Lord of the Truth

"...A solution of which you are the key."

Hedrick turned slowly to look at Robin, his expression calm, eyes steady and unreadable.

"Oh, let me guess..." Robin tilted his head slightly, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The brilliant solution is that I give you my Grade-Four Planetary Displacement Gear, and in return, you—armed with that gear and your already-massive stockpile of weapons and fleets—might possibly be able to pull off your grand escape plan over the next 2,500 years.

Am I close?"

He let out a scoffing laugh, sharp and bitter.

"It's a fantastic strategy, really.

Especially when you consider that you didn't spend a single coin on this gear.

No, you funneled every resource into buying armaments and upgrading your fleets, all to protect the Seed... and now, conveniently, the last piece of the puzzle just happens to fall from the sky, gift-wrapped and ready."

Hedrick smiled faintly—no irritation in his features, no reaction to the jab. He simply looked back to the horizon, watching the fading light and the last streaks of meteors.

"You're not wrong," he said after a pause.

"The gear is indeed the key. But not for the reasons you think."

His voice lowered.

"I've been searching for it for over thirty thousand years, long before any war ever began.

Back when the Seed was still stable, unknown, untouched.

I sought it for something else entirely…

An experiment."

"...An experiment?" Robin echoed, eyes narrowing, a flicker of actual curiosity breaking through his sarcasm.

"Forgive me for being vague," Hedrick said gently, with the tone of someone measuring every word.

"But before I explain further, I need to confirm something..."

His eyes shifted toward Robin again.

"You do know… that there is already a Behemoth in control of the Midbelt of Sector 101, don't you?"

"...."

Robin gave a slow nod, the air between them suddenly heavier.

"The Behemoth of Purity... Kaylis."

Hedrick nodded with gravity.

"Correct.

Kaylis, the Behemoth of Purity.

A human woman who mastered the Major Fundamental Law of Purity, achieving complete dominion over it.

Through that mastery, she forged an endless web of alliances—powerful, binding relationships built on the resonance of Purity itself.

And through those alliances, she rose to power—gathering momentum until she claimed a galactic seed first, and the entire Mid-Sector 101.

This happened long ago—so long ago, in fact, that I wasn't even born yet."

He paused, then continued slowly.

"She used her Seed and her army—The Army of Purity—to begin what they called the Cleansing.

It wasn't just conquest. It was ideological domination.

Most of the sector surrendered peacefully when shown a glimpse of the Seed's radiance or the overwhelming force at Kaylis' command.

Of course, blood was still spilled. There were battles. But compared to most unifications, hers was tame—subtle, strategic, even elegant.

She managed to unite the entire Mid-Sector in under 100,000 years.

And, perhaps more impressively, hers was one of the least bloody conquests in recorded cosmic history."

Robin blinked slowly, absorbing the scope of what was being described.

"But that's not all," Hedrick said, voice softening.

"What truly sets her apart is how she governs now.

Her sector is one of the most prosperous, most liberal, and most stable—not just among sectors ruled by Behemoths, but even compared to some of the free ones."

He gestured with one hand.

"Under her rule, planetary empires are allowed to rise and flourish, as long as they pay her a fixed tax.

She even permits wars between those empires... with conditions.

For example: the aggressor must leave an escape route for the defeated.

And—here's the part you'll love—the Artificial Galaxy Bureau must be informed beforehand of the war's declaration.

They must know the intended start date, the scope, the goals.

And the attacking party must pay an attack fee to the imperial treasury before launching any campaign within her territory."

"That's..."

Robin's voice faltered. He looked stunned.

The idea that wars were being scheduled and taxed ahead of time, that the entire conflict was pre-approved like some kind of twisted sports tournament...

It was unthinkable.

"It's a strange way to rule, I'll admit," Hedrick said. "But it works.

As strong as her Seed might be, how many systems can truly thrive in its immediate vicinity? Ten thousand, maybe more?

But what about the rest of the sector?

There are countless unused, untapped planets waiting.

And thanks to the regulated wars between empires, expansion and development have exploded in her domain.

Even more importantly: because total destruction of royal lines is forbidden,

losing empires have a path to rise again—creating an ongoing cycle of balance and power flow."

He paused again.

"But..."

And this time, his voice changed. It was heavier. More cautious.

"...there's a limit to how much tolerance Kaylis has.

And the appearance of another Galactic Seed in her territory—one not under her control—especially if it belongs to someone like me...

That's not something she will ignore."

Robin leaned forward slightly, something sharp creeping into his expression.

