Chapter 2413: Paying back

The entire universe was still struggling to fully comprehend the astonishingly rapid expansion of Lord Robin’s followers and the speed at which their influence was spreading from one region to another when yet another major incident was suddenly added to the already heated discussions: the Gravity Behemoth Gravor had joined them as well and had attacked the Syndicate without the slightest hesitation.

Everyone, regardless of their position or which side they supported, began asking the same obvious question... Why?!

What exactly was being said to these people behind closed doors? What could possibly be offered to them that was enough to make the Behemoths submit to Lord Robin one after another and willingly stand beneath his banner? Just a Truth Chosen whom people was searching for to enslave just a few centuries ago!!

It was worth remembering that even the Four Great Powers were ultimately individual powers that merely possessed a certain degree of authority and influence over the Behemoths, enough to affect some of their decisions and relationships, but they couldn’t actually command those Behemoths or simply mobilize them whenever they wished!

The Dreamer, the Tyrant, the Butcher, and the Lord of Thrones... despite their terrifying status and everything they represented throughout the universe, not a single one among those four had even one true Behemoth genuinely working directly beneath his command!

Yet Lord Robin, within the span of only a few short years, had somehow managed to gather beneath his direct command the Purity Behemoth, the Temporal Behemoth, the Conquest Behemoth, the Savage Behemoth, and now the Gravity Behemoth as well.

Five!!

And beyond those five, he also had Renara and Hedrick, who were currently refining two entire galaxies under extremely heavy guard while everyone waited for them to complete the process... which meant that once those two finished what they were doing, the number under Lord Robin’s banner would effectively rise from five to seven!!

Among the upper echelons of the universe, there was hardly any other topic worthy of discussion at the moment, with conversations revolving almost entirely around this extraordinary development and predictions concerning when and where Lord Robin’s expansion would finally come to a stop, as well as whether the other Four Great Powers would simply stand by and allow such expansion to continue unchecked.

But the true elites, those who weren’t merely participating in the widespread discussions but were actually watching every meaningful movement and carefully observing the changing situation... had already shifted their eyes toward the strange front.

Their attention wasn’t focused on Zavaros, who remained permanently stationed in Mid Sector 107 after completing his advance there... No, what truly attracted their attention was the situation surrounding Kiryan.

Helmor the Destroyer was supposed to have established his position in Mid Sector 114 and summoned his forces there, forces that could arrive in Mid Sector 114 at practically any moment, after which he would be able to gather them and move directly toward Mid Sector 115 to invade Kiryan once again.

But then, amid those preparations and expectations, something extremely strange happened...

The majority of the Cradle Empire’s forces that had previously been stationed throughout Mid Sector 100 were suddenly transferred away from their positions and sent directly to support the Conqueror’s Galaxy.

After it had been firmly established that those forces were no longer truly needed in Mid Sector 100 following the successful subjugation of all the local powers there, more than 700 Note fleets were unexpectedly transferred toward Mid Sector 115, accompanied by a number of Black Wasps, or what people throughout the surrounding territories had recently begun referring to as Lord Robin’s direct Imperial Guards.

A large number of arrays were sent there as well, accompanied by Royal Soul Masters who arrived as additional reinforcements to further strengthen the forces already gathered around the Conqueror’s Galaxy.

Even Arkail, Kaylis, and the Savage Behemoth each sent symbolic reinforcements of their own, adding their contributions to the growing concentration of forces supporting Kiryan.

Considering everything that had happened recently and the relationships that had already become known, all of those movements and reinforcements were somewhat expected...

What absolutely no one expected, however, was that after receiving all that support and while Helmor’s threat still remained directly before him, Kiryan would personally lead his army toward Mid Sector 116!!

Kiryan himself took his disciples with him, boarded a Major Space Gate, and immediately began attacking the major powers located there and forcing them into submission, while his entire army followed behind him on an extremely strange yet unmistakably clear mission whose purpose was nothing less than bringing Mid Sector 116 under control.

Death was quite literally knocking at Kiryan’s door. Helmor himself, the very person who had previously advanced all the way to the final quarter of Kiryan’s galaxy, was openly preparing to invade him once again, yet instead of remaining behind to defend his own territory, Kiryan had personally gone off to conquer another sector, leaving the entire task of protecting his galaxy in the hands of the reinforcements that had arrived to support him!!

Compared to the sensational news of yet another Behemoth joining Lord Robin’s side, Kiryan’s movement toward Mid Sector 116 didn’t appear to ordinary observers like particularly major news... but to the experts who understood what that movement actually represented, this was a devastating blow.

Kiryan’s actions were effectively declaring that Lord Robin’s followers fully acknowledged Helmor’s tremendous strength, which was precisely why they hadn’t chosen to attack him directly despite everything that had happened, yet at the exact same time, those same actions were openly challenging Helmor to advance and attempt another invasion.

And beyond that challenge, those actions were also declaring something else just as clearly to everyone capable of understanding the message: the ambitions of Lord Robin’s followers when it came to expansion seemingly knew no limits whatsoever...

