2282 - The Offer
"...Althera, would you like another chance?"
Robin showed a wide smile as he spoke those words... So this was the feeling that accompanied saying that sentence!!
"A chance?" Althera asked hesitantly. "What do you mean?"
Her gaze toward Robin changed.
Before this moment, she knew he was stronger than her, and even after she had reached the maximum power she could attain, she knew deep down that he was still stronger.
Nevertheless...
What he had just done to the chains made things completely different.
He could kill her with just a thought.
She was literally breathing because he allowed it!
"The train of thought that brought us to this point is likely correct. My six master laws gave you a body capable of training in a master law just as ordinary people train in the heavenly laws." Robin continued with a smile. "I can secure the first level of a master law for you to try... This is your first option."
"...There's a second option?" Althera furrowed her brows slightly, but her heart was pounding violently at the reality that she might actually be able to train in a master law!!
"Of course there is." Robin chuckled. "The limits have been lifted from you, and that's that. Your Spiritual Domain is still forming and evolving at this very moment as we speak, and if you manage to reach your previous level again, you'll obtain the same power you felt before your body was reshaped. It's true that the Law Dominator Realm doesn't grant you anything physical, but at the very least, it will enable you to use the Seventh Level of your Law and reach the boundaries of the universe once more."
Then he winked at her.
"And no thanks are needed for this one either, by the way. Even the other Candidates of the All-seeing God went through this experience of having their limits lifted after developing their bodies and successfully training in the first level of their Master Law... But you, you're the only one in the universe who has received this limit-stripped body without having trained in a Master Law at all!"
Then he shrugged his shoulders.
"Or so I know~"
"But if you choose the second option..." Robin extended his hand, revealing a golden key in his palm. "I feel that I am capable of unlocking the lock spinning above your head. At that point, you will lose the ability to train in the Master Laws, along with any other abilities that may accompany them—abilities still unknown to us. Consequently, I will lose any control over you, but you will retain your rare, boundaryless body, and you will return to your former strength over time... The decision is yours."
When Robin finished speaking, he cast a glance at the golden key between his fingers.
Was this what the All-seeing God meant when he spoke of stripping the Golden Honor from him?
And what exactly was honorable about that?
This Golden Honor was, of course, extremely important to Sevar and others, for through it they were able to train in Causality, Creation, or any other laws granted to them.
As for him...
He had managed to obtain a Master Law on his own without the aid of the Golden Honor, and he had also managed to find five other Master Laws, absorb them, and control them without any external help.
The Law of Truth had made everything so easy for him that the Golden Honor had become almost useless, except as a set of shackles belonging to the All-seeing God, and a distinctive golden mark by which he could be recognized wherever he went.
Color...
What is so special about it?
And why does the All-seeing God need a Candidate in the first place?
And why did he spend nearly a million years searching for the right person, fueling wars, and steering events in certain directions?
A distinctive color...
Honor...
Candidate...
The Transcendents...
The Court...
And the accusation that the All-seeing God cheated by granting more than one Law to Robin...
"Hmm... This is not a good sign at all." Robin sighed and spoke in a voice that only he could hear.
"..." Althera kept her gaze fixed on the ground for several minutes, seriously considering the options before her.
Then finally, she turned to Glacion.
"You have proven your analyses enough. If you were in my place, what would you choose?"
"Me?" Glacion pointed to himself and paused for a moment before staring directly into Althera's eyes. "I would ask Lord Robin what he wants from me in exchange for that Master Law!"
"What does he want?!" Althera turned back to look at Robin in astonishment.
"Haha, my affection for you grows, Glaci." Robin clapped several times.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Glacion bowed slightly. "These are the ways of weaklings like me to escape the greater powers. What do I possess other than correct analysis and taking a few steps back when necessary?"
"You should think more highly of yourself." Robin shook his head at Glacion before turning to Althera. "Girl, I can consider the Removal of Your Limits a gift, but to leave the Golden Honor with you and give you a master Law for nothing? I'm not running a charity here."
"Isn't it enough that I manage the Cosmic Academies for you?!" Althera raised her voice slightly.
Robin waved his hand.
"Let's admit the Truth. You have some experience, but you're a failure at management and dealing with people in general. Not long ago, you couldn't find a single Royal Soul Master to help you. A trivial person like Boraka, or whatever his name is, a Spirit Master of no more than two or three stars, managed to blockade you and prevent you from accessing any Spiritual Borrowings."
Then he continued.
"Thank you for your help with the first batch of Cosmic Academies, but I no longer need you there. Morgana is handling educational affairs, and Blokan is handling military and expansion matters."
"Is this the fate of those who help you, Robin Burton?! You deny everything I did for the academies just because I'm in this humiliating position?!" Althera's eyes filled with tears.
"Did I say that?" Robin pointed to himself. "I was only talking about the administrative side, and that's not your strong point."
Then he continued in a calmer tone.
"But I saw you fight more than ten young space beasts while you were a low-level monarch. Normally, a monarch might not be able to stop even one young space beast, let alone that many, and kill them at that."
"..." Althera calmed down a little. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying your true strength lies in your sword, not in administration. Out of your intense love for combat, you chose a short sword and invented a complete close-quarters fighting style so you could engage your entire body in battle and feel its danger and thrill from the closest possible point. You're obsessed with killing and fighting, Althera, and your position and responsibilities have wronged you... Am I not right?" Robin smiled.
"..." Althera stared into Robin's eyes with clear hostility. "What exactly do you want from me in exchange for that master law?"
"..." Robin stood up straight, placing his hand behind his back, then stared directly into Althera's eyes.
"I want you to be my personal guard."