Published at 21st of August 2026 8:16 am

Chapter 2346: The goal

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"What, you’re going to make me stronger than Marlik?" Hedrick raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression filled with unconcealed disbelief as though he had just heard the most absurd claim imaginable. "Do you even know who Marlik is? The Butcher before whom every Behemoth stands respectfully without exception. Even Father would personally go to the gate to receive him whenever he came to visit, treating him with the highest courtesy despite his own status. That Marlik is the one you’re talking about?"

"You need to get past questions like these. Whenever I say something, I want you to treat it as absolute truth and act accordingly instead of wasting time doubting whether I understand the matter," Robin replied impatiently, the irritation in his voice becoming increasingly obvious. "Assume that I know Marlik’s strength. I know it very well, far better than you imagine, and I’ll make you stronger than him. I’ll raise your standing above his across the entire universe as well, until the name Marlik is no longer the highest point by which you measure power."

"..." Hedrick furrowed his brows even deeper, unable to conceal his confusion. "But Marlik—"

"Hedrick!!" Robin raised his voice sharply, cutting him off before he could continue. "Yes or no? I don’t want to waste any more time on side conversations that lead nowhere. I want you to say it clearly if you refuse, and I’ll leave immediately without asking another question or trying to persuade you again."

Then he continued seriously, his tone becoming unexpectedly calm. "After that, you can continue your breakthrough however you like, and when you come out a hundred and five years from now, you can do whatever you think is best. I don’t need you to repay me for anything, nor do I expect gratitude or loyalty in return... Supporting you increased the experience of the Shadow Swords, solidified their position, and elevated my own status beyond that of a mere researcher. Your existence also helped Cradle and Grave for a very long time, whether you intended it or not. Your debt has already been repaid in full, so there is nothing left hanging between us, there is nothing you can for me anyway."

He then pointed at him with unwavering eyes. "Your answer now will either open a new door for you, one that may completely change your future... or close an old Chapter forever and leave everything exactly where it stands. Think about nothing else except this choice."

"...." Hedrick narrowed his eyes and remained silent, neither agreeing nor rejecting, merely staring at Robin as though trying to peel away every layer hidden beneath that composed expression.

He could see it...

He could see the impatience buried within Robin’s words despite how controlled they sounded, the complete absence of any real need to convince him, and the strange look of pity that occasionally flashed across his face before disappearing again.

He could even see faint energy and intricate patterns flowing across Robin’s manifestation, subtle patterns completely unrelated to hostility or combat readiness. They seemed more like preparations for movement, most likely meant to help him leave at any moment without wasting even a second... That level of preparation made one thing painfully obvious: Robin intended to depart before Hedrick could even finish saying the word no, as though he had already accepted every possible outcome in advance and no longer cared which answer he received.

Why...

Why would someone like him abandon his closest ally so easily, without bargaining, without hesitation, and without even making a final attempt to hold on to him?

From the moment he appeared, he hadn’t even tried to recruit him with gifts or promises, nor had he attempted to deepen their cooperation or strengthen the relationship they had maintained for so many years. He had come here with the genuine intention of ending their relationship once and for all, and that offer at the end had merely been a convenient way to conclude the conversation cleanly, not the true purpose of this meeting.

"You said I should assume every word you speak is true. Very well, then answer me this... if I refuse," Hedrick raised his head slightly while continuing to watch Robin’s face without blinking, "won’t you lose your experimental subject?" He smiled faintly, deliberately probing for the smallest reaction. "Surely you’re dying to uncover the secrets behind this weapon by now? Or are you simply unwilling to accept a refusal no matter what, regardless of what I decide?"

"Don’t play that game with me, Hedrick." Robin shook his head, showing neither anger nor amusement. "First of all, if I wanted you by my side because you’re a weapon, I could simply kill Draice outside and take your body for research. Even if you interrupted your breakthrough and tried to resist with everything you had, I’d either kill you or imprison your soul. It’s much easier than you think, and far less troublesome than spending all this time talking to you. But I won’t do that to an old ally, no matter how valuable he may be."

He waved a hand casually. "Even Arkail—I gave him a similar offer, and he’s over there thinking it over at this very moment. If he refuses, that’s fine. I’ve already guaranteed the safety of his sector forever, because his son died fighting for my cause... I don’t mistreat my allies as you said. I simply restore everything to its proper scale, stripping away the unnecessary emotions people attach to their relationships and leaving only what they are truly worth."

