Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2236 Logic

”....” Caesarʼs eyes filled with tears, but he quickly lowered his gaze and forced them to evaporate.

Not out of gratitude...

But out of humiliation and self-loathing.

If death wants to take you, it must get through me first.

He had made that promise to his father hundreds of years ago.

He remembered it clearly.

He remembered the confidence with which he had spoken those words.

The certainty.

The pride.

The belief that one day he would stand before every danger and shield his family from it.

Yet somehow, the roles had reversed with terrifying speed.

Years passed.

Wars came and went.

Enemies rose and fell.

And despite all of his growth, despite all of his achievements, despite becoming someone feared by countless cultivators...

The gap between him and his father only seemed to grow larger.

Yes...

If he appeared beside his father on any battlefield, he would be the burden that needed saving.

The person his father would protect.

Not the other way around.

”You...” Althera stared directly into Robinʼs eyes. ”Did you just admit that you let Asir die?” Then she took a step backward. ”I thought you would swear that you were injured... that you would justify yourself... but you... but you...?!”

”I have no need to say that I was injured and standing at deathʼs door. Anyone with eyes can see that, and you can see it as well.” Robin tilted his head slightly. ”But you donʼt care about my injuries. Youʼre angry because I didnʼt kill myself for your deputy, despite the fact that you didnʼt do the same... you ran the moment you felt danger.”

”I didnʼt know this would happen!” Althera shot back immediately. ”It was an instinctive reaction caused by the difference in strength!”

”Oh? And if you had known she was going to kill Asir, you would have stopped her?” Robin smiled. ”Then why didnʼt you attack her when you saw her holding his head? Even after she disappeared, you didnʼt dare put on a show or curse her loudly in case she came back.”

”I—I...” Althera lost her voice.

The words refused to come.

Every excuse she tried to form collapsed before reaching her lips.

Because she knew.

Deep down, she knew.

Robinʼs words were cruel.

But they were not wrong.

”You are a selfish woman looking for someone to blame.” Robin raised his head again, his expression turning cold and severe. ”But youʼve come to the wrong person at the wrong time.” Then he continued angrily, ”Yes, I would have tried to save him if he were my son, or if he were MY deputy. At least I am willing to risk myself for those close to me. But you didnʼt do the same, so by what right do you judge me?”

Thump

Althera fell to her knees.

The impact echoed softly across the stone.

Her eyes trembled.

Repeating...

The memories of her childhood repeated.

Fragments of old tragedies surfaced from places she had long tried to bury.

Faces.

Voices.

Farewells.

Once again, she had failed to protect someone close to her.

Once again, they had died before her eyes while she stood powerless.

Repeating.

Repeating.

Repeating.

The same feeling.

The same helplessness.

The same hatred toward herself.

No matter how much stronger she became.

No matter how high her cultivation rose.

No matter how many enemies she defeated.

Those moments always seemed to find a way back to her.

She had become a Monarch of a Major Fundamental Law...

And it was still repeating.

”....” Robin kept his gaze on Althera for several seconds before turning back toward the battlefield. ”Iʼm sorry I didnʼt play the role of the scapegoat very well. Deal with your failure in your own way... just as I deal with mine.”

Then he continued after a brief pause:

”When you recover from your current state, either go back and continue fighting, or resign your position and leave quietly. I will not beg anyone to remain by my side.”

Silence struck the area like a thunderbolt.

Even the sounds of battle seemed distant for a moment.

Robinʼs children showed almost no reaction.

They were accustomed to this tone from their father.

They had heard it countless times.

During victories.

During failures.

During moments of life and death.

So many times that they knew it by heart.

Whenever Robin truly became angry, he stopped shouting.

His voice became calmer.

Colder.

Sharper.

Holak and the five Imperial Guard squad leaders, however, revealed broad smiles.

Satisfied smiles.

Proud smiles.

This was the man they served.

A man who never bent himself to accommodate another personʼs emotions.

A man who spoke exactly what he believed.

A man who refused to lie even when a comforting lie would have been easier.

Only by serving a powerhouse like this could they walk toward true glory.

As for Robinʼs grandchildren, they swallowed nervously.

They had heard many stories about their grandfatherʼs personality and overwhelming arrogance.

The man who had insulted Nexus States while he was still merely a Saint on a Young Planet.

The man who had offended powers countless levels above himself and somehow survived.

The man who treated impossible odds as ordinary inconveniences.

But this was the first time they had witnessed it with their own eyes.

This was an entirely different level.

Stories and reality were not the same thing.

”Dad, what are you saying? Thatʼs far too harsh!” Zara placed a hand on her waist and frowned at Robin.

Then she walked to Altheraʼs side and sat down beside her, lowering her voice into a gentle whisper.

”Father is angry about what happened and saddened by Uncle Asirʼs death as well. Donʼt forget that he only woke up moments ago. To him, everything that happened feels as though it occurred mere minutes earlier, so his emotions are still burning. Donʼt be upset with him, alright?”

”....”

Robin ignored the criticism.

He ignored the consolation as well.

And continued watching the battle in a foul mood.

Of course he understood Althera.

He understood her better than she understood herself.

If he had told her that he was saddened by the boyʼs death.

That there was nothing he could have done.

If he had shed a few tears and sworn revenge.

She probably would have cried alongside him.

Everything would have ended there.

The closest of friends once again.

The entire conflict would have disappeared beneath a few emotional words and shared grief.

But to hell with that.

Why should he indulge such madness?

Why should he carry guilt that did not belong to him?

Why should he pretend that reality was different from what it was?

He owed nobody an explanation.

