"You have crossed the line!"
A powerful voice exploded from the sky.
"..!!" Robin froze. His heart pounded as realization dawnedâ this voice⊠it was unmistakably the Planetary Spirit!
His guess had been right all along!
Butâ
"What, do you think youâve been saved now?"
The towering, shadowy form of Helen remained utterly unimpressed, her tone dripping with contempt.
"Do you believe the Planetary Spirit will now strike down the wicked invader and bring peace to all?"
Her words made Robin falter.
He hardly showed an embarrassed smile, "...I kinda hope so."
CRACKLE! RUMBLE!
The heavens twisted in rage, and the storm above intensified. Furious lightning coiled within the churning clouds, growing ever more volatile.
A massive bolt of raw destruction descended from the stormâs heart, aiming straight for the shadowy colossus.
KAAAAA- CRACK!
Robin had seen this before. When similar strikes had landed on the shadow-spawned from the three other Cataclysm Sealing Cubes, each one had been partially dispersed and eroded by the relentless lightning. The very air had sizzled as serpentine bolts coiled around them, gnawing away at their dark forms.
But this timeâ
BOOOOOOM!
Before the divine lightning could even reach the shadowâs head, it struck an invisible barrier and was snuffed out instantly.
Helenâs shadowy form tilted its head upward, its lips curling into a cruel smile. Then, with a voice that shook the very world, it bellowed:
"He stands before you, still breathing! Restrain your thunder!"
The air itself vibrated with the sheer force of her command.
"I warned you beforeâ do not test me. I am not just another world Cataclysm. Push me further, and I will erase this entire planet from existence!"
The skies roared, turbulent and unrelentingâ
But thenâ
A moment of hesitation.
Robinâs eyes widened in shock.
The storm was still raging. The celestial wrath was still present.
Yet⊠it had lessened.
Even the Planetary Spirit, for all its fury, had wavered.
Helenâs gaze fell back on Robin, her crimson eyes boring into him.
"Now, where were we? Ahâ Emperor Robin Burton."
She spoke his name with a casualness that sent a shiver down his spine.
"I remember you now. I did, in fact, issue orders for your execution."
Helenâs eyes scanned the battlefield, the lingering destruction, and the corpses strewn about.
"Iâve heard plenty of stories about you from your disciple. And judging by what I see here, my orders to prioritize your elimination were well-founded. UnfortunatelyâŠ"
Her lips curled into a faint smirk.
"It seems no one competent enough was available to carry them out."
Robin took a shaky breath. He had to think fast.
"Is there a particular reason you chose to have me killed rather than attempting to recruit me?"
His voice carried a forced chuckle, though the tension in his body betrayed his unease.
"I donât like to brag, but I might actually be more valuable than Jabba. After all, I built my Pillars using the Master Law of Truth. My potential far surpasses his!"
There was no point in pretending anymore.
The Planetary Spirit had hesitated. His life was still hanging by a thread, but there was now a sliver of a chanceâ a bargaining chip.
Helen arched a brow, as if mildly intrigued.
"Hmm? The reason is simple. I heard about your master⊠âThe All-Seeing God,â was it?"
Her expression turned calculating.
"As long as you have an Overlord, I assumed that door was already closed. Was I mistaken?" Stay connected with NovelBin.CĂŽm
She tilted her head slightly, then wasted no time getting to the point.
"No matter. The opportunity is still open."
Helen raised her chin slightly, her presence commanding.
"Rule those thirteen planets in my name, and Iâll allow you to keep ten percent of the resources. The rest, of course, will be presented to me as annual tributes. Additional benefits can be negotiated later."
Her war against the Ghassan Multiplanetary Empire had dragged on far too longâ long enough that even her father had started to grow impatient. Her own planets had been bled dry in the endless conflict, drained of resources to fuel her campaign. And every new world she conquered from the Ghassan Empire was stripped clean within mere yearsâ if it wasnât partially destroyed before she even seized control.
On the surface, she was winningâ slowly expanding her dominion, prying new worlds from the Ghassan Empire every few decades.
But beneath that façade of victory, she was growing weaker.
The battlefield was stretching across more and more planets, demanding greater and greater resources.
Resources she no longer had.
Between the dwindling supplies from the Soul Society and her operations in the Young Belt, she had only a few lifelines left.
And one of her greatest assets in the Young BeltâŠ
Was Pythor.
The tributes he provided âwhether in raw resources, armaments, or suppliesâ were enough to sustain an entire warfront on their own.
And nowâŠ
Baithor was dead.
