Chapter 2246

2246 – Side Matters

Boom

Supreme General Haros landed on the edge of the mountain and immediately dropped to his knees. "I salute His Majesty and Your Excellency."

Haros did not dare lift his eyes from the ground in front of Robin.

It was not long ago—only a few centuries earlier—that Haros had been a Marshal serving the Great Serpent Empire, offering advice on the destruction of Robin, the ruler of a young empire with four planets.

He had considered himself superior.

Stronger.

More important.

But today, although he had become a Supreme General—a special title held by the Vice Marshal in his absence, and a rank second only to a very few in the entire Empire—those very few happened to all be present here.

As for that immense row of Robin's children, grandchildren, and guards, it made Haros feel as though he had been summoned to face his final judgment.

Standing before Robin?

Even merely the Highnesses Caesar, Theo, Peon, and Zara demanded that he kneel before them!

"Haros?" Robin smiled. "Has Aru not recovered yet?"

"I have news that the Marshal has opened his eyes and is slowly recovering. The Shadow Swords and the Sky Opener cities have not been remiss in providing all kinds of assistance and comfort." Then he continued, with a hint of sweat, "If Your Majesty wishes, I can leave immediately and request to hasten the Marshal's return."

Haros felt his blood run cold.

Thousands of beasts surrounded him.

Dozens of royal Spirit Masters.

And the person sitting before him was said to have fought an entire nest and come out alive... while he was merely a Martial Emperor!

"No need, you will suffice." Robin smiled, then stared intently at the man kneeling before him. "Stand up, Haros, you don't have to feel inferior to anyone here. When I selected you to be Aru's deputy, I didn't choose you for your personal strength, but for your cunning, and your cunning is what I need today."

"...?" Haros raised his head and stared into Robin's half-open eyes in shock.

His words... it was as if he had read his thoughts!

"Hoo~" Haros stood up slowly, bowed once more, then straightened. "Your orders."

"As you can see around you, Haros, this place has become a breeding ground for nascent space beasts, and from what I've seen, the youngs as well. A number of Law Dominators and Spirit Masters of seven stars or higher will come here, and more of the Imperial Guard will come, more Shadow Swords, and more spies from the surrounding planets... This place will become a focal point and a pivot for the entire sector."

Then Robin smiled.

"And of course, a place like this will attract a lot of unwanted attention, a lot of greedy people, and a lot of those who think they are more deserving of this wealth than we are... Is there anyone more deserving of anything than us, Haros?"

"I will cut out the tongue of anyone who says that!!" Haros replied in a panic.

"That's what I thought too." Robin smiled gently. "Keeping Donara mysterious and hidden has become a fantasy in the long run, so I will need a number of fleets patrolling its perimeter at all times and imposing a no-approach order, just like what happens in the safe zone around Nihari. Anyone who approaches will be destroyed."

"That is certainly possible, Your Majesty, but..." Haros's expression tightened. "The Grave Empire faces many problems, as Your Majesty knows. The Marshal took hundreds of fleets with him, and we are still expanding and clearing a safe space for the Nihari Galaxy with the remaining fleets. I still have a powerful enemy remaining in the sector."

Then he waved both hands.

"Of course, these are your fleets, and we are your men. I could rearrange everything to make the blockade possible within a day, but... that would not be the wisdom that Your Majesty praised."

"Oh?" Robin chuckled softly. "And what would be wise in your opinion?"

"..." Haros remained silent for a moment, then looked seriously into Robin's eyes. "The Millennium Holfa Empire is finished, and the Millennium Vast Ice Empire has submitted. Only the Millennium Eternal Chaos Empire remains. If we can subdue or destroy them, the entire sector will be ours. Moving the fleets will not be a problem; in fact, we will not need them afterward, and we can rely on the wing fleets for conquest and unification."

Robin nodded.

"Well said. What is stopping us?"

"We sent them Servon, the Seventh Prince of the Great Serpent Empire. Perhaps Your Majesty remembers him. He went with the intention of negotiating a long time ago, but he was detained, and his fate is unknown. The persistent Chaos Empire refuses to release him or even inform us of his condition, and it also refuses to open any other communication channel."

Haros slowed down as he spoke.

"I was waiting to ask Lord Theo to investigate the matter personally, but that incident three months ago halted everything."

"Remind me again, why are we waiting for a response in the face of such blatantly provocative behavior?" Robin furrowed his brows slightly.

"It's a powerful empire," Theo spoke this time. "They have Guardians, they have an army millions of years old that has reached a high level of armament, and they have a large number of fleets and Nexus States... They are an entity that cannot be underestimated. The Supreme General, at least, cannot make such a decision alone."

"Thank you!" Haros bowed slightly toward Theo, feeling grateful.

"Hmm, Zargul sticking his nose into the medium Sector 99 has slowed the progress rate far too much." Robin sighed.

"..." Haros barely held his tongue.

Slowed the progress?

Their original mission was to build a local force to defend Nihari against the sector's powers when it advanced.

Now, only a handful of forces capable of standing against them remain within the sector, leaving just one Millennium Empire.

The extent of the progress achieved and the magnitude of breaking through the ceiling of expectations was something Haros could not have even dreamed of before!

"What do you have, Caesar? Can you help the Grave Empire?" Robin turned to his side.

"I can send some experts, but that's all." Caesar shook his head. "The war with the Seven Thrones Empire is raging, and another Millennium Empire within the sector has begun aiding them to prevent their complete collapse before us. I am also helping Mid Sector 101 with a full squadron that includes several close generals of mine, so I cannot fully engage on another front."

"Oh... I almost completely forgot about the Mid Sector 101 front. Is it still ongoing?!"

Robin sighed.

After the clash with the Executioner and his constant contemplation of everything happening on the Other Side, all matters around him had come to seem utterly trivial.