And he owed nobody in this universe anything.

This shock was good for Althera anyway.

A moment ago, he had watched her throwing herself at the Space Beasts with a burning, vengeful fury.

It was obvious she blamed them for Asirʼs death.

Obvious she blamed them for her own weakness and for running away that day.

Obvious she was trying to compensate through endless battle.

Trying to drown regret beneath slaughter.

Trying to silence self-hatred beneath accomplishments.

So she would certainly not leave...

Her reaction to his words would lead to one of only two outcomes.

The first was that she would avoid him, return to the battlefield, continue down her path of vengeance and power in silence, and coordinate with Blokan and the others as before.

Or she would choose the path of logic and try to draw closer to him, ensuring she remained within the circle he would protect when life and death were on the line.

Either way, she would abandon the idea that he owed her—or the universe—anything.

Instead, she would understand that everything he did was an act of generosity.

Either way, she would abandon the notion that she was a partner of any kind.

Instead, she would understand that she was merely a follower.

Either way...

Althera would submit.

Robinʼs lips trembled slightly.

He had never liked taking this path...

But there was no longer any time left.

There was no longer any time left to think about feelings, weigh emotions, or calculate potential losses.

Every day that passed was another day closer to the future awaiting them.

Another day closer to the enemies beyond the gate.

Another day closer to whatever force had created creatures such as the Executioner.

”Ten thousand years...” Robin muttered aloud.

The number lingered in his mind.

Sometimes it sounded impossibly distant.

At other times, terrifyingly close.

To ordinary people, ten thousand years was an eternity.

To someone at his level, it was merely a long project.

And to the enemies beyond the shell...

It might not even be worth mentioning.

”Did you say something, Father?” Theo asked quietly.

”Hmm?” Robin turned toward him, then slowly shook his head. ”...No.”

Whoooosh

In the next moment, an unusual development began to unfold near the gate.

The beasts there stopped entering.

All of the Space Beasts in its immediate vicinity were swiftly cut down.

Several defenders immediately noticed the change.

Some looked toward the gate in confusion.

Others instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons.

Because changes near the gate were rarely good news.

Then two small figures appeared...

Morgana and Blokan, accompanied by the Royal Soul Master who had gone to summon them.

”Your Majesty!!!”

Morgana shot through the air in a straight line toward Robin, her eyes shining with excitement and a broad smile spread across her face.

The speed of her approach caused several nearby guards to instinctively tense.

”Wait, wait, wait!!”

Caesar, Peon, Theo, and Holak immediately stepped in front of Robin and began waving their arms for her to slow down.

”I know, move aside!” Morgana stopped with a frown.

Then she pushed them out of the way and moved to Robinʼs side, gently taking hold of his left arm before placing a kiss on his cheek.

”You were gone for far too long!”

There was no attempt to hide the emotion in her voice.

After all, she had spent months watching over him.

Months wondering whether he would wake up normally.

Months helping stabilize his condition.

Months carrying responsibilities that had never originally belonged to her.

”...” Robin smiled in response to the kiss, but said nothing.

Nor did he turn toward her.

His eyes remained fixed on Blokan.

There, Blokan still stood beside the gate, silently staring back at him, deep in thought.

And Robin was equally focused on him.

Blokan was the strongest person he knew.

The strongest person he had personally encountered and interacted with.

A man whose power was so overwhelming that even now Robin found it difficult to estimate its true limits.

He genuinely did not know who would win in a battle between Blokan and Hedrick.

A noble man who had devoted his life to serving the universe.

A man respected by allies and strangers alike.

A man whose sense of duty ran deeper than most peopleʼs cultivation.

A man capable of earning loyalty without demanding it.

If Robin could convince him to stay, his assistance would be invaluable.

Not merely because of his power.

But because people naturally gathered around someone like Blokan.

Strength inspired fear.

Character inspired loyalty.

And Robin needed both.

Whoosh

Blokan rose into the air and rapidly approached the mountain.

Robin began preparing himself mentally.

This conversation would likely be a long one.

There was no shared history between them.

No personal bond.

No lingering favor.

No dead loved one connecting their fates.

No emotional leverage.

Nothing that would naturally tie Blokan to him.

The relationship between them was built almost entirely upon circumstance.

The gate.

The war.

The future.

And little else.

The only thing capable of convincing him to remain was duty.

And perhaps a few practical benefits on the side.

Robin would have to tempt him with money.

Resources.

Influence.

Opportunities.

A great many of them.

Enough to justify staying.

Enough to justify building something here instead of returning to the life he had known.

Enough to convince a man like Blokan that his presence would create more value here than elsewhere.

Because Robin understood something important.

People rarely changed their lives because of ideals alone.

Even the noblest among them needed practical reasons.

Thump

Blokan landed not far from Althera.

His gaze immediately locked onto Robinʼs eyes.

For several moments he said nothing.

Simply looking.

Confirming.

As if making certain that the man before him was truly awake.

Robin met his gaze without speaking as well.

The two men remained silent for a brief moment while the sounds of war continued in the background.

Then Blokanʼs eyes lowered slightly, examining Robinʼs weakened body and miserable condition.

The pale skin.

The exhausted aura.

The obvious signs of damage that still lingered even after months of recovery.

The fact that he was standing at all was impressive.

The fact that he was already discussing the future was even more absurd.

Then he released a breath of relief.

A genuine one.

The sort of relief that escaped only after carrying a burden for a very long time.

The sort of relief that came when uncertainty finally ended.

”Whooo~”

Then he lowered himself onto both knees and hands.

”Congratulations to the universe on your safety, My Lord.”