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Mid Sector 100—

Hummm

Far away from all the ongoing conflicts, spreading rumors, and countless predictions that occupied the attention of the universe, a slender black vessel quietly descended from above and landed near the shores of a vast lake stretching across the peaceful landscape.

"Oh!" A number of unarmed civilians nearby were initially startled by the unexpected sight of an unfamiliar vessel descending and landing in an area that clearly wasn’t designated for such purposes, causing the mothers among them to instinctively and gently pull their children closer into their arms while several of the men furrowed their brows in confusion and stared toward the strange vessel.

This planet had lived in peace for a long time, an extraordinarily long time without any meaningful disturbance threatening the lives of its inhabitants, so long that the people living upon it had practically forgotten what genuine fear felt like.

Hisss~ Theo stepped out through the gate of the Phantom Shadow vessel with a broad smile already covering his face, then raised both hands in a reassuring gesture toward the surrounding civilians. "There’s no need to worry about anything. Go back to your fishing and enjoying your outings as you were doing before; nothing happening here will disrupt your day."

Several of those present immediately shouted that they would report him to the authorities if he didn’t move the vessel away from the unauthorized landing area, along with a few other similar complaints and objections, but Theo simply continued descending from the vessel and moving forward as though he couldn’t hear a single word they were saying, while the broad and cheerful smile on his face never disappeared for even a moment.

Five individuals descended from the vessel after him... Every single one of those five possessed an aura powerful enough to visibly shake the surrounding space around their bodies, and the instant the civilians noticed them and sensed the terrifying weight carried by those auras... everyone who had been shouting only moments earlier fell completely silent once again.

Theo continued walking calmly along the peaceful shore of the vast lake without paying any further attention to the people behind him until he eventually spotted someone farther ahead, a person wearing a yellow robe and sitting on the bank while fishing... Theo immediately altered his direction slightly and began heading toward that person.

When he finally arrived directly behind the man without attempting to conceal his approach, Theo stopped and spoke while keeping his gaze fixed upon the waters of the lake before them. "Hello."

"...Hello." The person wearing the yellow robe replied in an equally calm manner without showing any surprise at Theo’s arrival. "It’s been quite a long time since you last came to see me, Little Theo."

"Indeed." Theo nodded seriously at those words, clearly remembering exactly how long it had been. "Exactly 115 years... since that day you made me pay a few billion just to keep your hands away from the Isolated Region. Do you still remember it?"

"Do you still hold something like that against me after all these years, Little Theo?" The man laughed lightly at Theo’s words. "You should actually be thanking me for giving all of you that opportunity in the first place. Without me, everything would’ve collapsed right from the beginning, and you never would’ve received the opportunity to flex your muscles and display your strength the way you’re doing now."

"You speak as though you somehow knew from the beginning that everything would eventually develop this way." Theo laughed as well, though his words remained direct. "If we hadn’t possessed enough money back then, we would’ve been finished. If my father hadn’t been a capable man, you would’ve simply trampled us beneath your feet, and if we hadn’t hurried to develop quickly enough afterward, then our inevitable end would’ve arrived after 85 years."

Paf The man in the yellow robe finally placed his fishing rod aside and slowly rose to his feet, gradually releasing the powerful aura belonging to a Dominator little by little as he straightened his body, until he eventually turned around completely and looked directly into Theo’s eyes from close range. "What exactly brings you here today after all this time, Little Theo?"

StepStep

The five individuals who had remained behind Theo immediately moved slightly closer after seeing the man’s actions, their eyes releasing dangerous flashes as their attention settled firmly upon him... unmistakable flashes that openly announced an extremely clear killing intent!

The man in the yellow robe gave the five individuals a few sideways glances after sensing their movement, then calmly returned his attention to Theo and stared directly into his eyes once again. "All the Millennial Emperors of Mid Sector 100, huh? Seeing every one of you gathered together in one place certainly isn’t a sight you come across every day." Then he narrowed his eyes slightly and reached forward, gently grabbing Theo by the collar without using any obvious force. "What exactly do you want from me, Little Theo?"

"..." Theo calmly raised his hand and pushed the man’s hand away from his collar, then raised his head slightly as he met the man’s gaze without retreating. "There’s nothing little about me." Then, without wasting any more time circling around the reason for his arrival, he continued, "The Syndicate’s continued presence in Mid Sector 100 is no longer possible. Please leave."

"Have you completely lost your mind?!" The man in the yellow robe immediately raised his voice upon hearing such a direct demand. "I’m not like those secondary offices your friends have been bullying throughout the other sectors. We can turn a blind eye to what they’re doing there for the time being until proper orders reach us and tell us how to respond. But Mid Sector 100 contains one of the Syndicate’s main branches. Do you truly understand what you’re saying, and are you prepared to bear the consequences of making the decision to clash with us directly?!"

"Today." Theo revealed a confident smile as he looked directly at the man before him, leaving absolutely no ambiguity about the deadline he was giving him. "You will evacuate this planet and leave today."