Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1132 1132: The third armyʼs first spark

”...Why donʼt I build an army entirely composed of individuals who are completely transformed to the core using Durgerʼs blood? An entire army of Marshals!”

”W-- What?!” Harosʼ eyes widened to their absolute limits, his mind struggling to process what he had just heard. He couldnʼt even begin to imagine the terrifying implications of such a force. ”Thatʼs impossible!! First of all, where do you think youʼll even get the blood for this? Do you seriously believe that Durger The Devourer will just hand it over to you? Stop underestimating him! Heʼs not just any creature—heʼs a Beast King, one that walks the Path of Destruction!”

Robin let out a confident laugh. ”That day when I captured you, I also had a conversation with Durger. We reached an agreement, and as a result, I managed to obtain thirty entire pools of his blood. Each one of those pools contains more blood than everything you and your people have been able to extract from Durger in the past ten thousand years combined.” Then, he fixed his piercing gaze on Haros, his voice steady and unwavering. ”With just one of those thirty pools, I can recreate an entire force: 4 million soldiers, 4 thousand martial emperors, 10 Marshals... and Pythor himself.”

”...?!” Harosʼ eyes went wide again, his thoughts racing at impossible speeds. It was hard—no, impossible—to fathom that Durger had willingly sacrificed such a staggering amount of blood. ”W-What about the candidates?” he stammered, struggling to find his voice. ”If you donʼt want to transform humans, and you refuse to use the existing Great Serpent army, then who exactly are you planning to use?!”

Robin casually scratched his eyebrow, as if he had already thought this through long ago. ”That question held me back for quite some time,” he admitted. ”At first, I considered opening voluntary enlistment for humans—letting those who were willing take the transformation dose. But I quickly discarded that idea. It would make me feel... powerless, in a way. I would feel that I failed in my mission! So I put it on hold. Then, I happened to hear Caesar discussing long-term strategic plans. He spoke about how, after several decades, new generations would be born—generations that wouldnʼt carry the burdens of the past, that wouldnʼt dwell on old grudges, but would instead look forward to the empireʼs future. And that was when I had a realization: Why not?”

He took a step closer to Haros, lowering his voice slightly, as if sharing a secret. ”Listen carefully, Haros. Those thirty pools of blood hold enough power to completely and permanently transform a thousand individuals—to the very marrow of their bones. Do you understand what that means? It means I can create a thousand true Marshals.”

Haros swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. A battalion of a thousand Marshals... The thought alone was overwhelming.

”You will be the one to choose those thousand,” Robin continued, his tone leaving no room for argument. ”They will come from among the prisoners of your own kind. I want 95% of them to be female, and only 5% to be male. Each and every one of them will swear an unbreakable oath upon the auth tablets, and I will keep those tablets with me to ensure their loyalty. After that, they will be subjected to the racial upgrade device once more. But this time, they will undergo a true transformation—to the very essence of their being.”

Robinʼs expression darkened slightly, his voice carrying an unusual weight. ”But let me be clear—I do not intend to use them in battle. That is not their purpose.”

Haros furrowed his brows. ”...Then what exactly do you plan to do with them?”

Robin suddenly smacked his thigh, his voice firm and resolute. ”I want them to breed!”

”...Excuse me?!” Haros practically shouted in shock, his brain stalling at the sheer absurdity of the statement.

”I want them to breed day and night like rabbits,” Robin declared without the slightest hint of hesitation. ”Those thousand individuals will be the ancestors of the future generations. The generations that will be born fully transformed—the same way the Imperial Guards were born from Baithor himself. These men and women... They will be the foundation of my army!”

”....!!!” Haros felt as if something had just exploded inside his head.

Robin didnʼt want to transform new humans. He didnʼt want to use the existing military forces. No— he had set his sights on the generations that didnʼt even exist yet!

”...And what exactly is my role in all of this?” Haros asked with a mix of disbelief and bitter amusement. ”Am I supposed to manage this grand-scale breeding operation? Hand out aphrodisiac to the males maybe?!” He let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. Given Robinʼs plan, each male would have an entire harem of at least twenty females!

This was madness.

”Iʼm not going to lie to you. For the time being—yes.” Robin shrugged, as if what he was saying was the most natural thing in the world. ”But give it fifteen years, and by then, youʼll have the first generation of fully transformed beings. Their numbers will surpass even those of the Imperial Guards. And they will be yours—yours to mold, to shape, to educate. You will teach them that I eradicated their tyrant ancestors, that I wiped out the oppressive forces of the past, and that I granted them the opportunity to live. Your job will be to ensure their unwavering loyalty to the True Beginning Empire... and then, once their loyalty is secured, you will make sure they reproduce as well! Year after year, decade after decade, the numbers will grow. Soon, youʼll find yourself ruling over tens of thousands—tens of thousands of Imperial Guards.”

