Lord of the Truth

"The Third Truth Chosen? Jabba's Master?"

The massive crimson eyes narrowed slightly, glowing with a dangerous intensity. "You… won?!"

Robin, struggling to move, managed to lift his trembling hands slightly, yet his smile never wavered. "What do you see before you?" His voice was hoarse but still carried an undeniable confidence. "If you ask me, your followers never stood a chance from the very beginning, I didn't even have to use my full army to achieve what you are seeing now. With all due respect, it doesn't seem like you trained them properly hehe!"

Helen's piercing red gaze narrowed further, her expression shifting ever so slightly, "...That's strange."

A moment of silence stretched between them before she finally spoke again, her voice sharper than before. "Why are you speaking to me in this way? For some reason, I feel as if you are certain that you will survive… as if you know I won't strike you down before your very next word. Who gave you this confidence? Who assured you of safety from me?"

Robin's smirk widened just a fraction, his bloodied hand lifting slightly as he pointed toward the towering shadow behind her. "You did."

Helen's expression remained unreadable as he continued.

"To answer your question just now— and the one you asked earlier about why this manifestation of yours has such heightened awareness…" Robin's voice carried a hint of amusement, despite his injuries. "I saw Pythor inject a soul shard into the cube just before the shadow was fully formed. If I'm not mistaken, that shard is the same one you left with him— to maintain contact with him whenever necessary."

A deep, unsettling silence followed.

Helen's gaze flickered toward Pythor's lifeless remains, realization dawning upon her. She exhaled slowly, her expression hardening as she muttered, "That explains the heightened awareness of the Blood and Destruction Shadow... but it does not explain why you feel so safe in my presence."

RUMBLE.

A crackle of energy rippled through the sky above them, lightning surging through the dark clouds.

Robin, however, remained unfazed. Wiping some of the blood off his face, he continued, "Jabba once spoke of encountering a soul shard of yours on the planet Nihari. When I heard that, I wondered… why didn't you simply use that shard to annihilate everything? We all know the kind of destruction the Cataclysm Seal Cubes are capable of, you could have ended everything before it even began."

Helen's shadow remained motionless, yet Robin could tell she was listening.

"And then I thought further," he continued, eyes glinting. "Why was the shadow within the cube destroyed, while your soul shard remained intact upon entering Nihari?"

He let his words sink in before answering his own question. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

"The answer is simple— the cube has destroyed something on the planet, while your soul shard didn't."

Helen's shadow shifted slightly. She had turned her focus back to him.

Robin smirked, his voice steady despite the pain. "If I'm not mistaken, this shadow of yours, created through the Cataclysm Seal Cube, is something you consider replaceable. It contains a few years of your cultivation and only a few minor units of your soul power. But the shard? That's different."

His eyes locked onto hers with unwavering confidence.

"I briefly sensed the shard passing through Pythor's spiritual domain before it was absorbed into the cube. And if I'm not mistaken… it contains nearly thirty thousand soul units. But more importantly, it's a true soul fragment— a genuine piece severed from your soul domain. If it's destroyed, you will lose it forever."

For the first time, the shadow looming before him seemed to pause, as if truly considering his words.

Helen's voice, though neutral, carried a faint note of curiosity. "Interesting. And what does this mean for you?"

For the first time, the shadow made a subtle gesture— acknowledging him.

Robin grinned, though his exhaustion was evident. "It means you will likely act with the same level of rationality you did when you first arrived on Nihari. Perhaps you will try to extract some information. Maybe you'll even attempt to intimidate me a little."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Or maybe… you'll act even more wisely. Perhaps you'll offer me a deal— one I hopefully can't refuse."

His grin widened. "But what you absolutely won't do… is attack me."

The atmosphere grew thick with tension, the very air crackling with unspoken power.

"You won't risk triggering a reaction from Nihari's planetary spirit —one that could erase your soul shard permanently— just for someone like me."

A faint smirk tugged at the edges of Robin's lips. "Let me guess… the planet's spirit is speaking to you right now, isn't it? Warning you not to make a move? If I were you, I'd listen."

