Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1197 1197: Between the hammer and the anvil-2

”Ahem… Ahem…” Rinara lightly placed her small, delicate fist over her lips and let out a gentle, intentional cough.

”…?!” As she had hoped, Robinʼs attention snapped toward her instantly. His eyes flew wide open, as if something long-forgotten had suddenly resurfaced in his mind.

”...About that offer of protection you mentioned earlier.”

”Still valid,” Rinara replied with a soft laugh, her voice carrying the calm confidence of someone in control. She gestured gracefully toward herself.

”This soul shard might be weak in power, but my identity alone is enough. The moment I reveal who I am, the attacker—whoever they may be—will stop immediately. I wonʼt allow anyone to bypass me and hurt those under my wing. My followers are my responsibility, and I do not take that lightly.”

She then extended her hand toward him with quiet intensity.

”Now, the ball is in your court, Robin Burton. You know exactly what I want. Everything… or, from where Iʼm standing… absolutely nothing at all.”

Robin clenched his jaw so tightly his teeth couldʼve cracked.

This protection—as she called it—wasnʼt a mere favor. It was, without question, an offer of allegiance. If he accepted, he would be swearing loyalty to her, stepping under her banner, and working for her cause from this point forward.

And yet… wasnʼt this the second such offer he had received?

The Impatient Woman had also offered something similar—though hers was more of a demand than an invitation. She wanted him as her subordinate, a tool in her grand design. But there was an ocean of difference between these two women, and what they represented.

First, and most importantly, he could never agree to the Impatient Womanʼs terms. The All-Seeing God had warned him. She was his fated rival. He was the only one who could stand in her way. He had been chosen to stop her from acquiring the resources of Nihari. Accepting her offer would mean betraying the All-Seeing God—the one who had saved his life when no one else could. Worse, he would be allying with the very enemy he was meant to defeat.

Second, even if the All-Seeing God had never spoken to him, Robin knew deep down that he would have refused her regardless. Helenʼs terms were suffocating. She demanded 90% of his planetsʼ annual output. Even if he found new ways to collect resources, heʼd remain trapped in an endless loop—forever gathering, forever offering, never free.

Yes, theyʼd uncovered considerable wealth within the Great Serpent Empire, but the reports made it clear: nearly all of it had been poured into weapons development, Warship fleets, and the foundation of a few hastily-built cities. How could such a meager hoard belong to an empire that had survived for ten millennia?

The truth was devastating—Helen had drained them dry. Sheʼd been siphoning 95% of their total resources. Without her influence, Robin wouldʼve had access to twenty times what theyʼd found. Twenty times! That amount could have transformed the Great Serpent Empire into a force of unimaginable power. The war that followed wouldnʼt have been a battle. It would have been a massacre—one-sided and brutal.

Rinara, on the other hand, had no interest in his wealth. She wanted something else—copies of his formations, his innovations, his designs. In exchange, she offered protection, guidance, and status. She would take nothing from his treasuries. Heʼd lose nothing. And in return, he would gain a powerful patron, a guardian in the stars, someone who believed in his value.

It sounded perfect.

Too perfect.

”Gahh—!” Robin suddenly smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, letting out a groan of frustration, ”...No.”

”Excuse me?” Rinaraʼs voice was calm, but her brow furrowed just slightly in confusion.

”...Over two hundred years ago,” Robin began, his voice quiet but heavy with memory, ”I left my family behind. I abandoned my mother… and my only friend. I walked away from them and took a path I knew would likely end in failure, even death. But I walked it anyway.”

He grit his teeth, the weight of those years pressing into his words.

”After I chose my destination —a place called the Outer Beast Zone— I stopped more times than I can count. My legs trembled. My body screamed at me to turn back. I knew I was walking into death. That my decision was foolish. That it was impossible. But I kept moving forward.”

He paused, then looked up at her, eyes burning with something fierce and untamed.

”You know what I kept telling myself with every step I took?”

He then slowly lifted his head, his face etched with defiance, and his burning eyes met Rinaraʼs gaze like lightning striking a mountain peak. A storm surged behind those eyes—of pain, pride, and raw, unfiltered will.

””

Each word thundered through the chamber like a war drum in the void.

