Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2177 Truth

”..What are you even talking about?” Theo asked, even more confused than before, his brows knitting tightly as his mind raced to keep up.

The modifications his father had described required stripping away everything that made the foundations… foundations in the first place. Every rune, every line, every structural layer that held them together. This went far beyond the scope of conventional foundation-adjustment techniques that only altered minor aspects with extreme precision and control.

That was without even accounting for the overwhelming, almost unbearable pain that anyone attempting such a process would inevitably experience.

If he actually tried it, how many foundations could he realistically adjust before collapsing under the strain of pain and the violent interference between engravings? Two? Three at best?

If he truly intended to apply this method, then logically, he would have no choice but to destroy everything and rebuild from absolute zero. That was the only conclusion that made sense… and it was simply impossible for him. He did not have the luxury of time for such a gamble. He was one of the empireʼs most essential pillars, someone whose absence would immediately be felt across multiple fronts.

And it wasnʼt just him. The idea itself wasnʼt realistic for anyone else either. No one could endure that level of destruction and still expect to recover from it.

Even if someone somehow possessed both the time and the endurance required, the collapse of even a single foundation during the process would lead to immediate death… or, in a slightly better scenario, total disability that would force reliance on something like a Second Chance Array just to survive.

…In the end, the solution of this new path seemed, unfortunately, restricted to children who had not yet reached the eleventh foundation, those who still had the flexibility to shape their path from the beginning.

”Wasnʼt your attention on anything I said, boy?” Robin Burton raised an eyebrow, his tone calm yet faintly mocking. ”Once the base is properly aligned, everything above it will begin correcting itself automatically.”

”Yes, you were talking about children who are just starting their path, right?” Theo frowned deeper, still unconvinced, his voice carrying a hint of resistance as he tried to reconcile the idea.

”Iʼm talking about anyone.” Robin waved his hand casually, as if dismissing the very premise of Theoʼs doubt. ”Theoretically, this applies to you and to anyone willing to modify their eleventh foundation as well.” Then he continued, a faint, confident smile forming on his lips, ”All your followers need is an extended leave during which they adjust their eleventh foundation using the method described. A small portion of that leave will be spent on the actual modification itself, and the rest will naturally be consumed by the process of the remaining foundations adjusting on their own. During that period, theyʼll feel weakened and unstable, and they wonʼt be able to use the law at all, not even with the help of elixirs.”

”..I understand this will cause a shortage in your workforce,” Robin added with a light shrug, as if acknowledging a minor inconvenience rather than a serious issue, ”but I havenʼt found a way around that limitation. During their leave, you can assign them to train recruits or handle administrative responsibilities such as mission intake, coordination, and negotiations. Theyʼll only experience fatigue and temporary weakness, there wonʼt be any real suffering or torment involved.”

”...Did you even find a solution for how to use the Shadow Swords during their recovery period?” Theo asked, disbelief evident in his tone before he let out a short, dry laugh and shook his head.

Then he lifted his gaze and looked directly into his fatherʼs eyes, his expression steady and resolute. ”Thank you… Iʼll use this technique for your sake.”

Even the current Swords of Shadow, veterans with immense experience and refined control, could become distinguished humans under this method?

For the price of a few years of leave, a temporary withdrawal from the battlefield… that was hardly a cost at all.

Once those years passed, the already fearsome Swords of Shadow would not merely return stronger.

They would return as something entirely different… something far beyond what they once were, a force that could reshape the balance of power wherever it stepped.

”What do you mean, use it?” Robin Burton shook his head quickly, almost as if cutting the idea down before it could even take root. ”This booklet explains the arrangement of engravings specifically for users of the major Law of Darkness. Using the same arrangement for another law, even if itʼs only a secondary branch of darkness, would result in permanent disability… or, in the worst case, death.”