He exhaled, his body aching, yet his confidence never wavering.

To him, thirty thousand soul units weren't necessarily an impossible amount to acquire— thanks to the Soul Filling Technique. But to anyone else? Losing that much permanently would be an absolute catastrophe.

"Fascinating… truly fascinating."

For the first time, Helen's shadow raised a hand—and began to clap.

Slow. Deliberate. Amused.

Robin chuckled, nodding in acknowledgment, accepting the praise with an easy smile.

Helen clapped her hands a few more times, slow and deliberate, before stopping abruptly. Her crimson eyes locked onto Robin's.

"It's absolutely fascinating that a mere rodent like you has reached this level of arrogance."

Her voice dripped with amusement, yet her gaze carried nothing but scorn.

"Your entire existence is laughable. There is nothing about you worthy of a second glance, and yet… Do you dare to speak to me in this manner? Incredible!"

Robin felt a cold sweat trickle down his forehead. Silently, he lowered his hands, pressing them lightly against the scorched ground beside his thighs.

"I'm merely stating facts, my lady." His voice was careful, controlled. "I don't believe I've ever disrespected you."

"Oh, no, no. This isn't your fault."

Helen waved a hand dismissively as if amused by her own patience in engaging with such a creature.

"I suppose I've spent too long on my high throne, forgetting that even ants have a king. Oh, pardon me— an emperor, was it?"

Her smirk widened slightly, mockery dripping from every syllable.

"Go on then, Emperor of Ants. Enlighten me further on how I supposedly cannot attack you. Guess what happens next. Try your best to turn this confrontation into a civil discussion— an exchange between equals."

She leaned forward slightly, her presence suffocating.

"I'm all ears."

The mockery was unmistakable.

Robin swallowed hard. "All I'm saying is—"

Before he could finish, Helen's shadow lifted a hand.

SWOOOOSH!

A gray beam shot toward Robin at terrifying speed.

"…!!!"

Robin barely had time to react. He wanted to curse, to say damn it, or anything that captured his sheer shock— but there was no time.

KRK!

With nothing but raw instinct, he pressed his fingertips against the ground beneath him. A sharp tear split open in space itself, right under him. His body vanished into the rift an instant before the beam struck.

SHHHHHRRRRROOOOOOM!

The area where Robin had just been standing was obliterated.

The entire environment —the land encased within the sealed dome— began to crack apart and turn to ash. The lone mountain in the sea of lava, the battlefield that had once hosted thousands of emperors and an entire army of demons— everything crumbled, collapsing into the molten abyss below.

"Oh?"

The hooded shadow tilted its head slightly, intrigued. Then, with a simple gesture, Helen clenched her fist.

FOOOOOOM!

Everything in a radius spanning miles froze solid.

Even the bacteria within the soil stopped moving.

Silence.

The shadow's head turned slightly, fixing its gaze on a distant point.

"Fourth-stage spatial manipulation? This what gave you the confidence before me?"

A slow exhale, dripping with disdain.

"Pathetic."

With a flick of Helen's other hand—

Somewhere in the distance, space itself was torn open. A figure was forcibly ejected, it was Robin.

BAAAM!

His entire body trembled. His breathing was ragged, heart pounding in his chest. He didn't even need to see what happened— he could feel it.

The spatial tunnel he had opened had collapsed in on itself. No, not collapsed. Crushed.

It was as if he had been traveling through a corridor and, in an instant, the unseen spatial walls had caved in, suffocating him.

His mind screamed at him to move. Open another rift! Get out of here! NOW!

But before he could—

"Come here."

Helen's voice was calm, but her fingers curled toward herself in a beckoning motion.

ZOOOOOOOOM!

The space around Robin imploded.

This time, it wasn't his doing.

Before he even realized what had happened, he was pulled forward—yanked through the crushing void.

And then—

He found himself face to face with a pair of glowing, blood-red eyes.

A face as black as the abyss itself.

And a gaze filled with such overwhelming contempt that it burned itself into his mind— a look he would never forget for a very, very long time.