Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2350 Digesting the Greats

About two weeks later—

”.....” Robin gazed toward the sky, his golden eyes barely open, quietly observing the endless heavens while maintaining the Eye of Truth at only the lowest level he could manage. Even that limited activation required obvious effort now, forcing him to carefully ration every trace of strength he still possessed.

Compared to the day he had removed Hedrickʼs limitations, he could now sit upright without difficulty, open his eyes freely, and even activate the Eye of Truth while displaying nearly forty percent of its golden radiance... yet he still hadnʼt returned to the condition he had been in beforehand. The recovery was obvious, but so was the lingering damage that refused to disappear.

Two weeks after removing Renaraʼs limitations, he had fully recovered his vitality without leaving behind the slightest abnormality. But now, even after two weeks had passed since removing Hedrickʼs limitations, he still felt exhausted. He still felt that something wasnʼt quite right, as though an invisible part of himself had yet to return to its proper place despite every visible sign suggesting that his body should already be healthy again.

Whoosh.

At that moment, a Shadow Sword appeared beside Robin in a kneeling position and respectfully presented him with a metallic plate.

”Hmm.” Robin deactivated the Eye of Truth, gently rubbing his tired eyes for several moments before extending his left hand to receive the plate. The instant it reached his palm, he injected his soul into it without the slightest hesitation, rapidly reading every piece of information stored within.

A few seconds later, he nodded several times before crushing the plate into dust, no longer needing the report after committing its contents to memory.

Then he looked toward Hedrick through half-open eyes.

”Are you ready?”

Rumble. Rumble.

At that moment, Hedrick was seated in a meditative posture, but he was anything but calm.

The air surrounding him continued to tremble without pause, the earth beneath him pulsed relentlessly as though responding to every subtle fluctuation of his aura, and bolts of lightning repeatedly descended from the sky at irregular intervals. He wasnʼt cultivating in the ordinary sense. Instead, he was using the slightest movements and the most precise injections of energy to control everything around him, constantly probing the limits of his newfound strength while refining the precision of every strike, every movement, and every fluctuation of power until even the surrounding environment gradually became part of his training.

”Mm.”

The moment his name was called, Hedrick immediately opened his eyes and rose to his feet, ending his training without the slightest delay.

Zzznn.

The legendary sword lying nearby instantly flew into his hand as though responding to a silent summons before he confidently walked toward Robin with calm, steady steps.

”So... itʼs time?”

”Yeah.” Robin nodded. ”I know you still need much more time to master your new strength. Even years wouldnʼt be enough for someone to completely adapt to a transformation of this scale. But I need you to move today. Renara is already on her way to the Zargul Galaxy at this very moment, and her assault will begin within minutes.”

He continued, ”Iʼll open a portal directly to Darvion. The moment you arrive, attack immediately without giving them time to organize themselves. A large number of Shadow Swords, special forces, and several dormant cells weʼve planted there over the years will move alongside you the instant the battle begins. You wonʼt be alone. Your only job is to take the lead and overwhelm the enemyʼs strongest forces—leave the planning, battlefield control, and overall coordination to them. Renara will receive the same support on her side as well.”

”No problem. Iʼm ready. Besides, practical combat will only speed up the process. Itʼll also be interesting to see whether my control or Renaraʼs has become better by now.” Hedrick cracked his neck from side to side with a confident smile. During the past two weeks, Glatheon had told him many things about the current state of the universe and everything that had happened during his absence, the most important being that Renara was now in a situation remarkably similar to his own after Robin had removed her limitations.

When Hedrick had heard that, he had actually shuddered.

If he had rejected Robinʼs offer, he would have emerged one hundred and five years later only to have his ass kicked by a girl like Renara?!

Hedrick let out a cold breath.

”Just out of curiosity... is there anything special about today thatʼs making every piece move at once, as though everything has been waiting for this exact moment?”

”Nothing in particular.” Robin slightly raised his head. ”But I need to deliver a message to certain people—both those I know and those I donʼt. The great figures of the universe who manipulate everything from behind the curtain... the ones who receive their orders from beyond the wall.”

”What is the message?” Hedrickʼs eyes lit up with curiosity.

”....” A smile appeared on Robinʼs face.

”That Iʼm ready to Digest the Greats, of course.”

Then he continued, ”By the end of today, both Zargul and Darvion should be dealt with completely. After that, the Shadow Swords will seize control of the sectors between Mid Sector 97 to Mid Sector 105 with overwhelming speed before anyone else can properly react.”

Then he pointed at Hedrick.

”Afterward, youʼll head to Zavaros in Mid Sector 106 and gradually join the war against your brothers, applying continuous pressure until you force them to retreat all the way back to Mid Sector 110. Then youʼll go to Kiryan and help him drive your father backward as well, steadily pushing him until the three of you pin him down inside Mid Sector 110 together with whatever remains of his armies... At that point, you, Zavaros, and Kiryan will attack him together and destroy him.”

