Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2230 Regret

”...Mmm~”

Robinʼs eyelids trembled faintly before slowly opening.

For a few moments, his vision remained blurred.

Light filtered through the glass ceiling above him, spreading across the room in pale reflections.

”....”

Robinʼs eyes remained fixed on that ceiling for an unknown number of minutes.

He did not wonder where he was.

He did not panic.

He did not abruptly sit up.

He did not even bother inspecting his surroundings.

He already knew exactly where he was.

A glass ceiling like this was difficult to find anywhere else in the universe.

He was home.

On Planet Dunara.

The place he had personally designed.

The place where he was supposed to rest.

The place where he was supposed to feel safe.

After spending a long while staring upward in silence, expressions gradually began appearing on his face.

Sadness.

Regret.

Weariness.

Emotions he rarely allowed himself to show.

Then he slowly raised his left hand.

The motion alone felt difficult.

His arm seemed heavier than a mountain.

With visible effort, he covered his eyes and muttered in a low voice,

”...Sorry.”

The word escaped almost involuntarily.

Asirʼs death...

He had allowed it.

The enormous Eye of Truth had observed every movement the Savage Executioner made as though she were moving through frozen time.

The manifestation of Truth had analyzed Tanoyaʼs expressions.

Her posture. Her words. Her intentions.

Before she even moved, Robin had already known whom she intended to attack.

And once she started moving...

He saw everything.

He saw her accelerate.

He saw the law she activated.

He saw power circulating through every part of her body.

He saw the killing intent inside her eyes.

He saw the trajectory of her attack.

He saw Asir standing there completely unaware.

He saw everything.

And did nothing.

He had possessed a million opportunities to intervene.

A million opportunities to change the outcome.

A million opportunities to save Asir.

Yet he chose not to move.

He chose to watch.

What could he have done?

Use the Ancestor Core Crystal?

Unleash its power and kill Tanoya before she reached Asir?

Perhaps.

But that would have almost certainly resulted in his own death.

Asir was a good man.

A loyal ally.

A dependable companion.

But he was not an official subordinate.

He was not someone Robin valued above his own life.

That was simply the truth.

A cruel one.

But still the truth.

On the other hand...

Had she chosen Morgana.

Or Holak.

Or Althera,

Had she reached for one of the people Robin considered his own...

Then he would have been forced to act.

At least, that was what he told himself.

The idea of one of his closest followers being slaughtered before his eyes was absurd.

Surely he would have intervened.

Surely he would have risked everything.

Surely he would have—

Crack

A single tear escaped from the corner of Robinʼs eye.

His expression twisted slightly.

No.

Most likely...

He would have watched then as well.

Because when death truly arrived...

Because when survival and sacrifice stood before each other...

Because when the choice became real instead of theoretical...

He had chosen himself.

And that realization hurt more than any wound.

What weakness.

What humiliation.

The man who dreamed of standing at the summit of existence.

The man who preached strength.

The man who built empires.

Could not even convince himself that he would save those closest to him.

How pathetic.

How disgustingly human.

Knock Knock

”Boss, I can see you moving your hands. Do you need anything? Some water? A sandwich? Want me to escort you to the bathroom?”

”...”

Robin recognized the voice immediately.

Using a tiny stream of energy, he quietly evaporated the tear before it could travel any farther.

Then he slowly lowered his hand.

”Come in, Holak.”

”Then excuse me.” The giant of Nihari opened the glass door.

Even now, entering the room required him to bend nearly in half.

He squeezed through the entrance with difficulty, a broad smile already spread across his face.

”Itʼs good to hear your voice again, Boss. Do you need help sitting up?”

”...”

Robin attempted to push himself upright.

His arms trembled.

Nothing happened.

”Itʼs fine.”

A lie.

He could barely move.

Using Master Laws had always been exhausting.

They devoured his levels.

They consumed his life force.

They drained his soul force dry.

Back in the past, that had been the greatest limitation.

Fuel.

Pure and simple.

If he ran out of energy, the battle ended.

But after reaching a capacity measured in millions of soul units...

After mastering Balance well enough to refill his reserves continuously...

After solving the fuel problem...

Another issue revealed itself.

His body.

His body was far too weak.

Robin finally understood why the ancient wielders of Master Laws were treated like monsters.

Using one Master Law briefly was one thing.

Maintaining multiple Master Laws simultaneously for extended periods was something else entirely.

It was like forcing a mortal body to channel a star.

Robin understood now that the only reason he had managed to sustain those laws continuously for several minutes was because the manifestation of the Master Truth Law had wrapped itself around him.

