Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2348 Danger

Before Hedrickʼs body—

”Hooo...”

Robin slowly lowered his hand and carefully inspected what he had just completed, silently examining every fluctuation surrounding Hedrickʼs body as though confirming that not a single detail had deviated from his expectations.

Hummm...

At this moment, five Master Law symbols revolved around Hedrickʼs head in perfect harmony, surrounding the golden eye at their center as it gazed downward with overwhelming suppressive authority. Their ancient radiance intertwined without interfering with one another, creating an indescribably majestic scene that seemed completely detached from ordinary cultivation.

”Good heavens...” Draice, the Four-Star Royal Soul Master, stepped closer to Hedrick with his eyes opened as wide as they could go, almost forgetting where he was. ”Those five symbols... what in the world...?”

Given the extent of his knowledge, as someone who had never held the position of Academy Master nor descended from one of the supreme powers, Draice had absolutely no idea what those symbols actually represented or what level of existence they belonged to.

However, their nearly identical ancient aura, incomparably profound and oppressive, together with that golden eye suspended at the center as though overseeing everything beneath it, made him cast a sidelong glance toward Robin... He possessed a vague suspicion, an unbelievable guess that instinctively surfaced in his mind, but he didnʼt dare accept it as the truth, nor did he dare speak it aloud.

Rumble...

The storm that had been tearing the planet apart gradually subsided. Golden rays pierced through it from above before scattering the raging clouds apart one layer after another, leaving behind nothing but what appeared to be an immense golden veil draped across the entire sky, quietly calming the heavens themselves and replacing the previous chaos with an indescribable tranquility.

The moment he witnessed that scene, Drace shuddered involuntarily.

His greatest fear had come true.

Lord Robin had interfered with the breakthrough.

”Relax.” Glatheon gently patted Draice on the shoulder, his own expression remaining surprisingly calm despite the astonishing sight before them. ”It seems Lord Robin has reached an agreement with Lord Hedrick. Heʼs undergoing a transformation that will change his life forever, so whatever youʼre witnessing now is a necessary part of that process.”

After saying those words, Glatheon let out a quiet sigh.

Five Master Law symbols...

This was the third time he had witnessed a transformation like this, after Althera and Renara.

Both of them had opened their eyes afterward, speaking with unwavering confidence about a level of power that surpassed everything they had once believed possible, as though they had glimpsed an entirely different world invisible to everyone else.

It was obvious Hedrick was now experiencing that very same transformation.

Then Glatheonʼs eyelid twitched.

Just what would it feel like...

To experience an immeasurable power bestowed upon your body by five Master Laws simultaneously, each one permeating every corner of your existence until your entire understanding of yourself was rewritten?

Would there ever come a day...

When he, too, could experience something like that and witness the world from such a terrifying height?

”Urgh...”

”My Lord?!” Glatheon noticed Robin suddenly staggering, his expression changing instantly as he rushed forward without the slightest hesitation to support him before he could fall.

”I... Iʼm fine.” Robin leaned heavily against Glatheonʼs arm and took two more unsteady steps backward before barely managing to regain his balance, though his breathing remained noticeably uneven.

Crack... Glatheon immediately created a massive ice chair directly beneath Robin with a wave of his hand. ”What do you mean youʼre fine? Please, sit down immediately! Youʼre clearly pushing yourself far beyond your limits.”

Robin wasnʼt suffering from ordinary dizziness.

It was painfully obvious that his complexion had suddenly turned deathly pale, while his face had briefly taken on a bluish tint as though all warmth had drained from it. Even his golden eye lost focus for a brief moment before slowly recovering, making it abundantly clear that this was far more serious than simple fatigue.

Lord Robin had nearly lost consciousness.

”...?” Draice stared at the scene in utter disbelief, unable to reconcile what he was seeing with the Robin he had witnessed only moments earlier.

Only a few minutes earlier, when he had tried to stop them from approaching his lord and disrupting the breakthrough, Robin had casually enveloped him in soul power equivalent to that of a Ten-Star Royal Soul Master, leaving him completely incapable of moving. Robin hadnʼt harmed him in the slightest, but the overwhelming pressure had made him feel like nothing more than an ornamental fish standing before a shark, utterly insignificant and incapable of resisting.

So why...

Why couldnʼt that very same shark even catch his breath now after finishing whatever he had just done?

”Iʼm fine.” Robin closed his eye while remaining seated. As much as he possibly could, he forced himself to maintain a straight, dignified posture instead of collapsing into the chair, refusing to allow even his exhausted body to appear weak before the people around him. Whatever concentration he still possessed was devoted entirely to regulating his breathing, stabilizing his vital functions, and suppressing the overwhelming weakness spreading throughout his body.

”...Itʼs only exhaustion.”

”Exhaustion?” Glatheon frowned deeply. ”...The same exhaustion that forced us to remain in the Mid Sector 100 for two weeks after you removed Lady Renaraʼs limits?”

”.....” Robin opened his eye slightly and slowly raised a trembling hand, watching the faint, uncontrollable shaking in his fingers.