He waved his hand again before continuing. "If you don’t join me, I won’t harm you. And even if you do join me, I won’t keep you around as a test subject. Do you know why?" Robin chuckled quietly. "Because I have your brother Hydras and your sister Helen in a half-dead state that cannot be healed by any conventional means. Both of them possess extraordinarily high talent. Hydras had already become a Monarch, yet the Heavenly Law discarded him the moment he suffered his first injury, spitting him out as though everything that had happened before meant nothing. As for the second, rumor has it she’s the greatest talent your family has ever produced. Surely one of them possesses what you have—or perhaps even more."

"Hydras and Helen?!" Hedrick raised his voice in complete shock, his composure breaking for the first time since the conversation began. "Hydras died during the civil war, and Helen is still fighting under my command in the Mid Sector 101! You... what nonsense are you talking about? What did you do?!"

"Shhh..." Robin raised a hand, calmly signaling him to lower his voice as though the answer were already obvious. "I already told you. Everything I say is the truth." Then he clasped his hands behind his back once more, his expression returning to complete indifference. "Now... say the word."

Riiip—

"....." Hedrick felt as though time itself had come to a complete standstill, while the world around him accelerated at an unimaginable pace, as if countless years had passed within a single instant and yet not even a heartbeat had truly gone by.

The threads brushing against his robe and tearing it apart no longer provoked the slightest reaction from him. The sensation of the fabric splitting apart had become completely meaningless. His eyes remained fixed on Robin—on every subtle change in his expression, every movement of his face, and every word that left his mouth, as though nothing else in existence deserved his attention at that moment.

"...Nothing you’ve said has any connection to reason. Every word you’ve spoken, every insult you’ve thrown at me, feels like part of some strange nightmare that shouldn’t exist in reality," Hedrick said calmly, his voice carrying neither anger nor mockery despite everything he had just heard. "But at the same time... I can’t shake the feeling that I’ll lose something truly important if I refuse, something I may never have another chance to reach."

"Oh, you’ll definitely lose a great deal." Robin chuckled, his amused smile widening slightly as though Hedrick had finally reached the conclusion he had expected him to reach from the very beginning.

"...." Hedrick stared directly into Robin’s mocking eyes for several long moments, carefully observing the confidence hidden behind that expression before finally making up his mind. "I accept."

"....?!" Robin’s expression instantly shifted from complete indifference to unmistakable shock, his brows lifting before he could hide the reaction. "You what?!"

"You said you’d make me as strong as Marlik." Hedrick hesitated for only a brief moment, as though giving himself one final opportunity to reconsider, then slowly nodded several times with growing certainty. "Do it."

".....?" Robin didn’t know how to respond. It was obvious from the look on his face that he had never even considered the possibility that Hedrick would actually agree. For a brief moment, he simply stared at him in silence, as though trying to determine whether he had misheard the answer or whether Hedrick was merely making some kind of joke.

"Are you certain? I’ll have you swear a soul oath. As a living weapon—or whatever your true nature really is—I can’t trust you without an extremely binding oath, one strong enough to erase any possibility of betrayal or hidden intentions."

"..?" Hedrick frowned deeply.

Not because Robin had mentioned the oath, but because it genuinely seemed as though he was trying to persuade him not to agree. From Robin’s tone, it almost sounded as though he was deliberately placing obstacles in front of him, giving him one final opportunity to withdraw before everything became irreversible.

"...I’m certain." Hedrick nodded slowly, his expression remaining unexpectedly calm. "I have no desire to compete with you for sectors or galaxies. I don’t want authority or influence, nor do I care about standing above anyone else. My dreams died alongside my wife and daughter. The only thing I have left is a single resolve—to become strong enough to kill that person. After that... I have nothing waiting for me. I want nothing, and I expect nothing from this universe."

Then he nodded toward Robin before continuing without hesitation. "You’re right. I wanted to get close to you because of the Seer. I wanted to sell myself to him, to accept whatever missions he gave me and do whatever he asked without complaint, in exchange for creating the right conditions that would eventually allow me to kill Helmor. That was my plan from the very beginning."

Then he looked directly into Robin’s eyes without the slightest attempt to hide his intentions. "If you’re the one willing to create those conditions for me instead, then I’m prepared to sell myself to you." He continued seriously, his voice carrying an unusual steadiness. "You said you wanted me to become your sword? Fine. Give me the strength necessary to do achieve my purpose, give me the power to stand where you expect me to stand and fight the enemies you place before me... and then relax."

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