Sector 750—
Hooom.
A golden portal suddenly opened within a dark, desolate place where almost no light could be seen, and whoosh, a swift shadow shot backward out of it at tremendous speed before its feet finally touched the ground several hundred meters away.
"Damn it!" Marlik immediately realized he had been transported elsewhere the instant he emerged from the portal. He kicked the air with explosive force, sending violent shockwaves through the surrounding space as though he had stepped on solid ground, then launched himself straight back toward the golden portal in an attempt to return to the battlefield before Robin could take advantage of his absence.
But poof, the portal collapsed and vanished before he could reach it, leaving nothing behind except empty space.
"FUUUUU*K!!" Marlik barely managed to stop himself beyond the spot where the portal had disappeared before roaring at the top of his lungs, his furious voice echoing throughout the surrounding darkness.
He had already prepared six different Causality accumulations, each linked together with meticulous precision and destined to secure the beheading of that damned human bastard the moment the sequence was allowed to unfold, yet for the second time in a row, he had not even been allowed to begin, as though every carefully prepared arrangement had been deliberately interrupted at the final instant.
Marlik's eyes trembled violently, but this time they were no longer searching for openings or Causality accumulations, nor were they attempting to calculate another sequence of attacks. They shook purely from overwhelming rage that had reached the point where even his normally terrifying posure had begun to crack. "Damn you... damn you, you spoiled pet of the Knower... damn you!!"
Then he let out a long breath, forcibly suppressing part of his anger before straightening his posture while gripping his two swords once more. He immediately began spreading out his soul sense, intending to determine exactly where Robin had transported him on the planet so he could calculate both the fastest route and the shortest possible time required to return. This time, he absolutely could not afford another mistake, nor could he allow Robin another opportunity to escape.
"Marlik..."
"...Hmm?" The Butcher instantly turned toward the familiar voice with astonishing speed, his movements almost instinctive before recognition flashed across his face. "Master?!"
In that corner, Sevar sat in a meditative posture, his eyes closed and his brows tightly furrowed in concentration. Dried patches of blood surrounded him on the ground as though he had remained there for quite some time, while a thin stream of fresh blood still lingered beside his mouth, proving that his condition had yet to fully stabilize.
"Master!!!" Marlik immediately threw both swords aside without the slightest hesitation and rushed toward Sevar. "Master, what's wrong? And what are you doing here?!"
"...It's merely a minor backlash from a technique I was attempting. The injury needs some time, and it will heal on its own..." Sevar slowly opened one eye and looked toward Marlik with calm indifference despite the blood staining his face. "And what exactly do you mean... by asking what I'm doing here? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question, Marlik?"
"Hah?" Marlik gradually came to a stop and began looking around. His expression grew worse with every familiar detail he noticed, his eyes moving from one corner of the cave to another before finally settling on Sevar once again. "...Are we inside your cave? The Sky Avoidance Cave?"
"And where else would we be?!" Sevar slightly raised his voice, clearly dissatisfied with the question. "Why did you enter the cave without permission?"
"....." Marlik slowly lowered his gaze, his eyes opened as wide as they could while countless thoughts rapidly passed through his mind. "...Just a few moments ago, I was in Sector 105."
"What exactly do you mean?" Sevar asked in confusion, unable to understand why Marlik would suddenly mention another sector while standing inside the cave.
"..."
But Marlik did not answer immediately. Instead, he simply turned toward Sevar with an exceptionally strange look, as though several disconnected pieces of information had suddenly begun fitting together inside his mind.
He had suddenly remembered a sentence he had heard only moments earlier but had pletely dismissed at the time, believing it to be utterly impossible and nothing more than another deliberate insult intended to provoke him.
I want you to deliver a message to your master on my behalf while you're tending to his wounds.
Tending to his wounds...
Even he—Sevar's right-hand man, the only person permitted to enter this cave and remain by his master's side whenever necessary—had not known that Sevar was injured, nor had he sensed anything unusual before leaving for Sector 105.
Marlik remained silent for several moments before quietly sitting down beside Sevar, the anger from earlier seemingly disappearing without a trace. Ksssh. He tore off a piece of his own clothing and gently began wiping away the blood flowing from the corner of Sevar's mouth with careful movements that stood in plete contrast to the violence he had displayed only moments earlier.
"Master... that technique which injured you... was it used against Robin Burton?"
"How did you know?" Sevar's brows immediately furrowed, genuine surprise briefly appearing across his face for the first time since Marlik had arrived.
"...." Marlik remained silent for nearly a full minute, continuing to wipe away the blood with slow, careful movements without saying a single word, as though organizing his thoughts before finally speaking. "Master... I have a message for you."
-----------------
Mid Sector 105—
Ding.
