Lord of the Truth

1077  Robin's peak

That foul-mouthed bastard..." Robin muttered through gritted teeth, his frustration clearly evident as the veins on his forehead bulged. Hearing Holak's casual, almost mocking tone when addressing him was enough to irritate him deeply. Yet, instead of allowing his annoyance to take over, he forced a wide, toothy grin onto his face, and bellowed, "Hold him steady!"

Stretch Stretch

Almost immediately, Robin's body began to transform. His muscles swelled grotesquely, their unnatural growth accompanied by the sound of tendons tightening and bones creaking under the strain. The sinews in his arms and shoulders bulged outward, their mass increasing with each passing moment as though his body was being sculpted anew by sheer force of will.

The tattoos that covered Robin's body—arcane symbols representing raw physical augmentation and unbridled power—flared to life, their intricate designs glowing with a ferocious light. The intensity of their illumination was far greater than anything seen before, a clear sign that Robin was pushing himself far beyond his usual limits. Every mark on his skin seemed to radiate heat and energy as if his very soul was igniting.

A faint, almost ethereal green glow began to seep from the center of Robin's chest. At first, it was barely noticeable, like a dim ember. But then—Shiiiiiiiii—!!!—the light exploded outward, spilling across his entire frame. The surge of energy was dense and overwhelming, spreading rapidly through his muscles, veins, and even the very air around him. His aura, which had already been intimidating, flared up exponentially, like a storm growing out of control.

His aura flared up dramatically, multiplying several times over as his muscles ballooned further and the veins in his body pulsed visibly, as if ready to burst.

Robin, in that critical moment, had started to burn the energy in his life force.

Gripping his thick black spear tightly, he began spinning it rapidly above his head.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

With every rotation, the tip of the spear seemed to distort the space around it, creating faint ripples in the air. Another tattoo on Robin's body began to emit a faint light—this one was the Stage Four Space-Piercing Divine Tattoo.

"This is bad!!"

Pythor didn't fully understand what Robin was doing, except for one terrifying realization: Robin was burning his own life force. But there was one thing Pythor knew with absolute certainty— this attack was meant to end the fight!

"Get away from him!" Pythor roared with all his might, whipping his massive tail toward Holak.

Holak spotted the incoming tail clearly. Planting his feet firmly on Pythor's massive body, he assumed a defensive stance and let out a booming laugh. "Ha! Do you think I'm one of those puny planetary emperors you are fighting? Do you think a strike like this will shake me? I am Holak! The King of the North, The King of Nihari, I am Power incarnate, I am—"

THWACK!

BAM! BAM! SHIIIII—!

The tail struck like a whip, silencing Holak mid-sentence and hurling him away like a pebble. When Holack opened his eyes again, he would find himself buried beneath a mound of rubble, utterly disoriented and clueless about what had just happened.

"Huff!!"

Pythor exhaled a thick cloud of corrosive gas toward the two spears embedded in his body.

The corrosive mist was potent, no doubt, but the spears, forged entirely of Urasilum and nearing the level of a mid-stage epic weapon, weren't something that could be dissolved so easily. The mist had already begun to corrode them, but it would take several minutes to free Pythor completely.

"...!!"

Realizing his predicament, Pythor turned his gaze forward once more, a flicker of fear in his remaining eye.

Swooooosh!

Robin swung the spear again, its fierce arc cutting through space itself. He descended upon Pythor's head with blinding speed, yelling, "PYTHOR, TAKE THIS FROM ME!!!"

"Damn you!"

Pythor opened his mouth wide, unleashing a thick, purple gas that surged toward Robin like a raging storm. At the same time, the sheer force of the expelled gas propelled Pythor's massive head backward, pulling him out of Robin's immediate range.

But— Blink!

In the next instant, Robin activated Time Flash to dodge the deadly attack, reappearing directly in front of Pythor's head once more.

BAAAAAAAAAANG!

The heavy spear's tip crashed down onto the center of the crystal core on Pythor's forehead.

CRACK!

"HSSSSAAAAA—!!!"

Pythor's eyes rolled back into his head as he let out a spine-chilling scream, his body convulsing from the impact.

But Robin's eyes widened in shock.

"...?"

Despite pouring every ounce of his strength into the attack —despite burning his life force— his strike had only managed to create a small crack in the core.

"Hmph!"

Robin didn't waste any time. Immediately, he activated the secondary phase of his attack. The Stage Four Spatial Laws seeped into the crystal, burrowing deep into the crack.

KRRRRRAK!

The delayed effect of Robin's technique created a small spatial pocket within the fracture, theoretically enough to split the core in half.

"HSSAAAA—?!"

Pythor roared again, shaking his massive head violently in desperation.

"...??!"

Robin's shock only deepened. The crack in the core extended downward, resembling a deep fissure that ran from the top of the crystal to its base. He could clearly see energy leaking from the fracture, but the core refused to shatter completely.

"Why won't you just die already?!" Robin bellowed in frustration.

WHOOOM! WHOOOM! WHOOOM!

Three silver portals materialized around Robin, and from each emerged a mighty sword. Without hesitation, the swords began hacking relentlessly at the crystal, causing the main fissure to branch out further and further.

"HSSS! HSSSSSS—!!!!"

Pythor's screams grew louder, the agony evident in his voice. He thrashed wildly, his massive tail lashing out in every direction with uncontrollable ferocity.

08:16

THUD! THUD!

Every strike of the tail demolished a building or caused the earth to crumble in massive collapses. The sheer violence of Pythor's rampage drew the attention of everyone on the battlefield.

"HSSSS—!!!!"

"Keep going!!!" Robin shouted, pushing himself to burn even more of his life energy. At the same time, he activated a minor Time Law to accelerate the crystal's cracking process. Even as Pythor's massive tail struck dangerously close, Robin refused to abandon his position, unwilling to let this opportunity slip away.

But—SWOOSH!

Pythor's tail came down from above like a thunderbolt.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The tail struck with devastating force, crashing into Pythor's own head while also grazing Robin. The sheer impact drove Pythor's massive head into the ground, shattering the earth beneath him and sending up a dense cloud of dust.

"FATHER!!!"

"MY LORD!!!"

From a distance, Richard and Sakaar screamed in horror at the sight. Robin had vanished beneath the blow. His frail, human body, insignificant compared to Pythor's, couldn't possibly have withstood such an attack—especially without any protective armor.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

The Imperial Guards, their bodies battered and scarred, stepped in front of Richard and Sakaar, blocking their path. Hatred burned in their eyes as they glared at the pair.

Even though they could see Pythor was also suffering severe damage, their hatred for these two monsters ran far deeper. If the two wanted to move, they would have to get through them first.

"..." Richard stared toward the spot where his father had disappeared, then turned back to the Imperial Guards, blood exploding from his eyes. "Get out of my fuckin' way!!!"