Chương 776: Reaction to Rhazor's Death.

(Author Advice: Light Year is a distance unit measure that's very difficult to visualize and will start to come up more and more often. Therefore, I recommend thinking of it as the kilometers/Miles used to measure things at galactic levels. It becomes easier to visualize that way in my opinion~. <3) Meanwhile, somewhat far from the Ceperet Solar System, the world's top authorities were currently freaking out.

The Nexus didn't really have too many Star Emperors, at least not many who were registered as their soldiers. As an interstellar empire, there were plenty of Second Ascension mercenaries, sect members, and explorers who visited their worlds.

However, the Nexus itself, even when stronger than Star System Empires, took good care of its Second Ascension powerhouses and equipped them luxuriously so that they could hold frontlines. Hence, the safe points for each Star Emperor were attended to and taken care of by handpicked personnel. These locations were where they would teleport in case they encountered some danger. Maintaining them was costly, but at least it ensured that the Star Emperors they nurtured with so many resources would not die off unjustly.

Now, in one of these locations, essence began gathering, preparing to welcome the Star Emperor. This was a process that took a little bit of time, as the distance the Star Emperor crossed was measured in tens to hundreds of light-years. So, during this time, elegantly dressed women or men, depending on the Star Emperor's likes, prepared to welcome them, while many healers, and anti-curse and cleansing specialists gathered.

The place was like a palace, with marbled floors, gorgeous chandeliers, and tall white pillars. It was truly a clean and luxurious zone to welcome them. Yet, it was this precise environment that made the following events even more glaring. The light at the center, filled with complex runes and arrays, lit up, and the body of a man appeared.

"Welcome, Lord Rhazor!" As an answer, the sound of blood exploding outward and a gurgling reached everyone's ears. Looking up, the women nearby got utterly frightened and screamed.

"Ahhh!!!"

"Q-Quick! Heal Lord Rhazor!"

"He is not answering!"

"Impossible! Even if he has one Phoer Body Shard, we have the methods to snatch him from death's jaws!"

"L-Lord Rhazor, I think he is dead."

"NONSENSE! He… He must've fainted! Yes, that's it!" The people present began trembling. After all, if something happened to the Star Emperor after coming into their care, the ones who would suffer were them! However, looking at the bloodied man the nurses cleaned while taking off the tattered equipment, their hearts ran cold. Rhazor's body looked as if blades had exploded from within, cracks running along him as blood stopped flowing due to having been emptied of it.

Even his face was barely recognizable, as Xakira's venom had started rotting his body from within. A somewhat old man with white hair approached, using a few spells. However, his wrinkled face didn't show a single sign of ease.

"Lord Rhazor… has passed away." His voice fell like the blade of an executioner. Everyone present felt their blood draining from their faces, their eyes shaking. Someone began shouting, his voice trembling.

"N-No, but we couldn't do anything! He arrived dead already!"

"T-That's right! They can't blame us! We can show them the recording!"

"It wasn't our fault! We did nothing wrong!" However, even as they screamed, the runes in place had already activated. A blaring sound boomed out, red light illuminating the previous paradise-like palace. When this sound echoed out, some Nexus high authority nearby froze, his fingers on the holographic keyboard coming to a stop. The man with black hair and silver-rimmed glasses turned to look with a gloomy expression.

"Call the punishment team." He stood up, and then with a flick of his wrist, a flying device appeared below him, carrying him over. Around him, several soldiers, all at Level 190+, followed. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. While they flew over, the man noticed a few people trying to flee, but the man with glasses snorted.

"Kill everyone who is trying to flee."

"Understood." The punitive force flashed forward, slaughtering everyone with cold faces and emotionless eyes. Once the black-haired man arrived and saw Rhazor's corpse, his already gloomy eyes darkened even further.

"How did this happen?" The old man, who was one of the few with a calm face, spoke lightly.

"He was dead when he arrived."

"Good excuse." The black-haired man smiled coldly.

"A dead man activating a complex life-saving artifact. Impressive, truly." The old man didn't respond to his mocking tone. Instead, he tried to explain.

"Lord Rhazor received delayed damage. Probably a Damage Over Time effect or a Time Burst effect."

"Oh? Which element was this damage over time? Or was it soul damage?" Here is where the old man was stumped. Analyzing the corpse, he could only feel an incomparably violent force from those cracks all along his body. This force felt impossible to see, control, or even perceive. So, he could only point at Rhazor's face and chest.

"As the Lord can see, his chest and face are showing signs of rotting symptoms even now." The black-haired man approached, holding a handkerchief to his nose to avoid the smell. However, while he didn't have the expertise of the old man, he was incredibly cunning.

