Chapter 1588: Change -2

Inside Robin’s vast soul domain—

whoooosh

Robin’s soul avatar took shape in an instant, materializing with a faint golden shimmer before his eyes slowly opened. His voice carried both urgency and unease as he called out, "Neri, where are you? Tell me, what happened to you?"

"Boss! Boss, over here, hurry!" Evergreen’s voice rang out from a distant direction, laced with worry.

Robin immediately advanced in quick strides, his steps echoing as though the entire domain held its breath. When he reached them, his heart clenched at the sight. "This... what am I seeing?"

There before him, Neri was down on all fours. Her knees pressed against the ground, her tiny hands trembling. Her once lively face was pale, drained of color, and her expression carried the bewildered look of someone completely unable to comprehend her own state. Beside her, Evergreen knelt anxiously, patting Neri’s back again and again. She clearly didn’t know what was happening either, but in desperation she tried to soothe her friend with any form of comfort she could muster.

Robin dropped down beside them, concern etched deeply across his features. "What’s happening? Did the planet’s shift into your orbit? You never said anything like this could occur!"

"No... no, I don’t feel like I was harmed. It’s just that..." Neri shook her head faintly, her movements slow, as though every motion was heavy. Her lips trembled. "I feel... so strange... ahhh!"

"Neri, you—" Robin leaned closer, trying to inspect her spiritual condition, searching for the source of her sudden cry. But then, right before his very eyes, something impossible began to happen.

Neri’s small body... had grown.

Her limbs lengthened slightly, her frame stretched, her face matured a fraction.

"What in the world?!" Evergreen gasped, her voice a mixture of shock and disbelief. She staggered two steps backward, hands flying to cover her mouth as her wide eyes locked on Neri. The childlike girl, who only moments ago resembled a five-year-old, had now grown enough to look more like seven, both in height and in features.

The change might have seemed modest in numbers, but for her it was monumental. "Is that... is that even possible?!" Evergreen exclaimed. In a sudden surge of self-awareness, she glanced down at herself and tugged at her own dress. "When will it be my turn to grow up too?!"

"This... this doesn’t make sense." Robin muttered, still staring in disbelief, his voice low but strained with shock. He was just about to say more when—

Rumble... Rumble...

The domain itself shuddered. Robin’s head snapped upward in sharp reflex. Something had rattled his spiritual domain with the same tremor that shook Nihari outside. But unlike before, he didn’t see a new planet forming. Instead, his gaze caught upon Nihari’s blue sun. Its radiant body had swelled ever so slightly, its brilliance magnified as though the entire world had shifted to accommodate it.

"...?! What is this...?" Robin’s stare lingered on the sun, his mind racing. Then he turned his attention back to Neri with grave seriousness. "Is this... some sort of reward for you? For beginning the transformation into a galaxy?"

"I... I don’t know!" Neri gasped, her breaths short, her eyes stretched wide as panic warred with awe. "I was never told about this transformation! There are no records in the Mid Belt about the changes that occur when a planet’s spirit evolves into a galaxy’s spirit!!" She clutched her head, her voice trembling. "But I can feel it... I can feel so many changes flooding through me!!"

"Like what?!" Robin pressed quickly, desperate for clarity.

"The gift... the gravity-carpet gift, it’s stronger now!" Neri replied instantly. She straightened slightly on her knees, raising a hand to point toward the gathered soul-creatures. "And more— the strengthening limits I can offer to your soul creatures have been lifted. Evergreen and I can push your soul-creatures further than ever before, even those you thought had reached the end of their mutation—like Pythor!"

Her eyes glowed faintly as she continued, her voice rising in speed. "I also sense my defenses against outside intruders—those who might try to refine me behind your back—have strengthened. Now I can bolster your soul projection that you keep stationed within Nihari’s domain, making it stronger, sharper, more capable of guarding me! I can also speed up the flow of life-energy I provide you whenever you burn through it. And..." She raised both hands, staring at her glowing palms. "I can feel the presence of the new planet-spirit. I can command it directly... even without you refining it first!"

"All of that?!" Robin’s jaw tightened in awe. His astonishment was undeniable. He had expected some benefit, but this exceeded anything within his imagination. This was power of a scale he hadn’t realized existed.

