Chapter 2341

2341 - Visit

In a quiet, multicolored place—

Hedrick sat in a meditative posture, but his eyes were open, gazing at something specific. It was clear that his body was merely a Spiritual Embodiment.

At that moment, a Thread, slightly tinted blue, advanced toward him very slowly and hesitantly, until it reached his forehead and touched it.

But the Thread's light did not intensify for a moment before retreating quietly. Instead—

*Ssshh*

Hedrick's forehead seemed to pull the Thread inward against its will. After a portion of it entered, the Thread snapped, and the part outside hurriedly fled, not stopping its convulsions until it returned to its place.

But it returned having lost a few meters… The darkness behind the Thread was now clearly visible, and it was not alone.

A quarter of the Threads on that side were in the same state; some had lost a small portion, some had lost nearly a quarter… while half of the Threads on that side were torn like a cloak mauled by dogs. The other half were intact, or missing only about a handspan.

"Tsk…" Hedrick clicked his tongue as he watched the next Thread approach slowly, trembling as if trying to escape, but its duty drove it forward. "…What a strange process. At this rate, I won't be done for another century!"

For the first time in decades, silence was not the only response.

"You're assuming the process is natural, and that's wrong."

"….?!" Hedrick sprang to his feet as if struck by lightning, then turned toward the source of the voice. "...Robin?!"

Not far away stood a shimmering golden figure whose features were barely discernible, but that stance, that tone, that aura... all belonged to an arrogant person he knew well.

"How are you, partner?" Robin stepped closer to him with a wide smile.

Hedrick barely gave him a glance and a nod, then returned to examining the severed threads on the side.

"How am I?" Hedrick said in disbelief. "...Are you really here? My consciousness isn't weak enough to start seeing random figures!"

"You answered yourself, hehe." Robin chuckled. "You've been in seclusion for too long, so I got worried and came to take a look." Then he narrowed his eyes toward the threads. "...Hey, are you keeping sharks inside your forehead? What kind of sight is this?"

"..." Hedrick sat back down. "So you came to conduct research on how to break through the Law Dominator Realm, that's reassuring. Do whatever you want in a low voice, and don't bother me."

"Hehe, don't you want to ask how I got in?" Robin chuckled as he turned to Hedrick.

That person had always intrigued him… At first, he was suspicious, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. Then he became defensive, fearing he had fallen into a trap set by one of his enemies. Finally, he relaxed when Robin became engrossed in his research—that was how he confirmed it was really him.

"Does it truly matter?" Hedrick replied calmly. "It's not as if you'd tell me anyway." Then, after a brief pause, he continued, "Do as you please, just don't mess anything up. The operation has already been delayed enough."

*Crack*

At that moment, another thread touched Hedrick's forehead, and a large piece broke off before he could pull away.

"…" Robin narrowed his eyes at the scene, then showed a small smile, returning to gaze at all those severed threads with an even wider grin. "…I have to say, you chose a terrible time for a breakthrough."

"I've reached the point where I'm convinced that everything happening in Middle Sector 101 is useless unless I'm strong enough to fight Darvion and Zavarus myself," Hedrick replied calmly. "With my old strength, whether you're here or not, I wouldn't make much of a difference—I'd only prolong the matter."

Then he glanced toward Robin. "Let me guess, the war is still ongoing, and the armies are still chasing each other?"

"Heh~" Robin let out a light chuckle. "There are no more armies."

"...?!" Hedrick jolted. "We were defeated?!"

"No, we destroyed Darvion's army, and Zavarus withdrew from the war. But Darvion's children came to wreak havoc in the Sector, destroying all the other Millennial Empires, causing the coalition army to disband. However, the Six Greats and the Bright Galaxy are still around... You could say there's a cold stalemate now, and no one knows who the Sector will ultimately belong to."

"..." Hedrick turned his gaze forward again after that brief summary. "Don't worry. The Sector's situation will stabilize once I complete my Breakthrough."

"Oh?" Robin nodded. "And when will that be? At this rate, I'm afraid it'll take you about a century... one hundred and four years, to be precise."

"..." Hedrick remained silent for a moment. "The Sector will have to wait. There's no other way. They reached a stalemate faster than I expected, but they've reached it nonetheless. Now they need a powerful figure capable of eliminating the major threats, and that can only be me... but only after I finish my Breakthrough."

"Oh." Robin raised an eyebrow. "You assume you'll be able to fight Darvion, a Behemoth, after breaking through to Intermediate Monarch?"

"And why not?" Hedrick showed a confident smile. "It's true that I'm not the best in Soul Power, and it's true that his Galactic Spirit will grant him an advantage, but I won't be defeated easily. I'll just destroy everything."

"Hmm, I met Kiryān." Robin murmured. "He said he could fight two or three of your Second Tier brothers... They showed strength almost equal to yours. I think you should place the power of the Behemoths in a higher regard than you currently do. Confidence is good, but excess is suicide."

"Kiryān? The Oppression Behemoth?" Hedrick turned quickly and sharply. "What were you doing with Kiryān? And why would he fight the Second Tier brothers?" Then he narrowed his eyes. "...And you say they showed strength equal to mine?!"

"A lot happened while you were away, the world outside has been moving at a fast pace for some reason, hehe." Robin chuckled slyly. "Let's just say your father no longer wants to stay still, he came out with great force and attacked Kiryān and Zavarus, and your Second Tier brothers showed power similar to yours... What do you know about them?"

"..." Hedrick turned back to look ahead. "Nothing. When I left the Father's side, there were no Second Tier brothers at all."