In the shadows, the silhouettes of the three High Prophets loomed. The grand hall was dimly lit, while above, the ceiling was made of transparent crystal, through which faint glimmers of light could be seen.
"Tsk tsk..."
Despite the seemingly righteous and selfless words of the Prophet of Truth—appearing as though he spoke for the Covenant, for the San'Shyuum—only a fool would believe him.
In politics, no matter how dirty the schemes behind the scenes were, as long as the facade was maintained and outright conflict avoided, there was always room for maneuvering.
The Prophet of Truth's words were nothing more than self-aggrandizing rhetoric, an attempt to cloak his actions in a veil of nobility.
Assassinating political rivals, purging allies, and betraying loyal commanders—though he was nothing short of a tyrant within the High Council, he justified every action as being for the good of the Covenant, for the San'Shyuum. Therefore, he considered himself righteous.
By placing himself on the moral high ground, he positioned himself to judge others.
Anyone who disagreed was seen as opposing the Covenant, bearing ill will toward all San'Shyuum—an act of heresy that rendered them unworthy of the Great Journey.
"What's the matter, Mercy? Do you have any insight to share?"
Despite losing the upper hand and being forced onto the same level as the other two High Prophets—or perhaps even a weaker position—his long-held authority imbued the Prophet of Truth with an ingrained arrogance, subtly maintaining his posture as the foremost among the three.
"Oh no, I wouldn't dare add anything. Such a noble spirit, Truth."
The Prophet of Mercy idly tapped his fingers, a faint smile playing on his aged face.
We are both old foxes—are you really trying to deceive me with such a transparent act?
Yet, his remark was merely a provocation, not a declaration of war. Sensing the Prophet of Truth's growing displeasure, Mercy quickly relented, shifting the topic with deliberate abruptness.
"There are no outsiders here. Go on, speak your mind—all of it."
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, the Prophet of Truth took a moment to choose his words before speaking in his sharp, nasal voice:
"Despite humanity's sudden leap in military technology—thanks to their deciphering of ancient relics—catching us off guard and inflicting heavy losses, we still hold the absolute advantage in the long run."
"The advantage is ours."
"Therefore, we must seize this window of opportunity and unite to eliminate humanity once and for all. The planned invasion of Reach is now unnecessary."
"Reach is humanity's core military stronghold. Now that we have its coordinates, attacking it head-on is no longer cost-effective. Instead, we will bypass it."
"We will conduct precision slipspace strikes, prioritizing control of the 'coordinates' above all else. We cannot afford to give humanity more time to access and study the relics."
"Analyzing these relics and converting their secrets into military strength takes time."
The Covenant had long known that humanity possessed the ability to activate Forerunner relics. Though they despised the notion, the reality was undeniable—humanity was the true inheritor chosen by the Forerunners.
Originally, the Prophet of Truth had intended for the Prophet of Regret to take the lead in battle, allowing him to claim victory by deploying his Jiralhanae (Brutes) after Regret had softened the resistance.
But plans had changed. Before his Jiralhanae fleets could fully mobilize, they had suffered unprecedented devastation at the hands of human forces.
Now, he needed Regret's military power to buy time for his own forces to recover.
"We must not give humanity time. The relics belong to us and only us..."
As the Prophet of Truth spoke, he clenched his fist and turned toward the silent Prophet of Regret, his voice heavy. "You understand what this means."
Humanity's direct connection to the Forerunners posed an irreconcilable conflict with the Covenant's religious doctrine—the very foundation of their rule.
To maintain their grip on power and uphold their theological authority, the San'Shyuum concealed this revelation and instead declared humanity guilty of desecrating the "gods'" relics, justifying a campaign of total extermination in the form of a holy war.
"You don't need to tell me. I will mobilize my Sangheili legions and fleets to take the 'coordinates' at all costs."
With that, the Prophet of Regret suddenly turned his head, fixing an unfazed gaze on the Prophet of Truth. "I require full command over all participating forces, including the Jiralhanae legions."
"..."
"I second that." Before the Prophet of Truth could respond, the Prophet of Mercy swiftly voiced his agreement.
These two opportunistic bastards!
Though such thoughts swirled in his mind, the Prophet of Truth kept his head lowered, his expression shifting briefly. When he finally looked up, he had regained his composed demeanor.
His gaze swept over the seemingly amused, innocent-looking Prophet of Mercy, then landed on the indifferent Prophet of Regret. A cold smile appeared on his face.
"Fine."
But before his words fully settled, he abruptly changed the subject. "However, Regret, the issue of the Sangheili must also be addressed. How long do you intend to protect them?"
Though his words were directed at the Prophet of Regret, his eyes were clearly fixed on the Prophet of Mercy. It was obvious—he was looking to drag his neutral colleague into the matter. It was time to purge the 'disobedient' Sangheili.
"Their foolish sense of honor and pride will soon lead them to uncover humanity's true nature. You won't be able to hide it from them much longer."
For over twenty years of war, the Sangheili warriors—being the ones directly fighting humanity—had begun questioning why the San'Shyuum refused to offer humanity the same opportunity to join the Covenant that had been extended to other conquered species.
Despite their heavy losses, humanity had proven themselves to be a determined and formidable enemy. In the eyes of the honor-bound Sangheili, they had earned a measure of respect.
This was especially true regarding the soldiers humanity called Spartans—unstoppable warriors who slaughtered thousands of Covenant troops. Though the Sangheili referred to them as "demons," there was an undeniable undertone of begrudging admiration in the title.
Thus, within the Sangheili Council, the idea of allowing humanity to join the Covenant—if only through forced penance for their desecration of holy relics—had never fully disappeared.
Would the San'Shyuum ever admit the real reason?
