"..You will begin the hunt, of course." Robin leaned his back slightly, settling deeper into his seat as if the entire situation required no urgency from him at all, "I expect a bountiful yield tonight... something far beyond the usual."

"...?!" Althera’s brows furrowed sharply, her expression tightening as unease crept in despite her composure.

"There’s no need to worry, I’ll hunt everything!" Morgana replied immediately, her tone bright and eager,

"Do you even know what he intends to hunt?!" Althera raised her voice slightly at her colleague, her patience thinning for a brief moment, before turning back toward Robin with a serious and probing gaze, "Is there something here related to the work of the cosmic academies, or is this something entirely separate?"

"Hmm?" Blukan finally forced himself to tear his eyes away from the vast, almost mesmerizing sea of space beasts on the other side of the corridor. Slowly, he lifted his head toward the mountain peak, his gaze locking onto the lone figure seated there, "...so that is Lord Robin?"

The shock and astonishment that filled Blukan’s expression when he finally saw the figure sitting at the edge of the cliff were no less than what he had felt when he first witnessed the space beasts shifting and surging beyond the gate.

There sat a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties, his features sharp yet relaxed, with short golden hair that seemed barely tameable, even along the sides. A faint golden beard traced his jaw, and he wore a pristine white and gold robe, so clean and well-fitted it seemed as though it had just been crafted moments ago.

That young man, whose physical age clearly had not yet crossed a single millennium, looked down at them... at two Monarchs, a Guardian, and a seven-star royal soul master... he looked at them with an unnerving calmness and an almost casual confidence, a confidence that quietly pressed down on those who met his gaze, sending a subtle chill through their bodies.

There was no one left in the Mid sector who did not know the name of Lord Robin or what that name represented. His influence, his actions, his rise... all of it was known.

But that knowledge was limited to his name alone.

Very few had ever truly seen him.

"Yes, that’s him." Althera said, her brows still slightly drawn together, "And it seems he has something... significant prepared for us today."

"Haha, Lord Robin," Blukan stepped forward two slow steps toward the mountain, a genuine smile forming on his face as he straightened his posture, "To stand before the Great Truth Chosen of this generation is truly an honor of the highest order," his laughter softened into a restrained smile, "An honor that cost me something I did not expect... but one I do not regret in the slightest."

"Heh." Robin let out a quiet chuckle, his tone light, almost amused, "You mean the small soul oath Althera had you take earlier today?" He paused briefly, letting the words settle, before continuing, "That oath exists to protect the secrets of this place... the corridor, and everything that happens behind it. It has nothing to do with meeting me."

A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips.

"Seeing me... is not that valuable."

"..." Blukan’s expression shifted ever so slightly as he raised a single eyebrow.

The words sounded modest... almost dismissive.

But the tone, the expression, the quiet confidence behind them...

They carried unmistakable arrogance.

Regardless of how it was framed, he had been compelled to take a specialized oath before even knowing what he was stepping into. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

It was true that Morgana and Althera had not forced him through power.

But they had cornered him with curiosity.

Talk of hidden truths, of a location Lord Robin never abandoned, of the first line of cosmic defense, of things that were never spoken openly...

He had no real choice.

He had to accept.

And yet...

Blukan’s gaze lingered on Robin’s face for a full second.

When he took that oath... he had felt it.

Chains.

Cold, heavy chains wrapping tightly around his heart and spreading through his soul domain. Chains that were not symbolic... but real. Binding. Threatening.

Chains that could act.

Chains strong enough to make him, a Mid-level Monarch of a fundamental law, feel genuine danger.

That young man sitting there so casually, almost lazily...

Just how far had his soul power reached?

What kind of level had this researcher, who had not even completed his first millennium, attained to produce such pressure?

"In truth..." Robin continued, his voice lowering slightly, becoming softer, more contained, a tone meant only for the four of them, completely inaudible to anyone else in the area, "...I require your assistance today." His gaze remained steady as he spoke. "...I need the region surrounding corridor from the other side to be thoroughly cleared of young space beasts."

There was a brief pause.

Then his tone sharpened ever so slightly. "And I mean eliminated. Not scattered. Not driven away. But killed."

"Alright!" Morgana responded immediately, her voice brimming with excitement.

"...?" In contrast, Althera and Blukan both frowned slightly, their expressions tightening with visible hesitation, while Asir’s eyes widened in unmistakable shock.

A young space beast, under normal circumstances, was comparable in size to a small planet, and the raw strength of a single one was enough to match a Guardian in direct confrontation. But if one wished to truly kill such a creature... it would require multiple Dominators working in perfect coordination, or the presence of a Behemoth.

And the other side of the corridor...

It wasn’t just populated by them.

It was a breeding ground.

A gathering point.

A place where those creatures thrived.

"Lord Robin, you will need more than a simple request." Blukan spoke slowly, a faint, controlled smile forming on his face, one that carried politeness on the surface but caution beneath, "Naturally, I will keep silent about everything I’ve witnessed here... but if you expect me to engage young space beasts in combat..."

His gaze sharpened as he locked eyes with Robin.

"...then I will need additional details. Clear ones."

"..." Althera remained silent, her posture composed yet firm, her expression neutral but subtly leaning toward refusal.

Why should she fight young space beasts?

That memory alone was enough.

That day... when the Cosmic Elder had thrown her to the other side along with Asir, simply to disperse the beasts that had been chasing him...

"Ugh..." Althera’s body trembled involuntarily at the recollection, her shoulders tightening ever so slightly despite her control. The pressure, the suffocating presence, the overwhelming scale...

And that had only been about dispersing them.

Not killing them.

"Gladly." Robin responded without hesitation, opening his arms slightly as if welcoming their doubts, his tone calm, almost relaxed, as though the situation carried no weight for him at all, "As you all know, this gate opens frequently enough to allow space beasts to pass through, and it remains slightly open day and night, just enough for them to glimpse our world from afar..."

He paused briefly, letting the image settle in their minds, the faint smile never leaving his lips.

"...that, it seems, has stirred something within them. Curiosity, perhaps. Or instinct. The information spread among them somehow... or maybe the scent of Holak and his companions drifted to the other side."

A soft chuckle followed.

"Either way, the result is the same. Many space beasts have begun gathering here... and I mean many. Young ones. Mature ones. They arrive almost daily now, drawn here for a single purpose..."

He leaned back slightly again.

"...to observe this new thing that appeared in their world."

"And then," he added calmly, "they begin to fight each other."

"They fight each other?" Blukan’s surprise deepened further, his brows lifting sharply, his understanding faltering. Everything related to space beasts was still largely unknown territory to him, and what he was hearing now only made it more incomprehensible.

"Yes," Robin nodded once, unhurried, "It appears they possess a hierarchical social structure. They are strongly bound to their nests, and when an outsider from another nest approaches, they first issue warnings, attempt to intimidate it, and if that fails... they attack until it retreats or die."

He paused briefly, then continued in the same measured tone.

"And even if such a system didn’t exist before, it may have developed after the corridor opened. They do not want their passage to fall into the control of other beasts."

Then, his smile returned, slightly wider this time.

"However... that hasn’t stopped nearby nests from reacting. Once they sensed the presence of the corridor, some of them followed their leaders and advanced together toward its vicinity."

A quiet laugh escaped him.

"...and that has led to large-scale battles on the other side. Not small skirmishes, but full clashes between space beasts... conflicts where hundreds have already fallen."

His gaze swept across them once more.

"And that number... continued to rise."