Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1393: The Hidden hand

BAM. BAM. BAM.

Robin kept slamming his head into the thick palm tree — one he had reinforced with soul forceso it wouldn’t break easily under the sheer force of his frustration. He kept pounding, even after the pain should’ve convinced him to stop.

”...Is this some kind of ancient ritual?” the blind old man raised an eyebrow, frowning in vague amusement.

”No. I’m just a competitive, masochistic human being,” Robin gritted his teeth, voice trembling with emotion. ”When I hear about someone better than me... I feel the need to punish myself a little.”

He was nearly in tears.

The idea that his opponent was using a master law — not just any, but Causality itself, one of the most terrifying and absolute forces in existence — had been haunting Robin’s nights for weeks. And now... it turned out that man had reached the sixth stage in it?

It was too much.

That old man had casually mentioned that Sevar already held grudges with several Seventh stage users back when he was only a fifth-stage Causality user — That means he fought behemoths when he was still a World Cataclysm!!

And then said he ”settled the disputes” and withdrew when he reached the sixth stage?

”Settled the disputes”? What did that even mean? That phrase was obviously just a polite euphemism... a diplomatic way for behemoths to save face after being humbled.

It was clear now — Sevar had simply bullied them into submission. Like a seasoned elder ruffling the hair of misbehaving children and telling them to leave quietly before he slapped them silly.

...But the real question burned in Robin’s mind:

What changed when Sevar reached the sixth grade?

The All-Seeing had said that Sevar discovered the threads of his fate — a path, a loophole, a window for retreat... but did he truly need the sixth stage of Causality to pull that off?

Was that why no one else had done it? Was that why only Sevar had pulled off this unimaginable feat?

Because he alone, among the All-Seeing’s candidates, had reached that level?

Robin clenched his jaw.

What game was the All-Seeing playing by assigning him such a task?

A task that, on the surface, seemed reasonable — but underneath, it reeked of deeper schemes and veiled motives. No wonder he’d been given an open deadline to complete the first mission... completely out of character for the All-Seeing.

Then Robin suddenly stopped. His body froze mid-motion, head still against the tree, a cold realization creeping in.

He turned his gaze sideways toward the old man.

”...”

Only now did he realize — he’d been exposed, the old man knew who he was and who sent him.

The All-Seeing’s presence in this era had been confirmed.

Was that the true reason the All-Seeing had been so furious when he appeared and saved him?

Is that what he meant by ”shaking the threads of fate”? That if someone like Robin made too much noise, that the elites of the universe would start to notice something was wrong?

”Ho ho ho~” the old man chuckled with the deep rasp of someone who had lived far too long,

”There’s no need to put so much weight on your shoulders. Sevar is indeed a being of immeasurable weight. In fact, most major powers are terrified to even utter his name — afraid they might inadvertently create a karmic thread with him.”

He waved his hand dismissively, then added:

”But, well, that’s not the important part here.”

Then he leaned slightly forward and said in a more serious tone:

”Sevar isn’t just one of the only three in existence who ever reached the sixth stage in a master law... He’s the only known person in recorded history to break through into the World Cataclysm Realm while still a child of the Young Belt!”

Robin’s eyes widened. His body snapped to face the old man completely.

”Wait... what?! He’s that legendary figure?!”

He had heard whispers before. Tales from Pythor, vague rumors passed between high-level cultivators... that someone had once reached the World Cataclysm Realm — and as a result, their entire planet had been forcefully transferred to the Middle Belt by the Will of the Heavens.

But the story turned darker. That planet had been obliterated shortly afterward — everyone on it turned to ash.

And the man? He simply vanished.

When Robin first heard that story, it sounded like myth. Like a warning wrapped in a legend.

Wasn’t World Cataclysm just another realm, like any of the others before it?

Why had only one person ever managed it?

But then... after gaining the Eye of Truth, and seeing for himself that not a single fifth-stage law could be found within the Young Belt...

After stepping into the Middle Belt and feeling the monstrous restrictions that made cultivation a hundred times harder...

He began to understand.

He began to respect that impossible feat.

But not fear it.

It wasn’t impossible.

