Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2029 Richardʼs ability ”Exchanging a few blows with a low-level Nexus State as a Martial Emperor...”

Robin muttered under his breath, then slowly raised an eyebrow in mild boredom. ”Is that supposed to be an achievement?”

He shook his head lightly. ”Holak can do the same thing. His physical strength experienced an explosive surge after he used the weaponization baths, and the merged Quake Law suits his body perfectly” ”I wasnʼt born with an limited talent like his!”

Richard raised his voice slightly, frustration slipping into his tone. ”And he doesnʼt possess the massive amount of life force flowing through your body,” Robin snapped back, raising his voice over Richardʼs. ”Technically, youʼre cheating”

Then he lowered his tone again, becoming calmer but no less sharp. ”Second-your brother Caesar could do it as well if he used the Scythe of Dimming. He might not exchange blows with his opponent directly, but I seriously doubt any low-level Nexus State could even get close to him after he advanced in the Major Law of Death to a mastery level near 20%.”

He then looked upward thoughtfully. ”Hm... I also think your brother Peon could manage it after activating the gift of the planet Poison Rock. It suits him perfectly-unlike your own trash gift from planet Jura.”

He paused, narrowing his eyes slightly. ”But weʼd have to find a way to protect the manifested sun from damage after it appears... hmm That part would be troublesome.”

He tilted his head a little. ”And Aro, maybe. The merged Storm Law, formed from three major essential heavenly laws, can undoubtedly injure a low-level Nexus State-especially if he uses what makes him unique and releases 70% or more of his energy in a single, concentrated strike. Aro would ultimately be defeated like the rest of you, but he would certainly be able to escape if he were placed in a life-or-death situation against a low-level Nexus State.”

Then a faint smile appeared on his face. ”As for your brother Theo-” ”Alright!”

Richard raised both hands in surrender. ”Alright, I get it. I understand. There are a lot of exceptional people in the empire. Iʼm nothing... Iʼm not special at all...” ”........?!”

Altheraʼs eyes moved back and forth between Robin and his son in disbelief and confusion.

Who were all these people?

Aside from the famous Aro, she didnʼt know any of them-Holak, Caesar, Peon, Theo.

Do geniuses of this scale grow on trees these days?!

Are monsters like this just being produced endlessly now?! ”I didnʼt say you are nothing,” Robin said with a tired sigh. ”All I meant is-donʼt let arrogance take hold of you.”

He looked at Richard seriously. ”What you and your brothers managed to do-what would stop the children of the Behemoths from doing the same? Isnʼt that the very battlefield youʼre competing in right now, for the sake of your beloved?”

Altheraʼs lips twisted slightly.

She had certainly never heard of Behemoth offspring who were this monstrously powerful while still Martial Emperors!!

Then she shot a meaningful sideways glance at Robin...

He was definitely the cause behind all of them-without a doubt.

No one else could produce monsters like this.

Kkkr

Robin finally began pulling his hand out, drawing it back slowly, as if it were stuck in thick tar or black resin.

Then he continued with a long sigh, looking directly at Richard. ”Heh~ Listen, Richard. Your power truly isnʼt special among the elite of the empire.”

He paused, then added firmly, ”But you are special.” ”Youʼre the only one who managed to form several foundations without taking a technique from me. And now, youʼre the only one who created an extremely powerful martial art like Anti-Life on your own.”

He lifted his nose slightly with a proud, self-satisfied smile. ”I suppose you inherited that from me. What can I do about blood that naturally strives for excellence?”

Then his expression shifted, becoming more serious and sincere. ”This is your true power, my son. Your strength isnʼt the stolen life energy you feed your body with. It isnʼt your techniques, your resources, or your advantages.” ”Itʼs the fact that you can find your own path- even in darkness, even in uncertainty, even when no one guides you.” ”...I know our goals are different,” he continued calmly. ”You donʼt pursue evolution for the sake of evolution itself. You push yourself to evolve in order to gain power.” ”And Iʼm fine with that-as long as you use it correctly”

He paused, then added with quiet certainty, ”And you have.”

He smiled with deep satisfaction. ”This time, youʼve found yourself a true gem. Something rare. Something real.”

Richard frowned, his brows knitting together in confusion, ”What are you talking about?” ”Of course Iʼm talking about the Anti-Life martial art,” Robin said, nodding toward the sky. His voice carried both authority and a hint of admiration. ”Your very first attempt at using it was recorded, and the Shadow Swords delivered it to me personally. I watched it carefully. It showed noticeable, deliberate, and well-calculated progress. You chose to continue with your usual combat style, but at the same time, you developed a completely different method of gathering energy. Instead of killing millions of creatures with your own hands, you began drawing from the land itself... Tell me, how did you do it?” ”Thanks for the praise,” Richard said, smiling faintly, ”but what exactly do you mean by ʼhow did I do it? I simply used the properties of Life Fire to their maximum degree.” ”Tsk-” Robin shook his head again. ”Life Fire alone cannot accomplish what your martial art is doing. There is no life in soil resources for you to extract in that manner and convert into primal energy. Are you testing me, or are you underestimating the difficulty of this?”

He then nodded toward him knowingly. ”Tell me... what laws did you employ to create this martial art?”

Poof

At that exact moment, Robinʼs hand finally emerged from the black rift. The dark energy that had warped the space around him dissipated instantly, and the surrounding area returned to normal, serene as if nothing had happened.

In his hand, six wooden tablets appeared, hovering lightly as if suspended by invisible strings of energy. ”Hm?!”

Althera furrowed her brows deeply, eyes narrowing as she tried to inspect the tablets immediately.

What could be so special about them that even someone like Robin had suffered and struggled so intensely just to extract them? ”...The laws I used?”

Richard lowered his gaze, then slowly shook his head, his tone heavy with reflection. ”I donʼt know what youʼre talking about,” he admitted.

After a brief pause, he continued, his voice softening slightly. ”One day, I felt envy toward the Black Plague-how they could achieve such incredible power simply by consuming soil, while I had to kill enemies who possessed souls and hearts. I had to act as if they were nothing more than moving energy containers just so I could gather enough strength to match them.” ”...So I experimented with different methods, trying to use Life Fire to do what the Black Plague does. I drew energy from the earth in the same way I extract it from veins of life. After years of experimenting with various approaches- imagining methods I sensed would help-I reached the final form of ability... the one you call a martial art.”

Altheraʼs brows tightened in disbelief. ”Imitating the Black Plague?” she said sharply. ”You must be far more careful with your words, young man!” ”Hmmm.”

Robinʼs expression darkened, his eyebrows lowering in concentration. He remained silent for several moments, as if drawing all his attention into the vast horizon before him. Then he slowly turned toward the endless sea, his figure commanding attention, and raised both hands with measured precision.

The six tablets began to float, forming a perfect circular arrangement in front of him.

Then-swoosh-they began spinning in a tight circular motion, their rotation accelerating rapidly, slicing through the air like blades.

Crack Craaaack ”The methods you sensed would help you-” Robinʼs voice remained calm, unwavering, as a storm of energy began to swirl around him, caused entirely by the rotation of the six tablets. ”You most likely used laws without even realizing it. You didnʼt know them, didnʼt know their names, and yet they obeyed you for some reason.”

He continued, his gaze locking onto Richard. ”Show me that ability now. Let me see it firsthand. I will name them for you.”