Lord of the Truth

"...I have summoned you here today to discuss the time and the location of the Galaxy Seed's ascension," Robin's voice rang out clearly across the throne room, each syllable echoing with weight. He let the words linger in the air, pausing deliberately, forcing their meaning to sink into every listener before he continued: "and what will follow afterward."

"...." In an instant, the atmosphere shifted. Every expression inside the hall changed. The silence was suffocating—no one dared speak, no one dared even shuffle in their seats. All eyes were fixed on Robin, anticipation and dread mingling in the still air, waiting for what would come next.

"You have heard me repeat it many times," Robin resumed, his tone grave and deliberate, "that a tremendous event is approaching. Some of you have already speculated about what it might be, and even when it might happen, though until now it has remained only guesswork. But the time for speculation is over. The signs are aligning, the picture is becoming clear, and the moment has come for us to speak plainly, without veils or pretense." His golden eyes sharpened, his voice resonating like a bell. "In six hundred years at most, Nehari—and every planet surrounding it—will be forcibly elevated to the Mid-Belt."

Theo and Aro both gave solemn nods. For them, this was not shocking news; the truth had been clear in their calculations and quiet discussions. Yet for the three imperial guards, the words struck like thunder. Their brows furrowed in unison, but in their eyes there was no fear—only a spark of raw excitement, a hunger for the future that was suddenly within reach.

Only Flora reacted differently—she gasped aloud, her hands flying up to cover her mouth as she exclaimed, "What!?"

Robin's expression did not waver. "I have already granted authorization to Prime Minister Kristan, to Lady Emily of Headquarters, and to Lady Zara of Sky Opening City to begin the preparations for relocating the planets around Nihari, so that together they form the core of the new galaxy." He leaned forward slightly, his tone colder now. "With grade-four planetary displacement devices at our disposal, there will be no difficulty in transporting over a thousand planets within the six centuries we have left."

"A thousand planets… all of them elevated at the same time?" Flora's voice quivered, her eyes wide.

She had lived in the Mid-Belt for sixty long years, long enough to know what terrors awaited there, long enough to have seen fragments of the ruthless politics and wars that devoured weaker empires. The vision that now formed in her mind was overwhelming—an entire cluster of worlds ripped upward in one sweeping ascension. It was a terrifying prospect.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that the planets will be drawn to orbit around Nihari?" Aro's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. His voice was low, restrained, but behind it throbbed a feral edge. "...Nihari itself will not move first?"

Robin smiled faintly, as though pleased with the sharpness of the question. "Correct. Nihari will remain where it is—in Young Sector 99. And from there, it will ascend directly into Mid Sector 99."

Crack

The sound of breaking bones reverberated suddenly through the throne room. Aro had clenched his fists with such force that the knuckles cracked audibly. His usually calm demeanor shattered; his features twisted with suppressed fury. The warmth in his expression bled away, and even the gentle smile that so often lingered on his face was gone. In its place, a wild grin split his mouth, baring his massive fangs like a beast ready to strike. The hall seemed to darken with the weight of his aura.

"You intend for the ascension to occur in Mid Sector 99, Your Majesty?" Theo interjected, his brows drawn tight. "Would Mid Sector 100 not be a better choice? The Cradle Empire there is centuries more advanced, with broader alliances and far more planets under its dominion."

The comparison was brutal but true. For two centuries, Caesar had struggled bitterly against the Nine Paths Empire, clawing for every fragment of strength, begging or bargaining for World Cataclysms to join him. His progress was stunted, his armies fractured, and time and again he lost followers when the Nine Paths withdrew their support under the convenient excuse of defending their own borders. His rise had nearly stalled.

But then came the influx of enslaved World Cataclysms, the rented Nexus States, the resources that tipped the balance. The foundation Caesar had built over centuries suddenly exploded into power. Within a single century, he conquered dozens of worlds, weaving them into a formidable empire of iron and ambition.

By contrast, the Grave Empire burned with explosive growth. When they first reached Mid Sector 99, they already held World Cataclysms under their banner, and they stumbled upon unclaimed planets ripe for the taking. In only sixty years, they seized seventeen worlds, clashing with countless empires, carving their name into legend. Everywhere in Mid Sector 99, Aro's name was whispered as a symbol of raw military might. Yet beneath the glory, cracks remained: only seventeen planets under their control, no strong alliances, no great networks of trust. Their foundation was shallow, their power impressive but precarious—like a mountain balanced on a narrow peak.

Robin, of course, understood the reasoning behind Theo's objection. He himself had wrestled with the same thought many times in the past. Slowly, he raised a hand, dismissive yet steady. "Mid Sector 100 may become the stage for a cosmic war between other great entities. If we set our ambitions there, the end will not be favorable to anyone."