He had spent countless sleepless nights sketching out ways to circumvent the lack of laws, to trick the system, to rewrite the rules themselves — every method catastrophically expensive, each one demanding a kind of genius and insanity far beyond the average cultivator.

And in those dark moments of isolation, when the walls of reality pressed in...

He always thought of one man:

The one who did it first.

And now... if that man was Sevar?

Then yes.

It all made sense.

”Yes... there’s no doubt about it.” The old man exhaled heavily, a breath that carried years of weight and unspoken history.

”We believe that Sevar’s ascension to the World Cataclysm Realm in that timing wasn’t a mere personal goal... it was part of a mission. one passed down directly by that entity himself.

That much was evident from the way Sevar prepared.

He didn’t just train. He conquered. He didn’t merely grow — he fortified.”

The old man leaned forward slightly, his blind eyes somehow piercing, as if seeing into the past.

”Sevar seized control of his entire planet — every system, every force, every soul of value. He consolidated power and forged an empire unlike any other, right on the planet’s surface.

And when it was ready... when every piece was in place...

He broke through.

He ascended to become a World Cataclysm.”

The old man’s voice grew heavy, almost mournful.

”His planet... rich beyond imagination, overflowing with untapped energy and divine resources...

It became a beacon. A golden flame in a sea of darkness. And like all flames, it attracted predators.”

Then the old man continued, ”...with the strength of a fifth-stage Master Law user, Sevar was able to defend his planet for a while, but the golden color in his fingers attracted the attention of a number of behemoths who began to chase him by force, so he left his planet, and everything was shattered to rubble due to the conflict over it, everyone was killed... and the rest you know, until the point of settling the dispute and disappearing.”

Gulp.

Robin felt his throat tighten.

He swallowed hard, unable to stop the reaction.

Something about that story... it hit deep fear inside him.

The old man suddenly smiled.

”After that, Sevar was never seen again. Not by name. Not by face.

Some believe he’s hiding — perhaps even afraid of the All-Seeing being.

But even if that’s true... he’s not idle.

He left behind followers.”

Robin’s eyes widened as the old man continued.

”His people now run the entire criminal underworld.

Silently. Indirectly.

They are the puppeteers behind the curtains of corruption and blood.

They formed a guild — the Hidden Hand — a shadow empire that operates under Sevar’s protection and command.

And this guild... it doesn’t turn down jobs.

Any task, any goal, any kill — under the sky and stars — they will do it...

If the price is right, they can kill a behemoth for you.”

”...They accept contracts to kill A Behemoth!?”

Robin’s voice came out like a gasp, almost involuntarily. His eyes shook.

He remembered what Theo had once told him — about the guild that taxed him, about how they traded Nexus States like tools in a marketplace.

That terrifying organization... was under Sevar’s control?

The realization crashed into him like a storm.

And then... his eyes quivered.

A dreadful thought took hold.

”...Is that why you kidnapped me?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

”Because of my golden eye? Are you afraid of what I’m trying to become? What I plan to do?”

The blind old man leaned back slightly, tilting his head, surprised.

”Afraid?” he repeated softly, as though testing the word on his tongue.

”As long as I’m not your target... I have no reason to fear you.

And those behemoths— the ones who chased Sevar?

They didn’t fear him, either.”

”...They didn’t? But... he’s trying to start a cosmic war, isn’t he?”

Robin’s voice cracked with confusion. He looked around as if hoping for clarity in his surroundings.

”This makes no sense... none of it!”

”What part doesn’t make sense to you?” the old man asked gently, yet firmly.

”Only those who know nothing fear what they don’t understand.

The ignorant see the golden-limped as threats.

But those who hold even a fragment of true knowledge...

They see the potential.

They seek alliances.

They extend hands in secret, offering partnerships, hoping to benefit from the rising tide.

Yes... some even hope to use them — quietly, cleverly — for their own ends.”

”I... I don’t get it.” Robin took a step back, his heart pounding.

”Everything you’re saying sounds like contradictions stacked on contradictions.”

The old man smiled — a serene, knowing smile that didn’t need eyes to see clearly.

”You will understand...In time.

When your soul is strong enough to hear about the Ancient Belt without your mind shattering into madness.”