Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1960 Dice

The Present Time- ”I may be sitting here,” Robin declared loudly, his voice echoing through the hall, ”but Iʼm hammering threads across entire sectors!”

He let out a low, satisfied chuckle. ”And itʼs obvious now that I hammered the right threads, my work in mid sector 101 started bearing fruit!” ”....?” Arkalon propped his chin on his hand, studying him carefully. ”Are you deliberately tampering with the fates of entire sectors just to reach the First Stage of Causality? Thatʼs downright evil, my friend-even by your standards.” ”Huh? Of course not.” Robin waved his hand twice in a casual, dismissive motion. ”Reaching the First Stage of Causality was merely a pleasant side effect, nothing more, compared to whatʼs actually coming” ”A pleasant side effect?” Arkalonʼs brows drew together sharply. ”Hey-what exactly are you planning to do?!”

Robin smiled faintly, then took a few slow steps toward the window. Beyond the glass, academy students could be seen laughing, sparring lightly, and exchanging notes with carefree expressions. He watched them for a moment, his eyes calm yet unfathomably deep. ”To be honest with you,” he said at last, ”at the beginning I truly didnʼt know what I was doing. I was moving on nothing but raw intuition.”

He continued evenly, ”For example-Theo would send me a report saying there were two thousand armadas encircling Hedrick, and that the number would soon rise to six thousand. Heʼd ask me what he should do. Should we wait and sabotage things internally, or should we push Hedrick into launching an attack?” ”At that moment, the Omen of Truth showed a greater sense of ease toward the option of attacking. So I advised for an open, direct assault instead of a hidden one. And thatʼs how it went, again and again~” ”But as time passed,” Robin said, his tone growing steadier, ”as the overall picture began to take shape, as every player gradually stepped onto the board, and as I uncovered fragments of the past involving Kaylis, Darvion, and Zavaros...” ”...it became much easier for me to sketch long-term strategies.” ”I still rely on the Omen of Truth to evaluate every single step,” he added, ”but I no longer wait blindly, forcing myself into an immediate decision the instant a problem appears.” ”For instance,” Robinʼs smile widened noticeably, ”when Theo discovered Sereneʼs true identity-the very girl who accompanied Richard everywhere- and reported it to me, that single new variable overturned all of my plans for Middle Sector 101 and sent them down an entirely different path.” ”And the Omen of Truth?” He let out a soft laugh. ”It approved of that new plan completely.”

Robin turned back toward Arkalon. ”What happened earlier-what allowed me to seize the Law of Causality itself-was that Richard stepped onto the plan I had drawn entirely of his own free will.” ”I believe the Master Law of Causality finally judged me worthy,” he said calmly, ”worthy of becoming an official puppet master.” ”Hold on-hold on!” Arkalon waved both hands downward in alarm. ”Your son is involved with a girl, and that somehow leads you to gains beyond the First Stage of Causality? A Master law?! What could you get more than that? Have you completely lost your mind?!” ”Who said Iʼm chasing master laws for their own sake?” Robin raised a single eyebrow. ”I already told you my goal-what was it?” ”...Glory?” Arkalon asked hesitantly, genuine confusion on his face. ”Exactly.” Robin turned around, clapped once, then walked back to his chair and sat down, closing his eyes. ”And now... letʼs try something interesting, since Iʼve obtained the First Stage of Causality.”

Robinʼs body began to pulse with a golden radiance. The glow intensified, shifting and spreading until intricate engravings covered his entire form. Then -oooom-he opened his eyes.

In an instant, an overwhelming number of threads appeared before him, so many that the very color of the room seemed to distort and change. Trillions upon trillions of threads filled his vision. ”This...” Arkalon instinctively took a step back. It was the first time he had ever witnessed the true workings of a master Law-no, of any master law at all.

Robinʼs eyes moved slowly among the countless threads. Most of them were thin, fragile, almost insignificant on their own-but they were connected.

Which meant one thing:

Robinʼs fate was now directly linked to all of them, and any movement he made would ripple outward, affecting every connected destiny in turn.

Robin saw thick, unconnected threads, heavy and distant-threads that most likely belonged to great figures he had interacted with in the past. Their presence was undeniable, yet detached, existing beyond his current reach. He lacked the level required to influence the opposite ends of those threads for now, no matter how clearly he perceived them.

Then his attention shifted to strong, connected threads-threads that resonated far more vividly. They all belonged to his generals and his children. Every single one of them flickered with a faint crimson glow on the far end, a muted but unmistakable sign of potential danger. ”...All of them?” Robin murmured with visible concern, his voice low and strained. Yet only a moment later, he shook his head slowly. Of course they would all be in danger because of what was to come. That outcome was inevitable. His role, his responsibility, would be to ensure that those threads would never be severed, no matter the cost.

Robin extended his hand and deliberately pulled on one specific thread-and in response, all the others vanished from his perception.

It was a green thread, yet it pulsed with unstable flashes of red, a clear indication of the ownerʼs fierce attachment to life, and at the same time, a sign of how volatile and uncertain his current fate had become. ”Richard...” Robin whispered, the name carrying weight far heavier than the sound itself.

He raised his other hand, and intricate patterns began to form above his palm. The shapes twisted, aligned, and refined themselves until they finally took the form of dice-a six-sided die, each face engraved with arrows of varying sizes and quantities, all pointing in different directions, representing divergent paths and outcomes.

Holding the die firmly, Robin stared at the thread in his other hand and murmured softly:

The die remained completely still, utterly unresponsive.

After several seconds stretched into silence, Robin realized that the question itself exceeded his current capabilities. With a faint frown, he adjusted his approach and changed the question: ”This looks like a huge waste of time,” Arkalon said, raising one eyebrow skeptically as he watched.

Robin did not respond immediately. He stayed silent for a few moments longer, his expression tightening as he refined his thoughts. Then, carefully, he formed a different question:

Hooom

At last, the die reacted.

Slowly and weakly, as if struggling under an immense burden, it leapt from

Robinʼs hand and began tumbling toward the ground. Robinʼs gaze remained locked onto it without blinking for even an instant-then-

Kraash

The die shattered before it could touch the floor, its fragments scattering in every direction.

At the same moment, the red-flickering thread and the broken pieces of the die vanished completely, and the room returned to its normal state, as though nothing had happened. ”Pffft!!” Robin spat out blood and clutched his chest with both hands as the golden radiance enveloping his body faded away. ”Arghh!!” ”Hey-are you alright?!” Arkalon rushed forward, examining Robin both physically and spiritually, then began pouring a massive amount of soul force into him to stabilize his condition. ”... Tsk. How can someone look this pitiful while using a master law?”

It quickly became apparent that Robin had once again exhausted all the foundations he had been building for months-and even his life artery had been partially consumed by the strain. ”Sh-shut... up...” Robin straightened himself with effort and sat upright again, forcing a small smile onto his face. ”The First Stage of Causality is far too weak to support a plan of this scale, and my level is far too low to sustain questions like that. But...” His smile turned bloody and resolute. ”I still got my answer.”

He had noticed which face of the die had been closest to the ground just before it shattered. That detail alone had to mean something. ”I wouldnʼt call what just happened an answer,” Arkalon replied, still working tirelessly to stabilize Robinʼs energy core and life artery. ”You should probably wait until you obtain the Second Stage of Causality” ”Hehe. A good suggestion-but I donʼt think the Second Stage of Causality will wait for me,” Robin said as he wiped the blood from his mouth and slowly closed his eyes. ”Once youʼre done stabilizing my condition, you can go back to what you were doing... Iʼm entering the Soul Society to see my new wealth.”