Lord of the Truth

Brrrrrrr

Robin emerged with great effort from a narrow spatial rift, as if locked in a fierce struggle with space itself. His limbs tensed, clothes slightly torn, he stumbled forward, gasping—and then immediately began scanning the area around him with blazing anger in his eyes. "Now—where are those little demons hiding?!"

Rumble, rumble

He had just activated one of the spatial law's advanced abilities to scan his entire surroundings—searching for the most densely packed zone of living beings, the point where activity and movement were at their peak—and it had led him here, to this very location.

In that very moment, Robin realized he was standing on top of one of the seats inside what appeared to be a vast and magnificent arena, stretching out in all directions.

BAAAAAAM!

The arena was perfectly circular in design, built to host large-scale battles, and in the very center was a massive open platform where two monstrous beings were locked in brutal combat. Each one stood nearly ten meters tall.

One of them resembled a hairless, savage gorilla with a thick, muscular tail. He held a long, glowing staff, wore reinforced armor on his chest and limbs, and his eyes burned with ferocity. The other was more insectoid—a monstrous, chitin-covered beast with a sharp, pointed head and razor-sharp claws protruding from its wrists like blades.

Encasing the central battlefield was a glowing blue dome, a protective barrier meant to shield the vast crowd of spectators from the violence within.

BOOOOOOM!

Well… calling it a "fight" would be generous—it looked far more like one beast was attempting to completely annihilate the other in a one-sided bloodbath.

At this very moment, the gorilla-like monster had a clear upper hand. He was using his massive glowing staff to shatter his opponent's defenses, then followed up with crushing punches that knocked out teeth, or sank his long, serrated fangs into flesh and tore off bloody chunks.

"Hey, sit down, man—I can't see anything because of you!"

The irritated voice came from someone sitting behind Robin.

Robin turned to look—it was a round-faced, chubby student, his expression annoyed. Robin didn't hesitate. He reached out and grabbed the student by the collar with both hands.

"Where can I find the gathering point for the students participating in today's battles?!"

"Waaah! Someone help me! I need a grown-up here! I need a grown-up!!"

The fat student screamed in panic, his snacks falling from his lap to the floor.

"Who exactly are you looking for?"

Beside the panicked student was a calm girl with thick, tendril-like blue hair that moved as if alive, and mesmerizing eyes that looked like galaxies trapped behind glass. She spoke in a quiet, steady tone as she continued watching the chaos unfolding in the arena.

THWAAAAACK!

"Huwaaaaa!!"

"Excuse me?" Robin turned toward her, ignoring the deafening shouts and roars of the crowd around them.

"Which group of competitors are you looking for? Each professor's students gather in a different section. Whose students do you want?" she asked again, her voice as serene as ever.

Robin released the fat student's collar and turned toward her with clenched teeth. "…I want the students of Professor Robin Burton."

"Professor who?"

She raised a single eyebrow. Her tone didn't carry any sarcasm—it was clear she genuinely didn't recognize the name.

"..."

A vein throbbed violently on Robin's forehead. He gritted his teeth and, with visible struggle, forced the words out. "…I want the students of The Clown Gathering."

"Oh, then you won't have to search very far."

The girl gave a soft nod, then pointed toward the arena. "It's their turn now…"

"What!?"

Robin turned quickly, eyes wide. The monstrous brawl still raged on in the center, and he almost spun back to the girl to shout—

But then he noticed something—

On one side of the battlefield, a mature-looking man stood shouting at one of the beasts, clearly instructing and coaching him with military precision. His energy was intense—he was clearly yelling at the beast that was already dominating the fight.

The other side? Completely deserted. No instructor. No guide. No presence at all.

"…Do I even need to ask?" A bad premonition stirred in Robin's chest.

"The one with The insect-type beast blood—that one is part of the Clown Gathering," the girl said flatly, casually pointing toward the creature. "I don't know what you plan to do, but I doubt he's free to talk right now… Maybe wait until the fight ends."

"…At this rate, he will be the one who ends."

Robin clenched his jaw tight, frustration burning in his veins, but he sat back down slowly, defeated.

Those two monstrous beings before him were students.

And he was fairly sure one of them had just been casually loitering in his academy building earlier today.

This wasn't the first time Robin had encountered students with highly concentrated beast bloodlines that allowed them to morph into partial or full beast forms. He had personally witnessed Paythor once transform into a terrifying replica of the legendary Durgher.

