Lord of the Truth

"Ah, my little darling!" Robin spread his arms wide in an embrace as Zara descended gracefully beside him, golden light shimmering faintly around her as if the heavens themselves were welcoming her return to his side.

She stepped into his arms, giving him a brief but heartfelt hug. "Your little darling is nearly six hundred years old now, Father," she said with a teasing smile, though her voice carried warmth that betrayed how much she had missed him.

"You'll always be my little girl," Robin replied without hesitation, his tone both firm and affectionate. He patted her head with the same ease he had centuries ago, his hand resting there a heartbeat longer than necessary, before pulling back and clapping loudly. "And just as I expected… magnificent work, girl! You've surpassed even my hopes!"

"Hmm?" Zara tilted her head slightly, her long hair brushing against her shoulders. Surprise flickered across her features, but beneath it her eyes gleamed with longing. For all her confidence, she still hungered to study the man who had raised her, the adoptive father who had vanished from her world for nearly three hundred years. Every gesture, every smile of his was a treasure to her now.

"Girl," Robin said, his smile widening, his voice filling with pride and awe, "do you understand the true worth of the interstellar communication network? Do you really grasp it? This is not merely a tool. It is the only one of its kind in the entire universe! The closest parallel you might find is the communication system within the Soul Society… but compared to this, that old method is worthless! The Soul Society's communication system will be forgotten!"

His golden eyes flashed with fervor as he spoke, the weight of experience behind his words. Robin knew exactly what he was talking about. He had tried the Soul Society's messages countless times in his journeys. He knew how unreliable they were.

A message could linger unnoticed for decades, even centuries, before anyone saw it. Worse still, one had to enter the Soul Society itself to read them—something impossible if you were locked in battle, or if you had no seed within your soul domain to connect with. In those moments, the system was not just inconvenient—it was utterly useless.

But this… this was different.

The interstellar communication network he had envisioned and left behind was a revolution. Messages traveled across the void almost instantly, just as smoothly as if a Voice Ring were being used within the same planet. Not only that—it could even deliver small parcels without the need for human messengers. No more waiting months or years for supplies, no more endless journeys through hostile space.

Yes, it required certain conditions: a miniature space portal on every planet who wants to sign, and specific soul rings carefully attuned to those portals. But compared to the endless manpower wasted on couriers flying back and forth, the cost of building or buying one small portal was nothing.

It sounded simple, almost obvious, something someone like Interas might imagine. But Robin knew the truth—it had demanded the merging of countless delicate laws. The Minor Laws of space, Array technology, The Major Law of resonant waves, the Major Law of earth for the metals; and finally, the mysteries of the soul itself. Only by weaving them together with surgical precision had such portals and rings been born.

And in truth, of all the wonders Robin had created across his long, turbulent life, this might be the most profitable and most practical invention of them all.

"You tell me its value, Father," Zara replied with a playful smile, though pride gleamed in her eyes. "In the end, it was your mind that birthed the idea, your genius that laid the foundation. All we did was follow your plans. You handed us the blueprints, and our city's task was simply to find the right materials for the small gates and inks suitable for the inscriptions."

"Still…" Robin's voice dropped into a murmur of awe as he thought aloud, "if I had continued experimenting alone, I might have wasted centuries perfecting it. Centuries lost…" His eyes lit with fervor again, already spinning with schemes, with ways to milk every drop of potential from this network, to transform it into both power and profit.

"Your Majesty," came a voice from behind. Wade's tone was respectful but edged with urgency. "Perhaps it would be best to move to another place for further discussion. At this pace, you'll summon the entire capital to your side."

"Oh." Robin blinked, startled from his daydreams. Only now did he truly look around. Nearly ten thousand people pressed into the square—men, women, children—faces shining with sweat, eyes wide with awe. Some shouted, cheered, and praised his name, but most simply stood in stunned silence, mouths open, hearts hammering, as if carving this sight into their souls.

They wanted to remember this moment for eternity, so that one day, they could boast to their grandchildren that they had seen His Majesty return.

Robin lifted his hand, his voice carrying like thunder and silk all at once. "Thank you all for this warm welcome! But I am tired now. Return to your homes, rest, and wait—soon a grand festival will be held, and we shall celebrate together, haha!"

"YEEEES!!"

"Long live His Majesty!"

"Robin Burton forever!!"

The chants rolled like waves, shaking the air itself. Robin gave them a faint nod, his golden eyes gleaming, before turning and pointing his chin at one of the Light Swords standing nearby. "You."

"M-me?!" The officer froze, nearly dropping his blade. He had been sneaking glances at Robin the entire time, unable to help himself, and now his eyes went wide with panic. "Y-yes, Your Majesty!"

