2230 - Regret
“…Mmm~” Robin’s eyelids began to tremble slightly, then slowly opened.
“….” Robin’s eyes remained fixed on the ceiling above for an unknown number of minutes.
He didn’t wonder where he was, didn’t panic, didn’t try to get up quickly.
He already knew exactly where he was… it’s hard to find a glass ceiling like this anywhere else.
He was in his home on Planet Donara.
After spending some time staring blankly upward, expressions began to appear on his face—expressions of sadness and regret…
Then he slowly raised his left hand, with difficulty, covered his eye with it, and muttered, “…I’m sorry.”
The murder of Asr… he had allowed it completely.
The massive Eye of Truth had tracked every movement of the Executioner as if she were moving in slow motion.
The embodiment of Truth analyzed Tanuya’s words and expressions, and before she moved, Robin knew she would attack Asr.
And during her movements, he saw everything—he saw how she lunged, saw the Law she used, saw the power surging through her body… saw the killing intent in her eyes, and saw the oblivious Asr.
He had a million chances to stop her, but he chose not to, chose to watch.
What could he have done? Use the Ancestor’s Crystal to kill Tanuya and prevent her from attacking Asr?
That would have meant his almost certain death along with hers.
Asr is a good person, but he's not an official subordinate of his... not more precious to him than his own life.
On the other hand, if Morgana had chosen to act, or even Holak, who was watching through The Gate, he would have been forced to move to stop her.
The idea of a close subordinate being killed before his eyes was illogical to him; he would certainly have saved them and—
*Crrsh*
A single tear escaped from Robin's eye.
No...
Most likely, he would have chosen to watch as well.
What weakness.
What humiliation.
*Knock*
*Knock*
"Chief, I can see you moving your hands. Do you need anything? Some water, a sandwich, or me to accompany you to the restroom?"
"..." Of course, Robin immediately recognized the voice. He used a slight surge of his energy to evaporate the tear, then slowly lowered his hand from his eye. "Come in, Holak."
"Excuse me, then." The Nihari giant opened the glass door, leaned in, and entered with difficulty, a wide smile on his face. "It's a pleasure to hear your voice again, Chief. Shall I help you sit up?"
"..." Robin tried to push himself up but couldn't. "It's fine."
Using the Master Laws is always exhausting.
It drains all his solid levels, saps his life force, dries up his spiritual power... but in the past, that was the biggest problem he faced—a fuel problem.
But after reaching a capacity of millions of units and using balance to replenish his energy, and once that crisis had passed, another problem emerged… his body was far too weak to continuously wield those laws.
Robin understood that he had managed to use the Master Laws for several minutes in such a sustained manner thanks to the embodiment of the Law of Truth, which had enveloped and protected him, granting him an aura surpassing humanity.
Without it, he might have reached the state he was in now after just the second exchange.
The Master Laws… they were a treasure trove of power and secrets.
"Obaa." Holak stepped forward to Robin's side, lifted him into a sitting position, placed several support cushions behind him, then took two steps back and looked at Robin with a chuckle, "Hehe, I'm glad to see you awake, boss!!"
"Yeah…" Robin smiled, "I said something like that a moment ago."
"…." Holak quickly wiped his face from top to bottom, "About that sandwich…"
"Sandwiches aren't what will make me fat again, Holak." Robin shook his head with a chuckle. Holak had indeed succeeded in lifting him out of his somewhat gloomy mood.
Robin's body was now mostly skin and bones. He wore a loose robe, open at the front, revealing a body marked with several temporary tattoos… an extremely emaciated frame.
“What good would that do, then?” Holak took a step forward. “Meat and fat, right?” Then he furrowed his brows with determination. “I’ll bring you the rump of the largest sheep-type beast!”
“……” Robin decided to change the subject to avoid cursing Holak. “How long has it been since the incident?”
“About three months.” Holak kept staring at Robin’s chest with a grim face, able to count his ribs one by one.
“Will you stop that?” Robin waved his hand. “I’m fine… There’s no illness or injury on me, nothing to treat. In just a few months, I’ll be back to normal.” Then he gently scratched his hair. “How did things go after I lost consciousness? I assume it’s fine as long as Planet Donara hasn’t been destroyed yet.”
At that moment, the Executioner had left. He had stayed conscious for a few seconds to make sure she was out of the entire domain before surrendering to exhaustion and passing out. But even so… he had left a disaster behind.
Arkalon had surely returned to his Soul Domain once he lost consciousness that way. Althera was definitely affected by her deputy’s death, and only Blokan and Morgana remained fully conscious… but what could the two of them do against hundreds of thousands of space beasts, ten of which were adults?
"I don't think I'm the best person to talk about what happened behind The Gate. I'll bring you someone more useful." Holak showed a faint smile, then turned and took a few steps toward the door.
Before he stopped, "Chief..."
"Hmm?" Robin was replaying the tape of what had happened in his mind again.
As for Holak, he gathered his courage. The smile he had maintained since entering collapsed. "...I apologize. I couldn't fight by your side."
"Hmm?" Robin refocused for a moment and smiled at Holak. "It's fine. I know you wouldn't have been able to participate."
Robin's words seemed ordinary to him, lifting the burden of responsibility from Holak.
But they were another dagger in his heart.
"...Chief," Holak swallowed his pride. "I want to participate." Then he lowered his head further, suppressing his tone. "I don't want to stand and watch from afar again... Chief... it wasn't a pleasant feeling."
"..." Robin stared at Holak's back for a few moments. "You may not know this, Holak, but you're one of the biggest beneficiaries of what happened. Soon, you'll be the one fighting, and I'll be the one watching."
"...?" Holak turned around in shock, then a wide smile returned to his face. "As it should be." Then, with a chuckle, he continued walking toward the door. "Hehe, excuse me. I'll bring everyone to you."
His morale had soared significantly.