It supported him.

It had temporarily elevated him beyond normal humanity.

Without that manifestation...

Without that protection...

He likely would have collapsed after the second exchange.

Perhaps even earlier.

The Master Laws...

The deeper one looked into them, the more terrifying they became.

Treasures of unimaginable power.

And equally unimaginable danger.

”Oppaa.” Holak suddenly stepped beside him.

Before Robin could protest, the giant casually lifted him into a seated position.

”...”

Robin chose not to resist.

Several cushions and supports were quickly arranged behind his back.

Only after ensuring he was comfortable did Holak step away.

Then he placed his hands on his hips and looked Robin up and down.

His grin widened.

”Hehe.” Holak laughed softly. ”It makes me happy to see you awake, Boss!!”

”Yes...” Robin smiled faintly. ”You said something like that a moment ago.”

”....” Holak quickly wiped his face from top to bottom. ”About that sandwich...”

”Sandwiches arenʼt whatʼs going to make me gain weight again, Holak.” Robin shook his head and let out a quiet chuckle. Despite everything, Holak had actually managed to pull him out of his gloomy mood a little.

Robinʼs body was now little more than skin and bones.

He wore a loose robe left open at the front, revealing a body covered with numerous temporary tattoos...

A body that had become alarmingly thin.

His shoulders seemed narrower than before, his chest lacked its former fullness, and even the outlines of his ribs were visible beneath his skin.

”Then what will?” Holak took a step forward. ”Meat and fat, right?” His brows knitted with absolute determination. ”Iʼll bring you the hindquarters of the largest sheep beast in existence!”

”.....”

Robin decided to change the subject before he ended up insulting Holak.

”How long has it been since the incident?”

”Almost three months.” Holak continued staring at Robinʼs chest with a displeased expression. He could practically count Robinʼs ribs one by one.

”Would you stop that?” Robin raised his hand. ”Iʼm fine. Iʼm not sick, and Iʼm not injured. Thereʼs nothing to heal. In a few months, Iʼll return to normal.” Then he lightly scratched his hair. ”...How did things go after I lost consciousness? I assume everything turned out reasonably well, considering Planet Dunara still hasnʼt been destroyed.”

By that point, the Executioner had already departed.

Robin had managed to remain conscious for several seconds afterward, just long enough to confirm that she had left the entire area before finally surrendering to exhaustion and blacking out.

Even so...

He had left a catastrophe behind.

Arkalon had certainly returned to his Soul Domain after Robin collapsed in that manner.

Althera was undoubtedly affected by the death of her deputy.

And only Blokan and Morgana had remained fully conscious.

But what exactly could they have done against hundreds of thousands of space beasts, including ten adult ones?

”I donʼt think Iʼm the best person to explain what happened beyond the gate.” Holak showed a faint smile before turning around and taking several steps toward the door.

Then he stopped.

”Boss...”

”Mm?” Robin was replaying the events in his head once again.

Meanwhile, Holak gathered his courage.

The smile he had maintained ever since entering the room finally collapsed.

”...Iʼm sorry. I couldnʼt fight beside you.”

”Hmm?” Robin regained focus for a moment and smiled at Holak. ”Itʼs fine. I know there was no way you could have participated.”

To Robin, those words were ordinary.

They were meant to lift the burden of responsibility from Holakʼs shoulders.

But to Holak...

They were another dagger driven into his heart.

”...Boss,” Holak swallowed his pride. ”I wanted to participate.” Then he lowered his head even further, suppressing the tremor in his voice. ”I donʼt want to stand far away and watch ever again... Boss... it didnʼt feel good.”

He still remembered it clearly.

Watching through the gate.

Watching the battle.

Watching Robin bleed.

Watching people die while he remained powerless to step forward.

The memory had stayed with him for months.

”....”

Robin stared at Holakʼs back for several moments.

”Perhaps you donʼt realize it, Holak, but youʼre one of the greatest beneficiaries of what happened that day.”

”...?”

Holak turned around in shock.

Robin smiled faintly.

”Soon, youʼll be the one fighting while Iʼm the one watching.”

For a moment, Holak simply stared.

His mind took a second to process the meaning behind those words.

Then a huge grin spread across his face.

”As things should be.”

The answer came naturally.

Without the slightest attempt at politeness.

Just simple honesty.

Then he burst into laughter and resumed walking toward the door.

”Hehe, excuse me. Iʼll bring everyone.”

His mood improved immediately.

The heaviness weighing on his shoulders seemed to disappear.