He then slammed his chest with a clenched fist, the thud echoing like a declaration to the cosmos itself. ”I, Robin Burton, have earned my glory through suffering, and stepped over countless bones to achieve it— and I will never allow it to be stolen. I would rather die than live as someoneʼs dog!”

Rinaraʼs expression shifted—her amusement fading into a spark of genuine surprise, maybe even respect. ”An ant… with dignity?” she muttered to herself. ”How unexpectedly profound. But tell me, little warrior… whatʼs your plan, then? How do you intend to stop whatʼs coming? May I ask that?”

Robinʼs fury faded slightly, his breath growing heavier, chest rising and falling as his thoughts raced. He glanced down.

”…If you stop her,” he said finally, voice low but firm, ”Iʼll give you the full blueprint of the warships Iʼve developed. In exchange, we can begin a strong and lasting trade agreement. Everything else you asked for, Iʼm willing to offer in trade. Everything… except for the Black Flame.”

Rinara let out a chuckle—a sound that danced between mockery and intrigue. She shook her head slowly.

”Are you serious? Do you expect me to wage war against a Nexus being for a few technical blueprints?” She gestured dismissively with her fingers. ”Sure, theyʼre elegant but I could acquire far better ones from the Soul Society if I decided to loosen my purse strings just a little.”

Robin gave a tight, calculating smile.

”Ah, yes— but that ʼlittleʼ is still too much, isnʼt it? If it were so easy, you wouldnʼt have even looked twice at my ship.”

Rinara raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

”…What are you getting at, exactly? Cut the games, Robin. You and I both know those blueprints alone wonʼt be enough to purchase your life—or the survival of your so-called empire.”

Robin leaned forward slightly, urgency pressing into every word.

”Then Iʼll add more. The epic low-tier armor blueprints, a cache of Uracelium, and modern crafting tools capable of mass-producing the said armor with unmatched efficiency.”

He exhaled, ”And donʼt insult my intelligence by saying you can just buy those things from the Soul Society. We both know thatʼs a lie.”

”Still not enough,” Rinara replied with a finality that cut deep. Her tone turned colder, more commanding.

”So, tell me… what is the true price of your life, Robin Burton? Do you honestly believe a Nexus being would abandon all her responsibilities and journey across many sectors… only to leave empty-handed?”

She paused, her voice lowering like a shadow creeping across the floor.

”If the woman you fear so much arrives here, she will kill you. Or sheʼll take everything you own. There will be no negotiation. No compromise. No mercy.”

She raised her left hand, as though offering a path paved in salvation.

”Join me, Robin. Becoming a subject of the Nine Paths Empire does not shame you. It does not steal your past achievements. Naming me as your overlord should not be seen as a burden—but as an honor.”

She took a confident step forward, her eyes glowing with power.

”Kneel, and pledge your loyalty. Iʼll raise your empireʼs prestige the moment I plant the banner of the Nine Paths on your soil. Iʼll cleanse your lands of the Red Plague that festers within. Iʼll take part of your army, refine them, train them under the highest standards.”

Another step.

”You said you needed access to the Middle Belt? Consider it done. Any material, any item, any treasure found in marketplaces, black auctions, or hidden within Spirit Society vaults—I can obtain them all for you. But of course…”

She tilted her head with a sly smile.

”…You will still pay the price~”

Her hands spread open like a goddess offering protection.

”Yes, you have made progress. I grant you that. But progress alone is not power. You lack what matters most: the strength to hold on to what youʼve built. Kneel, and that strength will be yours.”

Robinʼs face hardened once more. He stepped back and raised a hand.

”…Then forget it.”

His voice was ice.

”If anyone in this universe has the right to imagine owning me—itʼs not you.”

He stabbed the air with a glare.

”If anyone could claim a piece of what Iʼve built… it would be her—that Impatient Woman. At least she had to bleed for it. At least I shattered her nose once before!”

With a defiant roar, Robin tore open the very fabric of space before him and stepped through the rift—vanishing without a trace.

Rinaraʼs spirit fragment stood in stunned silence. Her lips parted slightly, ”…Shattered her nose?”

She blinked, momentarily dumbfounded, then moved forward slowly through the walls like mist chasing after thunder.