Chapter 1017: Before the main event -1
- A few minutes remain before the negotiations -
Planet Poison Rock - Palace Military Square- In front of the Space Portal
Crack! Suddenly, the fabric of space split open, and Robin emerged with a broad smile on his face. "Good morning, everyone!"
"Good morning, Father."
"I salute the Lord."
"You're late, sleeping beauty~"
In front of Robin stood only four individuals: Hulak, Sakaar, Richard, and Caesar. Three of them stood up upon seeing him, while Hulak simply raised his eyebrows in greeting~
"Sit down, take your time to prepare... We still have a bit of time," Robin gestured for the others to sit, paying no mind to Hulak's casual attitude. Then, after a brief glance over them, he nodded again, this time differently, "You all seem to be in good shape."
The exhaustion that had nearly overwhelmed Caesar yesterday, making him appear on the verge of collapse, had vanished. The residual effects of repeatedly using the temporary affinity-boosting elixir without proper refinement-causing his limbs to tremble and a thin line of blood to trickle ceaselessly from the corner of his mouth-were no longer visible. It was clear Richard had intervened personally to restore him to peak condition in the shortest time possible.
And there was something else... "You've broken through to level 46?"
"If I had delayed any longer, Id have lost face in front of that silver-haired brat," Caesar sneered.
Robin chuckled for a moment, but then his attention sharpened. "Lost face?" His eyes swept over the others before settling on Richard. "You've reached level 46 as well?"
Richard nodded. "I've been holding back progress for a while to preserve as much free life energy as possible, but I've gathered more than enough during the Beast War."
Richard could have surpassed several levels by forcing the foundation-building process with life energy. Although this method would enhance his body, allowing it to store more energy within solid foundations and in his physical form, it would consume a significant amount of his accumulated reserves. Since discovering this characteristic, Richard preferred to keep his energy stockpile for critical moments, such as major battles where he could rely on the difficult-to-gather stolen life energy.
Sakaar shared a similar mindset. By sacrificing more than half of his blood sea, he managed to break through during his solo battle against the fleet. He could have performed this maneuver at any time but hesitated, fearing the loss of that precious blood resource!
In response to Richard's words, Robin nodded and walked over to him, placing a hand on his head. "I understand. When you have enough blood stored, no one at the same level can touch you. It's a good feeling- I know it well. But when the gap between you and your opponent is large, all the stored energy in the world won't make much difference, there is still a limit to how much stronger your body can burn, and how much power you can show above your level."
He continued, "Do you remember your fight with Daoodaar? Back then, you burned the equivalent of millions of mortal life energies just to hold him off, and you still needed Peon to intervene. What about now, after you've closed the gap? If the fight were to repeat, you could stomp on his head by burning just a few thousand, or even a few hundred, mortal life energies, right?
"Free energy is a false treasure. No matter how much you accumulate, you'll remain like a poor man who struck it rich overnight- with no assets or foundations to sustain his wealth, he'll lose it quickly. Only by building solid foundations will doors open to you. Only then will you become a true powerhouse."
"....." Richard lowered his gaze slightly, then nodded firmly toward his father, "Understood." "Ahaha, why not say those words to yourself, oh mighty level 39?" Hulak's laughter erupted. Robin smiled at him, opening his eyes wide as if silently threatening him to stop talking. "I have my own ways of increasing my strength. Why don't we test them out together after the negotiations are over?"
"Tsk~" Hulak shrugged and turned his gaze toward the space portal. First, they needed to survive today- then they could think about what comes next!
After ensuring the long-tongued one was silenced, Robin shifted his gaze to Sakaar. "Interesting. You're getting very close to level 50, aren't you?"
Robin's words made the others glance toward Sakaar, especially Hulak, who furrowed his brows deeply and began examining him.
Reaching level 50 was no simple feat. Generally, the last level of any realm was the hardest and most distinct, as it began paving the way to the next realm. Specifically, level 50, which prepared for the legendary World Cataclysm Realm.
Up until now, only one person had reached this level: Pythor. After him, the beast Durgar achieved the same level due to the planet's unique laws.
As for Hulak? He was still stuck at level 49. His body had not yet reached its limits, he could one day attain level 50- just not yet.
So, for someone like Sakaar, barely a few hundred years old, much younger than Hulak or Pythor, to be on the verge of reaching this level without any external assistance... it was genuinely terrifying.
"I recently came up with a few ideas regarding the Blood Path and applied them using the underworld chrysanthemums," Sakaar said, clearly pleased that Robin acknowledged his status in front of the empire's powerhouses. He spoke with a hint of hidden pride, "I believe it won't take long before I break through- perhaps after today's battle I will be able to do it." "Excellent. To be honest, the Blood Path is still a mystery to me. It's not just a liquid. Its major law is unattainable, and its secondary laws are countless. It's nearly as enigmatic as the Soul Path to be. But I'll try to help as much as I can. If anything hinders you, let me know immediately!" Robin smiled, then slowly looked around. "...By the way, where is everyone? This doesn't look like the military square I left yesterday."
A day ago, this place had been teeming with soldiers-the entire Greenland army and more than half of Yura's army-celebrating their victory with feasts and revelry. But today, there were only four people before him.
"The Supreme General Sakaar ordered the square to be cleared. He said he wanted to speak with you privately," Caesar pointed toward his comrade, having long acknowledged him as an
equal.
"Oh?" Robin turned to Sakar again without a word, waiting for him to begin.
"...I still need some privacy for our conversation, my lord," Sakar slowly turned toward Hulak Hulak immediately spat to his side. "Tsk- I'm not one of your lackeys, horned one. I'm not budging from here. If you want to go somewhere else, then f*ck off yourself!"
"...Heh~ A crude man for someone who's lived thousands of years. Ungrateful for someone we brought back from the brink of death. And arrogant for a giant whose race once licked dirt and is on the verge of extinction," Sakaar spoke in a chillingly calm tone. His coarse voice sent shivers down everyone's spines as if he were casting a spell.
"Your presence among us astounds me, and your disrespectful demeanor toward the lord irritates me. Why not leave the grown-ups to their matters and go for a little stroll? Ride your
big lizard or something."
In response to the string of insults, Hulak raised a single eyebrow, then lifted his middle finger and began wagging it mockingly.