Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1897 panic

”Wha-?!” Robinʼs expression shifted sharply, changing from mild tension -the restrained look of someone bracing for troubling news- into sheer, unfiltered shock that he could not hide.

The Syndicate? There was no doubt about it. He could only mean the Hidden Hand Syndicate the terrifying entity operating under Sevarʼs protection. A force that had crept into every joint of the cosmos, spreading silently until it became the very public face of everything corrupt, cruel, and irredeemably evil!

Theo had issued strict, unmistakable instructions to keep all dealings with them as light, smooth, and minimal as possible: comply with their demands, pay whatever price was necessary, and under no circumstances provoke them or invite unnecessary attention...

For regardless of their monstrous power-power so great it allowed them to rent out Nexus States-and regardless of the overwhelming combat strength they had accumulated by harvesting intelligence from every other Syndicate through intimidation and threats-

The Hidden Hand Syndicate was Sevarʼs extended arm. Any excessive interference with them would only tighten the thread of fate binding Robinʼs side to Sevar even further, strengthening a connection that should never be reinforced.

Even routine, surface-level transactions with them were deeply unsettling-but for matters to escalate into a direct conflict?!

How had the situation deteriorated to such a catastrophic level, and in such a sudden, brutal manner, without any prior warning or buildup?!

Fortunately... the message had not yet ended.

Theo continued, his expressions heavy with pain and self-reproach.

Theo clenched his teeth hard, the tension almost bleeding through the message.

”...Oh no.” Robin raised both hands to his head in disbelief. Had the secrets of the Nihari Galaxy finally been exposed?!

”... Phew~” Robin released a long, strained breath upon learning that Nihariʼs secret remained protected and unseen.

Yet the turbulence in his expression did not fade... his own forces had eliminated a Nexus State and multiple world cataclysms belonging to that Syndicate?!

Theo then fell silent, lowering his gaze toward the floor.

”..”

Robinʼs eyes hardened as they fixed in place, and his expression slowly returned to one of firm resolve and restrained authority. This was the first time he had ever seen Theo so unsettled-so visibly shaken, and so deeply afraid.

Robin knew well that this fear was not for Theo himself, nor for his own safety, but for Nihari. That was why Theo continued to refer to it only as the protected zone, carefully avoiding its true nature, guarding the secret even from the Soul Society itself.

Even when that Syndicate issued their threats, they spoke only of attacking Nihari and said nothing about punishing Theo personally. It was obvious that their appetite had grown frighteningly large ever since they learned that Notaʼs fleets were defending a zone in the Young Sector with such savage determination-despite the fact that those very same fleets were sweeping through Sectors 99, 100, and 101, crushing wars and obliterating everything in their path without granting consideration to anyone.

The reality that those terrifying fleets would abandon raging conflicts across three Mid Sectors just to remain stationed around a relatively small region in the Young Sector-and not only that, but that the surrounding space was filled with numerous star-scout vessels, as well as several dwarf planets hosting nothing but high-precision reconnaissance and surveillance arrays-

All of this pointed to one undeniable conclusion: there was something precious inside. Something unimaginably precious.

And that conclusion was not mistaken... for within lay a seed- no, a genuine artificial galaxy, fully formed, possessing three suns and hundreds of planets already thriving within it.

There lay the fleet-production yards and armament factories, deliberately hidden from the Syndicateʼs gaze in the Young Belt for all these years-facilities operating on costly alternative systems, assembled through extreme difficulty so they would not be easily destroyed, infiltrated, or stolen by any power from

the Mid Sector.

There lay the true Sky Opening City, containing an immense accumulation of research-research powerful enough to push the entire universe years, if not decades, forward in progress.

There lay the imperial treasury, filled to its absolute limits with priceless treasures gathered over hundreds of years. Even while relying on Robinʼs pearls, the Shadow Swords, the True Beginning Empire, and the empires that branched from it had still managed to amass a quantity of wealth sufficient to sustain a millennial empire on their own.

Everything related to the Nihari Galaxy had to remain hidden. Every single truth about it was enough, on its own, to invite catastrophe. Those criminals of the Hidden Hand Syndicate would never witness all of this, pat Theo on the shoulder, and thank him for his honesty and cooperation.

There... lay Robinʼs very soul. Itʼs not about the benefits of having a galaxy anymore, itʼs about his second mission... If the seed were to be lost or destroyed, he would be cast into eternal hell.

Everything he had built with his own hands would collapse into ruin. His children would become corpses-or worse, living slaves.

Crack

This time, Robinʼs eyes gleamed with naked hostility, sharp and dangerous.

”Sevar... oh, Sevar... will I truly be forced to deal with you this early?”