Lord of the Truth

"What do you Mean, Saher?" Arkail asked in genuine surprise, so much so that he turned his head to look directly at his son, his expression filled with disbelief. "You’re actually willing to let him continue calling you ’boy’?"

"If he’s willing to give me power like that... why not?" Saher replied without the slightest hesitation as he raised his hand and pointed toward the holographic screen still suspended before them.

"...." Arkail slowly shifted his own gaze back toward the projection. "Did you notice it?"

"Of course." Saher answered immediately. "Renara was nothing more than a useless Nexus State cultivator just a few decades ago, while Hedrick wasn’t even capable of standing against the armies of someone like Zaryon. He spent his time wandering around Mid Sector like a headless chicken without accomplishing anything decisive. But now look at the two of them. They’re practically equal in strength, fighting on separate fronts at the exact same time, supported by the very same vessels, and both battles are being broadcast in exactly the same manner... by the Shadow Swords, if I’m not mistaken."

He then furrowed his brows slightly before continuing.

"He couldn’t possibly have earned the loyalty and support of those two unless he was personally responsible for the strength they possess today. And he certainly wouldn’t have spoken to us the way he did unless he already knew he had absolutely no need for our support." He looked toward his father. "I also wouldn’t be surprised if he’s stronger than both of them..."

"...There’s no room for doubt about that." Arkail replied calmly. "If he were weaker, they wouldn’t follow his orders so willingly. Besides... didn’t you hear Glatheon say that Lord Robin possesses the Fifth-Grade Master Law of Space-Time? That’s in addition to the Master Law of Truth and the Master Law of Balance, both of which we’ve personally witnessed him use. He also stated with his own mouth that he uses the Master Law of Creation, in addition to another law that he displayed but that I couldn’t identify. Doesn’t that make four... or perhaps even five?"

"If you already know all of that," Saher said as he knitted his brows together in confusion, "then why are you talking about joining the Syndicate to stop his advance and deliberately turn Mid Sector 96 into a battlefield?"

"Because there’s also the Archon and Marlik." Arkail kept his eyes fixed ahead as he answered in an even tone. "...Besides, I never said I was going to join them. I only said that it remains one path still available to us."

"...What’s the second path?" Saher asked, unable to hide the anticipation reflected in the smile spreading across his face.

"We don’t wait for our forces to return to Mid Sector 96," Arkail answered calmly. "You and your brothers leave immediately for Mid Sectors 93 and 94, eliminate the Gravity Behemoth’s forces stationed there, and publicly announce that taking any action against the Shadow Swords within those sectors will be considered an act of aggression against the Sand Galaxy of Time, and that we will not permit anyone, regardless of who they are, to cross beyond Mid Sector 92."

He then began rhythmically tapping the armrest of his stone throne with his fingers as he continued speaking.

"This has to be done immediately and without delay, before Lord Robin completely digests Mid Sectors 98 and 102 and has the opportunity to turn his attention toward us as another unresolved variable. If we make this move and openly declare our protection of the Shadow Swords, Glatheon will inevitably come to us once again to negotiate the terms of our official entry into their ranks. By then, our position will already be clear—we will have chosen a side... the side of the True Beginning Empire, with all of the mystery and uncertainty that still surrounds it."

"I like that option much better." Saher replied almost instantly, his answer coming without even a moment of consideration.

"...?" Arkail turned toward him once again in surprise. "You seem remarkably fond of being humiliated."

Saher answered just as quickly. "I’m fond of anything that prevents Mid Sector 96 from becoming a battlefield. And I certainly don’t want us to end up surrounded by the True Beginning Empire from Mid Sectors 95 and 97, sitting helplessly inside Mid Sector 96 while quietly and submissively paying whatever tribute Lord Robin decides to impose on us. That situation wouldn’t be any better than simply joining them from the beginning." He frowned slightly before asking, "Don’t you think so too?"

"....."

Arkail kept his eyes fixed on the distant horizon for a long while, remaining silent as though carefully weighing countless possibilities inside his mind before finally speaking.

"Before today, I couldn’t say I knew the answer with certainty. But after seeing Hedrick and Renara... I finally have a clear goal."

"What is it?" Saher swallowed hard, unable to hide his curiosity any longer.

"...To have Lord Robin come to negotiate with us personally next time instead of sending Glatheon."

He continued speaking at an exceptionally slow pace, carefully weighing every word before allowing it to leave his mouth, as though even now he was still reorganizing his thoughts after everything he had witnessed. "I am powerful, Saher. Very powerful. And it isn’t because I worked harder than everyone else or achieved something no one before me could accomplish. No... I was born fortunate enough to belong to the Fundamental Law of Time, and from there I carved out my own path step by step, relying on that blessing while continuously strengthening it... the path of Time, before which no one can stand."

"...Perhaps the universe doesn’t truly know the extent of my strength because I’ve never participated in any cosmic war. Perhaps everyone underestimated me because Zargul came, established himself, and built his galaxy beside mine while I allowed it to happen without interfering... But you know very well that when I strike, my enemies suffer, and when I move, no one remains standing still. I simply... never wanted to. I kept telling myself, time and time again... that it wasn’t yet the right moment to reveal my true strength."

He then turned toward his son, his eyes carrying an unusually serious expression.

"After all of this... after gathering my armies, strengthening my children, continuously deepening my mastery over the Major Law of Time, after accumulating, refining, and preparing everything for the day I foresaw—the very day that I know with absolute certainty will descend upon the Sea of Time like a mountain in the near future... am I supposed to throw all of that away and serve beneath another man? Am I supposed to hand everything over to him that easily, after preparing for so many years?!"

"...."

Saher lowered his head.

No one understood better than he did what his father was talking about. He was the one helping coordinate every available resource to secretly train as many brothers as possible, establish the finest armadas imaginable, develop the most advanced technologies centered around the path of Time, and oversee countless other preparations that were never allowed to reach the outside world. Every one of those efforts had always been directed toward that single day his father had foreseen at the very beginning of his journey, and with every passing day, every completed fleet, every stronger brother, and every improvement they achieved, they drew a little closer to it.

A day...

That was rapidly approaching.

"What if..." Saher finally spoke after a brief silence. "What if that day is connected to Lord Robin?" He raised a hand and pointed toward the holographic screen. "After all... his sudden appearance at exactly this point in time... can it really be nothing more than a coincidence?"

"...."

Arkail parted his lips slightly.

"The speed of his growth is beyond comprehension. It’s as though he exists within an entirely different flow of time than the rest of us, as though he stepped into an era of acceleration that we’ve never even heard of. Even so..." He shifted his gaze back toward his son. "Is that really enough for the prophecy of the Day of Judgment to revolve around him?"

"..." Saher nodded.

"He accomplished all of this in only a thousand years." Then he stared directly into his father’s eyes without looking away. "Can you predict what he’ll accomplish after another thousand years? Or even a hundred years?... Ten years? It’s him. Take my word for it."

"..." Arkail slowly nodded as he silently considered those words.

"Then... will he be the one who ignites the spark that shatters everything... or will he be the one who stands against it and brings it all to an end?"

"...Does that really matter?"

"....."

Arkail gazed silently toward the distant horizon, his expression carrying an indescribable mixture of shock, disbelief, and deep contemplation as those words continued echoing through his mind, forcing him to reconsider conclusions he had held for countless years.

Then he slowly nodded.

"You’re right."

After remaining silent for another brief moment, allowing that realization to fully settle within him, he spoke once more.

"It doesn’t matter... so long as we’re among the survivors when the mountain falls."

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