Chapter 1118: Chains

"...Jabba?!"

The name escaped Robin’s lips, but hearing it aloud struck him like a bolt of lightning. His body tensed, and he instinctively took a step back.

However, he quickly swallowed hard, forcing himself to regain composure. Forcing himself to smile.

"Jabba, why are you sitting like that? How long have you been here?"

That statue —if it could even be called that— wasn’t made of stone. It wore real clothes. Its skin was tan, showing every natural imperfection and texture of human flesh. Even the fine lines and pores were visible.

It looked completely real.

The only reason Robin had mistaken it for a statue was its unnatural stillness. Jabba’s body was utterly motionless, and his wide-open eyes were void of any trace of life. Anyone who laid eyes on him would instinctively feel the same conclusion— this wasn’t a person anymore. This was a lifeless figure.

"...." Even after several seconds, Jabba did not respond.

"...Are you still mad because I tried to kill you earlier?" Robin muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Come on, you can’t really blame me for that. Your actions weren’t exactly helping your case either. What did you expect me to do after you stood against me in front of everyone like that? How was I supposed to know you weren’t just acting?"

"....."

No response.

Robin clicked his tongue in frustration but continued speaking anyway.

"Alright, fine. Now I know you were trying to infiltrate their ranks and set them up for destruction. But seriously—why didn’t you give me any clues? Why didn’t you just talk to me? Tell me what you are planning! I would’ve figured out a way to help you!"

"....."

"...Why are you still pointing at me like that?" Robin’s brows furrowed slightly. "You’re being irrational now, Jabba. At the very least, acknowledge that I defended you. I never ordered your execution after you refused to join the battle for the Safe City!"

Still, nothing.

Robin’s jaw tightened. His irritation boiled over.

"...Do you have any idea how many times I stood up for you? How many times I told everyone to leave you alone?" His voice carried an edge of frustration now.

"....."

"Still nothing? Alright, fine! Now you deserve a good beating!"

Finally losing his patience, Robin jumped forward, landing beside Jabba. He raised his hand, aiming to smack the back of his head—

But the moment his palm made contact—

A massive resistance surged against him.

Then—

BAAAAAAAAAAM!!!

Robin’s body catapulted across the chamber at terrifying speed, slamming violently into the far wall!

"…!!"

His back crashed against the rocky surface, embedding him into the stone. Dust and debris rained down around him.

What the hell was that?!

Robin lifted his head slowly, his gaze locking onto Jabba once more.

He hadn’t moved an inch.

His expression remained the same.

A cold chill ran down Robin’s spine. His thoughts —the ones he had desperately tried to suppress— finally forced their way to the surface.

The worst possibility.

The one that had been staring him in the face all along.

No.

No, no, no.

Robin refused to accept it.

He swallowed his fear and stepped forward again, this time more cautiously. Instead of reaching out with his hand, he knelt beside Jabba and extended his soul sense, scanning him with his soul sense.

"...?"

Robin’s soul sense failed to make contact.

There was something —an invisible force— encasing Jabba’s entire body.

A protective barrier.

Not a normal one.

A powerful, unseen energy that completely repelled any form of external influence.

"What the hell is this…?"

Robin’s mind raced as he tried to comprehend what he was dealing with.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, he stepped back several paces. Then—

HUUUUUM!

A silver rift tore open beside him, shimmering with ethereal light. From within the portal, a colossal sword emerged, its blade humming with condensed soul force.

Without hesitation—

SWOOSH!

Robin swung the blade, aiming directly for Jabba’s arm—

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTT—!!!

BAAAAAAM!! The moment the sword made contact, it shattered instantly, crumbling into a fine silver dust that was rapidly sucked back into the portal from which it came.

At the same time—

THWACK!

Robin was hurled backward once again, his body slamming against the cavern wall with violent force. A shockwave rippled through the air.

But fortunately— this time, there were no serious injuries.

Robin had expected this. When he first touched that barrier, he could tell it was incredibly strong. But what truly shocked him wasn’t its durability—

It was its reaction.

For the briefest of moments, a surge of purple energy erupted from the barrier, illuminating the entire cavern in a brilliant, otherworldly glow before vanishing just as quickly.

"What the hell…?" Robin’s breathing was heavy as he stared at Jabba, his expression twisted in disbelief.

