Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2323 The saying

Hoooom.

The serpent slowly began to move in a graceful circular motion, while the gear released a deep resonating hum that echoed gently throughout the surrounding area. The golden light radiating from both symbols steadily spread across the restored landscape, causing Kiryan and Zavaros to stare at them with tightly furrowed brows. Neither of them could identify the exact source of the feeling growing within their hearts, yet something deep inside them continuously whispered that they were witnessing something far greater than themselves, something that belonged to a level they had never truly reached.

"Creation... Causality..." Kiryan murmured almost unconsciously, his eyes reflecting the golden radiance falling upon them as though the symbols themselves were imprinting their existence into his memory.

As for Glatheon, he simply sighed with a faint smile. The amount of power contained within both symbols was actually minimal compared to what Lord Robin could truly display. Lord Robin clearly had no intention of performing anything grand enough to naturally summon the Master Law symbols, yet he had most likely manifested them deliberately so Zavaros and Kiryan could witness them with their own eyes, allowing them to personally understand that the legends surrounding those symbols were not exaggerations.

Then the shattered pieces of the meeting place slowly began gathering together from every direction, each fragment responding to an invisible force as though time itself had begun flowing backward.

The ground that had been devastated by the winged beast returned to its pristine condition, every crack disappearing one after another, while above it the chairs and sofa gradually reformed from top to bottom until every piece settled back into its original position with astonishing precision, exactly as it had been before the battle had ever begun.

Yet the symbols did not disappear afterward.

Hooooom.

The desolate land Marlik had ravaged during his charge, stretching for miles around the meeting place and reduced to nothing but mud, shattered timber, broken stone, and charred remains, also began to change beneath the influence of those golden symbols.

Towering trees rose once again from the ruined earth and intertwined naturally with one another. The small lake drew water back out of the surrounding mud until it completely reclaimed its original shape and position. Even the ancient stones returned to the places where they had rested for countless years, while the million-year-old vegetation gradually recovered before gently swaying beneath the wind once more as though it had never been destroyed.

Even the beasts that had been injured by the explosion—including the one lying behind Zavaros—

Some slowly stood up in confusion, instinctively examining their own bodies, unable to understand what had suddenly happened or why the pain had vanished.

Others remained lying motionless where they were, their bodies having been restored, yet their lives already gone beyond recovery.

Robin pointed toward those beasts with a calm expression. "I gathered their bodies and restored them. Give them the proper burial they deserve."

".....?" Zavaros opened his mouth, nearly saying something as countless emotions flashed across his face, but quickly closed it again before giving Robin a deep nod, his voice noticeably more respectful than before. "Thank you." Then he gestured toward the restored meeting place. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I won't be long."

"Take your time~" Robin waved casually before walking over to the main sofa and quietly sitting down as though he were in his own residence. Then he lifted both legs onto the sofa beside him and leaned comfortably against the soft cushion at his side, briefly adjusting his posture before smiling in satisfaction. "Hmm... this really is a nice place."

Then he gestured toward Glatheon and Kiryan with complete naturalness, as though inviting old acquaintances rather than two Behemoths.

"Sit."

"Yes, Lord." Glatheon immediately stepped forward and sat down to Robin's right without the slightest hesitation, making sure to occupy the closest available seat before comfortably settling into place.

Kiryan, however, remained silent for several moments.

"..."

Then he finally gave a slight nod and quietly sat down in his own seat, his posture remaining perfectly upright from beginning to end.

From the way Kiryan sat, it was obvious he was preparing himself for an interrogation, subconsciously organizing possible answers inside his mind before a single question had even been asked.

After all, someone who had casually stepped on the Butcher Marlik's face, spoken to him as though reprimanding a child, and openly threatened Sevar himself would certainly not spare even the slightest consideration for the Behemoth of Oppression.

Most likely...

He would receive orders, insults...

Or both.

Yet the silence continued, stretching on far longer than Kiryan had expected.

After several moments, Kiryan slightly raised his head and stole a glance toward Robin from the corner of his eye, wondering why he remained silent, whether he was staring directly at him, silently evaluating him, or perhaps waiting for Kiryan himself to begin speaking first.

The answer, however, proved far simpler than any possibility Kiryan had imagined.

Robin was quietly gazing toward the distant horizon, his eyes softly glowing with calm golden light while a genuine smile rested upon his face, his teeth faintly visible beneath it. There was no trace of calculation, pressure, or hidden intent in his expression.

At that moment, Robin unmistakably looked like someone simply enjoying the scenery surrounding him after finishing a tiring task, allowing himself a brief moment of peace without caring that two Behemoths were sitting only a short distance away.

Thinking about it, Kiryan slowly looked around as well...

The place truly was breathtaking.

