Published at 21st of August 2026 8:16 am

Chapter 2347: Permissible cheat

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"...." Robin frowned deeply and parted his lips slightly, genuinely unsure how to respond. For several moments, he simply stared at Hedrick without saying a word, as though trying to determine whether this unexpected agreement concealed some deeper motive or whether it was completely sincere.

He had come here intending to gather some information about Hedrick’s siblings before using a trick he had relied on many times in the past—a wake-up slap.

It was simply the most shameless approach imaginable, forcing the person standing before him to open their eyes to reality, even if it came at the cost of destroying their relationship beyond repair. The outcome was almost always one of only two possibilities: either he lost that person forever because they refused to accept the truth he had forced upon them, or he gained someone rational who accepted the new reality, abandoned their old misconceptions, and was willing to move forward with a clearer understanding of the world.

For someone like Robin, whose growth was progressing at an absurd pace compared to everyone else in the universe, whose perspective and understanding changed faster than almost anyone around him could follow, he found himself needing to use that slap again and again simply because ordinary explanations rarely allowed others to catch up to the reality he already saw.

But honestly... he had never imagined it would actually work today.

Not on Hedrick.

Hedrick serving as one of his swords alongside Renara? That simply didn’t make sense, no matter how many times he replayed the possibility in his head.

Hedrick had already possessed a legendary name and status back when he was in the Nexus State. It had taken Kaylis herself together with twenty of her children, all of them already exhausted from previous battles, merely to corner and capture him after an enormous effort. During his brief rebellion, he had rampaged through the Mid Sectors from 110 all the way to 101, destroying everything that stood in his path while no one could catch him, let alone truly injure him or force him into a direct confrontation he didn’t want. That wasn’t even mentioning how he had practically subdued the Mid Sector 101 by himself and built an entire Millennial Empire simply because he had grown bored and decided to create something capable of entertaining him.

There was no question that Hedrick was one of the universe’s main figures. He embodied everything men wished they themselves could become—the very peak of confidence, intelligence, determination, and overwhelming strength. Even his enemies acknowledged him as someone born to stand above others. Convincing someone like him to swear an oath of loyalty had never once been part of Robin’s plan, nor had Robin believed such an outcome was remotely possible before this conversation began.

"...Mm." Robin let out a long sigh, forcing himself to accept reality before speaking again. "Very well, then. We’ll begin with the oath, and after that I’ll increase your strength just as I promised."

Robin spoke those words with genuine discomfort, and for once that discomfort had nothing to do with Hedrick himself.

He had already suffered a severe backlash after removing Renara’s limits, remaining exhausted for two full weeks before finally recovering. Worse still...

When he had opened the portal to the Mid Sector 101, leading toward Kaylis, he had distinctly felt the portal drawing a far greater sacrifice from him than usual. Opening it had been noticeably heavier than before, requiring more effort despite him performing the exact same action, and the same thing had happened during every trip afterward. Even simple transportation had gradually become more difficult than it used to be, as though something inside him had quietly changed without his knowledge.

Once today’s travels were over, he had planned to isolate himself completely and investigate exactly what had changed inside his body and soul.

He had never imagined that his own tongue—and his habit of boasting far beyond what anyone else would dare claim—would corner him into forcing himself through a second experiment before he even had the opportunity to understand the consequences of the first.

"Wait!" Hedrick suddenly raised a hand. "I have conditions."

"...What are they?" Robin frowned, though this much was only to be expected. If Hedrick had agreed so readily, it would have been stranger if he had done so without asking for anything in return.

Hedrick slowly lowered his hand. "My answer—my agreement—was based on the assumption that everything you’ve said is true. That Zavaros and Kiryan have sworn loyalty to you, and that you truly can make me stronger than Marlik the Butcher... If all of that is true, then you’re qualified to earn my service. You’re qualified to help me achieve my goal far sooner than I could on my own." Then he smiled faintly, the smile carrying both doubt and expectation. "But what if it isn’t?"

"Do you want to read some of my memories or something?" Robin raised an eyebrow, offering the suggestion without much concern.

"You could fake them." Hedrick waved dismissively. "I’m not going to play games like that with a Royal Soul Master."

"Then what do you want?" Robin asked, genuinely puzzled by where the conversation was heading. "Are you taking back your word?"

"I’ll swear the oath after you’ve made me stronger," Hedrick answered firmly, his tone leaving absolutely no room for negotiation or misunderstanding.

"Forget it." Robin waved a hand dismissively. "It’s true that I examined both your body and your soul domain and found neither a soul oath nor an Eternal Covenant engraved into your Creation Code, but that doesn’t mean you’re truly one hundred percent free to decide your own actions. Even I only learned about the Eternal Covenant a few hours ago, which means there may still be things neither of us understands." Robin shook his head. "I’m not giving you that kind of power only for you to turn around and use it against me afterward. I have no intention of gambling with something like that."

"...Fair enough." Hedrick nodded without arguing further, accepting the logic behind Robin’s refusal. "Then we’ll add one final clause to the end of the oath—that everything I’ve agreed to remains valid only if everything you’ve told me is true, only if you fulfill your promise exactly as you’ve described it. Otherwise, the oath becomes null and void, and everything tied to it loses its effect."

"...." Robin nodded after thinking for a brief moment.

