Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2328 Help

”...!!”

In the distance, Zina, Zavarosʼ daughter and his business manager, opened her eyes as wide as they could go in astonishment, her composed expression instantly crumbling as the meaning behind Robinʼs words slowly settled into her mind.

She and her siblings had been listening to every single word in silence from beginning to end, not daring to interrupt even once. Shock had already been written all over their faces ever since the conversation began, each new revelation proving more unbelievable than the last, but at this particular moment, the accumulated disbelief finally overwhelmed her. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she instinctively raised both hands to cover her mouth as countless thoughts flashed through her mind one after another.

She had suddenly recalled the conversation she once had with her father, back when Lord Robin had requested to purchase a quantity of blood from him. Instead of sending the blood, however, her father had dispatched an entire living Behemoth family, along with the blood of a beast possessing the strength of a Dominator, telling her at the time that it was merely a gift, a token of friendship that would hopefully lay the foundation for future relations rather than a simple business transaction.

Back then, she had believed it was nothing more than exploitation and an assertion of dominance by Lord Robin over them. She had even felt that her father had become a feeble ruler, desperately currying favor with the Emperor in hopes of securing a better position for himself and their galaxy. She could almost hear Lord Robin laughing mockingly as he accepted such a pitiful offering, ridiculing Zavarosʼ naivety, weakness, and humiliation while taking everything for granted simply because he possessed overwhelming strength.

Yet in return for that single gesture, Robin had revealed all of this information to him without concealing anything of importance... and was even offering to help him fight a war of this magnitude, one capable of determining the fate of entire galaxies and countless worlds?

Was it her father who possessed extraordinary foresight, seeing value where everyone else saw humiliation... or was it Lord Robin who simply never left a debt unpaid, no matter how small the favor might have appeared at the time?

Meanwhile, Kiryan let out a quiet sigh and lowered his gaze, his expression carrying an unmistakable trace of helplessness that even he could not completely hide.

Unlike Zavaros, he had no history whatsoever with Lord Robin, had never exchanged favors with him, nor had he ever established even the smallest foundation of trust, and because of that, his own situation was hundreds of times worse than Zavarosʼ, leaving him with almost no reason to expect such generosity.

”...A second chance?” Zavaros narrowed his eyes, carefully studying Robinʼs face as though trying to determine whether there was another hidden meaning behind those words. ”What exactly do you mean?”

”Hmm.” Robin fell silent for a brief moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts before speaking again. ”I had already prepared an offer for you before coming here.” He then turned toward a certain direction with an unhurried movement. ”But since your friend is here as well, I see no reason not to extend that offer a little further to include one more person, provided heʼs willing to listen.”

”...?” Kiryan pointed at himself in visible surprise, almost suspecting he had misunderstood. ”You want to help me?” He paused for several moments before asking with a complicated expression, ”Do you even know my situation?”

”Mn.” Robin nodded calmly without the slightest hesitation. ”The original plan was to defend the Middle Sector 105 front line, wipe out Middle Sector 106, then steadily advance and expand along the front until we reached Middle Sector 110, where a proper war would begin after securing a stable line of advance.” He then pointed at Kiryan. ”But since youʼre already in Middle Sector 115, why donʼt we besiege Helmor straight through the middle instead? That would save both time and unnecessary losses while forcing him to divide his attention.”

”...” A bitter smile appeared on Kiryanʼs face as he slowly shook his head. ”That was exactly why I came here today.” He then turned toward Zavaros. ”My galaxy has already lost six hundred planets, and my forces are in retreat after suffering repeated attacks. Even so, my core strength remains intact, most of my disciples are still alive, the spirit of my home planet is still standing despite everything, and I am still capable of fighting as long as I have enough support to stabilize the situation.”

”But I canʼt.” Zavaros laughed helplessly, spreading his hands. ”Is this some kind of joke? Iʼm already struggling in Middle Sector 106, and more than half of my children are stationed there leading the fighting. What do you think will happen if I withdraw them and rush to your aid? Within the very same hour, those bastards will launch an assault on my galaxy the moment they notice the gap in my defenses, and everything Iʼve managed to protect until now will collapse.”

He then turned toward Robin, his smile gradually fading into a serious expression.

”Lord Robin, youʼll have to forgive me, but Iʼm already dealing with a crisis of my own. The Butcher openly threatened me today, right to my face, making his intentions perfectly clear, and an alliance with Kiryan wonʼt benefit either of us. Even if I wished to help him, all I would accomplish is exposing my own territory while failing to change the overall situation on his side.”

He then looked at Kiryan. ”Why donʼt you gather your army and your disciples and come to my galaxy instead? Weʼll establish a powerful front here, consolidate our strength in a single place, and force Helmor to attack us on ground of our own choosing rather than allowing him to keep dividing us.”