"...." Glatheon, however, continued staring at Robin's face with an unmistakably worried expression, studying every subtle change in his features as though trying to understand the thoughts hidden behind that peaceful smile.

That expression... coming from someone like him... what exactly had Robin seen while gazing toward the horizon that could make him wear such a genuine smile? It was neither mockery nor satisfaction after victory, but something far calmer, almost as though he had suddenly found an answer to a question only he had been asking himself.

"My apologies for the delay." Zavaros descended several meters away from the meeting place before calmly approaching on foot with dignity and respect. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, and once he reached the seat beside Kiryan, he quietly sat down, placing both hands upon his knees in a composed posture befitting the master of the Beast Galaxy. "Thank you for treating my unfortunate Beast Kings, and thank you as well for restoring the bodies of the others. This kindness is a debt I will do my utmost to repay, no matter how long it may take."

Around them, the area had gradually become livelier once again after the silence left behind by the battle. Several of Zavaros's subordinates descended beside the restored bodies and carefully began carrying them away with solemn expressions, treating each one with the respect owed to fallen companions before preparing proper funerals for them.

Others simply remained standing in the distance, silently observing everything that had taken place, none of them daring to approach the restored meeting place without permission.

Among them stood Zavaros's daughter and business manager...

Zina.

She and her siblings had accompanied Marlik to this place and remained there throughout the entire confrontation, witnessing everything from afar without missing a single moment. Yet not one of them had dared to take even a single step forward—not when part of the Beast Garden had been destroyed, nor when the beasts had been killed, nor even when Marlik himself had been struck down. Every one of them had remained standing exactly where they were, watching only their father. If anyone had attacked him...

They would have intervened.

Not because they believed they could change the outcome...

But to die alongside him...

Or buy him even the smallest chance to escape.

"A minor matter." Robin casually waved his hand several times as though everything he had done required no gratitude whatsoever before finally shifting his gaze away from the distant horizon and toward Zavaros.

The smile upon his face softened slightly, though his eyes still shimmered with calm golden light that had yet to completely fade after using the Scale. "I heard things haven't been going very well for you lately, Behemoth Zavaros."

"Zavaros is enough." The elderly man in the purple robe waved his hand calmly, seemingly uninterested in formal titles. "...Indeed, things have not been going particularly well. But I haven't lost."

"Not officially." Robin chuckled. "Hehe."

The truth was that Helmor the Destroyer had also dispatched armies into Mid Sectors 109 through 106. Every one of those sectors had been invaded, their greatest powers crushed before the process of subjugation began in earnest, with the campaign advancing at an astonishing speed that caught almost everyone off guard.

Anyone willing to swear loyalty to the Behemoth of Destruction survived.

Anyone who refused...

Was touched by destruction.

At the very beginning, Zavaros had spoken with tremendous confidence before personally leading the entirety of his forces into Mid Sector 106, intending to completely cleanse it of Helmor's army before advancing into Mid Sector 107 afterward. He had hoped to exploit the opportunity created by Helmor dividing his forces while simultaneously waging war against the Behemoth of Oppression across several sectors, believing such a strategy would inevitably weaken each individual front.

What actually happened...

Was that he became pinned down inside Mid Sector 106.

He had sent the majority of his children there while personally visiting the sector more than once, intending to publicly declare that Mid Sector 106 had been cleansed of Helmor's forces and restore his reputation as Helmor's equal and as one of the universe's great centers of power. Every appearance he made there was meant to reassure his followers that victory remained within reach.

But that never happened.

Helmor's Second-Raw scions proved astonishingly powerful. Their strength, coordination, and methods far exceeded every expectation Zavaros had originally held. The absolute best he managed to achieve was a situation comparable to the conflict between Darfion and the Six Great Powers—constant battles followed by retreats, repeated advances and withdrawals that devastated a significant portion of the sector without either side achieving a decisive victory, leaving the battlefield locked in endless stalemate.

When Zavaros finally realized that remaining within Mid Sector 106 would bring him nothing but humiliation while consuming more and more of his strength, he hurriedly returned to Mid Sector 105 and began acting as though everything taking place in Mid Sector 106 was merely a conflict between the younger generation...

As though it had nothing to do with him personally.

Yet in doing so...

He had surrendered an enormous portion of the sector.

And that portion continued growing larger with every passing day as Helmor's influence steadily expanded.

If this was already happening within Mid Sector 106—the sector directly bordering his own and the one receiving the greatest share of his attention...

Then what was happening inside Mid Sectors 107...

108...

And 109?

"Ah, right..." Robin chuckled, clearly amused by the thought. "There's a saying that's been spreading around lately on your tongue. How did it go again...? Ah, 'My honor and Mid Sector 106 are one and the same,' wasn't it? Ahehehe..."