Chapter 553: Aftermath
The news about the Dragon Army’s victory on Planet Koral spread fast and wide across the universe.
Once the official hostage transfer procedure began, and millions were evacuated out of Planet Koral day after day, the war stories and how efficiently the Cult took control of the planet began to float across the Righteous Faction.
At first, the upper brass remained quiet, attempting to downplay the situation and frame it as a strategic setback rather than a true loss. But once the images of the Cult flag being raised in Sanfe City went viral, and the confirmed surrender of Commander Su Pei was published in the official bulletin, panic began to spread like wildfire.
Forums, holo-channels, encrypted chat rooms, and live feeds buzzed with a mixture of disbelief, fury, and dread.
"Dark times.... We live in dark times. They say the new Dragon Aegon Veyr is a ruthless strategist.
He conquered a border planet in 7 days... just seven.
Those bastards have grown stronger in peace times."
"What was the Su Clan doing? How could they let themselves be fooled by the Cult so bad?
I heard they pulled out half their forces after being deceived that the attack was actually happening on Planet Nemo instead of Koral."
"Did you hear? The Su Family Commander surrendered to the Cult, and has now become their slave.
I heard they used some sort of brainwashing technique to force him to change his allegiance, and then bound him using a soul contract."
"The Cult gaining another Monarch can’t be good. They’ll become even more bold now."
"I heard that the Shadow Dragon Leo Skyshard also played a role in this victory.
He was once hailed as a prodigy of the Righteous. It’s a shame to see just how far he’s fallen."
Every network, both open and encrypted, had its own version of events, yet the core facts remained unchanged.
Planet Koral had fallen, not after months of siege, not after a drawn-out attrition war, but within a single week, through a series of surgical strikes that left even experienced generals speechless.
What was once considered a secure border stronghold that remained unchallenged for centuries, had now suddenly fallen in under a week, and nothing terrified the common people more than this newfound proof of Cult Competence.
—-----------
(Meanwhile, inside the Su Clan)
The atmosphere within the ancestral halls of the Su Clan was tense, not because the Cult had claimed victory, but because one of their own had defected.
News of Su Pei’s surrender had arrived three days ago, but today, it became official.
Holographic proof of him kneeling before the Dragon as he held his victory speech on planet Koral became viral on the GalaxyNet social media.
The clan elders said nothing.
The junior members whispered only behind locked doors, as no one dared to confront the truth aloud.
Except for one.
"So, that traitor finally showed his true colors....." Su Tang said, his voice low as he sipped from a tall crystal glass of blood-red wine.
"I always knew he was a snake... That’s why I sent him to a planet that doesn’t matter at all.
Imagine if I put him up to something important, what a blow would that have been to the Clan....."
The group surrounding him, dressed in formal robes and polished shoes, nodded without a word, their faces expressionless, their backs stiff.
None dared contradict him.
No-one tried to suggest that he may be wrong to arrive at this conclusion.
Because although every single one of them knew the truth was anything but what the Patriarch claimed, none of them had the courage to say it aloud.
—-----------
(Meanwhile, Su Yang, Rodova Military Academy)
In a quiet corner of the Rodova dormitory courtyard, away from the murmuring crowds of students, Su Yang sat alone beneath the shadow of a curved iron arch.
A single newspaper rested in his hand, folded once along the middle, its headline screaming across the front:
> "Planet Koral Falls in Seven Days, The Evil Cult Claims Total Victory."
But it wasn’t the headline that made his fingers tighten.
It was the fine print at the bottom of the second column.
> "The Shadow Dragon, Leo Skyshard, confirmed to have participated in the campaign."
His eyes remained fixed on that line for a long time, his jaw tense, his breathing shallow, before he slowly folded the paper inwards, crumpling it into a tight ball.
With one smooth motion, he stood up and tossed it into the trash bin beside him.
His gaze hardened, his thoughts unreadable.
And then, without another word, he walked away.
—------------
(Meanwhile within the Cult Controlled Territories)
The atmosphere within the Cult was in complete contrast to what the rest of the universe was feeling, as the Euphoria surrounding the Dragon’s first successful conquest was simply indescribable.
After centuries of being boxed in, after decades of slow, silent growth in the shadows, the Cult finally had a victory worth parading through the streets.
And so, that’s exactly what happened.
Banners of the Dragon Army were hoisted over every government square and training courtyard, with massive crystal projectors screening scenes from the conquest, as they displayed the highlight reels of the lightning-fast battles and the now-iconic image of Dragon Veyr raising the Cult insignia atop the planetary command tower.
Street performers and fire-breathers lit up every block, singing tales of the Dragon’s might, while children played with wooden daggers and mock rubber swords, mimicking the battlefield footage as they screamed his name.
"Aegon Veyr!"
"The Great Dragon!"
"The Conqueror of Koral!"
Even those who previously held doubts about the Dragon Army’s competency, now found themselves swept away by the celebration.
Statues were commissioned to be built in Veyr’s honor, not just on planet Ixtal, but across all Cult planets, as the local leadership decided to honor his victory in whatever small way they could, like by naming a street square for him, or adding a grand statue of him as a part of their planet’s history.
TV channels constantly replayed snippets of Veyr’s victory speech and broadcast daily updates about the evacuation efforts that were still underway.
Anchors and analysts praised Veyr’s leadership, and how he managed to achieve victory with a staggeringly low death count of just 40,000 lives lost in total, as they branded him as a new age military genius.
"He’s a genius, I tell you," one analyst proclaimed loudly, banging his fist across his desk on live TV.
"Not even two months into his role as the Dragon, and he’s already won his first world! What do you think he’ll take next?"
"I’ve already submitted my name for enlistment," his partner said. "No way I’m missing out on the next conquest. I’ve put in my notice to quit, and have decided to join the Dragon’s Army before their next deployment!"
He wasn’t the only one to echo this sentiment, as across the Cult territories, the amount of people who wished to enlist in the Dragon’s Army spiked significantly after this campaign.
It was the first time in living memory for most citizens that they got a chance to celebrate not a prophecy, not a doctrine, not a sermon of vengeance, but a true, undeniable triumph.
And it was exactly the kind of taste they had been denied for far too long and hence relished like there was no tomorrow.
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