The Scale appeared once again and poured an enormous amount of energy into Robin, so much that everyone present could actually see the torrent of energy with their own eyes rather than merely sense its presence. Dense streams of power continuously flowed into his body through the Scale, causing the surrounding aura to bee visibly brighter with every passing moment.
The three of them watched as vitality visibly returned to Robin's face and body. Even the individual strands of his hair gradually regained their former luster after Robin had consumed nearly ninety percent of his life force during the battle. The exhaustion that had covered his face only moments earlier steadily disappeared, while the dryness of his skin and the heaviness of his breathing faded as though the previous battle had never happened.
Inhale.
Robin drew in a deep breath, as though he had remained submerged beneath water for an entire day without a single chance to breathe, allowing fresh air to pletely fill his lungs before a broad smile spread across his face. "Now that feels much better!"
Transporting someone across sectors was neither a strange nor a newly discovered ability that Robin still needed to explore. He had long ago created the Space-Time Dagger Formation, the very formation he had once used to pierce the Wall of the End of the World—a stable passage whose size could be expanded or pressed at will, capable of enduring the passage of entire armies and space beasts as though it were an ordinary gate rather than an unimaginably massive wormhole that would normally collapse beneath such burdens.
Even back when Robin's Space-Time Law had only reached the Fourth Degree, it already possessed a method of traveling across sectors with remarkable efficiency. Now that it had reached the Fifth Degree... there was virtually no place within the universe that he could not reach, provided he possessed its coordinates and sufficient power to sustain the journey.
Naturally...
The farther the destination, the greater the price, the greater the strain placed upon him, and the more life force and soul force he would inevitably have to consume in exchange.
"Ah... yes..." Zavaros cautiously took a step toward Robin before suddenly stopping midway. He gently patted the fallen beast lying beside him with visible sorrow, carefully injecting a portion of his own energy into its body in an attempt to stabilize its injuries before once again walking toward Robin with noticeably nervous steps. "Please... please have a seat."
But Zavaros abruptly stopped once more, his expression growing even more awkward as his eyes wandered across the ruined surroundings.
His favorite meeting place had been pletely destroyed during the battle, especially the sofa that had bee the very reason the fight erupted in the first place. It had been reduced to thousands of shattered fragments scattered throughout the entire area, leaving almost nothing recognizable behind.
Quickly recovering from the awkward situation, Zavaros forced a smile despite his embarrassment. "Please wait just a moment. I'll have another meeting place prepared. Shall we head to the reception hall instead? I hope Your Lordship—and our other honored guest as well—wouldn't mind acpanying me to the portal." Then he turned toward Kiryan in hopes of receiving at least a little support. "That won't be a problem, right?"
"No... not at all." Kiryan turned toward Zavaros before shifting his gaze back to Robin, his brows tightly furrowed while silently observing every one of Robin's movements. His expression was filled with both apprehension and confusion.
Only a few minutes earlier, they had found themselves in a similar situation while facing the Butcher. At the very least, however, they had already understood Marlik's strength, his methods, and his intentions beforehand, and all of their thoughts had been focused solely on finding the best possible way out while minimizing their losses.
But now...
Standing before this man who had appeared out of nowhere and displayed strength equal to—or perhaps even greater than—that of Marlik, a man who had spoken to the Butcher without the slightest trace of inferiority, casually sent him away, and had even threatened Sevar himself...
How exactly were they supposed to deal with someone like that?
If this was how he treated Sevar and his subordinate...
Then how would he treat them, two Behemoths who had only just met him?
"A hall and a portal?" Robin raised an eyebrow, sounding almost puzzled by the suggestion. "I'm not moving from here." Then he turned toward the ruined meeting place and gave a small nod after quietly examining the destruction surrounding it. "...This is a simple matter. Its destruction is my responsibility, after all. It's a pleasant place, and it clearly means something to you. I destroyed it unintentionally."
"Please don't say that, Lord Robin. A few seats are nothing worth mentioning." Zavaros forced out a faint smile despite the obvious pain he felt over the ruined place. "Just give me a moment to have my children bring some—"
Hooom.
At that very moment, Robin lightly struck the ground with his right hand. He barely lifted it before bringing it back down, yet everyone present felt a powerful tremor spread throughout their entire bodies, as though the vibration had ignored the ground pletely and passed directly through their souls.
In the very next instant, something astonishing occurred before the eyes of everyone present...
The symbol of the serpent devouring its own tail appeared clearly above the ruined meeting place, radiating an ancient and mysterious golden brilliance, while beside it manifested a gear bearing a single broken tooth, its heavy aura spreading across the surrounding area as though two ancient authorities had descended upon the battlefield simultaneously.
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