Published at 9th of January 2026 7:20 am

Chapter 1898 A cowardly declaration of war

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Under his son's anxious and confused gaze, Robin's eyes slowly transformed, hardening into unmistakable firmness and severity. The hesitation vanished, replaced by the calm decisiveness of someone who had already made up his mind.

Although dealing with underworld Syndicates was not his specialty -and truthfully, he understood very little about their internal rules or hidden hierarchies, there was one universal language that every being in the universe understood without exception.

He suddenly raised his voice, sharp and commanding.

"Timari, how much is my balance right now?"

"I've been waiting for this request from you for many, many long years, Lord Human!!" Timari clapped her hands with delight, then casually gestured to her side as glowing numerals materialized in the air:

<107 billion Pearls.>

She lifted her beautiful voice with unmistakable pride.

"You are now officially ranked among the richest one hundred individuals in the entire universe, Lord Human!"

"...!?" Robin knit his brows in visible confusion. "What's wrong with this number? I haven't sold anything significant recently."

"A great deal has happened over the past half century," Timari replied smoothly. "The conflicts sparked by rumors surrounding the disappearance of the Cosmic Elder led to a massive surge in the sales of arrays and combat arts. However, the majority of these profits come primarily from the Youth Restoration Device. After the first wave of purchases and the confirmation of its effectiveness by eight million individuals across the universe, successive waves of buyers followed-purchasing not only the device itself, but also the doses required every decade. Some customers even placed orders for a thousand doses at once!"

"... Rumors of the Cosmic Elder's disappearance?" Robin frowned slightly, then waved his hand dismissively. "That's irrelevant for now." He then turned his gaze directly toward Timari, his tone firm and decisive. "Transfer everything to Theo."

"Everything... as in everything?" Timari's eyes widened dramatically. She shrugged lightly and waved her hand. "Well then, I suppose Sword Theo-2 has now officially become one of the universe's top hundred richest individuals." Robin was in no state of mind to care about such trivial details-and in truth, he had never placed much value on them to begin with. That ranking was not a genuine measure of wealth.

The list was filled with Behemoths, members of the Hidden Hand Syndicate, and other infamous figures. There were countless individuals who possessed far greater fortunes hidden in the shadows-wealth so vast it could not be accurately calculated.

Moreover, the ranking only accounted for the amount of pearls directly in one's possession. The value of galaxies, weapons, foundations, military infrastructure, and countless other assets was not included... In reality, Robin would need many times-many times-this amount just to approach the military strength and foundational power of a famous Behemoth who had spent millions of years building it.

It was no different from an employee who had just received his monthly salary and went to boast before a grotesquely wealthy tycoon that, at that exact moment, he happened to be carrying more money in his pocket than the tycoon himself.

"Everything has been transferred!" Timari raised her large finger cheerfully. "And your balance is already replenishing itself rapidly-it has reached several thousand again already, hehe!"

Robin did not hear a single word. His attention was fully absorbed by the image of his son before him.

He lifted his finger, about to press the reply button-then lowered it abruptly. He raised it again, released a slow breath, steadied himself, and lifted it once

more.

When the recording finally began, he forced a wide, confident smile onto his face, hiding every trace of tension.

"Theo, there's no need to worry. We always knew we would collide with them sooner or later. It's just that the collision came a little earlier than expected. Still, we won't surrender to problems simply because they weren't planned. My little friend-if we have a plan for the problem, then it ceases to be a problem at all, shit happens."

"...I've sent you everything I own. With this wealth, I want you to eliminate that problem from its very roots. I honestly don't believe there exists a problem that won't disappear if you throw this sheer amount of money at it-we simply need to think carefully about the method."

Robin paused briefly, then continued, his uncovered smile steady and deliberate. "You told me that twenty years ago you gave them information without asking for anything in return, and that gesture made them overlook the protected zone all this time. Use this money to make them keep silent about the protected zone once more-and if possible, keep them under surveillance as well. For a Syndicate that thrives on illicit wealth, I highly doubt they would refuse such an offer."

"And if that approach fails, then don't concern yourself-you still have another solution: destroy them." Robin went on smiling, as though he hadn't just spoken one of the most irrational and extreme statements imaginable. "Use the money however you see fit to rapidly and aggressively increase the strength of the Shadow Swords. And if even that proves insufficient, then deploy the Imperial Guard. Forget every subordinate empire under our banner-mobilize only the Shadow Swords and the Imperial Guard against them, and use those forces to conduct a thorough sweep of six sectors on my behalf."

"...Mid and Young Sector 99, Mid and Young Sector 100, Mid and Young Sector 101-purge them, for my sake, of that Syndicate's presence. This is my direct authorization for you to use every method available, both legal and illegal. The protected zone must never be touched, no matter what happens. Even if this leads to a full-scale war with that Syndicate across all six sectors, do not hesitate for even a moment."

Then, with a second decisive tap, he pressed send and ended the recording.

Boof

He collapsed onto the ground. His confident smile vanished instantly, his once-rigid posture gave way, and the composure he had maintained finally crumbled... his soul body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

"My lord..." Neri knelt beside him, her expression heavy with worry-like a wife watching her husband collapse beneath the crushing weight of unbearable

debt.

Yet she did not attempt to comfort him with words.

No one understood better than he did just how dangerous, reckless, and explosive the orders he had issued moments ago truly were... but there had been no other path left open to him.

"Tsk tsk- openly antagonizing that Syndicate will bring nothing good, Lord Human. Even if you possess a mature galaxy spirit like the one standing beside you, you will need far, far more than this. Unfortunately, even that fortune would not be enough to face them in a full-scale war." Timari shook her head slowly, a trace of pity in her eyes. "Let us hope they accept the first option and agree to take the blood price for the dead."

".....!!!" Robin clenched his teeth with brutal force at those words.

This was the fate of any novice who achieved success in a field that was never

his own-drawing the hostility of the whales.

And nothing demonstrated the difference in power and status more clearly than a few consoling words spoken by the mouth of a trivial servant spirit, piercing his heart like an arrow laden with veiled threats!!

"That's enough Soul Society for today!" Robin raised his hand, preparing to wave and close the mirror. He had endured more tension and feelings of insignificance today than enough to last him several centuries!

"Wait, wait!" Timari waved her hand several times in quick succession. "Don't forget the remaining messages-they're all important!"

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