Published at 8th of July 2026 5:55 am

Chapter 2258: The reality of the situation

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"...?!" Everyone in the hall fell into a horrifying silence, the kind of silence that seemed to physically weigh upon the room, and then eyes slowly began widening as though they were watching the world itself crumble before them piece by piece. For several moments, nobody moved, nobody spoke, and even the flow of energy within the hall appeared to have become strangely subdued as each person attempted to process what had just been said.

The only person wearing a different expression was Serfon, who suddenly burst into manic laughter as though he had just witnessed the most predictable event in existence finally unfold before his eyes. "Khiyokhiyokhiyokhiyo~" The laughter continued for several seconds, echoing throughout the hall and only further inflaming the already volatile situation while making the atmosphere even more unbearable for everyone present.

He kept glancing back and forth between Omes and Omira with eyes full of amusement, as though silently telling them: <See? Didn’t I tell you it was time to eat salt? He sent you the salt factory itself hehe, now taste your own medicine!> The satisfaction on his face was impossible to hide, the years of experience and countless observations had led him to this exact conclusion long ago.

But his laughter quickly died down, and that happened the moment he realized something that made the amusement drain from his mind almost instantly...

Holak’s words had left no room for reconciliation, no hidden path through which both sides could step back and pretend the conversation had gone differently. They had left no room for negotiation, no opening through which compromises could be proposed or misunderstandings clarified. In fact, there was nothing left to negotiate in the first place. In what world, and in what dream, would two Guardians kneel before someone like Holak?! Even the suggestion itself bordered on insanity.

Those words were a declaration of war.

And if war was now inevitable, if the situation had already crossed the point where reason could restore it... didn’t that mean he was about to die right here and now, caught between forces far beyond his ability to influence?

"...." Omes finally raised his head slightly after several moments of silence. "What a disappointment. I thought Robin Burton possessed at least a grain of reason somewhere beneath all his achievements and growing reputation, but it appears he surpasses all of his enemies in arrogance and foolishness."

Then he began advancing once more, the short spear still in his hand as his killing intent rose higher and higher with every step he took, causing the surrounding air to grow increasingly oppressive. "Then let your head serve as the message accepting this war!"

"Tsk. A fool who doesn’t know when to stop." Holak replied proudly, showing not the slightest trace of concern despite the murderous aura directed at him, then tilted his head toward Glatheon as though the matter was already settled. "Go on. Protect me."

"...?!" Glatheon snapped out of his shock as though someone had struck him and shouted, "Wait, Omes, wait!!"

"What exactly am I waiting for?!" the Guardian replied without slowing his advance in the slightest, his eyes locked onto Holak from beginning to end. "Are we negotiating the proper method of kneeling? Or should I convince him that my head hasn’t finished ripening yet?!"

"Just wait!!" Glatheon thrust a hand forward before quickly turning around, desperate to seize the tiny opportunity he had just noticed. "Holak, did Lord Robin actually say what you just said?"

".....?" Everyone immediately turned toward Holak in confusion, because an enormous amount now depended on his answer. If those words truly came from Robin himself, then the meaning behind the entire visit would be completely different.

"...It was the general meaning." Holak shrugged casually as though the distinction carried little importance.

"What do you mean ’the general meaning’?!" Glatheon nearly choked on the words. "Did he say it or not?!"

Glatheon was on the verge of losing his mind.

He had been told that his mission consisted of protecting a negotiator, escorting an official envoy, and ensuring that discussions proceeded without unnecessary bloodshed, not standing here and witnessing a declaration of war delivered in the most offensive, reckless, and tactless manner imaginable while being expected to somehow repair the damage afterward!!

"He didn’t say it directly... and not really indirectly either, to be honest..." Holak scratched his head while thinking back. "He just told me to come here and negotiate." Then he pointed toward Omes with complete seriousness. "But listen, you and your other self over there. Since the Lord chose me, that means he wanted to say those exact words, letter for letter!"

"Please stop talking for a moment!" Glatheon waved his hand forcefully as though trying to physically suppress the conversation itself before turning back toward the brothers with a smile, visibly relieved to have found what appeared to be a narrow escape route through the disaster. "As you can see, Lord Robin simply chose the wrong person. That’s all."

"...." Omes finally stopped, but his expression did not improve in the slightest. If anything, the pause only seemed to deepen the coldness in his eyes as he looked toward Holak and then toward Glatheon. "No. It’s obvious he chose exactly the right person."