To do so would be to dig their own graves. Losing their theological and political authority would spell the end of their rule, if not the complete disintegration of the Covenant.
But by avoiding direct explanations and hiding the truth with weak justifications, they only sowed further doubts among the Sangheili Council.
From a military perspective, humanity's combat strength could serve the Great Journey. The Covenant was never a "pure-blooded" empire of a single species—so why did the San'Shyuum reject humanity so vehemently?
This was the mutual respect of warriors. But how could the San'Shyuum—politicians who had abandoned combat and grown physically feeble—possibly understand?
Clearly, they could not. To them, this sentiment was nothing but a dangerous instability.
Though the Sangheili had refrained from pressing the issue, the rift between them and the San'Shyuum had never been repaired.
The seeds of the Sangheili uprising and the eventual fracture of the Covenant were sown the moment the San'Shyuum Prophets began to distrust and fear the warriors of Sanghelios.
"Of course I know. That's precisely why I need command over your Jiralhanae legions."
"The Sangheili still have their uses. Their excessive sense of honor can be exploited—the power they unleash in battle far surpasses that of your mindless brutes."
As a San'Shyuum, the Prophet of Regret harbored his own apprehensions about the prideful warrior species. However, with the Jiralhanae's integration into the Covenant military, the Prophet of Truth—who wielded greater influence—became his primary adversary.
Truth's overt favoritism toward the Jiralhanae, clearly positioning them as a replacement for the Sangheili, had enraged the latter. Regret, recognizing an opportunity, aligned himself with the Sangheili to secure their loyalty and, by extension, maintain his political standing.
But in reality, he never truly trusted them.
The purge would come, eventually—but not yet.
Truthfully, after becoming accustomed to the efficiency of the Sangheili legions, Regret found the Jiralhanae crude, violent, and intellectually lacking. He saw them as nothing more than easily manipulated tools—sufficient for brute force, but far from competent commanders.
Having weighed his options, Regret addressed Truth in a tone that was almost an order. "This matter is my concern. You need not interfere. Focus on keeping Reach occupied—provide cover for our decisive strike."
With those words, he turned his hover-chair and disappeared into the depths of the hall. Seeing this, the Prophet of Mercy followed suit, leaving Truth standing alone.
Bang!
Moments later, after the grand doors had shut, Truth slammed his frail fist against his hover-chair's armrest.
"Fools! Do they really think I wouldn't dare reveal the truth?"
…Well, no, he wouldn't.
If the truth about the Forerunners and humanity were exposed, his own authority would crumble. Between eliminating two political adversaries and preserving his own power, he knew which mattered more.
"..."
"Heh…"
Regaining his composure, a twisted smile crept across his face. "But someone else will deal with you. What humanity has uncovered from the relics is far more than just scraps..."
His fingers traced the armrest. —Buzz!
Within the sealed hall, scanning projectors whirred to life, casting blue and purple light as they projected a transmission—one of his Jiralhanae legions' final moments.
Boom!
Surround sound immersion.
In the holographic display, a Jiralhanae space station was obliterated.
Its debris, now resembling meteors, rained down upon a Covenant base on the planetary surface below, triggering deafening explosions.
Mountains quaked violently.
Truth's eyes widened. The culprit was a colossal warship.
Unfortunately, the intense battlefield conditions—exacerbated by heavy smoke and possible signal interference—had obscured the transmission. The image was distorted, revealing only a portion of the behemoth.
"A relic… just like the Keyship…"
He murmured, his twisted grin widening.
"Regret, Mercy—we shall see who prevails. The path to godhood belongs to me alone."
Yes, this was his plan—manipulate events from the shadows, wielding humanity as an unwitting blade.
Humanity had acquired the blessings of the Forerunner relics—sacred artifacts that elevated their power beyond comparison. However, the Prophet of Truth concealed the full extent of his fleet's losses, along with any intelligence that had been retrieved.
The other two High Prophets only knew that Truth's forces had been ambushed by elite human units wielding Forerunner artifacts, suffering heavy losses. But as for the exact scale of the damage, they would remain in the dark—Truth was confident in his ability to control the flow of information within his own ranks.
To accelerate Regret's actions, he deliberately feigned weakness, subtly nudging events forward.
As for whether he had considered the possibility that, after sacrificing his fellow Prophets, he might be unable to suppress humanity—perhaps it was his arrogance, his belief that the Covenant's sheer scale would crush them regardless.
Humanity's greatest asset was the "sacred relics" left behind by the "gods"—the Forerunners. But the Covenant had those as well! And they had studied them for far longer. There was no reason they should lose.
Simply put—the advantage was his!
His setback had been nothing more than a momentary lapse. He had underestimated humanity's ability to use the Forerunners' relics to breach his defenses and inflict such severe losses.
Once Regret met his inevitable failure, Truth would publicly condemn the Sangheili for their incompetence in the High Council. Exploiting their blind honor and pride, he would push their entire military might into a suicidal campaign against humanity.
"Humanity, do not disappoint me…"
Once the immediate wounds of his losses were tended to, he would bring High Charity and the Covenant's full fleet to bear, utterly annihilating the human race.
Even if he had to drown them in sheer numbers, he refused to believe that humanity's handful of "divine" relics could withstand such overwhelming force.
On the surface, his plan was airtight—securing his power, consolidating his rule, and positioning himself as the supreme leader of the Covenant, with an unobstructed path to ascension. He would walk in the footsteps of the "gods."
But Truth had made one critical miscalculation—he had assumed that humanity was exactly as he had known them, the same species that hailed from the Sol System.
What he didn't realize was that, from the very beginning, he had been targeting the wrong enemy.
The foe watching him now was not the United Earth Government (U.E.G) at all.
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