"There’s more—so much more!" Neri cried out, her voice trembling with intensity. "I can’t even count all the changes yet, not without testing them one by one!" She curled her legs close to her chest, hugging them tightly, her head sinking slightly as her voice dropped into a whisper. "...But there is one thing that frightens me."

"What is it?" Robin asked in genuine surprise, his tone almost incredulous. "Everything you just said is absolutely incredible!!"

Robin couldn’t even begin to count or properly measure all those benefits. It was as if every word Neri spoke opened yet another door to endless possibilities. Even if he set everything else aside, the strengthening of the Gravity Carpet Gift alone was a monumental event—an achievement of historic proportions. That was the very same carpet he once used to repel Helen’s devastating planetary assault and hurl it back at her with overwhelming force!

"...I feel like these aren’t even my limits yet." Neri answered in a quiet, almost trembling voice, her gaze lowered. "I sense... that when another planet joins the galaxy, I will transform once again."

"Hah? Hahahahahaha!!!" Robin suddenly burst into manic laughter, clutching his head with both hands as if trying to contain the storm of thoughts rushing through his mind. "Are you kidding me? Are you seriously kidding me right now?!"

"The Gravity Carpet Gift grows stronger with every new planet added to the galaxy? The speed at which my Life Vein refills accelerates? The capacity of my soul creatures expands further and further? Your protective defenses against any intruder keep rising as well? And on top of all this, you’re saying you can’t even list all the benefits yet?!" His voice rose in pitch, almost thunderous, as he began pacing back and forth, his eyes blazing with untamed fire. "Good heavens, Neri... do you realize what this means?! Do you even realize to what terrifying degree my combat strength will soar?!"

He suddenly stopped, pressing his hands harder against his temples, his entire body trembling with exhilaration. "Ooohh... no wonder the All-Seeing god commanded me to gather at least one hundred planets before ascending... No wonder! But now I can’t help but wonder—what will happen after I gather a full thousand planets?!"

His fist slammed into his palm with a thunderous

clap

. "Of course!! That’s why the requirement exists, that a Behemoth must possess an artificial galaxy. It’s not merely about the galaxy’s military strength—it’s about the individual surge of power granted by the spirit of the galaxy itself! No wonder... If two monarchs of equal might stood against one another, yet one of them carried the amplified blessing of a galaxy’s spirit, then the outcome is obvious. The enhanced gift alone would be enough to decide everything!!"

Then Robin threw his head back and laughed uproariously, the sound echoing like rolling thunder. "Hahaha! And the speed of life force recovery—ahhh, if it were to become instantaneous, if I could wield it freely as fuel for the Master Laws instead of relying on my foundations, then I would become utterly unstoppable... invincible! Hahaha!!"

Yet, amidst the flood of madness, his expression faltered for just a moment, his eyes dimming slightly. "...But then, I can’t help but wonder... just how immense of a boost does Tyrant Interas receive from having the spirits of three entire galaxies?!"

"Uhm... Boss," Evergreen’s gentle voice suddenly broke through Robin’s frenzy, cutting into the whirlwind of his thoughts.

"What is it?" Robin replied sharply without even turning toward her, his eyes still glowing brightly. His mind resembled a hive of furious activity, buzzing endlessly with all the possibilities he had already envisioned... and the countless others he had yet to discover!

"Could you perhaps... take your overflowing enthusiasm somewhere else?" Evergreen pointed toward Neri with a small tilt of her chin. "Big Sister here is completely exhausted."

"Huh?" Robin finally turned his attention toward Neri. His fiery demeanor softened as he walked over and gently patted her head with both hands, his voice warm and tender. "Rest, my light... rest and take your time exploring these new powers of yours. Hehe."

With that, his manifested form dissolved into the air, leaving behind only his lingering smile.

"Tsk tsk~ The boss can be so insensitive at times." Evergreen shook her head with a faint sigh, then returned to Neri’s side to comfort her, her tone soothing and sisterly. "It’s alright, Big Sister, it’s alright... physical changes like this are a natural part of a growing girl’s journey."