Lord of the Truth

"…You should start compressing the second star right away!"

"Have you lost your mind?!" Robin stepped back in disbelief, his hand flung outward to gesture at everything surrounding them. "I don't even know what I've actually gained yet!! How can you expect me to leap forward blindly?"

By this time, Robin's soul domain had undergone a transformation so drastic that it could hardly be recognized as the same place anymore. It wasn't merely that the colors had shifted to a more regal violet hue — the very essence and internal architecture of the domain had been remade. Its size had swelled, its structures had become more elaborate, and its atmosphere carried a sense of profound reality and overwhelming majesty.

The bark of Father Tree Hovenheim no longer looked like wood; instead, it gleamed as though layered with interwoven plates of shimmering metal, a sign of unimaginable resilience.

Arkalon's features, once stiff and pale like a frozen mask, now pulsed with vivid vitality, as though he had been brought back from the dead. His expression breathed with such realism that it was impossible not to feel his presence looming once again. Even Pythor's wild hair writhed and shifted like living serpents, his booming laughter rolling across the domain with the same vigor it had the very first time they had clashed.

That purple matter… it was not just an external enhancer or a simple strengthening fuel. It had reached down into the deepest layers of their being, altering the very fabric of their souls. It was rewriting them.

"What's the problem then? Just think about what you'll gain after you forge another star!" Neri insisted with a mix of excitement and urgency. "Right now, that single star can only process about five thousand soul units per day. That means if you absorb fifty thousand units, whether from outside sources or from drilling into a primal soul, only five thousand will be transformed with purple matter over the span of a day. The rest? They'll remain in a weakened, ordinary state, waiting in a long line for their turn. And you won't be able to use their potential in battle the way you should."

"But if you add another star, it will inject violet matter into every unit, strengthening your soul creatures and enhancing your techniques far more than you can imagine. And that's not all—two stars working together don't just add up, they multiply each other's efficiency. Together, they could convert nearly thirty thousand units per day! And if you were to forge a third royal star, the synergy would amplify again. Your soul creatures would evolve to greater heights, and the conversion rate would skyrocket, giving you a torrent of empowered units!"

"With stronger units, you'll be capable of weaving techniques that are deeper, sharper, and infinitely more complex. And with greater numbers, you'll be able to summon larger armies of soul creatures and unleash countless spiritual arts at once. Can you picture the scale of your power in battle as the stars increase? Every additional star reshapes the battlefield itself." Neri leaned closer, her hands sliding gently onto Robin's shoulders. She began massaging them with deliberate, reassuring motions. "This is the true difference between Royal Soul Masters. Every star is a colossal step forward. The gap in strength between a one-star Royal Soul Lord and a two-star one is simply unfathomable."

"...I'm not so sure about this," Robin admitted, tilting his head slightly, though his body relaxed under the steady rhythm of the shoulder massage. "I'm not afraid of the compression process anymore thanks to Arkalon's array. But to forge a second star, I'll need to expand my domain capacity to two million units, right? That's going to take years, maybe even decades. Hmmm… and I still have piles of research waiting to be completed, as you well know."

"My beloved owner, then look over there…" Neri's voice softened, but her hands never stopped kneading his shoulders. With delicate insistence, she guided his gaze toward the Land of Storms.

The sight that greeted him was unnerving. The silver tornadoes that once howled and shredded through that desolate expanse had been stained violet. Their movements had slowed, heavy with newfound weight, their rotation more deliberate. Yet the power behind them had not lessened; in fact, their momentum had become far more crushing, each gust rolling with oppressive strength.

After allowing him several seconds to drink in the sight, she finally spoke again, her words low and measured.

"Normally, your domain should only be able to contain a million units. That's your natural limit. But back in the Valley of the Specters, you swallowed and destroyed nearly five million soul units from the prisons just to ignite the Decree of Truth. And after that, you consumed over twenty million more from Arkalon and the others!!"

"Of course, the Purgatory Flame burned away a huge portion of them, erasing countless units permanently, and it pacified the survivors after the initial frenzy. But that doesn't erase the fact that you're still carrying layers upon layers of excess — multiples of your natural capacity!" Her tone softened further, almost like a whisper. "Because of your elastic-domain trait, you've forced your soul domain to endure beyond its limits, stretching it to the point of danger. And now… what you're witnessing, those violet tornadoes, are proof. That elastic trait, the very thing that kept you safe, is almost gone. Do you understand what that means?"

Robin remained silent, his brows tightening as the weight of her words sank in.

"It means a single strike from the outside, even one you might normally shrug off, could puncture your soul domain and kill you outright now. It means your life hangs by a thread, constantly at risk, as long as these tornadoes whirl around you, inflating your domain beyond what it can normally bear." Neri stepped forward, her hands slipping away from his shoulders as she faced him directly, a soft yet earnest smile curving her lips. "So tell me, owner… why would you keep gambling with your life in such a reckless way?"

"…" Robin gently brushed Neri's hand aside and took two deliberate steps toward the raging whirlwinds.

"You can't possibly imagine," he said with a heavy voice, "the depth of helplessness I feel when I desperately need units to deploy but find nothing at hand. When I look at these storms, at this massive surplus swirling endlessly before me, I can only see an emergency reserve — a backup resource meant for the most critical situations."

"Is that reserve more important to you than the elastic trait itself?" Neri snapped back without hesitation, her tone sharper than before. "Didn't you say with your own mouth that this ability has saved your life countless times? Do you seriously think that temporary power you gain in battle matters more to you than your own life?"

"…Tsk~" Robin exhaled, the sound carrying frustration. He sat down slowly, then waved his hand backward dismissively. "Go. Begin additional training for the soul creatures. I want to see just how far they can go, how much they can evolve under pressure." Then he let out another long breath and closed his eyes, shutting out the noise around him.

Hoooom

"…!!!" Neri's eyes darted around in shock as she noticed the domain itself beginning to expand again, this time at a steady and confident pace. She clapped her hands in excitement and spun on her heel, running back with renewed vigor.

"At once, owner!" she called out with a bright, ringing voice. "I will forge them into the strongest soul creatures in the entire cosmos for your sake!"

----------------------

Sector 99 — Mid Region — Dawn light Stellar Academy — Student War Arena

"In the match between student Ovanos of Professor Borak's class and student Norine of substitute instructor Morgana's class…" The commentator assigned to narrate the Student War events furrowed his brows, almost unable to believe the words forming on his tongue. "Student Norine of substitute instructor Morgana's class has emerged victorious!"

"Whaaaaaa?!"

"The clash was pure soul force against soul force — and Professor Borak's side has lost!"

"Incredible! Student Ovanos is considered one of the top three prodigies under Professor Borak. How could this possibly happen?"

"It doesn't matter," another voice argued from the stands. "In the previous bout, a student from substitute instructor Morgana's class lost to one of Borak's students. This kind of thing can't be treated as an absolute measure. There are so many hidden factors that decide a fight!"

"Are you saying it was pure luck?!" one hot-blooded student roared from the bleachers, his eyes wide and veins standing out on his neck. He tore his uniform into shreds with trembling hands, eyes gleaming with a fanatical light, and shouted down at the arena: "Long live Substitute Instructor Morgana!"

"We will devote ourselves to Substitute Instructor Morgana!"

"I'm ready to die for you, Substitute Instructor Morgana!"

"I LOOOVE YOOOOUUU"