"...Good sons deserve a good reward."
Cling
"….." Theo froze for a brief mont, his gaze locking onto the tal plate as if his mind had montarily stopped processing. Then, slowly, almost chanically, he lifted his eyes to et his father's gaze… only to return them back to the plate once more. His heartbeat grew louder in his ears, steady at first… then accelerating. "Is this…?" He swallowed, gathering what little courage remained within him. "...What is this?"
Theo chose to ask instead of guessing… because guessing required courage he simply didn't possess at that mont.
"Hehe, check it and you'll know." Robin Burton chuckled, waving his hand casually, like a father watching his child open a long-awaited gift.
He kept his gaze fixed on his son until Theo finally reached forward, slowly lifting the plate and sending his soul sense into it. Only then did Robin look away, his attention shifting toward the distant corridor. He knew… Theo would need ti. Ti to comprehend.
A serious expression began to settle across his face…
The atmosphere over there was tense… heavy… crowded with anticipation.
Every five years, a large contingent of the Imperial Guard gathered here under the command of Guardian Asser to open the passage and hunt whatever nascent space beasts they could. Once the surrounding area was cleared and new capacity was made available within the processing grounds, the passage would be opened again.
But today…
Today was different.
The passage would open.
But not like before.
The number of Imperial Guards present was far beyond the norm. No fewer than ten thousand stood below, arranged in disciplined clusters. Every fifty ford a unit, standing shoulder to shoulder, quietly discussing tactics and coordination.
Robin's gaze swept across them.
He could see Holak moving between the units, checking every formation, ensuring everything remained stable and ready. He could see all five division leaders present, their expressions tight, their posture tense… yet their eyes were locked onto the narrow passage like predatory birds, waiting for the signal. If anything, their tension seed born from impatience, as though the delay itself was the true source of discomfort.
Elsewhere, dozens of blacksmiths and Rune masters moved with urgency and precision, inspecting every array, reinforcing connections, adjusting structures… pushing every formation toward absolute readiness. Not ninety-nine percent… but one hundred.
At the far edge of it all…
Robin's eyes settled on a semicircle of figures standing before the gate itself. Thirty of them. Silent. Unmoving.
They ford the final line of defense.
Royal Soul Masters of the Burton family.
Any Centennial Empire would boast for generations over possessing even one or two such figures…
Yet here, they stood in silence… like pillars capable of holding the sky itself should it fall. Thirty of them… and not even the full extent of what the True Beginning Empire possessed.
Soul Masters forged through Arkalon's unique thods… sustained by an endless flow of eralds drawn from a source only Morgana truly understood… they stood ready to act at a mont's notice.
And just beyond them…
Guardian Asser stood alone near the passage, his gaze fixed on the approaching nascent space beasts. They circled the entrance slowly, instinctively drawn toward it, waiting… gathering…
He was preparing himself internally for what was about to unfold.
And yet…
Even with such a formation…
A force capable of crushing Centennial Empires… of striking into galaxies…
A force that could face twice the usual number of nascent beasts without faltering…
Robin showed no excitent.
No satisfaction.
To him…
This formation was still incomplete.
"This is mine?!"
Robin's lips curved into a faint smile when Theo's voice broke the silence, and he turned back toward him with calm assurance. "Of course. Don't you like it?"
"Don't… like it?" Theo stared at him, disbelief overtaking his expression. "I-is it even usable? Sothing with this level of power… won't the heavenly laws strike down if I try to use it?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Robin raised an eyebrow, his tone almost amused, then followed with a line that blurred the line between arrogance and truth: "The heavenly laws would strike my son? I'd strike them first if they tried."
"…?" Theo's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression tightening… not because he doubted the words…
But because, at this point…
He wasn't entirely sure they were a joke.
Without intending to, without even realizing it, his eyes slowly filled with tears… warmth gathering at their edges until it could no longer be held back. One tear slipped free, tracing a quiet path down his smiling left cheek.
In a voice that almost failed to erge, Theo spoke, "...Thank you." Then he continued, his tone unsteady, caught between emotion and resolve, "I'll use it well."
"Of course you will." Robin Burton chuckled softly, as if the outco had never been in doubt. "Co on, wipe your eyes and pull yourself together, boy," he added with a gentle wave of his hand. "The rged Law of Cosmic Silence won't accept soone who cries!"
"...I don't think that law should accept anyone at all… in fact, it shouldn't even exist." Theo looked toward the plate again, a trace of fear flickering across his expression before he turned back to his father. "How?" he asked, then paused briefly, gathering his thoughts. "How did you fuse darkness and space with ti into a triple rged law like this?!"
"It was the best option." Robin shrugged lightly, as if discussing sothing straightforward. "Darkness and space already give you unmatched concealnt and ambush capabilities. I needed to strengthen the traits you're already familiar with, so you wouldn't struggle adapting to a completely different combat style… so I added ti."
Then he continued, his tone growing more deliberate, more assured, "Theoretically, you'll beco the most complete assassin in the recorded history of this universe… and I dare say even before history itself." Robin spoke with his head slightly raised, confidence evident in every word. "No one will be able to detect you. No one will be able to strike you. You'll exist beyond the very limits of how humans are dealt with."
Then he smiled faintly, the edge of challenge returning to his voice. "But in practice… you'll first need to master it. You'll need to use it to break through to World Cataclysm and beyond, my little friend… if you truly want to beco the person I envision."
His expression then shifted, becoming completely serious, the air around him subtly changing. "When I secure my place as the greatest Truth Chosen in history… you must carve out your own position as the greatest assassin. Soone capable of taking the heads of Behemoths without breaking a sweat."
"…." Theo's tear-filled eyes trembled slightly… but sothing within them changed.
The emotion did not disappear.
It transford.
A strange light began to fill his gaze… a light that did not co from gratitude alone.
It was the light of purpose.
Until this mont, everything he had done had been for his father. Training, managing, enduring pressure… building, strengthening, expanding… all of it directed toward a single goal: creating a stronger empire.
But now…
For the first ti…
That path had direction for himself as well.
Perhaps… just perhaps…
Pursuing a personal peak would not contradict his purpose… but complete it.
"I'll do as you say." Theo nodded firmly, his voice steady now, no hesitation remaining.
"Good." Robin nodded once, satisfied, then gestured toward the space gate with a casual motion. "Take your things and go. Think carefully about everything. Don't rush decisions, but don't delay either. And don't forget to organize the other orders I gave you at the start of today's session."
"Understood." Theo nodded again, then rose to his feet.
He paused for a mont…
Then looked more closely at his father's face.
"What about you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I couldn't help but notice… you seem a bit troubled today."
"Ah, sothing like that~" Robin scratched his head casually, as if it were nothing important. "This planet might get destroyed today. I'm a little worried about my glass house…"
"..What?!"
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