"A cosmic war between other entities?" Theo's voice trembled slightly with disbelief, his eyes widening. "How is it that I've never heard of such a thing?!" His mind raced, but his words pressed on. "Do you mean, then, that you want us to halt all operations there?"

The suggestion hung in the air like a blade. Caesar would no doubt collapse in rage if such an order reached his ears; his veins pulsed with obsession for Mid Sector 100. But as Robin had said, better to retreat now than to weep later over ashes and corpses.

"There is no need." Robin's reply was firm, his head shaking slightly. "The Cradle Empire still has a mission—one that they themselves will learn in due time. They must continue their expansion, at their own pace or faster." Then, suddenly, a smile returned to his lips, one that sent ripples of unease through the chamber. "And second… the fact that we will not set our sights on ascension in Mid Sector 100 does not mean we will stand aside from the coming banquet. On the contrary, we will be there… and we will claim our share of the feast."

"….?!" Theo, and indeed everyone else, immediately narrowed their eyes, straining to decipher the hidden meaning behind Robin's words. A sense of anticipation, of looming inevitability, swept over the throne room like a rising tide.

Robin, however, let the silence stretch. He left them to wrestle with their own doubts and conclusions, allowing each to interpret his meaning as they pleased.

His golden eyes shifted instead toward Aro, and when he spoke again, his voice was steady and direct, carrying a weight that demanded honesty.

"Do you truly have the capacity to receive the Seed and prepare a stage worthy of it?"

"I'll need support," Aro replied immediately, without hesitation, his voice brimming with eagerness and conviction. His back straightened, his chest swelled with resolve. "I can establish an empire for you—an empire equal to the Cradle Empire, or even greater than it. But to make that a reality, I require the same number of World Cataclysms that they command. Without them, I cannot match their momentum. And beyond that, I will need one or two Nexus States at the very least. Only with them can I wage full-scale wars of annihilation, not just pluck a planet or two here and there from each empire like a petty thief. I need overwhelming strength to crush entire realms in one decisive sweep!"

"Impossible," Theo cut him off sharply, his voice ringing through the chamber like a blade drawn from its sheath. His face was set in grim determination, and his words carried no hesitation. "We don't have the resources to buy such numbers, nor can I strip them from the Cradle Empire. The situation there is already at its breaking point."

He turned his gaze toward Robin, his tone lowering but growing heavier. "Unlike Supreme General Aro, who fights wars of interest where he can advance or retreat as he pleases, elder brother Caesar is waging a desperate war of extermination against the Iron Boar Empire and their vast alliances. Without the enslaved World Cataclysms and the rented Nexus State bolstering him, he would already have fallen. He cannot endure otherwise."

"...." Robin leaned back slightly, his fingers drumming against the armrest of his throne before tapping it twice with finality. His eyes narrowed, thoughtful. "And even now, there is still no way to purchase Nexus States outright?"

"...Give me five hundred years at most," Theo answered with practiced speed, as though he had anticipated this very question. "I have already secured a pledge from THE Syndicate. They promised to make two available for sale within that time frame—no later than five centuries from now. That is the absolute best I was able to extract from them, despite every effort and negotiation."

"Five hundred years?" Robin repeated, his tone contemplative. Then his lips curved into a faint smile. "That will be before the great war begins. Hm. Not a bad arrangement at all…" He waved his hand lightly, dismissing the tension that hung in the air. "Very well. In the meantime, rent him one or two. You don't need to overcalculate things, I'll send you additional credit through the Soul Society at the earliest chance I get."

"...Understood." Theo nodded, though hesitation lingered in his voice. His mind, however, was far from calm. Renting a Nexus State was ruinously expensive, each costing upwards of three hundred million Pearls for a single century. Two would devour six hundred million Pearls. And when combined with the one already rented by the Cradle Empire, the tally drew alarmingly close to a full billion Pearls—every century.

With six centuries still remaining until the war, that meant nearly six billion Pearls squandered solely on rentals. The thought gnawed at him like a worm burrowing into his bones. It was like hurling treasures into a bottomless abyss, a waste so immense it could cripple an empire. Yet in this matter, there was no other solution.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Aro interjected quickly, as if seizing the chance before it slipped away, striking the iron while it was still hot. His voice was filled with urgency, almost desperate to keep Robin's focus. "But what about the World Cataclysms? A Nexus State will help in the final decisive battles, yes, but I cannot march a single step without World Cataclysms beside me. I'll need no fewer than thirty—thirty at the very least. I need them in every campaign, every battle, every conquest. Without them, my armies will stall before they even reach the gates of our enemies."

"Oh? Is that all?" Robin's smile deepened, his tone taking on an edge of amusement. He leaned slightly to his left, the golden light of his eyes glinting dangerously. "Tell me, why should we keep throwing fortunes away on buying more slaves when we already hold a strength capable of crushing World Cataclysms outright?"