Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2325 The mysterious beginning

Bzzzzzznnn—

Everyone watched the sword draw closer, and as the distance separating it from Robin steadily shrank, their hearts began beating faster almost in unison, unable to take their eyes off the bizarre scene unfolding before them.

The sword radiated an intense, blazing yellow glow, as though it were a miniature sun itself. Its trembling grew increasingly violent with every passing moment.

Whoosh!

It nearly broke free several times, violently darting off in different directions as if desperately searching for any possible path of escape, only to be seized again almost immediately and dragged back by an invisible force before it could gain any real distance.

They even found themselves repeatedly glancing at Robin. He was gritting his teeth, sweat continuously gathering across his forehead before slowly running down the side of his face, and it was obvious to everyone present that he was genuinely struggling rather than merely pretending for the sake of demonstration.

”Um...”

After several long moments of silence, Zavaros finally opened his mouth, unable to continue watching without saying something.

”Would you like some help, Lord Robin?”

”...?”

Robin let out a small, amused laugh.

”No, thank you. I want to try something.”

Kiryan raised a single eyebrow as he carefully assessed the situation, his eyes moving back and forth between Robin and the approaching weapon as he silently evaluated everything he was witnessing.

Before him was Robin, barely managing to pull one of Marlikʼs three swords toward himself despite continuously increasing the amount of soul power he was exerting.

”Please pay close attention to the power Lord Robin is using,” Glatheon interjected, deliberately drawing everyoneʼs attention to something they had overlooked. ”Up to this point, heʼs using nothing but the strength of a Soul Master. He hasnʼt used a single technique, nor has he employed any of the Master Laws from the handful he possesses. Everything youʼve witnessed so far is nothing more than row soul force.”

”Oh...”

Zavaros quietly sat back down, appearing noticeably more at ease now that he understood the situation far better than before.

”It seems Lord Robin enjoys challenges.”

”Perhaps I simply enjoy measurements,” Robin corrected without looking away from the sword. ”I want to see the gap between what we possess... and what exists beyond our knowledge. So far, Iʼve only been using the soul power of a Seven-Star Royal Soul Master, yet Iʼm still barely wrestling with this sword. I wanted to personally experience where the difference truly lies instead of merely imagining it.”

Hummm.

A new wave of soul power erupted from Robin, denser, purer, and far more concentrated than before, causing the surrounding space to grow noticeably heavier.

The sword immediately began advancing toward him with noticeably greater stability, although it continued resisting every inch of the way.

”Heh~... how ironic.”

Robin revealed an irritated smile as he continued increasing the pressure.

A mere manufactured sword was capable of exhausting a Seven-Star Royal Soul Master to this extent?

And the highest level here was only Ten Stars?

Just how underdeveloped was the universeʼs understanding of soul power?

Only now was he beginning to truly understand what the Seer had meant before the Executioner when he declared that B-14 was still attempting to explore the very foundations of soul power even after all this time...

How unfortunate.

How utterly miserable.

Robin poured additional soul power from the Ninth Star into the pull without the slightest hesitation.

The sword suddenly accelerated toward him.

Bang!

It slammed violently into Robinʼs hand with astonishing force, as though it intended to shatter his bones the instant it made contact...

Only to find an iron grip firmly clamping around its sheath, refusing to yield regardless of how violently it struggled.

”Hmm...”

Robin casually waved it around with his left hand, carefully examining every detail of it through his golden eyes before finally opening his mouth as though the previous struggle had never happened.

”What do you think about what Glatheon said, Zavaros?”

”All I can say is that I donʼt know why they gave me an opportunity or why they specifically sent the Butcher after me. The only explanation I can think of is that Iʼm powerful... and that Iʼm close to your sphere of influence. Beyond that, I honestly canʼt come up with another reason.”

Zavaros slowly shook his head.

Then he let out a long sigh.

He had ended up in an incredibly unfortunate position simply because his geographical location had placed him too close to that human, turning his territory into the natural crossroads between several overwhelming forces.

”...?”

Robin gave Zavaros a peculiar look, as though he had expected a completely different answer, before casually gesturing toward Glatheon.

”Explain it to him.”

”...”

Glatheon instinctively looked around in confusion.

”Explain... what?”

”The First-Scions System of the Destra Family, of course!”

Robin answered confidently, sounding as though this was the most obvious conclusion imaginable and that there shouldnʼt have been the slightest room for confusion.

”...?”

Zavaros immediately turned toward Glatheon with sharp, questioning eyes, genuinely trying to understand what the Destra Family had to do with everything they had been discussing up until this point.

”...”

Glatheon remained silent.

He opened his mouth several times, attempting to formulate an explanation, yet every sentence seemed to collapse before it was even spoken, leaving him completely unable to find words that could connect Robinʼs conclusion to the discussion everyone else had been following.

”Seriously?”

Robin showed obvious disappointment toward both Glatheon and Zavaros before slowly turning toward Kiryan instead, seemingly hoping that at least one person present would understand what he meant.

”What about you? Donʼt you feel like conquering something tonight?”

”...”

He, too, fell silent in profound embarrassment, lowering his gaze slightly as he realized he was just as incapable of following Robinʼs train of thought as everyone else in the room.

”Tsk~”

Robin returned to trying to force his soul into the sword, continuing to speak while the weapon screamed and struggled violently in his hand, its constant resistance seemingly doing nothing to interrupt the flow of his thoughts.

