2322 - Understanding
Sector 750—
Whoosh
A Golden Gate suddenly opened in a dark place, and a swift shadow emerged from it with its back turned.
"Damn it!" Marlik realized he had been transported to another location. He quickly stomped the air, causing a tremor around him, and lunged back toward the Golden Gate to return to the arena, but the gate collapsed and vanished with a poof.
"Curse it!!" Marlik barely stopped himself at the spot where the gate had been and screamed at the top of his lungs.
He had prepared six different Causal Accumulations that would undoubtedly secure the head of that wretched human, but for the second time in a row, he wasn't allowed to begin.
Marlik's eyes trembled violently, but this time he wasn't searching for gaps or Causal Accumulations—it was pure rage. "Damn it... damn you, you spoiled darling of the All-Knowing God, damn you!!"
Then he let out a long exhale, stood upright holding his two swords, and began spreading his spiritual sense. He wanted to know which spot on the planet Robin had transported him to, so he could calculate the speed and method of return. This time, he must not fail.
"Marlik..."
"...Hmm?" The Butcher turned with superhuman speed toward the source of the familiar voice. "My lord?!"
In that corner, Sevar sat in a meditative posture, his eyes closed and brows furrowed, with patches of dried blood surrounding him, and a small trickle of blood by his mouth.
"Master!!!" Marlik dropped the two swords and rushed toward Sevar, "Master, what's wrong with you? And what are you doing here?!"
"...It's just a minor reaction from a technique I was attempting, an injury that needs some time and will heal on its own..." Sevar opened one eye and looked at Marlik, "And what do you mean... by what am I doing here? Shouldn't I be the one asking that question, Marlik?"
"Huh?" Marlik stood up slowly and began looking around, his expression worsening as he noticed something familiar, "...Are we in your cave? The Sky-Avoidance Cave?"
"Where else would we be?!" Sevar raised his voice slightly, "Why did you enter the cave without permission?"
"....." Marlik looked down with wide-open eyes, "...I was in Sector 105 just moments ago."
"What exactly do you mean?" Sevar wondered.
"..." But Marlik did not reply directly; instead, he turned to Sevar with a very strange look.
He remembered a sentence he had just heard and hadn't thought about, believing it to be something impossible, and certainly just an insult:
Bandage his wounds...
Even he, his right-hand man and the only one permitted to enter the cave, did not know he was injured!
Marlik maintained his silence for a few moments, then sat quietly beside Sevar. He tore a piece of his clothing and began wiping the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Master, that technique that struck you... was it against Robin Burton?"
"How did you know?" Sevar furrowed his brows.
"..." Marlik kept silent for nearly a minute, wiping in silence. "Master... I have a message for you."
Middle Sector 105—
Ding
The Scale appeared and bestowed upon Robin an immense amount of energy, visible to all present, not merely felt.
All three of them could see vitality returning to Robin's face and body, and they could see the follicles of his hair regaining their luster after Robin had consumed nearly 90% of his life force!
Inhale
Robin drew in a deep breath, as if he had been underwater for an entire day, then flashed a wide smile. "Now this feels much better!"
Transporting a person across sectors was not a strange or novel thing that required Robin to explore; he had previously created the Spacetime Dagger array, which pierced the Wall of the End of the World—a stable channel that could be expanded and contracted, capable of bearing the crossing of armies and space beasts as if it were a real door, not a terrifying wormhole!
At the Fourth Level, Robin's Law of Spacetime already possessed a method for traveling across sectors. Now, having obtained the Fifth Level... there is no place in the universe he cannot go if he has its coordinates!
Of course... the farther the location, the higher the cost, and the greater the Pressure.
"Ah... yes..." Zavarus took a step toward Robin, then stopped and patted the fallen beast beside him with sorrow, injecting some Energy into it. He then resumed walking toward Robin with tense steps. "Please... please, have a seat."
But Zavarus's steps suddenly halted, and he felt even more tense.
His favorite council seat had been completely shattered by all those events, especially the sofa that had sparked the battle—it had been reduced to thousands of pieces.
Quickly recovering, Zavarus said, "Please wait. I'll arrange another council seat. Shall we go to the Reception Hall? I'll trouble Your Highness and the other guests to follow me toward the Gate." He then turned to Kiryān, seeking any support. "No problem with that, right?"
"No... not at all." Kiryān turned to Zavarus, then looked back at Robin with furrowed brows, his gaze filled with apprehension and confusion.
Just moments ago, they had been in a similar situation before the Butcher, but at least they had known the Butcher's strength and goal in advance, and all their thoughts had been focused on finding the best possible way out.
But now, before that person who had appeared out of nowhere and displayed power equal to or surpassing the Butcher—someone who spoke to Marlik the Butcher without arrogance and threatened the Archon Sevar himself—how were they supposed to deal with him?
If he had treated the Archon and his follower like that, how would he treat them?!
"A hall and a gate?" Robin raised an eyebrow. "I'm not moving from here." Then he turned toward the Council and nodded. "...A simple matter; its destruction is my responsibility anyway. This place is pleasant, and it seems dear to you, and I destroyed it unintentionally."
"Don't say that, Lord Robin. A few seats are a simple matter." Zavarus showed a barely-there smile. "Just a moment, let me have my sons bring some—"
*Huum*
At that moment, Robin struck the ground with his right hand. He barely lifted it and then brought it down, yet every person present felt a tremor in their bodies.
The next moment, something astonishing happened... The symbol of the Ouroboros appeared clearly above the Council, and beside it, a shield with a broken tooth.