Chapter 2368

2368 - The Speed Age

Middle Sector 96—Sand Galaxy

"……" Arkail kept his eyes wide open and a shocked expression for several uninterrupted minutes; anyone seeing him from afar might think he was sleeping like that, or that he was a lifelike doll!

Strangely, he was not alone—Sahir stood beside the stone throne with a similar expression, watching the recording before him.

*Fsssh* At that moment, the recording paused on an image of Renara piercing the head of a Nine-Star Soul Master with her spear, laughing as she did so.

This was the head of one of Zargul's greatest sons—the one who had uprooted Middle Sector 98 and encroached on Sector 97 for countless years, causing his prestige to diminish before the rest of the Behemoths!

"……"

"……"

"…Shall I start the next recording? It just arrived." Sahir swallowed his saliva and spoke.

"No need." Arkail's expression regained some movement as he leaned his back against his stone throne. "We won't see more than what we've already seen."

"….." Sahir remained silent for a few moments. "So this is why he said Zargul was as good as dead in his eyes, and that he wasn't interested in the Syndicate Squadron?"

"What do you think?" The irritation was clear in Arkail's tone, but he did not raise his voice. "Why would he care about the Syndicate squadron arriving in ten years to help Zargul, when he sent Renara to kill Zargul before they even get here?"

Then he looked down and began muttering, "This isn't just a show of force—it's a direct, decisive insult to the Syndicate. Everyone knows they sent massive support to Zargul, and here he is today, besieged, and it seems the galaxy will inevitably fall. The same goes for the other front, where Hedrik is annihilating the galaxy of the Cursed Darvion, who is also waiting for support... What does Lord Robin want to say to the world with this act?"

"That he's strong?" Sahir wondered.

"That he doesn't exempt the Syndicate, and doesn't care who they support or who they oppose." Arkail spoke. "What's happening now isn't just a display of muscle—it's a message to all the powers of the universe... that a fifth party has emerged, a party that cannot be messed with."

"..." Sahir felt a shiver for a moment. It was clear that his father now placed the True Beginning Empire on the same level as the Dreamer Galaxy, the Tyrant Galaxy, the Council of Thrones, and the Syndicate!

"What do we do now? Our last meeting with Lord Robin did not go well." Sahir asked quickly, "True, we have a mighty army and a team of First Tier Sons full of strength, but against a force of the kind we see now, I fear we will end up on the losing side."

"End up?" Arkail showed a smile carrying self-mockery, "I thank you for trying to lift our spirits, but there is no 'end' in killing Lord Robin's army if he moves against us with his full force. They are practically attacking Zargul's galaxy with Renara and less than 200 fleets, while attacking the Cursed's galaxy with Hedrik and a few fast support vehicles and a ghost shadow... and winning!"

Sahir took a step to the side to be within his father's line of sight, "What do we do then? Most of our fleets in Middle Sector 97 have withdrawn toward Middle Sector 96, and we and the rest of the First Tier Sons have returned to the galaxy to wait for them. Nothing remains in Middle Sector 97 but five brothers and only 100 fleets to support the sector's stability and affirm our claim to it."

Sahir spoke quickly, "You said you would wait until the forces returned to Middle Sector 96, and then you would decide whether to keep the forces in the galaxy or set out toward Middle Sector 95 to fight the Syndicate's forces... but given what's happening now, I fear we must take action—we still have time to do something!"

"...." Then Arkail fell silent for a moment, "...You will know in the future how valuable this promise is... That is what Lord Robin said when he commented on the promise of granting me Middle Sector 96—my sector—permanently, because of Aser's death in his cause, with the tribute paid, of course."

Then he continued as if talking to himself, "I thought he was speaking of the distant future. I considered the words a threat, to let me know he might think of expanding into 96 but was restraining himself for now... but it turns out he was speaking seriously? And it became clear after only a month?"

Arkail began slowly rubbing between his eyes, "Thanks to a chain of events we have no control over, we now have two paths."

"...?" Sahir nodded quickly, eager to hear.

"First, we must understand our position. We are almost adjacent to the sphere of influence of the True Beginning Empire, and a new explosive force like this will wipe out any threat and create a massive sphere of influence, just as the Tyrant, the Dreamer, the Lord of Thrones, and the Archon did. We will certainly be noticed, and our fate will be decided by others—and apparently, that day is not far off."

"..." Sahir held his breath.

"Our first path now is resistance. We try to be the rock that breaks the True Beginning Empire. This will be done by summoning all armies and all our strength into Middle Sector 96 and increasing fortifications from now on, and by reaching an agreement with the Syndicate to cooperate with them, giving them a base on our side in exchange for their help in defense and using us as a conflict hotspot instead of Zargul, whose galaxy will be wiped out today."

"Our peaceful sector will become a conflict hotspot between two forces like these..." Sahir looked down. "Even if we survive the war, the sector will be destroyed and worn out. What happened in Mid Sector 101 will be nothing compared to what will happen here."

Then he turned to his father. "Do we really have to fight?!"

"Have you not seen how Lord Robin treats us? He came formally to offer condolences, as he claimed, but he seized the opportunity to break the partnership and treat us as subordinates of the lowest rank, even calling you a boy, and he did it deliberately to show us how the dealings between us will be in the future... Are you content to be a follower of that person?"

"...." Sahir looked at the ground, "I mean...."