”So you want me to abandon my galaxy, abandon its Galaxy Spirit, have my disciples abandon their own personal planets within the galaxy as well, and turn all of us into half-dead men—or outright dead men—just so we can come and fight alongside you? Then your galaxy can burn with everyone inside it!” Kiryan waved his hand dismissively, not even trying to conceal his irritation. ”At the very least, if you helped me instead, there would still be a chance. Weʼd drive him back, stabilize the front, preserve what remains of my territory, and fight with honor instead of fleeing from one battlefield to another!!”

”Then thereʼs no deal.” Zavaros waved his hand, his answer arriving without even a moment of hesitation.

”Alright, alright, Uncle Robin is here.” Robin chuckled and gestured downward, signaling for both of them to calm down before the discussion completely derailed. ”My offer is simple, and both of you are going to like it. At the very least, hear it through before rejecting each other.”

”...” Kiryan and Zavaros fell silent, exchanging a brief glance before simultaneously turning toward Robin, waiting for him to continue.

Only then did Robin begin to speak, his eyes fixed on Kiryan with an unusually serious expression.

”First, Iʼll establish an immediate supply channel and transport a shipment of ancient formations to you, along with several Note fleets and roughly half a trillion pearls for defensive batteries and formations, ensuring your defensive network can continue operating without worrying about resources for quite some time. Iʼll also gift you a number of Displacement Gear of various grades, allowing you to evacuate any important planet before they reach it, preserving your most valuable assets even if certain fronts become impossible to defend.”

”....” Kiryanʼs heart began pounding rapidly as the value of those resources instantly became clear to him, yet after a brief silence, he still shook his head. ”That wonʼt be enough.”

”Itʼll be enough to slow the pace of the invasion.” Robin nodded calmly, as though he had expected that answer from the beginning. ”Your army is already fighting, according to you, and those supplies will be sufficient to prevent the loss of any additional planets for a while. That time will be essential for the next step, because the objective isnʼt to defeat Helmor immediately, but to stop the situation from deteriorating before our real move begins.”

He then looked toward Zavaros.

”Iʼll give you a similar amount of pearls and Note fleets. Iʼll also gift you one thousand World Cataclysms, three hundred Nexus States, and on top of that, a large quantity of offensive and defensive formations manufactured in my personal galaxy, along with numerous talismans and curses prepared specifically for large-scale warfare. And above all of that, my secret weapon—the Imperial Guard—will descend onto the battlefield as well. Every one of them will be deployed to Middle Sector 106 in the near future, and all youʼll have to do is personally lead them to annihilate Helmorʼs First Row Scions stationed there, breaking their control over the sector once and for all.”

”.....” Zavaros frowned as he rapidly calculated the military value of everything Robin had just listed. ”If I personally go there, bringing the rest of my children and a respectable army with me, an enormous battle will erupt in Middle Sector 106, and Iʼll win... then what?” He pointed toward Kiryan. ”How does that help him... or me? We still wonʼt have eliminated Helmor himself.”

”Heʼll buy time by defending his galaxy, and the support corridor Iʼll establish will remain permanent, secure, and everlasting. Kiryan wonʼt fall.” He then pointed at Zavaros. ”And youʼll reclaim Middle Sector 106, recover your honor, and open a powerful front against Helmor. Instead of bullying one of you at a time, heʼll suddenly find himself fighting two massive wars simultaneously, forcing him to split both his attention and his military strength.”

Then Robin smiled.

”And in the end, all of this will simply be a way for both of you to buy time, earn respect, and announce to the entire universe which side youʼve chosen to stand with, making it impossible for anyone to misunderstand your position once the true conflict reaches its climax.”

”Buy time?” Zavaros frowned thoughtfully. ”What exactly are we buying time for?” Then he smiled with a hint of curiosity. ”Will Your Majesty be preparing to kill Helmor personally?”

”No.” Robin leaned back in his chair, his voice remaining completely calm. ”There are far too many players involved. So far, Iʼve confirmed that Helmor and the Syndicate have both betrayed us. Without a doubt, theyʼre most likely working for the same faction.” His eyes then flashed with a cold light. ”Who knows how many other forces belong to them? Who knows whether thereʼs another faction besides the Seer and his rival? Donʼt forget... there are still three major powers in Universe B-14 that havenʼt made a move yet, and none of us can predict what theyʼll choose to do once this war reaches its decisive stage.”

”.....”

The hearts of the three of them sank, each of them suddenly realizing that the battlefield they had been looking at until now might represent only a fraction of the forces truly hidden behind the curtain.

Even so, Zavaros asked once more, unwilling to leave the matter unresolved.

”...Then what exactly are we waiting for?”

Robin smiled.

”Weʼre waiting for Renara. Sheʼll finish her mission... and then sheʼll come to help you.”