Then he fixed his gaze directly on Theo, his expression growing serious and far heavier than before. ”This arrangement didnʼt come by coincidence. I wasnʼt just sitting there and suddenly thought the issue was the order, then casually invented the correct one.” His tone deepened further. ”I used the four Embodied Truth Runes I have to uncover the true, ideal distribution of the Law of Darkness.”

He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance, his eyes locking onto Theoʼs with unmistakable intensity. ”Son… even if the five great Truth Chosen who came before me had gathered together and devoted themselves to finding the proper distribution for the Law of Darkness, they still wouldnʼt have succeeded, even if you give them all the time in the world.”

Embodied Truth Runes…

It had all started when Robin began rebuilding his foundations after they were drained in nearly every battle he fought. Each reconstruction sharpened something within him. Each time, he felt like he could perceive the truth engravings a little more clearly than before… then a little more… then more still.

Driven by a growing curiosity that bordered on obsession, he began deliberately exhausting his own foundations just to push that clarity further, just to deepen that fleeting glimpse. Until, eventually, he reached a point where he could fully perceive several engravings in their entirety.

And then… he did something no one had ever done before.

He brought them into reality.

He drew four of them out into existence.

For the first time since the very first star had ever flickered into being, a Truth Engraving manifested in the open world…

And yet, no one could truly see it.

There was no glow, no radiance, no visible trace for the eyes to grasp. Only Robin could perceive them. To everyone else, they were nothing. Invisible. Nonexistent.

At first, he treated them like a personal curiosity… almost like a private hobby. Something that quietly fed his pride, something that whispered to him that he had achieved what no one else ever had.

But after hearing the words of the Cosmic Elder, he decided to take it further.

He decided to test them.

To use them.

And what he discovered… was something truly profound.

The other heavenly laws could perceive these engravings as well.

They recognized them. They responded to them. They feared them.

Simply directing one of these runes toward a target would reveal its truth… reveal what it should be, what its perfect state truly was beneath all distortions.

And that was exactly what happened when he applied them to the main Law of Darkness and the eleventh foundation.

Even the seal that had plagued humans and humanoid beings since ancient times… the very limitation that had bound their potential for generations…

It could not withstand them for long.

”…” Theo remained silent, staring into his fatherʼs serious eyes, the weight of everything he had just heard settling deep within him. ”Understood. Iʼll carefully select the Shadow  Swords who will use it. Donʼt worry.” Then he showed a faint, almost pleading smile. ”But Iʼll wait for the day you tackle my Space Darkness merged law as well… alright?”

Of course, Theo was gently closing the topic, expecting his father to brush it off, to tell him he was dreaming too big, or something along those lines… expecting them to share a laugh over it.

After all, if something had been impossible even for five great Truth Chosen, how could it suddenly become easy?

The fact that his father had chosen the Law of Darkness as his starting point was already an honor… a clear acknowledgment of the importance of the Swords of Shadow, of everything Theo had built and protected.

Perhaps his next target would be time… or space… for the imperial guard.

But fused laws?

Those likely wouldnʼt be seen anytime soon… perhaps not within their lifetimes.

”Kid… hehe~” Robin let out a light sigh, shaking his head as if amused by Theoʼs assumptions. ”I told you all that just to make sure no one ends up using the wrong booklet. Thatʼs all. Not because I donʼt have others.”

Then, with a simple, casual wave of his hand—bam—dozens upon dozens of booklets materialized out of thin air, stacking rapidly across the table until it tilted slightly under their sheer number and weight.

The sight alone was overwhelming.

A quiet testament to just how far his research had gone.

Then he laughed out loud, his tone filled with unmistakable pride. ”Here, youʼll find all the most commonly used heavenly laws within the empire… including the merged laws tailored for you, your brothers, and even the special units.” He leaned back in his chair, placing both hands behind his head in a relaxed, confident posture. ”Iʼll prepare another batch covering the less commonly used laws later on… but for now, make do with whatʼs here.”

He paused for a brief moment, then added with a careless grin, ”Yeah, yeah… I know what youʼre thinking… Iʼm being lazy~ heeh.”