Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2187 Good news, almost

On the other side of Planet Donara—

Inhale

”Fooo~”

Inhale

”Fooo~”

Richard slowly alternated his breaths, drawing them in and releasing them with extreme care, as if he were relearning the very act of breathing from the beginning, reacquainting himself with a body that no longer felt entirely his own.

Compared to the day the corridor first opened, when he stood among the others and fought alongside them without hesitation, Richard had changed far more than anyone would have expected.

He had grown noticeably thinner, to a frightening degree, his skin clinging tightly to his bones as though it had no strength left to maintain its form, to the point that even his facial features had subtly warped. His lips were dry, cracked, and pale, as though deprived of moisture for far too long, while his eyes were filled with ruptured blood vessels, giving them a strained and almost feral appearance. Even his clothes had not escaped this deterioration, no longer whole or intact, but torn and riddled with holes, resembling the attire of a seasoned beggar who had wandered through countless hardships.

Hooo~

In the very next moment, another figure appeared within the room, emerging with such unsettling silence that even the surrounding air failed to ripple or react, as though his presence did not belong to the physical world at all. The stillness was so complete that Richard himself did not notice that someone now stood merely two steps away from him.

It was Theo… standing there quietly, his gaze fixed upon his younger brother, his eyes carrying a deep and unmistakable trace of pity as he took in the miserable state before him.

Truly… their father never granted anyone an easy path. Not once. Not even the one who had been specifically assigned to dedicate himself entirely to training had been spared from hardship; if anything, his situation seemed no better than the rest.

”Little brother, are you alright?” Theo finally asked, breaking the silence that had settled over the room.

”…” Richard slowly opened one eye, his movement controlled and deliberate, catching sight of the newcomer before closing it once again, as though even that small effort demanded too much from him. ”Welcome… second brother… please… have a seat…” he murmured weakly, then attempted to rise from his position, intending to receive him properly despite his condition.

”Please, stay where you are.” Theo immediately pressed him back down with a firm yet careful hand. ”Iʼm afraid youʼll break your leg just trying to stand.” He then pulled a nearby chair and sat down beside him, his expression tightening slightly. ”What happened to you? You donʼt look well at all… not even close.”

”…” Richard remained silent for several seconds, as though gathering the strength required just to speak. Then he exhaled heavily, the sound strained, before lifting his gaze to meet Theoʼs. ”Iʼve reached… the twenty-first level… of the merged Anti-Matter Law…” he said slowly, each word carrying effort. He raised his hand faintly, as if inviting Theo to examine the result himself. ”Trying to use it… isnʼt pleasant most of the time… as you can see…”

”…” Theo gave a slow nod, understanding more than enough from those few words.

Anti-matter was no ordinary law. It was a miraculous fourfold law, one that contained within it the Law of Fundamental Fission, a principle that rivaled the Law of Fundamental Destruction in how demanding it was regarding specialized affinity. Even with such extreme difficulty, the Swords of Shadow had cooperated with the City of Sky Opening to develop and provide an elixir capable of temporarily boosting the userʼs affinity to a usable level.

And that alone was not enough.

There were also additional elixirs required, ones that enhanced affinity toward the Law of Life, the Law of Fire, and the Law of Energy, each of them placing further strain upon the body and mind.

After consuming all of these in preparation to wield the Anti-Matter Law, the body would inevitably enter a violent state of shock. This shock, by itself, was more than enough to kill the vast majority of people outright, leaving no chance of survival.

But Robin had made his judgment based on something else.

He had relied on the fact that Richardʼs body had long been tempered by the Fire of Life, that it had endured continuous strengthening and had stored vast amounts of life force within itself over time, reinforcing his foundation beyond that of an ordinary individual.

And in that regard… he had been right.

Richard had indeed survived the effects of the fourfold elixir.

Yet even so, survival did not mean stability.

From the looks of it, things were far from proceeding as they should.

As this thought crossed his mind, a brief moment of hesitation surfaced within Theo regarding the Law of Cosmic Silence… would he truly be able to endure its elixir, withstand its burden, and ultimately wield it without suffering a similar fate… or worse?

”…Does the merged law go out of control?” Theo finally asked, his eyes drifting toward the torn and shredded patches covering Richardʼs newly worn clothes.

”…Frequently.” Richard replied after a pause, slowly rubbing the space between his brows as if trying to suppress a lingering pain. ”Maintaining precise ratios… between four different laws… at all times… is incredibly difficult… even the slightest fluctuation… turns against me…” His voice weakened slightly as he continued. ”Especially since I have… no natural affinity toward fission…” Then, after a brief silence, he formed a faint, almost bitter smile. ”Do you know the ironic part?”