”...Itʼs worse this time. Much worse.”

He paused briefly, taking another slow breath before continuing.

”I feel like a mortal who hasnʼt eaten for an entire week.”

”Would you like me to bring you food, My Lord?” Glatheon asked immediately, his voice filled with concern. ”Or Pearls of Energy? Anything at all that might relieve the exhaustion, even slightly?”

”No...” Robin answered wearily, slowly shaking his head despite how difficult even that simple movement felt. ”Outwardly, my body is in perfect condition. I still have a respectable amount of energy remaining. I havenʼt consumed any of my life force, and I could survive for another year or two without food... I donʼt know what the problem is. Nothing inside me appears damaged, yet something is undeniably wrong.”

Humm... Robinʼs eyes gradually began glowing with a brilliant golden light as he looked down at his own hands, carefully examining every part of his body in hopes of finding even the slightest clue that could serve as the loose end to unravel what had happened. He traced every fluctuation he could perceive, searching for anything unusual that might explain the overwhelming exhaustion consuming him, but—

”Urgh.” Robin immediately shut his eye and covered it with both hands.

It hurt as though two daggers had been driven straight into it at the same time, the sudden burst of pain forcing him to abandon the inspection before he could continue even a moment longer.

”...!!” Glatheon instinctively took a step forward, his expression tightening as he nearly spoke.

Yet in the end, he remained silent.

If he couldnʼt help through energy, food, or treatment, then opening his mouth again would accomplish absolutely nothing.

It would only create unnecessary noise and further distract Robin while he was clearly struggling to endure whatever burden he had placed upon himself.

At that moment—

Bang!

”Haaah!!” Hedrickʼs eyes flew open as he violently threw both arms backward, instinctively releasing the overwhelming force surging throughout his body.

BOOOOM!!

The enormous plateau beneath him instantly caved inward before beginning to crumble apart under the invisible pressure, enormous cracks racing outward in every direction as though the land itself had suddenly become incapable of supporting his existence.

”Whatʼs happening?!” Drace shuddered violently and immediately leaped down from above, instinctively retreating from the collapsing ground while staring at Hedrick with widening eyes.

”This...?!” Hedrick, meanwhile, quickly pulled his arms back in front of him, staring at both hands with overwhelming astonishment and disbelief as though they no longer belonged to him. ”I... broke through?!”

Hedrick could now feel the Seventh Grade with absolute clarity.

No...

He could feel the Seventh Grades.

There was no longer any distinction between how he perceived Shattering and any other law.

Every Seventh Grade law now existed before his senses with the same unmistakable clarity, as though countless invisible walls separating them had suddenly vanished all at once.

It was a strange sensation.

A terrifying sensation...

The entire universe around him felt as fragile as ordinary writing paper. It felt as though he could slice it apart with nothing more than a casual wave of his hand, or burn the whole thing to ashes simply by rubbing his palms together.

Had he become vastly stronger?

Not exactly.

It was the world around him that had become absurdly weaker, as though everything had suddenly descended several levels while he alone remained where he was.

But...

Didnʼt that, in itself, make him overwhelmingly stronger relative to the universe and everything living it it?

”Heh~” Glatheon let out a faint chuckle as he watched Hedrick struggle to comprehend the changes taking place within himself. ”What a familiar sight. They all look exactly like this the first time.”

”...?” Hedrick slowly raised his head and began looking around, instinctively trying to compare everything he saw against the completely different perception flooding his mind.

A single glance at Glatheon immediately told him exactly who he was.

Without needing to sense his aura or deliberately inspect his cultivation, Hedrick instinctively understood Glatheonʼs approximate strength, his level of danger, and even the degree of resistance he would be capable of offering.

It also told him that he could kill him with ridiculous ease if he wished to.

Assuming there would even be a fight to begin with.

The same glance toward Draice told him even more.

This Four-Star Royal Soul Master definitely wouldnʼt survive a single slap.

In fact, even a slap delivered through nothing but the air from a distance, without direct contact or any serious effort, would likely be enough to reduce him to nothing more than a cloud of blood mist before he even realized what had happened.

”....?!” That line of thinking...

That instinctive scale of comparison...

The terrifying certainty with which those conclusions surfaced inside his mind...

Caused even Hedrickʼs own heart to tremble for a brief moment, because none of those judgments had required analysis or calculation. They had appeared naturally, as though they were obvious facts his new perception simply understood.

Finally, his gaze settled on Robin.

”....?”

Robin was sitting only a few steps away, covering his eye with one hand while leaning slightly against the chair, every movement of his body radiating profound weakness and deep exhaustion. His breathing remained uneven, his complexion pale, and he looked as though he might collapse at any moment if he allowed himself to relax.

Even so...

The instant Hedrick looked at him, he could hear his very existence—every instinct, every cell throughout his body, every fragment of his soul, and every law flowing within him—screaming the exact same warning with unprecedented intensity, drowning out every other thought before it could even form:

Danger.

Danger.

Danger.