"Good." Hedrick relaxed slightly, his expression softening for the first time since the discussion had begun. "As for my second condition... I want Hydras and Helen brought to my side, alive, conscious, and unharmed." Then he continued seriously, "Helen was my only sister who continued speaking with me after the civil war despite everything that happened between the family members, and although I was never particularly close to Hydras, I’ve heard countless things about him over the years. He’s a good man, and he never deserved what happened to him."

"I already told you they’re half-dead." Robin frowned deeply. "Actually, it’s even worse than that. By now, they’re little more than living dead. Their current state has already gone far beyond what ordinary healing or recovery can solve."

"According to you, you’re about to make me as strong as the fourth strongest man in the universe. Don’t tell me this is beyond your ability!" Hedrick shot back without hesitation, his voice growing noticeably firmer as he stared directly into Robin’s eyes.

"....." Robin knitted his brows together once again, silently weighing everything Hedrick had just demanded before finally asking, "Do you have any other conditions?"

"I want the army and all available resources fully behind me when the time comes to kill that man." Hedrick declared firmly, his voice carrying an unwavering determination that had not appeared until this moment. Then he continued in a quieter voice, "...I also want respect and a position worthy of my name. No one must ever learn that I’ve sworn anything to you, and I refuse to become a subject for experiments or surgical procedures—neither I, nor Helen, nor Hydras. That’s beneath my dignity, and I won’t accept that kind of humiliation regardless of what strength you offer me."

"...Granted." Robin nodded after remaining silent for nearly a full minute, carefully weighing every one of those demands before finally speaking. "The oath will be simple. Swear eternal loyalty to me, provided that everything I’ve said is true and that I make you as strong as I promised. Only with that oath can I fulfill those conditions for you without leaving room for uncertainty on either side. If you want to lessen the burden of the oath itself, then we’ll negotiate the conditions instead and reach a different arrangement."

"No need." Hedrick stared directly into Robin’s face with an expression completely devoid of emotion, as though he had already accepted the consequences of whichever path he chose. "An oath is an oath. The outcome is the same in the end, regardless of how we phrase it."

Hummm... Robin formed a golden sphere in his hand over the course of nearly three full minutes, carefully condensing layer after layer of golden energy until the sphere radiated with a calm yet profound brilliance that seemed far heavier than its size suggested. Only after completing every detail did he slowly push it toward Hedrick before falling completely silent, clasping his hands behind his back as though the next step belonged entirely to the other man.

"Hooo..." Hedrick looked at the sphere for a long moment. He knew exactly what he was supposed to do, and he understood the meaning of every step that would follow, yet he hesitated.

He hesitated greatly.

In a single moment...

His freedom would be taken away forever, replaced by restraints he could never casually cast aside again.

But...

Ever since his wife and daughter had died at that man’s hands...

Had he truly been free at all?

"The hard working path has reached a dead end..." Hedrick murmured quietly to himself, lowering his gaze toward the golden sphere. "If he’s really cheating... then why can’t I cheat a little as well?"

Then—whoosh—he injected his soul sense into the sphere without any further hesitation and recited the oath together with every one of the agreed conditions, ensuring every clause was engraved within it exactly as they had discussed.

"Argh...!!" At that very instant, Hedrick felt invisible restraints wrapping themselves around his existence, binding not merely his soul but something even deeper. Yet at the same time, he also sensed the shattered key resting beside his heart—the key tied to the condition that would free him from those restraints should Robin ever fail to fulfill his promise. Even while being bound, he could clearly feel that path of escape quietly existing within the oath itself.

Hummm... Robin recalled the sphere, allowing it to sink back into his radiant body once more as though it had always belonged there. Then he looked straight at Hedrick with an unusually serious expression, no trace of amusement remaining on his face.

"...Prepare yourself. This is going to hurt a little."

The next instant, he disappeared from the strange domain without leaving behind the slightest ripple.

"Hoooh~" Hedrick lowered his gaze, releasing a slow breath. "It’s going to hurt... inside a domain completely isolated from my body and even my soul domain?" He shook his head faintly, unable to understand what Robin intended to do. "...I hope he knows what he’s doing." Then he let out another sigh. "The greatest pain waiting for me should’ve been remaining here for more than another century until I finally complete my breakthrough. After that, I’d see what kind of method he supposedly has that could make me stronger... I never expected anything more troublesome than endless waiting."

Rumble.

"Hm?" Hedrick slowly looked upward, his attention immediately drawn toward the unfamiliar sound.

A golden sun was slowly taking shape above him, gradually growing brighter and brighter while silently illuminating every corner of the strange domain.

Disturbance. Disturbance.

"What’s happening?" Hedrick rose to his feet as the glowing ropes and luminous threads surrounding him suddenly began trembling in fear and panic, their orderly movements collapsing into complete chaos as though they had sensed the arrival of something they instinctively dreaded.

"Robin Burton, what did you do?!" Hedrick shouted loudly, his expression finally changing as genuine alarm spread across his face. "Don’t tell me he’s actually trying to interrupt my breakthrou—"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

"What?!" Hedrick whipped around toward the countless threads and ropes rushing at him like millions of venomous serpents, their speed increasing so rapidly that they blurred into a single overwhelming torrent before his eyes.

Then they crashed into his forehead with overwhelming force, ignoring every instinctive attempt his consciousness made to reject them—

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

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