Theo remained silent, allowing him to continue.

”Anti-matter has already cost me my limbs… and several internal organs… more than once… every time it surges out of control…” Richard said slowly, his tone disturbingly calm despite the severity of his words. ”Each time, I had to reconstruct my body… piece by piece…” He exhaled again, his breath uneven. ”My only fear now… is that one day… it might reach my head itself…” His smile faded completely. ”If that happens… I wonʼt have any chance left… to rebuild anything at all.”

”…This isnʼt funny.” Theo opened his mouth, his voice laced with unmistakable concern as his expression tightened. ”Did you tell Father whatʼs going on?”

If their father were to learn that Richard had been living under the constant threat of death every single day since reaching level twenty-one, there was no doubt he would intervene immediately and refuse to leave him in such a state.

”You know him… he doesnʼt hand over anything… unless itʼs perfect,” Richard slowly shook his head, his tone calm yet weighed down by exhaustion. ”The merged Anti-Matter Law… is perfect as it is, so any shortcomings… any problems that appear… are most likely my fault.” Then he formed a faint, self-deprecating smile. ”What am I supposed to tell him? …That Iʼm a failure and canʼt use the law properly… so he should go and invent something else just to save me? …No… I donʼt have the face for that.”

Their father had already done more than enough, far beyond what anyone could have expected. When Richard had asked for strength, he was given a fourfold merged law unlike anything that had ever existed in the universe. Compared to that, how could he possibly ask for even more without feeling ashamed?

”…As your brother, I want to pressure you into asking him for something that could help you,” Theo said, his gaze steady as he looked directly into Richardʼs eyes. ”But as another son of our father, I understand exactly how you feel… even if my insides were torn apart piece by piece while using the merged Law of Cosmic Silence, I still wouldnʼt go back and ask for help.”

”The Law of Cosmic Silence?” Richard raised his brows slightly, a spark of curiosity breaking through his fatigue before a faint smile appeared. ”He added a law for you as well…? What did you get?”

”Time.” Theo replied, a quiet satisfaction showing on his face as his lips curved into a small, confident smile.

”Hah…” Richard let out a strained laugh, one that carried both genuine happiness and lingering pain. ”Congratulations, big brother… that definitely calls for a celebration…”

”Sit down.” Theo waved his hand lightly, letting out a soft chuckle. ”After seeing you in this condition, my enthusiasm to begin has dropped quite a bit.”

”Heh… heh…” Richard leaned his back more firmly against the wall behind him, allowing his body to sink into it as if even holding himself upright was a burden. ”I know this… isnʼt real… youʼre probably even more eager than before… on the inside.”

”Maybe.” Theo smiled faintly, his expression softening for a brief moment. ”…I brought you something from Father,” he added, though his expression quickly shifted into something awkward and slightly uneasy as he extended a metallic plate toward him.

”What… is this?” Richard reached out slowly, his movements lacking strength as he pulled the plate toward himself and began examining it with narrowed focus.

”Itʼs good news!” Theo said, attempting to inject excitement into his tone. ”Itʼs a customized method to achieve the Sixth Path. Once you complete these simple adjustments, you wonʼt need the elixir anymore, and your body wonʼt have to endure those repeated shocks that pushed you into this condition in the first place!”

”…..”

”…Do you know what else?” Theo continued quickly when he noticed Richardʼs reaction remained underwhelming. ”With this method, your affinity toward all those laws will increase by around thirty percent, including Fundamental fission itself. That means the problem of the law turning against you will disappear entirely!”

”…..”

Richard slowly lifted his gaze toward Theo after scanning something within the plate using his soul, his expression gradually stiffening as he processed what he had just read. Then, in a low and almost disbelieving voice, he asked, ”These instructions… theyʼre only for level… eleven…”

”Yes, youʼll only need to reconstruct level eleven, isnʼt that great?” Theo nodded, trying to maintain an upbeat tone while emphasizing the positives as much as possible, fully aware of the suffering Richard endured with every foundation he painstakingly built. ”…But the levels above eleven will adjust automatically, and any well-constructed level will reshape itself into its most optimal form without additional effort!”

”I…” Richard stared deeply into Theoʼs eyes, as if hoping he had misunderstood something. ”I have to rebuild level eleven… from scratch?!”

”…” Theo hesitated for a brief moment before giving a small, reluctant nod.

Thud

In the very next instant, Richardʼs body went limp as he collapsed to the side, completely unconscious, his face carrying faint signs of a mild stroke.