Chapter 2324

2324 - Treasure

“…My honor and Sector 106 are one, huh?” Robin showed a wide grin stretching from ear to ear.

“…….” Zavarus’s face began to turn purple from sheer embarrassment, but he maintained his usual expression as much as possible.

This was a sentence he had uttered when Helmor the Destroyer attacked the surrounding sectors. Zavarus had declared he would defend Sector 106 and blurted out that line in a fit of rage, because he was certain it would be easy to wipe out the sector, unaware of what he would face.

“I haven’t been defeated yet.” Zavarus declared with embarrassment and annoyance, then clenched his fists. “It’s just that he moves swiftly and deeply, and he uses the Great Space Gate heavily, transporting large numbers of soldiers and equipment daily, as if he doesn’t intend to keep a single Pearl for himself… The way he moves his armies makes me feel like I’m fighting him in the heart of his galaxy, not in a place three full sectors away. It will take some time, but I’m fighting, and I haven’t been defeated.”

"Oh, you've already been defeated." Robin's smile softened slightly. "Helmor distributed his sons across nine sectors, if we count Sector 115 among them." Robin tilted his head toward Kiryān without looking at him. "Yet you're only fighting his forces in a single sector. What would happen if the forces in Sectors 107 and 108 joined the battle?"

Then he shook his head. "Unfortunately, Helmor's first attack was just a pinch on the ear. His assault on the Oppression Galaxy is the beginning of the escalation, and then he'll come for you. When he intends to start, you won't just lose Sector 106. But first, we must ask: why were you left to be the last? I see you as somewhat of a special case."

"Lord Robin." Zavarus's face showed no pleasure. "Did you come today to gloat over my situation?"

"Heh~" Robin shook his head and gestured toward Glacion.

Then Robin turned around, smiled, reached out his hand, and made a certain gesture. *Zzzzn.*

Several kilometers away, the mud began to tremble, and a sword emerged from its center. That sword rose from the ground after Robin's gesture and began to move toward him.

But Robin furrowed his brows slightly...

The sword was emitting a whine and shaking violently, refusing to move even while surrounded by immense soul power, but Robin increased the force he sent into it several times over and began pulling it toward him as if dragging a raging bull.

As for Glacion, he focused on his task:

"Lord Robin doesn't have time to travel between Sectors just to gloat at someone, especially if they're not a direct enemy." Glacion spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "Lord Robin wants to make something clear to you. First, will and determination are useless in the face of a grand scheme between people backed by power and methods we know nothing about—methods that Lord Robin himself demonstrated to you by applying them to Marlik the Butcher. No matter how strong your intention to defend against Helmor, intention is useless without power to support you, power equal to the power that supports him."

"...Second, Lord Robin wants to tell you that Helmor seeks expansion, yes, but he also seeks something else. The proof is that he possesses all this power, yet he has only just begun. Additionally, he attacks the Oppression Galaxy rationally while simultaneously terrorizing the forces of the Savage Galaxy—your forces—waiting for something. What is he waiting for? And why didn't he attack you first, even though you are the one famously known as his rival and enemy?"

He continued, his brows furrowed. "...And finally, Lord Robin's last question combines both points: Why would someone with such mysterious support give you a chance instead of eliminating you outright, and why would the Butcher himself come to win you over, knowing that Helmor the Destroyer is now on the move, and that the Syndicate is trying to form a front against the Cosmic Elder and Lord Robin?"

"...." Kiryān and Zavarus furrowed their brows.

It was not strange to hear such analyses from Glacion; his reputation, built from countless dialogues and events over millions of years, made him one of the few people you would specifically go to sit with, and you might even pay to listen to them.

Beyond that, he knew Lord Robin better than they did, having come with him, and he understood his personality. What a stranger might see as mere mockery, a companion like him would certainly view from its true angle.

And in truth... between mockery and this deep analysis, they would choose depth. Even if Robin mocked them, they could do nothing but stay in their places and listen in silence.

Upon reaching this line of thought, the two turned to Robin with deeper looks this time.

Zzzzn.

Robin, who was still pulling the sword toward himself with furrowed brows, "...". When he felt the gazes upon him, he turned toward them for a moment, then went back to pulling the sword. "That thing has a deeper consciousness than planetary weapons—a clear and dignified awareness."

"Hmm?" The three extended their spiritual senses in that direction and found a sword heading toward them... The blade was still pointing at the ground, even plowing through it and deliberately burying itself as it advanced, making itself slower and heavier!

"This?" Kiryān opened his eyes. "Is it one of the Three Swords of the Butcher?"

Glacion and Zavarus nodded. Only now did they recall that the Butcher had been carried away holding two swords, while the third remained behind... After Robin reshaped the place, it had disappeared under the trees and been forgotten.

"That little bastard buried himself in the mud after Pink was taken away." The veins on Robin's forehead began to throb. "He realized he was in enemy territory and had to protect himself. He even completely suppressed his aura, entering a state of silence like an ordinary piece of wood. He'll likely stay like this until Pink returns, then come out to greet him." Then he flashed a wide grin. "But isn't it a shame to leave such a treasure buried?"