Published at 11th of May 2026 6:20 am

Chapter 2143 Syndicate tightening

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Without a doubt, the Syndicate of the Hidden Hand had been playing a deeply underhanded and calculated game with him lately, one that went far beyond ordinary interference and into the realm of deliberate, long-term sabotage.

The blockade imposed by the Behemoth of Destruction and the Behemoth of Relativity alone had already crippled his expansion ambitions to a severe degree, tightening the noose around his movements, and driving up the cost of every single operation to such an extent that he was now edging dangerously close to poverty despite the scale of his forces and apparent wealth.

Finding and training suitable candidates for the Shadow Swords was never something that could be rushed or improvised. It did not happen overnight, nor even within a few short years. Each candidate required an enormous amount of resources, specialized equipment, and brutally intensive training that pushed them to their absolute limits.

If the Imperial Guards were trained to destroy their enemies head-on, then the Shadow Swords were trained for something far more demanding... survival.

Survival long enough to obtain the information, and survival long enough to deliver it to the right hands... if they were not strong, adaptable, and intelligent enough to survive their missions under any circumstances, then they were worthless. And without such standards, their reputation would never have risen to stand directly second only to the Syndicate of the Hidden Hand itself.

Each Shadow Sword carried with them a distinct aura of prestige and

authority. Any one of them could make even the proudest lord in the greatest kingdom stand up in respect to receive them... and such a status was not given freely. It was forged through relentless training and immense financial investment, through blood, discipline, and an overwhelming amount of resources.

And Theo had begun assembling an army of these Shadow Swords specifically for war. Not just a network of operatives, but a true force meant to endure and strike within large-scale conflicts. The burden of that ambition had already begun to show, to the point that he had slowed down his purchases of planetary equipment, redirecting funds elsewhere, even going as far as urging his father to sell more innovations and provide him with additional financial support.

...And even if one were to set aside the blockade and the immense effort required to train millions of Shadow Swords, that still was not the full extent of what the Syndicate of the Hidden Hand had been doing.

The disruptions and disasters affecting Robin's empires, the City of Sky Opening, and his other affiliated organizations had become far too frequent to be dismissed as coincidence. They appeared suddenly, repeatedly, and with a consistency that made them impossible to ignore.

Jin himself had stated that the progress of the City of Sky Opening in the Mid Sector 99 had been delayed by no less than twenty years over the past fifty years because of these strange occurrences. Incidents that, on the surface, appeared entirely natural, lacking any clear sign of interference... yet they repeated themselves with such unsettling regularity that it was as if misfortune itself had taken root within their territories and refused to release its grip.

Even the Shadow Swords, with all their reach and capabilities, could not identify the one responsible.

And that left only one possible conclusion... the Butcher Marlik and the other high-ranking leaders of the Syndicate of the Hidden Hand, those who wielded core laws derived from the Sovereign Law of Causality, had personally set their sights on them and were orchestrating these events from the shadows.

"The Syndicate of the Hidden Hand is playing extremely dirty..." Robin muttered under his breath, his voice low, cold, and filled with restrained hatred.

"You should be thanking me for that!" the Cosmic Elder laughed, clearly amused. "Since when does the Syndicate of the Hidden Hand care enough about someone to sabotage their plans and obstruct their efforts from afar? And to have their leaders supervise it personally, no less!" Then he pointed at himself with a grin. "If not for me, one of them would have come directly to kill you, and that would have been the end of everything."

"Hmm... that's what friends do..." Robin cast him a meaningful glance, one that carried layers beneath its calm surface. "...they keep each other alive-"

"Tsk." The Cosmic Elder's brows drew together as he clicked his tongue. "If you're so skilled with your words, then solve your problems yourself instead of coming here to complain."

"Didn't I just do that in front of you?" Robin let out a faint, tired laugh and gestured toward the place where the Shadow Sword had disappeared only moments earlier, his meaning clear without needing further explanation.

