Chapter 2342

2342 - The Weapon

“…There were no Second Tier brothers back then.” Hedrick shook his head. “When I helped him subjugate the mid-level Sector 110, I had no other brothers, and he didn’t begin to focus on producing more until things started to stabilize.”

Then he furrowed his brows. “But from what I’ve seen, all of his promising children fell in that Internal War, or they are the other four known ones.” He turned to Robin again. “To say that the Second Tier Children, known among all Behemoths for failure and administrative Deeds, all possess power comparable to mine… forgive me, that is unbelievable.”

“That’s what I was told.” Robin replied with a meaningful smile.

“Whoever told you is a liar.” Hedrick waved his hand. “Is talent sold on the roadside? Just because he fathered me, can he father more of me and create a secret army from them?” Then he shook his head. “Did your father succeed in fathering more Truth Chosen after you?”

“Hehe, he wished.” Robin chuckled, then tilted his head. “But the difference is that the entire Universe saw your brothers occupying nine Sectors and fighting two galaxies of Behemoths. Are they all liars?”

“…?” Hedrick furrowed his brows tightly.

"By the way," Robin began, walking at a safe distance from Hedrick—neither too close nor too far—"what do you remember from your early years?"

"You mean my first trainings?" Hedrick asked in surprise. "My battles?"

"No, no, a bit before that." Robin shook his head. "I mean playing in the dirt and breaking plates."

"...?" Hedrick looked at Robin with great bewilderment at that strange request.

But then again, Robin Burton would certainly not trouble himself to come in such a situation, and to such a place, just to share some tender words about the past.

Hedrick looked down slightly. "...I've lived far too long, and all I remember are wars and killing."

"Because you've lived long, and because you're strong, you have a strong memory." Robin nodded as he moved. "Even I have memories from the age of two... Come on, come on, don't be lazy, and dig deeper."

"....?" Hedrick looked at Robin with annoyance, but he closed his eyes and lowered his face, trying to wring his mind, then began shaking his head. "The deepest I can reach is that man telling me to charge toward an army..." Then he shouted at Robin after recalling that unpleasant moment: "What's the point of all this?!"

"Hmm." Robin paused for a moment. "To be honest, I think you are a weapon created for killing and intimidation, and the fact that you have no memories confirms that theory." Then he continued, "And most likely, Helmor was impressed by the results you showed, but you were far too stubborn and had your own ambitions that conflicted with his. So he decided to fabricate a problem with you, push you away, and then repeat his experiment with new copies devoid of will—the Second Tier Children."

"...What nonsense are you spouting?" A smile crept onto Hedrick's irritated face. "Have you had too much free time lately?"

"A man of immense power who subdued a sector and terrorized the major powers with his strength, only to suddenly be discovered to have over fifty brothers, all possessing power equal to his, all submissive, tight-lipped, without opinions—no one has ever heard a single sarcastic remark or even a hint of provocation from any of them. And on top of all that, you have no memories of your childhood. What am I supposed to think?"

"The first thing that came to your mind was that I'm just a weapon?!" Hedrick raised his voice. "Couldn't I say the same about you, the Phenomenon who surpassed all the great Truth Chosen before you? Just because someone is exceptional doesn't mean they're a weapon or part of some conspiracy!"

"First... thank you for the compliment." Robin showed a big smile. "Second, I don't have fifty copies, and I have my memories." Then he pointed around him. "Third, I'm not tampering with the Heavenly Laws the way you are right now."

"What are you talking about?" Hedrick furrowed his brows deeply. "...This is the method of breaking through to the Law Dominator Realm, and the same thing happened to me when I first broke through."

"Tut tut~" Robin shook his head. "I've read a lot about this after buying volumes worth billions of Pearls—something you can't obtain because you're poor—and I've also witnessed the breakthrough process myself when Renara broke through. Nothing like this happens."

Then he pointed toward the torn threads. "The threads are supposed to remain as they are. They only touch you to grant you Grace, or Support, or whatever it is, and then they quietly withdraw." Robin then chuckled. "But you have something that cuts them and pulls a part away."

Then Robin pointed toward the shortest thread. "Look, for example, that missing piece you absorbed grants you 67% support toward a Minor Law of Wind. Why would an Intermediate Monarch walking the Path of Destruction possess something like that?"

"That's because of my talent!" Hedrick raised his voice.

"...." A look of sorrow and pity crossed Robin's expression, then he shrugged. "If that's what you want to believe, suit yourself." He continued: "I accepted you as a partner back then, not because I feared you or needed you, but because I valued your intelligence—your discovery that I'm a candidate for the All-seeing God, and your attempt to get close to me to become a player and uncover the real world, or to exploit me, to be precise. But you did it in a good way that I liked, because I enjoy both giving and taking."

Then he lifted his head slightly, looking at Hedrick. "Turn on that brain, use the wisdom that made you my partner... connect the dots, and tell me what you've figured out."

Then he pointed at him. "Why are there copies of you with different faces? Why are your childhood memories missing? And why is your breakthrough into the Law Dominator Realm different from everything recorded in the archives?"

"...." Hedrick furrowed his brows tightly. "What do you want me to say? That I'm a living weapon the universe has never seen before, and that my father invented me? That he made copies of me? Do you want me to say I'm a fraud without knowing how? This pointless argument has dragged on long enough... and your visit has been too long as well."

"...." Robin nodded a few times, then smiled. "You're right."

He then placed his hands behind his back. "There is something else that has been prolonged without reason—our partnership; a partnership from which I have gained nothing in truth, so I will not feel troubled ending it here." Then his artificial smile widened. "You can enjoy what remains of your breakthrough process!"