Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1103  Angry beetle

”...Can you ignore the law that prevents me from using more than a thousand soul units at a time?” Robinʼs eyes blazed with hatred and a burning intent to kill as he locked his gaze on Helen.

Robin did not need the planetary spiritʼs sympathy. He had already realized Helenʼs position —and his own— within mere moments.

He undoubtedly understood what she meant. He realized just how insignificant he was in her eyes—just a mere beetle in the eyes of a human... But what was wrong with that?

What was the problem if she tried to recruit the winning beetle to her side?

What was wrong with showing a little respect for the winning beetle?

Even if he didnʼt fight for her, at the very least, he wouldnʼt kill all the other beetles she was betting on!

Even if he brought her no gain, he wouldnʼt take away all her profits from the beetle arena!

And yet, she chose to belittle him, to act as though his very existence was a joke.

”Iʼll show you… Iʼll show you exactly what this beetle can do!!” Robin gritted his teeth so hard that his jaw ached. His mind was made up.

Whether the planetary spirit, Néri, permitted it or not— he had already set his sights on Helen.

”That law…?” Nériʼs voice trembled slightly. The restriction preventing individuals from using more than a thousand soul units at once was one of the strictest laws enforced within the Young Planetary Belt. Violating it could have severe consequences.

But she didnʼt hesitate for long.

”…Fine. I will grant you permission to bypass this restriction— but only against the shadow of the Cataclysm Sealing Cube. Iʼll justify it as you assisting me in defending myself from destruction and taking full responsibility. But…”

She paused for a moment before continuing, her voice carrying a hint of doubt.

”…What can you even do with these twenty-plus thousand soul units? Do you even have a soul technique strong enough to wield that kind of force all at once?”

Robin remained silent for a brief moment, his gaze never leaving Helenʼs shadow. Then, he clenched his teeth and answered, ”Thirty seconds.”

He inhaled deeply, his fists tightening as he suppressed his rising emotions.

”Hold out for thirty seconds— just thirty seconds. And leave the rest to me.”

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Inside Robinʼs Soul Domain—

”Owner!!” Evergreen rushed toward Robinʼs manifested form, her expression filled with anxiety.

”What are you doing out there?! The shadow has momentarily forgotten about you because of its battle with the planetary spirit— itʼs not restraining you anymore! Why arenʼt you escaping?”

”If I try to run now, thereʼs a good chance Néri can prevent the shadow from targeting me directly. I could retreat toward the southern regions, and from there, I might be able to escape to another planet,” Robin responded calmly.

His pace did not slow.

His mind was sharp.

”But then what?”

Evergreen blinked, momentarily caught off guard.

”You heard her through my ears, didnʼt you?” Robin asked as he kept moving forward, his steps gaining momentum.

”If I leave now, Helenʼs shadow will succeed in causing mass destruction. A large portion of this planet will be obliterated. Néri might even be wiped out completely before the shadow disappears, how could I possibly allow that?”

Evergreen scoffed, flying closer to him.

”Allow it? Why wouldnʼt you? This Néri is just a consciousness.” she snapped, exasperation lacing her tone, ”Let them destroy each other! Whatʼs the problem? This has nothing to do with you!”

Her voice grew sharper, more desperate.

”You only need to worry if the shadow tries to kill the planetary spirit itself. If the spirit perishes completely, the laws governing this planet will collapse, and itʼll become nothing more than a dead rock drifting through space. But if only the planetary consciousness is wiped out, another one will form in a few thousand years.

”The shadow merely wants to prevent anyone from refining the spirit during that period. That woman —Helen— wants to stop others from refining even a fraction of Nériʼs power and using it against her forces. Thatʼs all this is about!”

Evergreen darted ahead, spinning in front of him in a frantic attempt to block his path.

”Robin, just leave them to tear each other apart! This is their fight, not yours. You can regroup, rebuild your army, and prepare for whatʼs coming next. If Pythor is the strongest warrior she has, then the rest of her forces wonʼt be a problem for you!”

She grabbed onto his sleeve, trying to pull him back.

But Robinʼs steps didnʼt falter.

In fact, they quickened.

”...I canʼt,” he finally muttered, his voice low yet unwavering. ”The option to walk away no longer exists.”

”What? Why?!” Evergreen let go of Robinʼs silver robe, her hands dropping to her sides as she stood frozen in shock. Her voice trembled with disbelief. ”What could you possibly gain from staying? No matter what happens, whether you succeed somehow or fail, you will end up losing something!”

Robinʼs eyes blazed with determination as his fingers clenched into fists, his entire body tensing as if to anchor himself to the battlefield. ”No, youʼre wrong,” he muttered under his breath before looking straight into her eyes. ”If I win today… If I somehow destroy that fragment… I will gain something more valuable than anything else.”

