Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2117 Soul shards-2

The shard consumes itself in a way that cannot be restored, draining its own essence with every action it performs, whether minor or significant.

The shard is formed entirely from a fragment of a soul domain structure, a precise portion carved from the original foundation, and it has no ability whatsoever to gather more or replenish what it loses. Every single unit it expends is gone permanently, beyond recovery, neither the shard itself nor the main body possesses any method to reclaim it once it is spent.

For example...

Robin possessed around 200,000 soul units, or perhaps slightly more, at the time he created this shard, and he used 30,000 units to form it.

That alone represents roughly 15% of the total time, effort, and accumulated resources of a Great Soul Master, a portion that cannot be dismissed lightly under any circumstance.

The only reassuring aspect in this matter is that the shard, or whatever remains of it after use, can return and reintegrate into the soul domain once again, restoring that portion back into the greater whole.

Just as it happened before with Renaraʼs shard from Robin, when he returned her fragment by sending it along with Zara. There, it reentered and merged seamlessly with the main domain without encountering any issues whatsoever. However, had that shard attempted to transmit information remotely while remaining separated from Robin, then half of it, or perhaps even all of it, would have been consumed in the process without exception.

But what if the shardʼs conditions were not simple or limited, but instead frequent and demanding? What if it was deployed repeatedly for both attack and defense, constantly sending messages, and continuously receiving information from distant locations?

It would gradually wear down.

Then it would dissipate entirely.

And with it, 15% of Robinʼs lifeʼs effort at that time would vanish without a trace, lost forever.

This is precisely the reason why communication through shards is extremely rare, nearly nonexistent in practice. No one is willing to isolate themselves in seclusion for dozens, or even hundreds, of years, only to painstakingly construct a fragment of their own soul domain, just to expend it for the sake of sending messages.

And even if one were to ignore all of that... messages are not delivered instantly. They still have to travel across immense distances to reach the main body, crossing the vast expanses that separate sectors.

Of course, such messages would arrive faster than any other known method of communication across sectors in the universe, surpassing conventional techniques by a wide margin... but even so, they would still be delayed by days, or weeks, or even months and years, depending entirely on how far the main body is located.

This delay alone is something no Soul Master is willing to tolerate, and even someone like Robin, with all his capabilities, cannot truly accept such inefficiency.

He had thought deeply about this matter, analyzing it from every possible angle, and had read extensively about it in countless records... yet in the end, he cast the idea aside, just as all Soul Masters before him had done without exception.

If he truly wished to plant shards for the sake of rapid and reliable communication, then each shard would need to contain at least 10,000 units, ensuring that the transmitted message would successfully reach him instead of dissipating midway through the void.

But then comes the question...

How many shards would he need to sustain even a single century?

Assuming he receives only one message per year... that would already require one hundred shards.

That alone amounts to one million units.

An utterly unreasonable number that forced Robin to completely abandon the concept of using shards for communication in any conventional sense...

Yet despite that, he still uses them... though in entirely different and more efficient ways.

In any case, today is a good day.

Theory claims such a thing is impossible, dismissing it outright... but reality now stands before him, tangible and undeniable. Testing the transmission of a large and complex message after the shardʼs automatic activation, followed by its return to the main body, would undoubtedly yield valuable results and insights!

But first, he must- ”Hey!!”

At that very moment, a sharp shout abruptly cut through Robinʼs thoughts, breaking his focus. ”Hmm?” The soul shard, its arms still crossed in a composed posture, turned its gaze in that direction while maintaining the same faint, calm smile, observing a certain figure approaching from the distance...

It was the very person who had fought Pitsu to the brink of mutual destruction... his body was covered in numerous wounds, deep and severe, his armor completely shattered into useless fragments, and his chest visibly caved inward from the impact of previous blows.

He was clearly in a terrible condition, barely holding himself together, yet even so, his state was still far better than Pitsuʼs, without a doubt.

Had Robin not thrown the boy into the array earlier, removing him from immediate danger, that furious individual would have undoubtedly finished him off without the slightest hesitation. ”You... a conscious soul shard?” The Nexus State pointed toward Robin with a trembling hand, his voice carrying disbelief mixed with confusion. ”What is a soul shard doing inside the body of that bastard from the Maizer family? And donʼt try to deny, I saw you come out of him with my own eyes!” Despite his battered condition, the Nexus State felt no sense of threat at all, not even the slightest hint of danger creeping into his instincts.