The disruptions and disasters of the past years had been more than enough to tear down everything Robin had built, not once, but many times over. And yet... it still stood, unbroken despite everything.

First, because of the strong foundations he had painstakingly established, the interconnected institutions that reinforced one another, and the highly capable individuals he had carefully selected for every critical position with precision.

And second... because of the Omen of Truth.

After the Cosmic Elder's announcement, after the name Robin Burton spread across every corner of the universe and his threads of connection thickened and intertwined with countless beings of every kind, Robin was able to step forward with surprising ease into the second stage of the Master Law of Causality.

With that breakthrough, the Omen of Truth did not simply grow stronger... it evolved. It gained new power, greater flexibility in how it manifested, and a far more stable continuity that allowed it to operate over longer stretches without

breaking.

The repeated activation of the Omen of Truth allowed Robin to perceive the most dangerous, carefully orchestrated calamities that were being set in motion against him long before they could fully unfold. With that foresight, he would dispatch Shadow Swords with precise, calculated orders toward those exact directions, resolving threats before they even had the chance to surface... just as he had done moments ago when he sent them toward Elizabeth.

Of course, even with such an advantage, he still had to rely on Elizabeth's sharp mind, her ability to scheme and adapt, and on the Shadow Swords' discipline and execution in the field... but without the Omen of Truth, his losses would never have remained contained within his conflicts with the Behemoths and a few scattered disruptions and explosions here and there.

"You're not doing enough, it seems," the Cosmic Elder spoke in a serious tone, his gaze steady. "Remaining in a defensive position will only prolong your lifespan, nothing more."

"What do I even have to attack with?" Robin shrugged lightly, a faint smile of self-mockery forming on his lips. "Just the fact that they forced all external merchants to refuse dealing with my institutions dealt me a heavy blow. Even acquiring basic raw materials has become nearly impossible!"

He exhaled slowly. "If not for the specialized network I established with the help of the Soul Society, I wouldn't even be able to purchase planetary equipment. They still sell to me through that channel because transaction records are extremely confidential, hidden deep enough that eventhe Syndicate struggles to trace them!"

Then he let out a short, dry chuckle. "I suppose I'm fortunate that I built such a strong relationship with the Soul Society, and that they don't particularly care about the Syndicate of the Hidden Hand... otherwise even this last breathing

space I have would have already disappeared."

"Hmm?" the Cosmic Elder looked at him with a hint of curiosity. "Don't you realize you just mentioned both the problem and the solution in the same

breath?"

"...?" Robin raised an eyebrow, clearly confused at first, then his expression tightened slightly. "You mean using the specialized network to acquire everything I need?!"

"And why not?" the Cosmic Elder asked calmly. "Through that path, merchants will sell you whatever you desire in secrecy, and the Soul Society will ensure it reaches you without interference."

Robin lowered his gaze, his posture relaxing outwardly, though his thoughts churned beneath the surface.

"I've already considered that option, but I can't even begin to imagine the prices merchants would demand after all the warnings they've received from the Syndicate of the Hidden Hand. And the Soul Society... I can't imagine the scale of taxes they would impose, nor the absurd delivery costs they would charge. They are not fools... they understand exactly how dependent I am on them, and how valuable the service they provide truly is by ignoring the

Syndicate."

A strange, almost helpless smile appeared on his face. "If I go through that network, a worthless piece of metal worth ten pearls will be sold to me for a hundred, and the Soul Society will deliver it for a thousand... just thinking about those numbers alone is enough to keep me awake at night." "Overthinking matters that are already clear will only exhaust you, my young friend, and hesitation in a situation like this will only bring you harm," the Cosmic Elder nodded twice, his tone firm. "If there are no alternatives, then do

not delay."

"....." Robin remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. "I didn't expect I would say this ever again, but it seems I have no choice... I'll have to return to gathering more wealth."

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