And then—

A golden radiance flickered in the depths of the cavern.

Robin had activated Truth’s Eye— at 100% capacity!

And what he saw left him utterly stunned.

A thin layer of something purple enveloped Jabba’s entire body. A strange, almost ethereal substance.

And in this state—

Even if Jabba wanted to move, he couldn’t.

Robin narrowed his gaze, focusing even further, his Truth’s Eye piercing through the purple layer—revealing what lay beneath.

And what he saw shattered every assumption he had.

Jabba’s organs —his energy core, his lifeblood, and even his soul domain—

They were all bound in chains.

Thick, intricate chains.

Each one wrapped tightly around his most vital points, as if locking him in place as if sealing him away from reality itself.

"What the hell is this?! What is this?!" Robin’s voice cracked with frustration. His mind was racing.

That purple energy— what the hell was it?

It wasn’t like anything he had ever seen before.

It wasn’t natural energy.

It wasn’t soul force.

So why the hell was it sealing Jabba like this?!

(…But you already know, Owner.)

A familiar voice echoed in his mind—Evergreen.

(That’s indeed Soul Force.)

Robin’s breath caught in his throat.

(It’s the power of the Royal Purple Grade. To achieve it, one must possess over a million Soul Units. Once that threshold is crossed, a fundamental transformation occurs—this level of Soul Force is far beyond the White Initial Grade or the Silver Weapon Grade.)

(Give up now. You won’t break this seal with brute force alone. Plus, that technique is ancient. Strength alone won’t be enough.)

Robin’s fingers clenched into fists. "Royal Purple Soul Force…?" His voice was a whisper.

Why?

Why was Jabba sealed like this?

What was this kind of power even doing in the Young Planetary Belt?!

How could some—

Robin’s thoughts abruptly stopped.

Something clicked in his mind.

His breath hitched.

"...Wait." His pupils shrank. ’What the hell is going on here?’

(It’s exactly what you’re thinking.) Evergreen’s voice was laced with amusement.

Robin’s eyes widened—

And then he screamed.

"THAT IMPATIENT BITCH?!"

His voice echoed through the cavern, raw with frustration.

"Did she plant something inside Jabba’s soul domain when she came to Nihari?!" His voice was rising. His thoughts were unraveling. "And why the hell is her Soul Force purple?! Wasn’t it supposed to be black and red?!"

The Overlord.

When he had said she had browsed through his soul domain like a newspaper—

Had that been his clue?!

(The color of one’s soul can be manipulated,) Evergreen explained. (It has nothing to do with its grade. You’ll learn more about that later—along with the circumstances in which a soul’s true color is revealed.)

(As for whether this seal is connected to her… well, there’s no other explanation.)

(There is no one in the Young Planetary Belt who has reached the Royal Purple Soul Grade.)

(And since Jabba has never left the Young Belt for the Middle Belt—at least, as far as you know—she’s the only possible culprit.)

Robin gritted his teeth.

Evergreen continued—her voice calm, analytical. (According to what you see, he’s not dead. He’s simply sealed. His entire body has been locked in place using a specific technique— one designed to last for hundreds of thousands of years.)

"…Hundreds of thousands of years?" Robin’s voice wavered as he took slow, hesitant steps forward.

His gaze was fixed on his disciple.

His trapped, frozen disciple.

His helpless disciple.

Jabba had activated that formation—

And at that exact moment—

The seal had activated.

It was automatic. A reaction pre-set to trigger under specific conditions.

Robin’s mind raced, sorting through every detail.

This… reminded him of something.

The auth tablet.

A formation that activates instantly when someone breaks a sworn oath.

Jabba never left things to chance.

The moment the Overlord left Nihari, Jabba must have scanned his own soul domain over and over again, making sure there were no intrusions.

It wasn’t difficult to find something foreign inside one’s own soul domain— not if one searched carefully enough.

Especially if the foreign object was made from a completely different type of Soul Force.

Robin exhaled sharply.

He couldn’t begin to imagine what Jabba had found inside himself.

But judging from what happened—

It was clear that he had realized immediately that it was not there to help him.

Whatever that thing it, he knew it would activate under certain conditions.

And he was right, the moment Jabba attacked the Serpent Empire’s army…

It was triggered.