Lord of the Truth-Chapter 1171: New Condition of the Soul Domain

"...Heavens." Robin muttered in a low voice, his face filled with sheer astonishment as he took in the chaotic scene before him. His soul domain was in complete disarray, a sight that made his breath hitch for a moment.

…After his intense battle against the Shadow of the Cataclysm Sealing Cube, his soul domain had suffered unimaginable devastation. A massive rift, spanning nearly the entire size of the domain itself, had torn through its center. It was an open wound that refused to heal properly, an ugly scar that threatened the very stability of his soul domain.

After that battle, what was once a thriving domain filled with vast soul force had become an empty, desolate wasteland. The abundant force that once filled this domain was all but gone, leaving behind a near-dead space. The countless initial souls he had devoured from the Sea of Lava drifted sluggishly, struggling to move in the cramped and restricted space they had. Some of them even fell from the sky as if they were succumbing to a second death for a second time.

The very foundation of his domain was tainted with ominous, dark, viscous patches that pulsed with an eerie glow. These patches emitted an unsettling hum, a ghostly whisper that filled the air with an oppressive presence, making the domain feel like a haunted ruin rather than a place of Force.

Even after he had discovered the cave where Jabba had hidden and absorbed a substantial amount of soul force, the only real change in his domain was that the countless initial soul orbs, once stagnant, had begun to move again. They bounced and floated about in random patterns, as if aimlessly searching for purpose.

But the underlying problems remained.

Robin had deliberately chosen to ignore his soul domain for a long time. He had refrained from entering it or even thinking about it. The reason was simple—he knew that fixing this damage would take an unbelievable amount of time, possibly even centuries.

The rift that ran through his domain, for example, was the result of him forging a Soul Shard. That alone was a problem so immense that he couldn't even begin to fathom how to fix it. He had no knowledge of how Soul Shards were truly formed, nor how to reverse their effects. If he left it alone, his soul domain would remain vulnerable to complete collapse the moment it sustained another significant damage.

And then there were those dark swamps…

What were they, exactly?

Evergreen had warned him that they were a bad omen— a harbinger of something far worse. She called them precursors to the emergence of Heart Specters— terrifying, unnatural creatures that would soon awaken and become the apex predators of his domain.

These entities, once fully formed, would mindlessly seek out and devour all other soul creatures within his realm. The first victims, of course, would be the countless initial souls he had painstakingly collected.

But that wasn't the worst part.

Once the Heart Specters were active, Robin himself would be in a state of constant unrest. Their very existence would disrupt his focus, gnawing at his mind and draining his ability to concentrate. The tension and stress would be unrelenting. It was a punishment, a terrible price he had unknowingly paid for mercilessly destroying and absorbing countless souls on the night before his great battle.

And yet, as always, Evergreen had conveniently failed to tell him how to deal with them.

Robin had estimated that, in order to properly study these ominous changes and develop solutions, he would have to isolate himself for years. No, perhaps even decades!

It was an impossible situation.

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Thus, he had chosen to push it all aside.

Instead of worrying about it, he had shifted his focus to refining Nihari, believing that doing so would grant him enough strength to defend against potential invasions from other empires. After all, Pythor had already made it clear that external threats would come.

But now…

His wide-eyed shock slowly gave way to something else.

Satisfaction.

He could hardly believe what he was witnessing.

The massive rift in his soul domain —the one that should have taken an eternity to fix— was now healing right before his eyes!

The cursed dark swamps, the breeding grounds for Heart Specters, were not just receding… They were being actively purged!

More than that, the very walls of his soul domain were expanding outward at an astonishing speed. What was once a confined, nearly suffocating space had transformed into a vast, open territory. The initial soul orbs, once clustered together in a desperate bid for room, now had seemingly endless space to roam and play freely!

Robin caught himself, forcing down the excited grin that threatened to take over his face. He needed to stay calm. He needed to understand everything first.

Taking a deep breath, he asked in a measured, serious tone:

"What exactly is happening here?"

Step Step

At that moment, a familiar presence emerged.

Neri appeared, gracefully walking amidst the countless jubilant initial souls. With one hand placed elegantly over her stomach, her posture was one of pure nobility.

She halted a few steps away from him before giving a deep, respectful bow.

"Neri greets the owner." Her voice carried a hint of amusement, but her expression remained composed as she continued, "What you are witnessing now is the result of one of the gifts bestowed upon you for refining a planet's spirit— your soul's force has been doubled."

"...!!" Robin's eyes widened even further. He had completely forgotten about that!

Indeed, when Robin had first refined Evergreen, he had immediately received a doubling of his soul force. However, at the time, he had assumed this phenomenon was limited to Greenland alone!

Back then, he had possessed 3,000 soul units, and the moment the refinement was complete, that number had instantly skyrocketed to 6,000. It had been an astronomical increase in his eyes, a gift of immense power that had left him reeling in disbelief. At that time, Evergreen had even told him that with such an increase, he could now escape from a World Cataclysm-level expert if needed. That simple statement alone had sent his confidence soaring beyond the heavens!

But now...

