Chapter 2396: The upcoming conquests

"..."

Robin continued staring calmly into the distant horizon, his gaze fixed ahead without shifting despite everything unfolding around him.

Over the past several hours, the attacks of the space beasts had intensified at times and subsided at others, rising and falling in waves, but the Imperial Guards had handled everything without the slightest lapse or hesitation, maintaining their positions and dealing with every new assault with the same strict discipline.

At one point, a young space beast had even thrust its enormous head through the gate and begun attacking wildly in every direction, but the massive arrays surrounding the area immediately stopped the assault from spreading, while the planet’s solid ground endured the resulting impact, and most importantly, the envoys of the Cosmic Academies on the other side managed to lure the beast away after only two attacks. Apparently, they had then finished it off quietly without allowing the situation to escalate any further.

Yet strangely, even in the face of such epic scenes unfolding right before his eyes, Robin showed no reaction whatsoever... His eyes remained distant and absent as he stared toward the horizon, as though everything happening around the gate had ceased to hold any importance to him.

His head tilted slightly to one side, and his eyes looked tired, deeply exhausted from the thoughts that continued piling upon one another.

The spiderweb was becoming increasingly tangled, its threads crossing and knotting together, and every passing day brought another new variable that complicated everything even further.

The entire universe was already in a miserable state, with problems piling up from every direction, and somehow, he was expected to solve this enormous crisis before the Executioner returned with reinforcements ten thousand years from now.

"Your Majesty..."

The enemies and conspirators had existed since before the beginning of the cycle itself, and their lackeys and pawns were the ones ruling the universe today.

And the only person he could reasonably trust as an ally, the Seer, had a very real possibility of being the reason his wife had been killed in the first place.

The situation was hopeless from nearly every angle he examined it, and the only person he could truly and unconditionally trust was himself.

Himself alone.

His followers? His sons, his army, and his allies—every single one of them ultimately depended on him in one way or another.

Whether it was providing them with weapons, techniques, money, or even simply providing a safe environment in which they could grow and mature without being destroyed prematurely... everything ultimately rested on his shoulders.

"Your Majesty..."

"Hmm?" Robin finally snapped out of his absent-minded state and looked beside him, then straightened himself slightly in his seat as his attention returned to his surroundings. "What’s the news?"

The Shadow Sword lowered himself into another deep bow before speaking respectfully, "The transfer of equipment and Royal Spirit Masters to the Savage Behemoth’s galaxy has already begun as Your Majesty ordered, and we are currently awaiting further instructions."

"Mhm." Robin nodded slowly. "Build several layers of fortifications and defensive structures using every available resource. Savage’s galaxy is the strongest fortress standing directly against Helmor’s advance, and it is also our confirmed border on the western side. Even with Zavaros, his sons, and his army advancing toward Mid-106, the galaxy itself must remain properly protected. Send a squadron of Nota Fleets there as an additional layer of protection as well; this should reassure Zavaros about the safety of his territory and allow him to take even more of his army toward Mid-106."

Then he waved his hand lightly and continued, "And if they require support in Mid-106 or Mid-107, they won’t need large quantities of vehicles or extensive equipment support. What they will primarily need are experts, and we can send those directly through the Grand Space Gates. Even if they require pearls, we can send those through the Grand Space Gates as well by simply filling several storage rings with them and transporting them through." He then nodded once, seemingly satisfied with the arrangement. "With that, our support for Savage’s mission should be complete."

"As you command, Your Majesty." The Shadow Sword bowed slightly once again before raising his head. "What about the other gate?"

"It’s a gate leading directly to Kiryan the Oppression Behemoth, opening right in the heart of his galaxy in Mid Sector 115," Robin explained calmly, making the destination and purpose of the newly established passage clear. "The gate itself is large enough for entire fleets and full armies to pass through without any problem." Then, after a brief pause as though arranging the necessary support in his mind, he continued, "He must receive at least 200 Note-4 Fleets, along with several Rapid Support and Phantom Shadow vessels. I also want a considerable number of trap, defensive, and support arrays sent over. Purchase everything necessary through the designated channel and transport it there as quickly as possible... Helmor must not be allowed to reach the heart of that galaxy under any circumstances." Then a small smile appeared on his face as he added, "At least until Hedrick finishes what he’s doing and goes there to help."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Shadow Sword nodded with absolute seriousness, already beginning to draw up plans inside his head and arrange the different requirements Robin had just listed.

