Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1297 1297: Falling in love with the soul trait!!

”...All this just because you have a defensive soul trait? I donʼt get it.” Neri tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing in mild confusion.

Step Step Evergreen approached from afar, strutting confidently as if on a private runway. She leaned in toward Neri, placing her hand dramatically near her mouth as if about to share a state secret. ”This is what happens to old men,” she whispered theatrically. ”Itʼs called a midlife crisis. Just ignore him for a bit, and heʼll snap out of it.”

”Baithy, teach her a lesson,” Robin said with a sharp whistle, then pointed casually at Evergreen like summoning a loyal hound.

”Yes..” A familiar shadow came running.

”Kyaaaa!!” The girlʼs scream pierced the air as she stumbled backward in panic. Her eyes went wide in horror at the sight of the massive soul creature dashing straight toward her.

”Hehehe... That girl should be hung upside down by her ankles twice a day. Maybe then her thoughts would align properly,” Robin chuckled heartily as he watched her flail and run for her life. He then turned back toward Neri, the amusement still tugging at his lips, and gently ruffled her hair. ”You, my dear, are the most level-headed among all the planetary spirits Iʼve met. Do you really think Iʼm thrilled just because I received a defensive soul trait? Iʼve got 470,000 soul units... well, make that 471,000 now. Whoʼs even going to threaten me easily with that kind of soul force?”

”Then why are you so pleased with yourself?” Neriʼs tone sharpened slightly as she furrowed her brows. ”I donʼt see anything else noteworthy about it. Are you simply grateful for having a trait at all?”

She folded her arms across her chest, then nodded slowly in realization. ”Actually... it is something worth celebrating. Soul traits are exceptionally rare, you know. Donʼt let those two who got accepted before you deceive you — they came from distant planets and waited for years, hoping to gain access to the Seven Spirits Clan. Even so, the clan barely finds worthwhile applicants. And most of them? Practically useless.”

”Oh? And whyʼs that? Why wouldnʼt they be useful?” Robin raised one eyebrow in genuine curiosity.

”Because there are too many types of soul traits — hundreds, maybe thousands,” Neri replied with a measured tone. ”Some scholars even say that many of them havenʼt been properly classified or studied yet. And the people who possess them? Incredibly rare. For example, take a trait like the ʼElastic Soul Domain.ʼ You might find only a hundred individuals in the entire universe having it — and maybe just five who even realize they have it.”

She pointed at Robin, her expression firm. ”Thatʼs why youʼll rarely find high-level techniques that are specifically tailored for one particular trait. Because so few people have it, thereʼs simply no demand to create those techniques. And if any such techniques exist, theyʼre prohibitively expensive. A modest clan like the Seven Souls simply canʼt afford to support that kind of development.”

Robin let out a soft whistle and nodded, absorbing her words. So having a soul trait was like possessing an affinity toward a Law... finding 100 people like Raiden — prodigies born with a natural connection to lightning — across the whole cosmos was a near-impossible task.

But then he rolled his shoulders in a shrug. ”Still, thatʼs not the reason Iʼm grateful.”

”Oh?” Neri tilted her head again, intrigued. ”Then what is it...?”

”...Itʼs because Iʼm alive because of that trait.” Robinʼs voice softened slightly as he shook his head. ”Iʼve always wondered how my soul domain managed to withstand the full brunt of Hovenheimʼs soul explosion that day, I havenʼt even opened it before that day!”

Neriʼs eyes widened a little. Even though she hadnʼt been present during the incident, sheʼd heard of it — it was the kind of tale that echoed through realms.

”Remember when I was refining you?” Robin continued, his tone introspective now. ”Evergreen warned me that it could kill me — that the sudden size doubling, especially after my soul domain had already grown so large, could overload me. She told me that doubling roughly 180,000 soul units could be lethal. But you told me to go through with it anyway — as long as my soul force remained below half a million and you could mitigate the damage quickly if needed.”

He looked into the distance for a second, as if seeing that moment again.

”But when I finished refining you and turned my attention to my soul domain... everything was fine. The expansion had been violent, yes — aggressive, even — but it didnʼt come close to threatening my life.”

Then, with a sharp clap of his hands—more to himself than anyone else—Robinʼs expression lit up as if struck by sudden clarity. ”You know,” he began, voice low and thoughtful at first, ”back when I tried to channel ten Nihari Giant Souls to heal Peonʼs shattered soul domain, I genuinely thought his soul domain was going to collapse. Not once, not twice—several times. I had to go incredibly slow, carefully guiding each fragment of healing energy. It took me hours—long, exhausting hours, just to avoid breaking him entirely.”