”Why do you think every single member of Destraʼs First Scion turned out to be a failure, yet every one of them eventually went off to establish an empire of their own? Every single one of them earned a reputation for causing trouble. Wherever they went, they became either the greatest troublemaker in that sector... or the very center around which every conflict, every alliance, and every major event seemed to revolve, as though attracting chaos itself wherever they happened to appear.”

He continued without taking his eyes off the sword, casually tightening his grip around the sheath while speaking.

”Before the Destra civil war, there were dozens of them, and they were all relatively weak compared to the true elites. The strongest among them was Hedrick, and even he was only said to possess strength comparable to the Second-Row Scions who appeared much later out of nowhere. So why were those people designated as the First-Row children? Why place the weakest generation at the very front where everyone could see them? And why was Hedrick the only one whose strength even approached that of the Second Class, while every other First-Row child remained so disappointingly ordinary?”

”...”

The three exchanged glances, each waiting for someone else to answer first.

Zavaros eventually furrowed his brows before speaking.

”Itʼs said that Helmor wants to prove that following him without question is the only righteous path. Thatʼs why he gives his First-Row children complete freedom to do as they please, allowing them to become examples for the Second-Row children. Once they fail or bring disaster upon themselves, the others naturally become more obedient.”

”Then why not simply kill those who oppose him?” Robin shook his head while continuing to wrestle with the sword as though the answer itself failed to satisfy him. ”Theyʼre his own children. No outsider would object. He could just as easily force them to obey his will... or make them swear an oath that would permanently bind them. None of that explains placing them at the forefront, naming them the First Class, and deliberately keeping them there for everyone in the universe to watch. If your goal is simply discipline, there are countless easier methods.”

”...Then why do you think so, Lord Robin?”

Zavaros revealed an awkward smile.

He still had absolutely no idea how the conversation had drifted toward this subject, nor could he understand why Robin considered it so important at this particular moment, yet he had no desire whatsoever to offend him by questioning the direction of his reasoning.

”...”

Robin remained silent for several moments, continuing to examine the sword before finally speaking in a calm, almost matter-of-fact voice.

”Because he wanted everyone to believe that he and his children were still... human.”

”...?”

Every single person present immediately furrowed their brows, their expressions filling with confusion as Robinʼs conclusion completely diverged from every explanation they had expected.

”History tells us that Helmor suddenly appeared alongside his son Hedrick, and together, through overwhelming power alone, they subjugated Mid Sector 110 in only a few short years. Thatʼs where the story begins.” Robin slowly looked around at everyone present before continuing. ”Yet there are no records whatsoever about how he started. Nothing about his hardships on Planet Destra. Nothing about his adventures before then. Nothing about anyone hunting him. Nothing about how he discovered the Seventh Grade of the Major Fundamental Law of Destruction. Nothing describing his early growth, his setbacks, or the path that eventually brought him to that point.” His gaze swept across the group once more. ”Have any of you ever heard anything from that period? Even a rumor? Even an unreliable story?”

”No...”

Glatheon slowly shook his head.

”His appearance was completely sudden... and his rise was nothing short of meteoric. By the time the universe truly noticed him, he was already standing far above the level where most legends usually begin.”

”The overwhelming power of the Major Law of Destruction certainly makes such a rise possible,” Kiryan said thoughtfully as he folded his arms. ”But youʼre right... the complete absence of any history before that is strange. Iʼve never heard a single story about Helmor back when he was merely in the Nexus State, for example. Not even the sort of exaggerated legends that usually surround powerful figures long before they become famous.”

His eyes gradually shifted back toward Robin.

”But how does any of that relate to what weʼve been discussing, Lord Robin?”

Zavaros asked, unable to connect the missing history with Helmorʼs current actions.

”It relates to it more than you realize. The universe surrounding us is far more complicated than we like to believe, and it seems the Seer wasnʼt the only one quietly moving his fingers behind the scenes.”

Robin nodded slightly, his golden eyes never leaving the sword for even a moment.

”The way I see it, Helmor and his eldest son Hedrick conquered the sector through overwhelming strength. After that, everything suddenly became quiet, almost unnaturally so. Then, one after another, bizarre incidents began appearing within the Destra Family. Helmor kills Hedrickʼs wife and daughter because they might distract him... or something equally ridiculous. Then comes the bizarre First-Row system. Then those Laws of Borrowing. Then the civil war. Every single one of them is an internal issue. Every single one of them revolves around family conflict. Every single one of them is exactly the sort of story people naturally become obsessed with discussing. Looking at them together, they almost feel intentionally arranged.”

He paused only briefly before continuing, his tone remaining perfectly steady.

”...Honestly, I think Helmor deliberately used the First-Row scions to convince everyone that he and his offspring are still human—that they were nothing more than an ordinary family suffering from ordinary family problems. He deliberately gave the entire universe something dramatic to watch, something emotional to debate, and something obvious to focus on, ensuring that countless eyes remained fixed on the visible stage instead of looking behind the curtain. In other words...” Robinʼs lips slowly curled into a faint smile. ”Look at the bird.”

He lightly tapped the swordʼs sheath with one finger before continuing as though the gesture itself emphasized his point.

”While everyoneʼs attention remained fixed on the present, on appearances, and on his familyʼs internal drama, nobody bothered digging into his past or questioning where he had truly come from. Meanwhile, his real army was quietly being prepared in the shadows, completely outside everyoneʼs field of vision... or perhaps his Second- and Third-Row children, if you want to call them that...” Robinʼs smile widened just a little further.

”...Assuming they were ever truly his children in the first place.”