Evergreen took an unconscious step forward, sensing the weight behind his words. ”And what is that?”

Robinʼs lips curled into a snarl as his fury erupted like a storm. ”My dignity!!” His voice boomed across the spiritual domain, shaking with raw emotion. ”That arrogant bitch… That self-righteous, condescending bitch!! A beetle? Me? A beetle?! To hell with that! To hell with everything! Oh Noo, No No, This has become personal now.”

His rage coiled within him like a tempest, and with each passing second, the fire inside him burned hotter. Then, with decisive resolve, he marched forward into his soul domain, reaching a point where the air itself seemed to thrum with unseen power.

Spreading his arms wide, he brought his hands together with a resounding clap.

BAAAAAAAM!

The ground beneath him trembled violently as if struck by a divine force. Cracks spread outward like jagged lightning bolts, crawling across the earth and even stretching toward the sky above his soul domain.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand once more and struck the air with a second forceful blow.

BAAAAAAAM!

Everything within the affected area reacted instantly. The soul creatures that inhabited that section of his domain scurried in panic, fleeing for safety. Even the smallest of insects— worms, mosquitoes, and dust mites— rushed away in a desperate attempt to escape the growing catastrophe.

And then, at the center of the now-empty land, another manifestation of Robin emerged. This one was different—it radiated an aura of unshakable resolve and burning fury.

Then, with a third and final strike…

BAAAAAAAM!

A massive wall of energy rose from the fractured ground, stretching all the way to the heavens of his spiritual domain. It was a barrier—a divide that split his spiritual world into two distinct halves.

Evergreen gasped, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief. She broke into a sprint toward him, her voice filled with desperation. ”What the hell are you trying to do?! Stop it, Robin!!”

She knew what he was attempting—he was isolating nearly a quarter of his spiritual domain. If he went through with this, the consequences would be irreversible.

Robinʼs eyes gleamed with unwavering determination as he turned to her, his voice carrying a chilling edge. ”Iʼll show her what the fuck this ʼbeetleʼ can do!!”

With those words—

BAAAAAAAM!

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Robinʼs eyes snapped open, returning to the brutal battlefield before him.

The scene had not changed. Helen and the planetary spirit, Nihari, were still locked in a deadly struggle, their every clash shaking the very fabric of the world.

Thirty seconds had passed.

In that time, countless things had happened, but Robin had no intention of wasting another moment to figure out the details.

He lifted his hand.

With a simple, deliberate motion, every single soul creature within his domain dissolved into a fine mist, their very essence breaking down into pure soul energy. Thousands of tiny wisps of light coalesced together, fusing into a dense silver sphere that hovered in the air before him.

That shimmering sphere…

Contained more than twenty thousand units of soul energy.

The sheer concentration of raw power was so overwhelming that even the Shadow—the entity born from the Cataclysm Seal Cube—was involuntarily drawn to it.

”...?” For the briefest of moments, the Shadowʼs attention flickered toward the sphere. Not out of fear, but out of curiosity.

Such a vast amount of soul energy, gathered in one place and floating freely in the air? That was not something one encountered every day, especially not in the Young Planetary Belt.

But its curiosity lasted only for a fraction of a second.

It dismissed the sight and returned its focus to battling the planetary spirit, pouring all its efforts into the ongoing war.

After all, what could twenty thousand units of soul energy possibly accomplish?

Even if Robin had a technique powerful enough to utilize such an enormous reservoir of energy, there was no way it could pose a real threat.

Not against the Shadow of the Cataclysm Seal Cube.

Not against the thirty-unit soul fragment that had belonged to Pythor.

Robin took a deep breath. Then, in a voice that echoed like thunder, he roared:

”LOOK AT ME!!”

The sheer force of his shout cut through the battlefield like a blade.

”Hmm?”

This time, the Shadow did not turn toward him out of curiosity.

No—this time, it turned out of annoyance and contempt.

It regarded him as a mere insect, a creature not worth its time. A nuisance that had failed to understand its words earlier.

Robin met its gaze head-on, his expression filled with nothing but pure defiance.

”Today… today, you made me realize how small I truly am compared to what awaits me in the Middle Planetary Belt. You opened my eyes with your words.”

His voice was steady, yet laced with a venomous edge.

His next words were spoken with a chilling finality.

”Let me return the favor… by opening yours with my actions!”

Without breaking eye contact, Robin reached toward his forehead.

From between his brows, he pulled forth a second silver sphere—this one smaller but infinitely denser.

And without hesitation—

He threw it straight into the massive vortex of soul energy he had gathered.