He shook his head, brows furrowing. ”I kept asking myself... why is it so much easier for me? Is it just raw strength? Just because I have more soul energy than him?”

He paused, eyes narrowing as old thoughts resurfaced.

”And then thereʼs this other thing... Iʼve always wondered—why does everyone try to stop me from absorbing Initial Souls? They act like itʼs some kind of dangerous taboo, like Iʼm skating on the edge of death every time I do it. But Iʼve been doing it constantly, with ease. That day—just before my final showdown with the Empire of the Great Serpent—my soul power exploded to ten times its normal strength. Ten times, Neri! And what did I face? Not soul domain ruptures. No... The real threats were Heart Specters and the Black Pits. Not what everyone said would happen.”

Then suddenly, as if recalling a memory long buried, Robin pointed at Neri several times, each gesture more animated than the last. ”Do you remember the day I tried to craft a Soul Shard—by actually tearing off a piece of my own soul domain? You thought that was it. You looked at me like I was committing suicide. But guess what? The domain walls healed themselves almost effortlessly. Sure, the wound remained. Sure, it stung. But I never once felt like my life was in danger.”

”You mean to say that all of this—” Neriʼs voice caught slightly in her throat as her eyes widened. She looked at him with the dawning realization of someone whoʼd just glimpsed a larger truth.

”Yes.” Robinʼs answer was calm and resolute. ”All of it. Every single one of those impossible moments was thanks to the Elastic Soul Domain trait. It might not have helped much as defending a direct attack by another Soul Master, but in those moments... it literally saved my life. Four times at least. Maybe more. Iʼm sure there are others—I just canʼt remember them all right now.”

He exhaled, long and deep, then gave a soft laugh—one of recognition rather than amusement. ”You know, Neri... I used to curse fate. I hated the way I had to claw and scrape for every ounce of progress. Nothing ever came easy to me—not talent, not respect, not strength. I thought the universe had it out for me.”

He turned to her fully now, voice low but powerful. ”But all this time, something was looking out for me. A trait I didnʼt even notice... quietly shielding me from death, drawing an invisible line I never crossed. Without it, I wouldʼve fallen long ago. Donʼt you think thatʼs something to be grateful for?”

Neri nodded slowly, multiple times, processing the weight of his words. She began to truly see things from his perspective. Feel them.

”And do you know whatʼs even more amazing, Neri?” His tone shifted again, rising with energy and fire.

”What is it?” she asked gently, expecting another tale of survival.

Robin spread his arms wide, like someone preparing to embrace the stars. ”Whatʼs amazing... is that now I know what Iʼm capable of! HAHAHA!” He laughed, wildly, eyes flashing with a manic glee. ”Donʼt you get it? Thatʼs the best part! I no longer have to fear the tearing of my soul domain. I donʼt have to keep wondering if my breakthroughs were luck, or if my survival was fate playing games. It was me! It was this trait—the Elastic Soul Domain. And itʼs mine forever.”

Then his eyes refocused, staring forward at some distant horizon, burning with ambition and hunger. ”If I wanted to right now, I could end the Soul Massacres and absorb every single soul myself. If I wanted... I could refine any planet I set my eyes on. There are no limits anymore. No ceiling. No maximum number of planets I can refine. That wall I always saw? It just crumbled.”

”Wait—wait, wait a moment!!” Neri raised both hands and waved them urgently, trying to cut through his storm of thoughts. ”I know youʼre excited—I get it! This is huge. But youʼre not thinking straight right now. Please... donʼt go making grand, world-changing decisions while youʼre still overwhelmed. You might end up regretting them later. Why not take a step back? Do a deeper study on the Elastic Soul Domain trait. Learn its limits. Then decide what to do.”

Robin rubbed both sides of his head, his grin not fading but his breath slowing. ”Whatʼs wrong with my decisions?!” he muttered, more to himself than her. ”The Elastic Soul Domain... ha! Who cares about defense? This is the perfect complement to the Soul-Filling Technique. Itʼs the ultimate counterpart to a Planetary Emperor like me—one who wants to refine many worlds. Even if I knew about every soul trait in existence... even if someone offered me the strongest one there is... I still wouldnʼt trade this. Not for anything.”