Haros remained silent.

The Imperial Guards were a legendary force, their power undisputed even within the mid-planetary belt. There were only 500 of them, yet their presence alone was enough to shift the tide of any battle. Just imagining an entire army composed of such beings was enough to send a shiver down Harosʼ spine. ”...An entire race originating from just a thousand individuals...” He muttered, barely able to process the sheer scale of what Robin was proposing. ”This… This would take centuries.”

Robin, however, didnʼt seem concerned in the slightest. ”No problem,” he said with an easy wave of his hand. ”Iʼll bring you more blood! Just tell me—how many do you want as a starting point? Two thousand? Three thousand?”

Harosʼ eyes widened in disbelief. ”You can actually do that?!” He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

”Of course.” Robin smirked confidently. ”I have something Durger the Devourer desperately wants.” A knowing glint shone in his eyes. As long as he possessed the Corrosive Energy Pearls, Durger would never refuse his requests—no matter how outrageous they might seem.

Robin took a step forward, lowering his voice slightly, as if letting Haros in on a well-kept secret. ”And you, Haros… If you do your job well—if I see that you are truly committed to my cause—I will personally ensure that you receive enough blood for a true racial upgrade. You will reach Pythorʼs level. That bastard managed to transform into a miniature Durger during the last battle, and look at the power he wielded!”

”Me…?!” Haros inhaled sharply, his mind reeling. A true racial upgrade…? That was something he had never dared to even dream of. His heart pounded in his chest as the weight of the offer settled over him. He clenched his fists. ”...When can we start?”

Robinʼs lips curled into a wide grin. ”...Come with me.”

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Orphanʼs Blood Planet – Beside the Stepped Pyramid

”Alright, you may leave now.” Flora dismissed Shadow Blade with a casual wave of her hand. Then, she turned in another direction, an excited smile stretching across her lips as she called out, ”Darling, come look! I told you!!”

A sudden swish cut through the air as Aro left the pyramid, allowing it to continue its work behind him. He landed gracefully beside Flora and reached out, taking the scroll from her hands with gentle care. His golden eyes scanned the text, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. ”...An imperial decree granting me full authority to intervene in planetary negotiations? All of them?!” He let out a soft sigh, rubbing his temple.

”Ah~ It seems I brought a great deal of work upon myself by interfering with that Alexander...” His brows furrowed slightly, though his tone didnʼt carry the same irritation as his words suggested.

Flora giggled and clung to his arm. ”Hehe, look on the bright side! His Excellency sent this to you personally. And not only that— The Shadow Sword said he wrote the decree right in front of all the generals of the First Army!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. ”If this isnʼt a direct acknowledgment of your status and capabilities, then what is?”

Before Aro could respond, a deep voice rang out from behind them.

”Haha, sheʼs right! You have a good wife!”

Flora and Aro immediately stiffened.

”Your Excellency?!”

”Your Excellency!”

Both of them turned and bowed in perfect synchronization.

”So, you like making sudden entrances with everyone, huh?” A muttered voice came from behind Robin. It was Haros, speaking just low enough to be heard. ”Iʼll have to keep that in mind...”

Robin, however, ignored the comment entirely, his expression as unreadable as ever.

”Your Excellency, what are you doing here?” Flora asked, stepping forward with concern. ”You should be resting after your legendary battle!” But as she moved closer, she noticed the figure standing behind him—someone she hadnʼt seen before.

Her gaze sharpened as she took in his features. A man from the Durger race… Dressed in pristine, newly tailored clothes… His body bore no severe wounds, only minor signs of recent battle.

”And who is this?” she finally asked, her curiosity piqued.

Robin casually gestured behind him. ”This is Haros.” Then, he turned his gaze toward Aro. ”His new right-hand man.”

Aro blinked, his expression immediately darkening. ”...My right hand?” His golden eyes flickered toward Haros, scanning him with a cold, assessing look before shifting back to Robin. ”I donʼt think I need any extra hands. Flora is beside me, and thatʼs enough.”

Beside him, the horned girl smiled triumphantly and hugged his arm even tighter, as if reaffirming her place at his side.

Robin chuckled at the display. ”Haha, you two really are like a pair of lovebirds,” he teased. But then, his expression grew serious, and his voice dropped to a commanding tone. ”But you will need his help, Aro. As the commander of my Third Army, youʼre going to need a lot of assistance.”