"...Do they know yet?"

His brows furrowed as the question hung in the air.

"Do they know about the war that's already raging in the Young Belt sector?"

"Of course," Hedrick said quietly, his gaze distant as if watching an invisible map unfold across the stars.

"My intelligence networks have gathered consistent reports—undeniable patterns.

It's clear now that individuals from Kaylis' artificial galaxy are the ones actively financing most of those fleets pouring into the Young-Sector 101 day after day.

They're not acting randomly—they have a singular objective: to either seize the Galaxy Seed… or destroy it before it matures."

"But," he added, his tone sharpening, "they haven't taken any official action—not yet. No formal statement, no diplomatic move, no declaration of war.

It seems they're avoiding a direct confrontation with me, especially not in the Midbelt.

They don't want to engage in open conflict with me unless absolutely necessary."

"Most likely scenario?"

He turned slightly, casting a brief glance at Robin.

"If they manage to destroy the Seed while it's still unawakened in the Young Belt… they avoid any political consequences. The matter ends quietly, neatly.

But if it survives, if it manages to ascend to the Midbelt and claim its rightful place…"

Hedrick's voice lowered to a near-whisper.

"Then I'll see what the other face of Purity looks like.

Then I'll witness what 'Cleansing' really means under Kaylis' law."

Robin crossed his arms, eyebrows pulled together.

"Hmm… That theory isn't far-fetched at all. In fact, it fits everything. The secrecy, the indirect tactics, the scale..."

But his voice trailed off, replaced by a look of deepening confusion.

"...But one thing still doesn't make sense."

He leaned in.

"Why are you here?"

His voice became sharper, tinged with disbelief.

"If Kaylis conquered that sector long before you were even born—before you even existed—then why would you choose that exact sector to build your empire in?

You didn't just wander there by chance.

And it's not like you were driven there by some force...

Destra Sector isn't even close to Sector 101."

"...."

Hedrick let out a slow, controlled breath through his nose. His expression turned grim.

"There were... certain things that happened to me in the past.

Things I don't talk about.

Things that clouded my vision for a long time—things that poisoned everything I looked at."

He paused, as though deciding whether to go on, then spoke slowly:

"There was a time when the world looked black to me.

A time when I completely lost any concept of morality.

Right and wrong became meaningless.

I wandered across the stars like a specter, a walking catastrophe, doing whatever I pleased… and leaving ashes behind.

In a matter of decades, I committed sins so numerous, so vile, they could've filled entire scrolls of judgment."

"My hands were soaked in blood.

I destroyed planets as if they were sandcastles.

I slaughtered civilizations—millions, billions—erased as though they had never existed.

I accumulated a level of karmic debt so immense, so monstrous, that it almost had a physical presence.

You could see it in my face—darkened, tainted by the weight of crimes that screamed for divine retribution."

"...."

Robin felt a deep chill in his chest, a tightness that crawled up his spine.

He had led wars.

He had commanded the fall of empires, spilled rivers of blood.

But even then...

Even then, he had never crossed into the kind of karmic damnation Hedrick was describing.

Because karma in their world wasn't some abstract concept.

It was real, palpable, enforced by the Celestial Laws.

It didn't just catch up with you. It found you—ripped you apart slowly, unrelentingly.

Sometimes it stole your loved ones.

Sometimes it cursed your bloodline.

Sometimes, it ended you with something so petty, so humiliating, that even your enemies would pity you.

A stumble down the stairs. A poisoned breath.

Or even choking to death on a grain of rice.

"At the very peak of that downward spiral," Hedrick continued, his voice distant, as if speaking to ghosts,

"I stumbled into Sector 101.

I was a storm without reason, without direction.

I annihilated everything that stood in my way—empires, legacies, cities of light and wonder.

Even the Peacekeeping Divisions deployed by Kaylis' own galaxy...

I obliterated them without a second thought."

"I never stopped to ask who I was fighting.

Never paused to measure the scale of the destruction or who might be affected.

I didn't care.

The universe had wronged me, and I had become its punishment.

Everything in my path was reduced to smoke."

He closed his eyes briefly.

"By that time, my end had already begun.

It was creeping toward me.

Even my reflection in lakes and mirrors looked like the face of a condemned man.

It was obvious to anyone—even to me—that I was moments away from final judgment.

I deserved it."

He took another slow breath.

"And yet… it never came.

For some reason… something—some forgotten act of good I had done long ago—maybe even something accidental…

Something held back the final blow.

And it gave me just enough grace to stand face to face with Kaylis…

and live."