The fall of the Great Serpent Empire would inevitably lead to the loss of at least one of its planets in the Middle Planetary Belt. On the surface, losing just one out of twenty-five planets might not seem like a devastating blowâ especially since most of those planets had already been rendered nearly useless due to the relentless wars. However, the true danger lay not in the material loss, but in the psychological impact it would have.
For thousands of years, such a defeat had never occurred. If it were to happen now, it would shatter the myth of her empireâs invincibility. The moment people stopped seeing it as an unassailable force, enemies would begin circling like vultures, sensing weakness. A crushing assault could follow, leading to a domino effect of defeats that might be impossible to recover from.
But there was still hopeâ if she could somehow bring this so-called Truth Chosen to her side, then she wouldnât just be securing the tributes of the nine planets of Baithor. She would also gain control over the three planets ruled by the Truth Chosen himself. And, more importantly, she would gain access to the colossal planet of NĂ©hari, a powerhouse of resources and manpower. With such an acquisition, the tide of war could turn in her favor, and she might even secure a compelete victory within the next thousand years!
A bead of sweat formed on Robinâs forehead. He licked his dry lips before speaking cautiously, "Uh⊠Iâm sorry, but Iâm afraid I canât deliver any resources to you. That wasnât part of the agreement. HoweverâŠ" He swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her gaze pressing down on him. "Maybe we can find another form of cooperation? I mean, as a Truth Chosen, Iâ H-Hey! Wait a second!"
Helenâs hand rose once again, her slender finger pointing directly at Robinâs forehead.
Crackling⊠rumblingâŠ
The sky trembled violently, as if warning Helen against any reckless actions.
"W-Wait! Hold on! Just hold on a second!!" Robin waved his hands weakly, trying to buy himself some time. "I might not be able to provide resources, but surely, we can reach a compromise! How about a truce? I shall swear not to attack the rest of your followers in the Young Planetary Belt. And âlisten to thisâ Iâll even give you Pythorâs corpse so you can grant him a proper burial!"
Helenâs dark, shadowed face froze for a moment.
"�?????"
A flicker of surprise crossed her expression, but it was brief. In an instant, another gray beam of energy erupted from her fingertip, hurtling straight toward Robinâs skull.
"NO!!"
Robinâs eyes widened to their limits, his pupils shrinking as death rushed toward him.
But at that precise moment, a thunderous voice roared across the battlefield.
"THATâS ENOUGH!"
CRACK!
A thick, blinding bolt of lightning tore free from the heavens, intercepting the gray beam before it could reach Robin.
BOOOOM!
The resulting explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the air, and Robin was hurled backward like a ragdoll, tumbling across the battlefield.
His internal injuries worsened as he started coughing up blood.
But the sky did not relent.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
More and more lightning bolts rained down, hammering into Helenâs shadowed form.
BOOM! BOOM!
Though a protective barrier still shielded her, the relentless bombardment began to pierce through her defenses bit by bit.
"This is my final warning," the furious voice of NĂ©hariâs planetary spirit boomed across the heavens. "Leave my surface immediately. If you harm him any further, I will be forced to initiate the next level of planetary defense. And neither of us will like the consequences."
Helenâs lips curled into a sneer.
"Do as you please. But know thisâŠ" She slowly raised her head, her eyes gleaming with arrogant defiance. "If you dare destroy a fragment of my soul this vast, then I swear upon my true existenceâ I will return in my full form and erase you from existence."
"Youâre bluffing!" NĂ©hariâs voice thundered with a hint of hesitation this time. "If you obliterate a planet under the protection of the Young Belt, you will not escape the consequences unscathed!"
Helen laughed coldly. "Try me."
And with that, she completely ignored the planetary spiritâs warnings. She extended both hands forward, clenched them into fists, then yanked them toward herself.
ZOOOOOOOM!
Robinâs entire body jerked violently as space itself folded around him, trapping him in an unbreakable grip.
"....!!!"
He struggled with all his might, but it was futile.
Helen wasnât using spatial laws to restrain himâ she was employing sheer, overwhelming force to crush the very space around him into submission.
Not even the Fourth Stage of Spatial Law could help him escape from this.
For the first time, true despair began creeping into Robinâs heart.
If this kept up, he was going to die.
His mind raced frantically for an answer, but none came.
And so, with no other choice, he did the only thing left to him.
Robin threw his head back and screamed at the top of his lungs:
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU IMPATIENT BITCH?! DIDNâT YOUR FATHER TEACH YOU HOW TO NEGOTIATE?! DO YOU REALLY THINK IâM COMPLETELY HELPLESS AGAINST YOU?!"