"I don't see the Prime Minister anywhere. Where is he?" Robin's tone carried a touch of sarcasm, a playful edge to his words. Then he waved dismissively. "Never mind. Go find him, and tell him I want him standing before me in the palace—immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will gladly lay down my soul to fulfill this mission!!" The Light Sword snapped his heels together, saluted so hard his blade clattered, and then burst forward—his body transforming into a streak of burning radiance that carved across the horizon like a second sun.

"...I don't think sacrificing your soul is necessary for such a task," Robin chuckled, shaking his head at the soldier's dramatics. His voice carried warmth, however, a softness only his daughter could feel. He placed a reassuring hand upon Zara's back and gave her a gentle pat. "Come, my little one. Let's go."

At once, the Light Swords lifted around him, their bodies gleaming like pillars of dawn. They formed a dome of brilliance, blades drawn and leveled outward until the group resembled a great shining sphere drifting through the skies. To the people below, it was as if their emperor had been sealed in a moving sun, untouchable, divine. Malik and Wade hovered near his flanks, eyes narrow, their presence sharp and restless like prowling panthers ready to pounce at the faintest disturbance.

Robin, however, remained serene. Even as the voices of the crowd thundered upward, even as the press of their adoration threatened to shake the heavens, he did not forget to lower his hand in calm, graceful waves. His smile, soft and reassuring, never faltered. It was the smile of a sovereign who wished to tell his people, You are safe, I am here, I have returned.

"Long live His Majesty!!"

"Long live the Emperor!!"

"Robin Burton forever!!"

The capital howled with devotion. Their chants rolled like crashing seas, echoing from plaza to plaza, reverberating through the marble towers and golden statues until the whole city seemed alive with worship.

----------

Inside the Imperial Palace—

"Haah~" Robin let out a long, contented sigh as he dropped into his throne, the golden seat welcoming him like an old friend. He sprawled comfortably, stretching his legs before him. "Traveling across the belts is exhausting… even with the necklace and the bracelet."

Of course, Theo had not neglected his master's needs. The guards had been equipped with a Swift-Evasion Bracelet and an additional Safe-Passage Necklace in case Robin chose to return by the same path. With these treasures, a journey that should have consumed a full month of wearisome space travel had been reduced to a mere handful of hours.

And yet… Robin could still feel it. His flesh still ached, his soul still buzzed from the strain. That cursed orange wall, the crushing boundary of the sector belts—it was like forcing his body through a sea of molten stone. No matter how fast the passage, no matter how many artifacts dulled the weight, such travel left even him feeling as though his bones carried lead.

"Haha, I greet Your Majesty!"

"When I heard you had arrived, I rushed here without a second thought!"

"The capital itself shines with your glory, my lord!"

The floodgates opened. One after another, figures streamed into the throne hall. Local kings clad in regal robes, leaders of great clans with their proud insignias blazing on their shoulders, newly anointed generals whose eyes glittered with ambition, and a parade of wealthy and influential nobles Robin did not recognize at all.

The great hall filled with voices. Compliments, praises, elaborate words of welcome—they washed toward him like a tide.

Robin straightened his posture in his throne, smoothing his expression into something practiced and serene. He allowed only faint, deliberate smiles to grace his lips, leaving the talking to his trusted companions. Malik and Wade answered inquiries with sharp brevity, while Zara stepped forward as his voice, greeting dignitaries with elegance and poise. Robin himself remained the still center of the storm, a sovereign letting his presence speak louder than words.

Until finally—

A familiar figure emerged from the crowd.

"Emily!" Robin's mask of composure cracked into something real, his arms spreading wide, his face breaking into a grin of unguarded joy. For the first time that day, it seemed he had truly seen the person he had been waiting for.

"Your Majesty!" Emily moved forward with elegance, her steps unhurried yet purposeful. As always, she carried a stack of reports in her arms, the endless paperwork of empire. Her eyes gleamed with a mixture of relief and restrained joy. "You have lit your palace once again."

"Leave the pleasantries aside for now, Emily. I want—" Robin's words cut off. His smile remained, but his gaze swept across the crowded hall, lingering on the dozens of faces pressed too close. His tone shifted, suddenly iron, suddenly absolute. "Clear the hall."

His words struck like a commandment carved into stone.

The chamber fell silent. No protests. No hesitation. One by one, nobles and officials bowed, turning on their heels to file out in silence. Zara began to follow, but Robin reached out swiftly, catching her wrist with a gentle yet unyielding grip, keeping her by his side. Wade and Malik waited until the last of the dignitaries had left before departing themselves. They closed the massive doors with a resonant thud and planted themselves like immovable statues outside, their auras flaring just enough to warn away even the boldest intruder.

Only when the chamber was empty, when the echoes of footsteps faded, did Robin let his mask drop. His golden eyes gleamed, his smile shifted into something sharper, hungrier. He leaned forward on his throne, gaze fixed on Emily with almost boyish anticipation.

"Now tell me," he said, his voice taut with restrained eagerness, "and spare me all preamble…" His fingers tapped once on the throne's armrest, a drumbeat of urgency. "How many planets do we hold now?"