"...." Robin turned his head toward the Shadow Sword and examined him briefly. "You’re one of the numbered Shadow Swords, correct?"

"Yes!" The Shadow Sword immediately gave a full, respectful bow, straightening his posture afterward as he waited attentively. "Your orders."

"Hmm, it’s not an order, but rather a request." Robin showed a small smile before continuing in a measured tone, "These are the first two Tyrants to submit completely to me, and right now they’re facing a crisis that the entire universe is watching closely. I need to make a bold enough move that everyone watching will say: this is what happens to those who cooperate with Robin Burton—they receive power, wealth, and honor, until even the Destruction Tyrant himself stands helpless before them. I don’t want anyone to look at what happens next and say: this is what happens to Robin Burton’s followers... they get destroyed before they can even publicly declare their loyalty."

Then he tilted his head slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on the Shadow Sword as he asked, "Do you understand me?"

"...!" A shiver immediately ran through the Shadow Sword’s entire body as the true meaning behind Robin’s words sank in. He then spoke while staring toward the ground, his eyes opened to their widest as countless thoughts raced through his mind. "The entire universe will have nothing else to talk about except the sheer amount of support those two are receiving. This is a promise from the Shadow Swords."

"Good." Robin nodded in satisfaction, then calmly turned his gaze forward again without saying another word, clearly considering that matter settled.

"With Your Majesty’s permission." The Shadow Sword swallowed hard with some difficulty, gave one final respectful gesture, and fled from the area.

Now he had to think of a proper way to support Tyrants, not ordinary armies, commanders, or even great empires.

Who in the entire universe was even qualified to speak confidently about something on that scale?!

Perhaps only the Syndicate... and them!

This was undoubtedly another enormous test placed before the True Beginning Empire, one unlike the ordinary military and logistical challenges they had faced until now, and judging from His Majesty’s words, there was apparently absolutely no room for failure.

"Heh~" Robin released a long sigh, his expression looking increasingly grim as the brief distraction disappeared.

Thinking about everything currently happening around him had become depressing, and every road he could see ahead seemed dark no matter which direction he looked.

So he rubbed his forehead slowly for several seconds, trying to push those thoughts aside for the moment, before turning toward Sakar beside him and asking, "Do you want some help?"

"Ugh..."

CrackCrack

Sakar wasn’t unconscious, but neither was he in the same bizarre and horrifying state he’d fallen into at the beginning of his transformation, when his body had completely escaped his control.

His limbs were no longer broken and twisted into terrifying positions; all of them had already returned to where they belonged, but he was still sitting in the same place, gripping the armrest of his seat with tremendous force while enduring the pain in silence, deliberately trying not to disturb the atmosphere around Robin or interrupt his conversation with the Shadow Sword despite everything happening inside his body.

"..." Robin waited for a short while, expecting some kind of answer, but when he heard nothing except low, restrained groans escaping from Sakar, he spoke again, "If you can hear me clearly, just nod."

"Ughh..." Sakar spat out a mouthful of blood with difficulty, then forced his head to move and gave a small nod.

"Alright, that’s good enough." Robin turned his gaze forward again as he continued, "I can clearly see that the chaos inside your body has already settled considerably, and the additions you’ve received are becoming distinct and stable. You’re in the final phase now, the stabilization phase, so I won’t wait until the entire process is finished before speaking to you. Sorry about that, but I need to return and begin my research as soon as possible."

"Mmm!!" Sakar nodded again with considerable difficulty, showing that he understood despite the intense pain still coursing throughout his body.

He could feel countless tiny fractures appearing throughout his bones one after another, as though something was forcing its way deep inside them, only for those fractures to fuse together again shortly afterward, repeating the painful process as the changes within his body continued to stabilize.

Robin gathered his thoughts for a moment before finally speaking, "...The truth is, Sakar, I don’t need the Demon Army for my upcoming conquests."

"...Ugh?!"