"Lord Robin is saying that he is prepared for war, and that he has no intention of negotiating beyond what you’ve already heard from Serfon. That’s all." Glatheon spoke calmly, deliberately suppressing the irritation building within him and forcing the discussion back toward reason. "Honestly, were you expecting a different outcome? Considering everything that has happened over the past years and everything both sides already know about one another, was there ever truly a possibility that this meeting would end with some miraculous compromise?"

"And we’re prepared for war as well!" Omira waved a hand from behind, his voice carrying the pride and confidence of someone unwilling to yield ground regardless of the circumstances.

"No, you’re not prepared for anything." Glatheon turned toward the second brother without hesitation. "...Lord Blokan’s travels over the past two weeks have not gone unnoticed by anyone with even a modest intelligence network. During that time, he visited three or four Guardians or Behemoths from Behemoth-controlled galaxies, and every single one of them agreed to become heads of the new Cosmic Academies that have been established over the past years. The visits are still ongoing, and every few days new information appears confirming that the recruitment effort continues to expand."

"Are you threatening us with the Cosmic Academies, Glatheon?" Omira furrowed his brows deeply, clearly dissatisfied with the direction of the conversation. "Should I remind you of the Elder Cosmic’s announcement when they were founded? Or how he declared that they would not participate in Lord Robin’s personal conflicts? Was all of that nonsense at the time? Were those promises meaningless?"

"Did I say anything that sounded like a threat?" Glatheon pointed at himself before continuing, his tone remaining measured despite the increasingly tense atmosphere. "I’m pointing out something. Lord Blokan receives complete funding from Lord Robin. The agenda he follows, the organization he supports, and everything he possesses ultimately comes from Lord Robin. Tell me... why and how was Lord Blokan able to convince all of these people to join the Cosmic Academies without a single documented refusal from anyone he visited? Not one disagreement. Not one rejection. Not even a hesitation for a few days."

Then he continued while shaking his head slowly. "Those visits are tracked through monitoring the movement of the Grand Space Gate, and they cannot be falsified, just like the publicly known fact that Lord Darvion is currently in the Mid Sector 98. These are not rumors passed around taverns or fabricated reports produced by incompetent spies. These are movements that have been observed, recorded, and discussed across multiple information networks." Then he stared directly into Omes’s eyes. "What does Lord Blokan possess that allows him to recruit all of these people so quickly and without resistance? What exactly is he offering that makes figures of that level accept so readily?"

"....." Omes furrowed his brows heavily, his expression darkening as the implications behind the question began settling into place.

But Omira answered first. "Money." His hands had already clenched into fists, and the word emerged with absolute certainty.

No one knew Robin Burton’s true strength. No one knew how he had become a friend of the Elder Cosmic. No one knew what cards he still held hidden from the rest of the universe. They only knew that he was extraordinarily wealthy and exceptionally well hidden. With that level of wealth, combined with the Elder Cosmic’s protection and influence, he could do whatever he wanted, reach wherever he wanted, and buy whoever he wanted if the price was high enough.

"It’s not wealth alone." Glatheon shook his head immediately. "Everyone knows about the poor relationship between Lord Robin and The Syndicate. What’s happening around Sectors 99 and 100 is visible to everyone, and what’s happening to the Shadow Swords in particular is perhaps the greatest proof of all. He is their enemy." Then he continued. "Even if someone handed you all the treasures in existence, why would you leap onto a sinking ship alongside a man supposedly condemned to die? Why would experienced individuals with countless years of survival behind them willingly attach themselves to a doomed cause... unless you were confident you would survive? Unless you knew something the rest of us didn’t? Unless you had reason to believe that the ship everyone calls doomed isn’t sinking at all?"

"....." Omira furrowed his brows. "What are you getting at, Glatheon?"

"I’m saying that while the two of you are here trying to make a life-or-death decision, while a single wrong word or movement could throw you into disaster and determine the future of everything under your control," Glatheon pointed into the distance as though indicating events unfolding far beyond the walls of the throne hall, "Lord Robin is over there sending Lord Blokan out with terrifying information and terrifying wealth to recruit more followers for reasons nobody understands. He sent his personal guardian here at random, without any negotiation strategy whatsoever, because he apparently didn’t even care enough to give him one."

Then he raised his voice slightly, making sure every person in the hall could hear him clearly. "While I’m trying to save your lives, and while the two of you are hesitating between choosing the side of Lord Robin and the Elder Cosmic or the side of The Syndicate and the Archon, Lord Robin has most likely already forgotten that he sent his personal guardian here to negotiate with you and has moved on to planning matters that affect cosmic affairs themselves, matters so large that this entire meeting may not even occupy a meaningful place in his attention anymore!!"

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