Lord of Cosmos-Chapter 198: Biqdar and Ghimdar III

Ghimdar scoffed, his voice laced with indignation. "Domarto is not our greatest threat. It is that wretched sinner, Lavosier. He invents the most abhorrent weapons, slaughtering our people in the most gruesome ways imaginable. He forged the bombs that incinerate homes in seconds, leaving nothing but ash. He engineered the viral payloads with the aid of Doctor Barth. Furthermore, he designed their artillery machines and spearheaded the genetic modifications that grant the Franks their supernatural powers. We must eliminate Lavosier first, without question."

Biqdar glared at him defiantly. "Lavosier may be a demon of weaponry and technology, but Domarto is the mastermind behind everything on this planet. He is one of the architects who ignited the radical, anti-religious Franks Revolution that ultimately brought them to our world. Without him, we would never have suffered this torment at the hands of the Franks. Therefore, we must dispose of him first."

Ghimdar waved a dismissive hand, ignoring his brother's reasoning. "I still say taking out Lavosier first is our best move."

"No, Domarto," Biqdar shot back.

"Lavosier!"

"Domarto!"

Noor sighed in despair. He could clearly see the dismal fate awaiting the Ghlizan if the Prince were to die, leaving the resistance in the hands of either of these two fools.

The Prince rose to his feet, anger darkening his features. The twins immediately fell silent and stepped back.

"We begin with Hugo," the Prince commanded. "Then we will assess the situation and determine our next target. Prepare the men. We have a monumental task ahead of us."

"Do not forget the promise you made me," Noor interrupted.

The Prince nodded. Suddenly, a man burst into the room, drenched in sweat. He bowed hastily before the Prince. "I apologize for the intrusion, my lord, but I bring dire news. Lavosier is advancing on the Tree of Knowledge with an army of colossal machines—the ones brought by the Supreme Admiral—and has already begun to burn it. We have also received reports of strange movements among the Franks armies across the entire planet. They are planning something beyond our knowledge. Furthermore, one of our spies near the Tree reported that a metallic man from another planet has managed to kill Rouchi."

Ghimdar shot his brother a triumphant look. "I told you we needed to deal with that bastard Lavosier first."

Biqdar turned his face away in irritation, offering no reply.

The Prince's face darkened with fury. He slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the plaster. "This ruins everything we planned! If we go after Hugo now, we leave Lavosier to wreak havoc and burn the Tree to its roots. But if we march to the Tree, Hugo will be at our backs. Once he learns we are moving toward the Tree, he will undoubtedly change his course, track us down, and become a thorn in our spine. And we cannot leave the capital defenseless. What a cursed dilemma! Why did that wretched Lavosier make his move now, before we could strike Hugo?"

Noor spoke up, his tone measured and tactful. "With the Prince's permission. Give me a battalion, and I will go after Hugo myself. The man who defeated Rouchi is one of my companions. I am confident my comrades had a hand in the defeats of Jasto and the Saint as well, though I must contact them to be certain. We are powerful, Prince, and we can change the tide of this war. Provide me with a battalion of men, leave Hugo to me, and I will drag him back to you, humbled and with his head bowed."

The Prince stroked his chin, lost in thought. "But you want him dead. And we need him alive."

Noor's expression hardened. "I will try not to kill him. However, that depends on the circumstances of the battle. But promise me he will get exactly what he deserves."

"He may not get what he deserves in this life, boy," the Prince replied. "But if you capture him, we will ensure he rots in captivity for years until despair breaks him completely. Should they ever try to attack a village or assault us, we will threaten to execute the General. We generally treat our prisoners well, but this criminal warrants a different ruling. You have what you asked for, boy. Go and get him. I have no other choice. As for me, I will march to the Tree, even if it is a trap they have laid for me. Biqdar and Ghimdar will take the mobile capital far away to the deep west."

The Prince paused, looking intently at Noor. "But I require something from you before you leave. You conjure physical objects from nothing, a truly wondrous feat. I want you to forge cannons for us, identical to those of the Franks. We captured some in previous battles; I will send Siwar with you to the armory. I also need you to produce a vast number of Frankish rifles. Many tribes will rise to defend the Tree, and it will be a bloody war. How long will this take you?"

Noor suddenly felt like a working-class laborer in a Victorian-era munitions factory. He frowned, balking at the idea. "I cannot possibly endure forging all of that. My energy has its limits. Furthermore, it could take days, and we do not have the luxury of time."

The Prince sank back into his chair, trying to formulate a solution. Suddenly, Noor received a message from Sairi, asking if the Enix operative was still with him. Noor replied that the operative had left him to search for the crystal, and that he was currently in the Prince's mobile capital.

Sairi sent another message back: he had secured the crystal.

Noor's face lit up. He looked up at the Prince. "The problem is solved."

17

A battalion of the Prince's men was dispatched to retrieve Sairi, successfully bringing him to the capital within a few hours. The Prince had already marched with his forces toward the Tree, as time afforded him no delay, though he had made all necessary preparations and laid out the battle plans before departing. Noor needed Sairi to reach him with the crystal so he could draw the requisite energy to forge thousands of rifles and dozens of cannons simultaneously, all in a matter of minutes, without draining his own life force and collapsing from exhaustion.

When Sairi finally arrived, Noor embraced him, hardly believing his friend had survived. But Sairi pushed him away; he had never been fond of overwhelming displays of emotion. Noor quickly apologized. He then asked about the Saint and Jasto. Sairi revealed that he was the one who had defeated the Saint, and that he had been in contact with Yousef and Akira, who confirmed they had been the ones to eliminate Jasto. Noor realized his instincts had been dead on.

Sairi also informed him that Yousef and Akira were en route to the Tree because Ivanov was there. Ivanov had asked him to rally all their comrades to the Tree so they could finally fight for victory this time, instead of running away as they always did. However, Sairi admitted he had been unable to reach Keno and Leonis. They had vanished without a trace, and he knew nothing of their whereabouts. Undoubtedly, they had been captured; they were in the capital, and the Franks had eyes everywhere.

Noor felt a deep pang of anxiety for them, having no idea how to pull them from the clutches of the Franks. Then he remembered Hugo. He realized he now had another reason to keep the General alive, a fact that only deepened his fury. It felt as though luck was actively favoring that bastard.

Channeling the crystal, Noor forged piles of rifles and artillery units in record time. As the power flowed through him, he felt he finally understood why the Enix were willing to go to such extraordinary lengths to possess this very stone.