The shardʼs power was clearly below 30,000 units. With such limited strength, it wouldnʼt even be capable of harming a low-level World Cataclysm, let alone someone of his level! ”Oh, I donʼt intend to deny anything” Robin laughed lightly, his tone casual, almost amused.

Although he had been extremely weak at the time this shard was created, the fact that he was now merely a shard granted him a peculiar kind of freedom, a strange detachment from consequences... a state that could only be described as complete absence of responsibility.

What would really happen if he toyed a little with a Nexus State, just for the sake of it? ”Of course, I will protect Pitsu!” Robin laughed, then slightly raised his head with a faintly proud posture. ”Who wouldnʼt protect their own servant?” Then he laughed inwardly... Pitsu was not bad in combat at all, and it was clear he had inflicted significant damage on that man. Surely, the moment he heard that Pitsu served under him, even someone like this would feel at least a flicker of hesitation or fear...

Even as an obscure researcher, he had the right to enjoy himself every now and then!

Robin had expected the other party to immediately attack, either to scatter his shard without hesitation or to simply ignore him entirely and rush toward the arrays to finish off Pitsu before he could recover.

But neither of those outcomes occurred. ”...?!”

The Nexus Stateʼs expression shifted rapidly... shock first, then unmistakable fear, then he slowly stepped back, his face turning uncertain and lost, almost like a child unable to decide what action to take. ”You servant?! itʼs you...” The Nexus State scanned Robinʼs shard from head to toe, his voice lowering as realization dawned. ”Iʼve seen your image before, and that white-golden soul robe...” then suddenly his voice rose sharply as he shouted, ”You are the Lord Human!!” ”The Lord Human?” ”Where?!” ”His Majesty is here?!”

The massive battlefield surrounding the logistical zone froze in an instant.

Every clash, every exchange of blows halted as if time itself had been interrupted. Fighters disengaged from one another and turned their attention toward the shard.

Suspicion filled some eyes. Anger burned in others. Reverence and awe shone in many...

The battle... stopped completely. ”...?!” Robinʼs shard looked around in genuine confusion, clearly not expecting such a reaction, then turned back toward the Nexus State and said, ”Hmm,” then, with absolute seriousness and no trace of hesitation, he followed with a question under his breath, ”...Exactly how impressive am I these days?” ”...!!” The Nexus State instinctively stepped back again, his expression tightening with even more tension. It was obvious that this question, coming from the

Lord Human himself, felt like a deliberate reminder of his overwhelming status and current dominance! ”Listen...” the Nexus State muttered, trying to steady himself, ”His Majesty, the great Emperor of the Millennium Seven Thrones Empire, has not intervened in the battles so far, so you have no right to interfere!” Then he pointed sharply toward the shard. ”This is not the style of Marshal Caesar, and it is not the conduct of someone who is supposed to protect the universe!!” ”...?!” Robin widened his eyes slightly in surprise, clearly caught off guard by the argument, then quickly cast another glance around him.

At the countless eyes fixed upon him... fearful, expectant, filled with anticipation...

For some reason, every single person present was waiting to hear what he would say next.

And for some reason... it seemed that whatever he said, they would accept it as absolute truth.

Faced with those heavy gazes, Robin cleared his throat lightly. ”Ahem. My servant is tired and wishes to rest,” he said calmly, then waved his hand with casual authority, ”disperse.” ”..?!”

For a brief moment, no one moved.

Then they exchanged glances.

The golden army slowly lowered their weapons, discipline evident in every motion, before regrouping beside the arrays in orderly fashion.

As for the black and gray army, they hesitated for a moment, then began stepping backward cautiously, one step at a time, before finally turning around and withdrawing from the battlefield entirely. ”Damn it!!”

The Nexus State shouted in pain and frustration, veins bulging as he pointed at

Robin and spoke the only words he could muster in this situation: ”I will report everything that happened here to His Majesty!!” After that, he turned and flew away as well... it seemed he had greatly underestimated this place, and even more so the status of the one who had repeatedly declared himself a servant of the Lord Human!

Robin remained floating high in the air, completely still, staring at the retreating armies with raised eyebrows and unmistakable astonishment lingering across his face.

Then, slowly, a smile spread across his lips. ”Heh- seems I did quite well... hehe, just as expected of me, heh hehe...”

Then he tilted his head back slightly, placed a hand over his forehead as if unable to contain himself any longer, and burst into loud, unrestrained, almost hysterical laughter, ”Haaahahahaha!!!”