”...Meanwhile, Renara will finish off Zargul, appoint rulers over Mid Sectors 98 and 97 to stabilize both sectors after the fighting, then proceed to reinforce Mid Sector 100 and eliminate whatever resistance remains there before it has any chance to reorganize. After that, sheʼll gradually fight her way through Mid Sector 95 until she reaches the Behemoth of Gravity, then the Behemoth of Relativity... and then any other son of a bitch who dares stand in her way.”

”...Youʼll carve your way through the left while Renara tears apart the right, both of you backed by my armies, my wealth, and my inventions.” Robin raised his voice as though proclaiming an undeniable truth. ”Under this sky... who can stop me?”

Then a cunning smile slowly spread across his face.

”There are certainly those who can. There are those who will gather together, those who will become enraged, those who will crawl out of their holes after remaining hidden for countless years... There are those who will try to halt my absolute and unwavering march toward dominion over the universe, believing they can suppress everything before it grows beyond their control.”

He sneered.

”But it will all be in vain.”

Bang!

Robin slammed his hand heavily against the armrest of his chair.

”No one shall stop my inevitable path toward glory.”

Thump.

Hedrickʼs heart skipped a beat as he watched Robin speak with such unwavering certainty. The scale of those words should have sounded absurd, impossible, and detached from reality... yet when they came from Robinʼs mouth, spoken without the slightest hesitation or trace of arrogance, they sounded completely natural.

They sounded like the truth.

”Understood.”

Hedrick casually swung his sword through the air, his expression already settling into calm determination.

Golden inscriptions immediately began appearing across Robinʼs body one after another, faintly illuminating the area around him before he weakly pointed in a certain direction.

Hummmm...

Robin weakly pointed toward the golden portal that had already begun stabilizing before them.

”Take your companion and go. Destroy Darvion... refine that galaxy into your own. Then wait for the Shadow Swords to deliver your next detailed orders and proceed according to the overall plan.”

”....”

Hedrick silently nodded before taking a step forward without asking another question.

-----------------------

Outer Space, Mid Sector 102—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

BOOOOM!!

With an expression devoid of emotion, Hedrick watched several warships rapidly enter the battlefield while dozens of Phantom Shadow vessels launched perfectly coordinated assaults against the galaxyʼs outer planets. They struck the array locations with astonishing precision, forcing one defensive formation after another to collapse while drawing away the defending fleets exactly as planned and opening numerous gaps throughout the battlefield.

He also saw hundreds of Nexus States, World Cataclysms, and Soul Masters clashing head-on against multiple defensive fleets, every one of them fighting with everything they had to carve open a path for him, fully aware that their role was simply to create the perfect battlefield for the man who would deliver the decisive blow.

Looking upon that scene, Hedrick smiled.

”Letʼs go, Drace. Itʼs my first day serving as a subordinate... letʼs see how it ends.”

Then Hedrick advanced without the slightest hesitation.

------------------------

Mid Sector 98—

Renara tightened her grip around her spear as she watched the fleets of the Grave Empire bombard the Zargul Galaxy with relentless firepower. She watched Aro personally leading the assault after spending decades recovering from his injuries...

All to open a path for her.

”Hoooh~”

Renara released a long breath as the countless explosions reflected within her eyes.

”Zargul... I donʼt know you, and you donʼt know me. But a blade never stops to ask its master whose blood it will spill next.”

Then she calmly began moving forward, her spear already gathering terrifying momentum.

”Blame your luck for standing in the Lordʼs way.”

--------------------------

Mid Sector 101—

Clack.

Glatheon gently placed a cup of tea upon a small table of ice before Robin, then quietly stood beside him, silently watching the young human whose trembling body now carried the ambitions of an entire universe.

Finally, after gathering enough courage to ask the question that had been weighing on his mind, he spoke.

”My Lord... are you prepared for the consequences of what will happen today?”

Robin, who had been quietly staring at his trembling hand, allowed it to rest upon the chair before slowly raising his head to look toward the distant sky.

”...No.”

”I donʼt understand the true extent of the power Iʼm standing against. I donʼt know how many enemies will emerge after today, or how many hidden forces Iʼve yet to provoke. But Iʼve already chosen this path, and thatʼs the end of it.”

”I decided to make them fear me.”

”To be the one who acts first...”

”...instead of becoming the reaction.”

Then he narrowed his eyes slightly as countless thoughts passed through his mind.

”I only want to buy myself some time. And after the shock thatʼs about to shake the universe today... I believe Iʼll earn myself a few years.”

”Buy time... to do what exactly, My Lord?” Glatheon asked quietly.

”....”

Robin narrowed his eyes.

”To find out what happened to that old fart!”

~~~~

The Devouring the Bones volume has come to an end.

The next chapter will begin the new volume: