Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2505 The End of the Play

Planet Donara—

Clatter Clatter

As the source of all the immense momentum that had permeated deep into the very depths of the universe, spreading through its fabric and reaching every distant corner, Planet Donara itself was undergoing an exceedingly strange phenomenon.

Yes, it was fluctuating along with the fabric of Spacetime just like every other planet throughout the universe. Yes, its sky was constantly changing, and its map of the stars shifted and rearranged itself with every passing second... but beyond all that, beyond the changes it shared with the rest of the universe, the planet itself was undergoing a transformation unique to it.

The crust was slowly moving and shifting beneath everything upon it, strange treasures were emerging one after another from beneath the ground, and the sky was greedily drawing in enormous quantities of cosmic dust and primordial energy from its surroundings, absorbing amounts far greater than even an entire artificial galaxy might normally absorb.

The planet was changing, transforming at a rate it hadn't experienced even after hundreds of Space Beast crystals had been planted deep within it and allowed to affect it from the inside... and every visible sign indicated that it was changing for the better.

But Robin, who was looking upward with his attention completely focused on what he was doing, didn't pay nearly as much attention to the extraordinary changes taking place beneath his feet as he did to everything happening around him throughout the universe.

The universe was already in the final stages of stabilizing, with the enormous changes gradually settling down and the violent fluctuations within the fabric of Spacetime steadily returning to a stable state.

Finally... Robin breathed deeply, releasing a long exhale that seemed to carry away some of the strain that had accumulated throughout the entire process.

It had been considerably harder than he had originally expected.

This wasn't merely about undoing something an Executioner had once done and reversing the consequences left behind by his actions. That Executioner had somehow used Transcendent momentum itself to carry out the punishment and maintain what he had imposed upon the universe.

Whatever method the Executioner had used to employ that momentum... Robin had sensed its existence the moment he extended his own momentum beneath the fabric of Spacetime and found it there, deeply embedded and pulling upon the threads of the universe... All those terrifying seconds during which numerous planets had been destroyed and the inhabitants of the universe had fallen into panic weren't simply the consequences of the buffer zones breaking apart, but because Robin had been wrestling directly against that momentum, trying to break its control and seize the universe's threads from it so that he could take control of them in its place and unravel them in a controlled and rational manner.

Fortunately, the momentum responsible for maintaining all of this possessed strength below three Seals, otherwise the confrontation would have been completely different. The true problem that had exhausted Robin and forced him to concentrate so heavily was the complicated method by which that momentum had been used and the way it had been made to manipulate the universe's threads.

It was like a Saint who had spent his entire life training alone at home, focusing almost entirely on accumulating power and barely doing anything beyond raising his levels, suddenly fighting against another experienced practitioner who possessed extensive practical experience as well as numerous techniques for properly employing and directing every portion of his energy.

The enormous difference in momentum between the two sides finally tipped the scales decisively in Robin's favor and allowed him to overcome what the Executioner had left behind... but at the very least, this confrontation had taught him something important: momentum wasn't merely a vast reserve of fuel to be consumed when using the Master Laws.

There was still much for him to learn about it, far more than he had previously realized.

Finally reassured that everything throughout the universe was smoothly returning to normal and that the remaining changes were stabilizing without requiring his constant intervention... Robin withdrew his attention from the surroundings and turned toward Billy.

And immediately upon seeing him, Robin sighed, while a visibly regretful expression slowly appeared on his face...

Billy was practically glued to the ground, sitting helplessly on his backside while supporting himself from behind with both palms spread flat against the ground, his posture completely different from before... all while staring directly at Robin's face with an unmistakably terrified expression.

He hadn't seen any of the different broadcasts transmitted by the Shadow Swords and therefore had no idea what exactly was happening outside Planet Donara or what everyone else throughout the universe had just witnessed, but he had felt that overwhelming golden momentum with perfect clarity, and unlike nearly everyone else, he had experienced it from an extremely close distance.

That experience alone had been more than enough to make him reconsider his entire life from the very beginning up until this exact moment, as though everything he knew had suddenly needed to be examined again.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Billy..." Robin spoke when he saw his expression, then raised his head again to face him properly. "And you don't have to be afraid for me either."

"....?" Billy finally awakened from what seemed like a coma that had lasted thousands of years, slowly recovering enough awareness to understand Robin's words, then looked down and released a tired sigh. "No matter how strong you are, Robin, you can't blame us for worrying about you. That's unreasonable... Forget about the war entirely; those who love you will worry about you because of even a passing breeze, regardless of whether that breeze could actually harm you."

"It's a matter of principle and choosing one's role." Robin shook his head slightly, clearly unwilling to view the matter from that perspective. "I chose to be your protector, your sky that shields you from thunder and lightning and keeps those harmful dark secrets away from you, so how am I supposed to feel when I see all of you looking at that very sky as though it's about to fall? For a moment, I genuinely felt as though everything I strive for was worthless. If the people closest to me don't trust my strength and my ability to protect them after everything that has happened, then why am I striving for anything at all?"