"I see. When I preserve this corpse and send it for autopsy, the results will reach the same conclusion as yours, right, gentleman?" The old man became silent, his heart sinking.

"... It won't, Lord."

"I guessed it." The black-haired man sneered. Then, he looked at him and asked again.

"What's the cause of death?"

"Delayed damage to his vitality. Lord Rhazor must've activated —""Enough." He waved his hand, his eyes not changing a single bit.

"Since you are reluctant to speak until you see your coffin, then I will fulfill your wish." The old man sighed.

"This is the truth, Lord. It's just that I am unaware of the energy used for it. It is a completely new type of essence." As the black-haired man was turning around, his steps paused. Looking back, he asked weirdly.

"You… do you think something this sloppy can pass as an excuse?"

"It isn't. That's why I am speaking about it." Looking at the old man's calm eyes, the black-haired man was somewhat startled. As someone mingling at the very top of the Nexus, he was naturally amazingly proficient at reading people. It was this confidence that at first made him believe they were lying to save their necks. However, he noticed an oddity now.

'He is far too calm when making these ridiculous claims.' For the Nexus experts, an unknown energy did not really exist. Perhaps an energy too difficult to detect, or an energy too difficult to distinguish, existed. However, an essence that, as the old man described, was unknown and completely new? Those words were quite literally challenging the databases of the thousands of years of their empire's existence. Curious, the black-haired man approached Rhazor's body once more and this time looked at it closely.

Besides the festering flesh from a type of insect venom, the black-haired man could sense a strange and dreadful essence leaking from the cracks all around Rhazor's body.

"... Interesting. What kind of new weapon did the Covenant develop this time around?"

"Lord." The old man spoke.

"Star Emperor Rhazor was not sent to fight the Covenant. He was deployed in the remote sector near the Eclipse Solar System."

"Huh?" The more he heard, the more confused he was. He was not someone from this world, in the first place. He had come here to complete some political assignments and to tip some powers toward his faction. While he knew that a Star Emperor Temple was here, he didn't know the specifics, nor did he care. Yet, the more he listened, the more interested he became.

"That zone…" Quickly recalling the overall map in his head.

"... Isn't it too remote? While he could've encountered some bandits and such, Lord Rhazor was a Level 230 fully equipped with Level 230 Core-Rank gear, right? A true general who could fight several levels above his own. Are you saying that such a powerhouse was defeated in a remote corner of the galaxy?"

"That's the truth until we reach the bottom of it. Therefore, I wish the Lord could delay the punishment until things are clear." The black-haired man pondered, looking at the old man and Rhazor with a touch of bewilderment.

'Even for a dying old man, his words are truly too outrageous. Let's search the archive for a second.' He extended his hand, his glasses activating a remote control to his personal operating system. Then, with a few finger gestures, he managed to quickly find the classified file of Rhazor's duties.

'Let's see… peculiar World Tree… warned by Globular Star Cluster Powerhouse… Relocation of bloodline through remote advance while taking care of the special World Tree…' When he started reading, his face was only curious. Yet, as he read further, his curiosity transformed into seriousness, confusion, and finally, bewilderment.

"From the data… his time of death is the same as his time fighting against the newly appeared World Tree…" Countless speculations flashed in his mind.

'Did the Covenant entrap us by showing disregard but sending an ambush? No, there was no notice of an army moving from the Covenant to support. This means… the World Tree managed to defend and defeat a Star Emperor, even killing him before he could activate the life-saving artifact?' This realization made his blood run cold.

'Am I reading too deeply into this? How can a World Tree that transformed into a True World tree less than 40 years ago defeat a Star Emperor-led army?' Looking at the old man, the black-haired man spoke.

"This is indeed odd. The punishment will be delayed. However, if anyone dares to attempt to flee, we will kill everyone. So you'd better continue living in this place until things are clarified." Without waiting for an answer, the black-haired man activated his communication device to contact many of his colleagues and search for answers. Rhazor's death was not only a blow to the army but also sent the entire tactic the Nexus wanted to create into disarray.

Without pressure from Rhazor, they basically gave up a rather large chunk of their frontline to the Covenant and gained nothing back.

'If… and only if that World Tree truly managed to defeat Rhazor's army, we must change the priority of this World Tree before it becomes a second annoyance like that one in the Covenant.' Meanwhile, the one he was thinking about was currently digesting the messages from the war and also planning to make a few big purchases with the Skill Merchants based on her latest experiences. Liu Shu was ready to grow and stretch her roots.