere artwork.

It was a sophisticated web of encrypted runes, a puzzle of immeasurable complexity, each line and symbol serving a purpose beyond mortal understanding.

Even those versed in the art of decoding runic sequences would find themselves lost attempting to make sense of these markings. Their true form, their original structure, their intended function—all of it remained an unfathomable enigma.

The three heads at the front of the ship were what truly made King Aiko's body tremble.

They were open.

Inside each of them, he saw what could only be described as cannon barrels.

This wasn't the first time King Aiko had seen artillery mounted on spaceships—far from it. He had spent years upon years battling fleets of space warships. In fact, he had probably seen more spaceships than he had eaten meals over the course of his lifetime.

But the problem was…

The cannons mounted on the left and right heads of this vessel… were the same size as the main cannon of the Great Serpent Empire's motherships.

A single shot from one of those motherships' main cannon was enough to annihilate small cities, scatter entire armies, and turn entire battlefields to dust.

Yet, this ship before him had two of them?!

And then… there was the central head.

The moment its front section opened, no cannon was revealed.

Instead, from within its depths, two metallic rods extended outward. They were made from a mysterious metal, one slightly longer than the other.

The engraved patterns covering them, their unsettling form—King Aiko felt an immediate sense of dread.

He didn't know what that thing was, but his instincts screamed that it was no less dangerous than the two super cannons on either side.

No—if anything, it felt far, far worse.

It felt stronger than the mothership cannons that had terrorized his entire species for thousands of years!

"…Note… of Destruction?"

Finally, his gaze was drawn to the massive sign placed beside the ship.

Joseph let out an amused chuckle.

"What do you think of the name Her Highness Zara chose? Heh. She joked that she'd give a little credit to the Great Serpent Empire, since, after all, we dismantled their ships and used them as raw materials to build our own fleet. Not to mention, some of the original blueprints came from them as well."

Joseph gestured proudly at the ship several times.

"This is the first-generation model of our escort-class, rapid deployment, and air-to-ground support vessels. You can call it Note of Destruction-1."

"What do you mean 'specialized in rapid deployment and escort missions'?!"

King Aiko whipped his head toward Joseph in disbelief, "That thing is capable of carrying a small army!!"

Joseph blinked. Then, suddenly, he burst into laughter.

"Oh—wait—did you think this was the mothership?" He clapped Aiko's back twice, grinning ear to ear.

"This is a battleship-class escort vessel, my friend. Like I told you, its job is to deploy quickly into enemy planets, drop off troops, and provide support in the early stages of war. It will also serve as a defensive escort for the mothership, keeping it safe from any potential threats that get too close.

As for the mothership's design—or rather, the designs of our central fleet command ships—they're not finished yet."

Joseph's grin widened.

"Her Highness Zara made it clear that there's still a long road ahead before the first prototype is even completed. And believe me, when the time comes—it won't be anything as tiny as this one!"

He shrugged, his tone turning lighthearted.

"The design process is taking longer than expected, but no one blames them. They're not just designing warships—they're tasked with developing small 20-meter combat vehicles that will be stored inside the motherships. They're working on civilian transport ships to reduce reliance on expensive space portals. They need to design mining vessels for resource extraction, assault ships for asteroid and dead-planet operations, and so much more! The City of Research and Development is going to be very, very busy in the coming months. But once they're done? The True Empire of the First Beginning will have fleets beyond counting!"

Gulp.