Lord of Cosmos-Chapter 199: General Hugo Vs Noor

Noor finished his work and returned the crystal to Sairi, fearing he might lose it in his impending battle with Hugo. It was true that its power could tilt the scales in his favor, but losing it for any reason would mean forfeiting the one thing that gave them an edge in this vast universe.

Noor briefed Sairi on his mission. Sairi immediately wanted to accompany him, but Noor refused, knowing full well that Sairi would interfere if he saw him losing. Sairi was far from convinced by this reckless, suicidal mission. He had tasted the raw power of the Franks' elite firsthand and had nearly perished, saved only by the crystal. He still vividly remembered his severed hand and the deep, grievous wounds that would have felled any ordinary being.

He tried to dissuade Noor from his blind vengeance, arguing that revenge should not be his sole driving force. He needed to grow stronger, to rescue Keno and Leonis, and to aid in the liberation of Planet Ghlizan, so they might finally believe that liberating Earth was possible.

Noor placed a hand on Sairi's shoulder. "Perhaps fate brought us here. Our ship crashed because the Franks' fleet fired upon us, denying us a peaceful landing for fuel and provisions to continue our journey. We didn't know Ghlizan was suffering under settler-colonial occupation. These Franks brought this upon themselves. They have already lost their strongest leaders and finest men because they toyed with us. Yes, the crystal slipped from our grasp, and we nearly lost it entirely, but it has returned to us, and the chance to liberate this planet is imminent. We must fight one last battle."

Sairi exhaled a long breath. "I don't know what has gotten into your heads, you fools. If only Keno were here. He is the only one who would agree with me that we should run while we have the chance. But I am cursed to remain with you. Go, do as you please, but know this: if they capture you, we will not come back to save you. We will leave for Earth."

"It does not matter," Noor replied evenly. "If they catch me, it means I am a burden, and you are better off continuing the mission without me. Go now; you have a massive battle ahead of you. Do not lose the crystal under any circumstances."

Sairi nodded and turned away, tossing over his shoulder, "You are no burden to us. You possess a unique power, a boundless imagination, and a cunning I have never seen the likes of. I am confident that even if he is stronger than you, you can deceive him time and time again."

Flattered by the rare compliment, Noor bid him farewell and went to join the Ghlizan battalion waiting for him to lead them—a force of two thousand men.

General Hugo continued his march, laying waste to villages and farms, yet finding no trace of the mobile capital. He knew perfectly well that the city was constantly on the move and that tracking it down would be no simple feat. Still, he felt he must be close to achieving this great victory.

He gazed at the colossal Tree reaching into the heavens on the distant horizon and noticed it was engulfed in flames. He was taken aback, his head spinning with the implication. He turned to one of his army captains.

"What is happening? Why is the Tree burning?"

The Captain peered through his binoculars for a moment. "I cannot see much from here, sir. But I fear Rouchi may have executed that plan he is always insisting upon."

Hugo slapped his hands together in frustration. "That reckless fool! Does he not know I am out here hunting the Prince? What if the Ghlizan tribes rise up against me now, when I am mere days—perhaps hours—away from crushing the resistance? What absolute idiocy! The Prince will undoubtedly abandon his position and march on the Tree now, and we will lose our chance to surprise him. I have lost my one opportunity to secure a glorious victory that would immortalize my name in history. But... perhaps it is not too late. If we march on the Tree now, we might beat the Prince there and catch him off guard."

The Captain had recently received intelligence that Supreme Admiral Moonlight had arrived on the planet. However, he and the other officers had concealed this from General Hugo, fearing he would fly into a rage and relentlessly pursue his campaign against the Prince until the last soldier perished. They hoped he would despair and retreat, knowing that defeating the Prince alone was a far-fetched dream. But if they combined their forces with the Supreme Admiral's—something that would infuriate Hugo but force his compliance—it would vastly increase their chances of annihilating the resistance forever.

The Captain debated whether to inform him now or keep it hidden a little longer. He opted for silence; the Supreme Admiral was undoubtedly at the Great Tree, meaning their forces would converge without Hugo's prior knowledge, at which point he would be unable to retreat.

Hugo ordered his men to change course and began the march toward the Tree. They arrived at a vast plain of pink grass, flanked by hills on either side. Hugo ordered them to make camp and rest briefly, for after this, they would not stop until they reached the Tree. The soldiers rejoiced, quickly pitching a small camp, breaking out food and drink, laughing, and joking.

Just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, they heard a strange booming sound to their right and left. Suddenly, their tents exploded, instantly killing a number of soldiers. Another boom echoed, followed by another explosion.

Hugo burst from his tent, panicked, grinding his teeth. "Who is playing with the cannons and wasting ammunition?" he roared.

A terrified guard near his tent stammered, "It is an attack, sir!"

General Hugo looked around. Thick smoke blanketed the entire camp, reducing visibility to almost nothing. He glimpsed his soldiers stumbling blindly into one another. Then, a cacophony of consecutive artillery fire erupted from the hills on all sides, raining a relentless, violent bombardment down upon their tents. Soldiers fell in droves. Panic set in, and the men began firing their rifles blindly in every direction, hitting their own comrades.

The General was paralyzed, standing for a few moments in sheer disbelief. Since when did the Ghlizan possess such artillery? Did they now have factories to produce such advanced war machines? And what was the source of this dense smoke smothering the entire camp? A torrent of questions flooded his mind as he watched his men being obliterated and their equipment destroyed before his very eyes.

He screamed at the Captain, "Is this the Prince? Or a mutiny against me?"