Robin currently had 137,000 soul units remaining after sacrificing 40,000 to create the soul shard. If this number were to be doubled…

Robin's breath caught in his throat before he suddenly shouted in sheer astonishment, his voice echoing through the space, "My soul force has reached 274,000 units?!"

"Not exactly."

Neri gently shook her head, her expression calm yet reassuring. "The moment you completed my refinement and I fully manifested here, I immediately sensed the disastrous state of your soul domain. The instability, the fractures, the chaotic imbalance—I could feel all of it. And so, I decided to take advantage of the tremendous soul force surge you received from my refinement and used a portion of it to stabilize your domain, repairing the worst of the damage. I hope you don't mind."

Robin was momentarily speechless before he suddenly burst into laughter. "Mind? Hahaha! You've just saved me decades of painstaking research!!"

Overcome with emotion, Robin clutched his head with both hands, his fingers digging into his scalp as he tried to process the enormity of the moment. His gaze drifted toward the distant horizon, his thoughts racing in every direction. "Even so… I can still feel that the increase in my soul force is monstrous… It's almost surreal…"

Neri nodded knowingly before responding, "Based on my calculations, your current soul force stands at approximately 250,000 units. Right now, you are effectively invincible against a lower-level World Cataclysm. You are no longer just an up-and-coming force—you are now a fully recognized Soul Master, someone whose presence commands respect wherever you set foot within the Mid-Belt."

There was an unmistakable confidence in her tone, a certainty that left no room for doubt.

Then, with a casual yet almost dismissive gesture, she waved a hand behind her before adding, "...I didn't even need to use a large portion of your newfound force to fix the mess left by someone else."

"Hey! What do you mean someone else?!" Evergreen's voice rang out like a crack of thunder as she leaped forward from behind Robin, her emerald-green eyes narrowing into sharp slits. Her expression was twisted in irritation, her small frame practically radiating unrestrained aggression, "Are you implying something, intruder?!"

Neri remained entirely unbothered, her serene smile unwavering. "Oh, of course not. When did I ever mention you specifically? But if you feel guilty about failing to properly guide our Master in his time of need… well, I certainly won't stop you from admitting it ^^"

"You little bitch!!"

Evergreen rolled up her sleeves in an instant, her face flushing red with anger as she began marching toward Neri with violent intent. "You only managed to take advantage of the residual momentum from the refinement to unlock the Primordial Chaos Gates! If this kind of damage had occurred at any other time, you wouldn't have been able to do anything about it! So why the arrogance?! Do you want to get your ass kicked on your first day here?!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Robin sighed before quickly stepping between them, raising both hands in an attempt to prevent the situation from escalating further. He didn't want this moment of triumph to be ruined by an unnecessary brawl.

But Evergreen wasn't having it.

She pushed against Robin's arm and snarled, "Move aside! I need to teach this arrogant brat a lesson! She's getting full of herself just because she's a Galactic Seed!!"

"...Heh~" A faint look of mild annoyance flickered across Neri's face for the first time.

Without uttering another word, she calmly reached for a small pearl hanging from her necklace.

And then—

Shooosh!

With a simple flick of her delicate fingers, the pearl shot forward like a bullet and smacked directly into Evergreen's forehead.

"Today, either I or sh—" SMACK!

THUD!

Evergreen's words were abruptly cut off as she collapsed to the ground like a lifeless doll.

"EVERGREEN!!" Robin's eyes widened in horror as he lunged forward, catching the tiny girl just before she fully hit the ground.

The moment the impact had landed, Evergreen's entire body had gone rigid before her limbs gave out completely. Her forehead was now a bright, glaring red, her pupils unfocused and swirling in circles. Her tongue even lolled out slightly from between her lips, giving her an utterly ridiculous appearance.

For a moment, Robin feared she might actually be in danger—

But aside from looking completely stupid, she didn't seem to be in any real harm.

Neri let out a small sigh and shook her head as if she were pitying a foolish child.

"That little planet spirit got far too arrogant just because she has an affinity for a Fundamental Law. It's honestly… pathetic."

Then, with absolute confidence, she lifted her chin and pointed a single finger toward the sky.

Her next words carried an undeniable finality: "From now on, Owner… after you, everything will revolve around me."

Robin instinctively followed the direction of her outstretched finger—

And what he saw stole the very breath from his lungs.

A colossal blue sun had appeared in the sky of his soul domain.

Its radiant glow dominated the entire space—

And orbiting around it…

Was Greenland's familiar green sun!

"Wow…" Robin's eyes shone with unfiltered wonder.

Unconsciously, his grip on Evergreen loosened, letting her small body slip from his arms as he took two slow, reverent steps forward.

His voice was quiet, almost disbelieving. "Greenland's sun… it kept my domain from collapsing even in its worst state… I wonder what the Nihari Sun will do for me?"

"Well, where would you like to begin? First—"

Neri smiled as she began to speak, preparing to explain further—

But then… Both of them sensed the ground beside Robin as it began to shift.

The terrain bulged and warped, rising up unnaturally as though something were forcing its way to the surface.

Then—

A humanoid form began to emerge.

A statue. A statue of Theo.

And then, in a deep, resonant voice, the statue spoke:

("Father… Your coronation day has come.")