Then Robin turned his gaze away from Billy for a moment, his expression settling as another thought returned to his mind. "...That brings me back to your question from earlier."

"...?" Billy looked at him in puzzlement, surprised by the sudden change in direction after everything that had just happened.

"You wanted to ask me whether my opinion had changed now that I have more followers under me and carry more responsibilities than I did back then." Robin raised his head slightly as he gave him the answer without hesitation. "The answer is no. My response to the Cosmic Elder remains unchanged even now: I choose to save only myself and my followers."

"Oh..." Billy lowered his gaze toward the ground again, no longer having enough energy left in him to argue.

Then he heard Robin's voice again, pulling his attention back toward him. "But there is a way out for everyone, a way I already mentioned before, but you didn't notice it when I said it."

"...?" Billy quickly raised his head and looked back into Robin's eyes, the exhaustion on his face immediately giving way to renewed attention. "A way out that would make you protect everyone? What is it?"

"What was my actual response after I learned everything I told you about?" Robin asked with a small smile, leaving Billy to think back over what had happened afterward.

"...?" Billy looked puzzled for a moment before answering, "Invading the neighboring Sectors?"

"Correct." Robin nodded, then calmly placed his hands behind his back. "There's something I want to admit... The truth is, I enjoy reverence and glory, and I genuinely like hearing people praise me."

"Seriously, man?" Billy nearly cried again upon hearing such an answer delivered with that expression.

"Mhm." Robin nodded without the slightest embarrassment. "That's why, when the Cosmic Elder asked me that question, I wondered about something: after I save only myself and my closest followers, who's going to praise and revere me afterward? That would be a very short and miserable life for me."

Then he smiled, his expression becoming noticeably lighter. "That's why I decided to widen the circle of my followers a little." His smile grew further as he continued, "The inhabitants of every Sector I rule are my responsibility. I'll try to protect them and carry them with me through the coming crisis."

"Really?!" Billy immediately sprang to his feet, all the exhaustion that had been weighing him down seemingly forgotten for that instant.

"I'll try!" Robin quickly raised a finger to emphasize those particular words before Billy could misunderstand him. "I don't know the scale of what's coming, nor do I know exactly what I'll actually be capable of doing for them when that time arrives, but I'll try to save my people, or at least as many of them as possible."

Then he placed his hands behind his back once again and raised his head slightly. "Today, I removed one of the greatest consequences ever imposed upon our beloved Universe B-14 and gave everyone a chance to attain wealth and strength without relying on me. Every power can now strengthen itself however it likes and sees fit, using this opportunity in whatever way it chooses. Perhaps they'll manage well enough in their own way."

Then he raised both arms as he continued, "But whoever follows me, truly follows me... won't merely gain me as their master—and I am the strongest person in the universe—they'll also gain the modified Second Training Path, the Fifth Training Path, and soon, my own training path, with which I'll break another one of those consequences."

Then he slowly lowered both arms again, his words becoming simpler as he reached the conclusion he wanted. "Whoever follows me... will truly have a chance."

Then he looked into the distance for a moment, his expression gradually turning thoughtful. "...I just..." His eyes narrowed slightly as a practical problem suddenly presented itself to him. "...How am I supposed to tell everyone all of this?"

Then he sighed, visibly troubled by the thought. "No one even knows that I was the one who destroyed the buffer zones... Heh~" He shook his head helplessly. "Antares and the others will probably claim the credit for themselves."

"Ughh..." Billy started crying again almost immediately, then slowly raised one trembling hand and pointed toward his own eye, his words coming out with obvious difficulty. "I-I have... a s-small... confession..."

"Hmm?" Robin immediately focused intently on Billy's eyes, his attention drawn toward exactly where Billy was pointing.

Then his expression changed and he shouted, "What?! This is a broadcast? You've been broadcasting everything this whole time, Billy?!" He lunged toward Billy at once, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him straight into the air. "What the hell possessed you to do something like this? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to reveal that information?!"

Then Robin gently smacked his palm over Billy's eyes, covering them for a moment... and the glow coming from them immediately stopped.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I—!!" Billy hurriedly raised both hands in front of himself to protect his head and face from whatever beating he thought was about to come.

But Poof, instead of being struck again, he suddenly found himself standing firmly on his own feet once more.

And then he heard—

"Alright, the show's over. Come on, let's eat the cake." Robin patted him on both shoulders with a huge smile, as though the furious reaction from only a moment ago had already passed.

".....?!"

"I recently made a mixture of an adult Space Beast's blood and juice extracted from its crystal. Come try it, and don't worry, you won't explode. I diluted it one to a million for you."

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