Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2318 Changing pov

"...Get up from my seat and fuck off to the side." Robin pointed toward a seat off to the side with open disgust, as though he couldn't even be bothered to spare another glance at the sofa Marlik occupied, nor grant him enough importance to deserve anything more than that short, dismissive command.

His appearance and the way he spoke felt strangely familiar. He looked exactly like an arrogant aristocrat who had just discovered a filthy street beggar sitting in the chair reserved exclusively for him. There was simply no better way to describe that expression or that tone. There was no caution, no attempt at politeness, not even the slightest effort to conceal his contempt. It was as though ordering the man to stand up was the most natural thing in the world, something that required neither explanation nor permission.

".........?!"

Zavaros and Kiryan slowly rose to their feet, their eyelids lifting higher and higher as they stood, their faces frozen in complete disbelief. They hadn't even begun wondering how Robin had appeared, what that ancient portal carrying such an overwhelming suppressive aura actually was, or why neither of them had sensed his arrival beforehand before he opened his mouth and uttered perhaps the most insane words anyone could possibly say. In an instant, every other question vanished from their minds, replaced by a single impossible reality.

He dared order Marlik out of his seat?

Marlik!!!

...Wait.

That man...

Who exactly was he?

Those features... that attitude...

The same name exploded into both of their minds at precisely the same moment, yet neither of them dared attach that name to the man standing before them. Even though everything matched, the conclusion itself felt too absurd to accept.

The owner of that name was supposed to be a scholar, an extraordinarily intelligent man who managed countless affairs beneath the Elder Cosmic—not someone so arrogantly ignorant that he couldn't recognize the person sitting in front of him, nor someone foolish enough to provoke Marlik the very instant they met.

Hooom.

At that moment, another person stepped through the portal before it quietly closed behind him.

It was Glatheon.

"Hmm?" Feeling the suffocating pressure filling the area, Glatheon looked around. The instant his eyes landed on Marlik sitting there, his mouth opened wide, "Akhh...!!"

"Robin Burton." Marlik was the only person present who smiled. He didn't seem angry in the slightest over what had just been said. If anything, he looked entertained, almost as though someone had finally arrived to relieve his boredom.

"I've seen quite a few portraits of you before," he said, tilting his head slightly. "Several live recordings on light discs as well. You looked much more handsome... and far more mysterious in those. Right now, though..." His smile widened little by little. "You look like nothing more than another crazy human wandering the streets."

Crack.

Kiryan and Zavaros exchanged meaningful glances.

It's him...

He's Lord Human.

"I don't enjoy repeating myself." Robin raised his head slightly. "Stand."

"...?" Marlik frowned this time.

"Do you even know who I am? Or has your ignorance grown so severe that you can no longer recognize your own betters?" His voice remained calm, yet the mockery hidden within it was unmistakable, as though he were giving Robin one final opportunity to reconsider before things escalated beyond repair.

"AAAkHH!!" Glatheon looked as though he had swallowed his own throat.

Things had already reached an extremely dangerous point.

The smartest thing he could possibly do now would be to smooth everything over and claim it was all a misunderstanding. But he knew Lord Robin far too well.

Unfortunately...

He could already predict exactly what would happen next.

Once Robin took a stance like this, it no longer mattered whether the person standing opposite him was a beggar or the most powerful individual alive. He treated everyone exactly the same.

"I know perfectly well who you are." Robin's expression twisted into even greater disgust.

"You're a worthless thing sitting on the main sofa. My sofa."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Get up, you thing... and wipe the place where you were sitting before I take my seat. I don't want pink germs where I'm going to sit."

Even those final words sounded less like an insult and more like genuine disgust, as though the very thought of sitting where Marlik had been was something he sincerely found revolting.

"Hah?... Hahaha."

Marlik burst into uncontrollable laughter while looking around him. The horrified expressions on Zavaros', Kiryan's, and Glatheon's faces only fueled his amusement further until he nearly had to catch his breath.

"Can you believe this lunatic?"

Then he slowly shook his head before looking back at Robin.

"If our orders weren't limited to reinforcing the front lines and avoiding unnecessary direct battles, your head would already be rolling across the ground."

"I'd have absolutely no excuse when reporting to the Archon that I killed one of the Elder Cosmic's subordinates simply because he chose to insult me."

A dangerous light slowly appeared within his eyes.

"But... I'd truly love to see you try forcing me off this sofa. The Archon certainly won't blame me for acting in self-defense... assuming you actually dare."

"...!!"

Zavaros and Kiryan immediately turned toward Robin.

Neither of them had the slightest intention of stopping what was happening. If anything, the more this situation escalated and the longer the Butcher remained occupied with someone else, the better it would be for both of them. Marlik's mere presence had been an enormous source of pressure since the beginning, and having someone else become the center of his attention was practically a blessing.

Marlik had challenged him directly.

If you can do something... then come and do it.

If Lord Robin backed down now, his prestige would undoubtedly collapse. He would probably be forced to leave, and his only realistic escape would be for Glatheon, standing behind him, to intervene and calm the situation.

But that...

That would become an eternal stain upon his reputation.

On the other hand, if Robin actually stepped forward and attempted to carry out his threat, Marlik would kill him without the slightest doubt.

This entire mobilization campaign would end before it had even truly begun.

Lord Robin really was reckless.

He really was immature.

He truly wasn't someone people could rely upon.

He had actually believed the Elder Cosmic's reputation alone would be enough to intimidate someone like Marlik.

Now, after making such an irresponsible entrance, every possible outcome would only hurt him.

His prestige would be destroyed forever...

Or he would die.

There simply wasn't a third possibility.

"Aahaha." Glatheon awkwardly stepped out from behind Robin, wearing an obviously forced smile that no one present could possibly mistake for a genuine one. "Misunderstandings have always been the leading cause behind conflicts. Anyone unfamiliar with the esteemed Butcher, Marlik, naturally wouldn't understand his standing or the weight his name carries." As he deliberately stressed Marlik's name, Glatheon shot Robin a meaningful glance from the corner of his eye, hoping the emphasis alone would be enough to remind him exactly who he was confronting, before looking forward once more. "But Lord Robin Burton's standing is equally extraordinary, so I suggest we simply bring another sofa over and sit down together. Perhaps a proper conversation will help narrow our differences before this develops into something unnecessary—"

"Move."

Robin casually pushed Glatheon's face aside before continuing forward, his expression growing increasingly irritated with every passing step.

"If a dog refuses to move on its own..."

"...then it deserves to be beaten."

"AAAkkkHHHHH!!"

Glatheon looked seconds away from bursting into tears.

Then, almost desperately, he pointed toward Kiryan and Zavaros, "Please!!"

Although he had never personally witnessed Robin fight, he had seen the Master Laws Robin possessed with his own eyes, and he understood better than most just how terrifying those powers could become in the right hands. At the very same time, however, he also understood the true horror known as the Butcher Marlik—the monster whose mere existence had intimidated an entire sector for millions of years and whose reputation alone was enough to silence countless powerful figures.

If nobody stopped this now, the result would be absolute carnage with heads flying everywhere before anyone even had time to react.

Most likely...

Marlik's head.

And there was absolutely no chance the Archon would simply stand by and ignore such a thing.

The entire universe would be turned upside down before Glatheon's very eyes.

Unfortunately, his desperate plea was interpreted in an entirely different way.

Everyone present understood it as a frantic attempt to save Robin from his own madness, arrogance, and reckless pride before he crossed a line from which there would be no return.

Zavaros forced a diplomatic smile onto his face before stepping toward Robin.

"Now then, honored guest, there is no need for fighting inside my humble residence. His Excellency Marlik will surely understand your initial impulse and overlook this moment of excitement. Let us continue today's discussion peacefully and make it a productive conversation for everyone involved."

"..." Kiryan merely furrowed his brows slightly before offering a single short sentence, "...Yes. fighting won't accomplish anything."

This human was completely hopeless.

Taking his side would bring nothing but endless trouble.

That was the only conclusion Kiryan could reach as he watched Robin continue approaching with that seemingly artificial irritation written all over his face, almost as though he genuinely intended to carry through with his absurd demand.

"Tsk~"

Robin appeared even more annoyed after seeing the expression on Zavaros' face. Without the slightest hesitation, he shoved him aside.

"Sit down."

When he reached Kiryan, he neither looked at him nor acknowledged his words. He ignored him so completely that it felt as though Kiryan simply wasn't there at all.

Then Robin stopped directly before Marlik.

Only a single step separated them.

Robin looked downward with visible irritation and displeasure.

Marlik looked upward with obvious amusement and mockery.

Nothing about Marlik changed except for the smile spreading wider across his face.

He remained seated comfortably, lazily leaning back against the sofa without even bothering to place a hand upon the sheath of his sword, as though the person standing before him simply wasn't worthy of such a reaction.

Calmly, he chuckled.

"Hehe... You should've ended this little performance the moment your companion handed you a perfect way to leave with your dignity intact."

"Well..."

"Here I am."

"Go ahead..."

"Make me st—"

The scene before Marlik's eyes suddenly changed without the slightest warning.

Everything else disappeared from his vision.

The only thing filling his sight...

...was the sole of a boot covered in mud.

Bang