Of course, this kind of transformation required not only extremely dense beast blood, but also an exceptional level of innate talent. Even so, it was considered the pinnacle of the second cultivation path—the grandest goal and greatest dream for anyone who walked that path.

CRAAAAACK!

Just then, the gorilla beast struck his opponent in the mouth with a crushing blow from his glowing staff—

BOOOOOM!!

The insectoid creature stumbled backward several steps. Blood gushed from his mouth like a waterfall. By now, most of his fangs had been shattered or knocked out completely.

"Looks like it's finally coming to an end," Robin cracked his neck, preparing to intervene and prevent the next match from beginning.

If not for the risk of causing a scandal or drawing unwanted attention, he would have already leapt down and torn the two apart.

But then…

step … step …

"Hmm?"

Robin narrowed his eyes, alert.

The insect-like beast had not fallen as expected. Against all odds, it had managed to stay upright, barely holding itself together, summoning every last drop of strength it had left.

Then, with a primal shriek, it lunged forward— "KAAAAH!!"

"You're only delaying the inevitable, you miserable clown!"

The towering gorilla-like beast sneered with contempt, fully exploiting the advantage of his superior weapon.

BAAAM!

He struck with unrelenting force, smashing his glowing staff directly onto the claw of his insectoid opponent. Without hesitation, he surged forward and rammed his shoulder into the creature's chest, putting all his massive weight behind the blow.

The strike was more than enough to completely halt the opponent's momentum, causing the insect-like beast to recoil, curling up in pain for a fleeting moment—a moment that was more than enough for the gorilla monster to press his assault.

In an instant, he raised his luminous staff high once again, then brought it down with terrifying precision on the weakened side of the claw—

CRAAAAACK!

With a brutal twist from the left, the force of the impact sent his opponent flying backward across the arena. The beast hit the ground hard, crashing onto its back with a violent thud.

"OOOOOOH!"

"That must've hurt like hell!"

The crowd erupted in wild reactions at the resounding crack of the shattered claw. Some spectators gasped, others cheered, while a few winced at the brutal display.

"Haahaaha!"

The gorilla beast threw his muscular arms into the air, holding the glowing staff triumphantly. His chest puffed out, pride surging in his voice. "That pathetic clown didn't even scratch me—I want a real challenge! Give me another one!"

"Another one!"

"Another one!"

The arena thundered with the echo of the crowd's chant, feeding the victor's ego.

Robin's face contorted with frustration and bitter disbelief as he watched the humiliating display unfold. Could no one in the crowd see the effort the boy had put in? Was there no sense of honor? No shred of compassion or basic respect for someone who gave his all?

"Tch..."

Just then, something unexpected happened—something that quickly recaptured the attention of everyone present.

The insectoid beast, broken and battered, began to stir. With agonizing slowness, he pulled himself upright, raising his long, tattered left claw in front of him defiantly.

Then, in a frail, trembling voice, he shouted:

"I… I'm still here!!"

"..."

"Tsk."

The gorilla beast lowered his staff slightly, narrowing his eyes. "Are you seriously trying to provoke me into finishing you off? Well then... congratulations, you've succeeded."

The glowing staff in his hands began to expand rapidly, doubling in both length and thickness until it radiated with violent power.

With deliberate menace, he began spinning it over his head, the rotation growing faster by the second—faster and louder—creating a powerful vortex of intimidation as he prepared to unleash his final, decisive blow.

"Bear witness, all of you gathered here! Today, I will—"

BOOOF

He didn't get the chance to finish.

His opponent collapsed before he could move, slumping to the ground unconscious—this time, completely out cold.

The insectoid beast's monstrous body rapidly began to shrink, shifting form until it returned to a more normal, human-sized physique.

"Hmph. A clown through and through."

The gorilla beast chuckled dismissively, then once more lifted his radiant staff to the cheering crowd.

"Glory to the proud and unmatched students of Professor Farkin! Hahaha!"

"Well done, lad!"

The man stationed beside the platform pounded his fist on the railing, bursting with enthusiasm.

"Let's get the next fight going—I paid for premium seats for a reason!"

"Send the clown back to the Clown Gathering!"

"...."

Robin remained motionless and silent this time, his face unreadable.

Within mere moments, a team of academy medics vaulted onto the battlefield, carefully lifting the unconscious student and carrying him away swiftly while already initiating emergency healing procedures.

Not long after, a second team of staff members entered to clean the blood, reset the damaged tiles, and prepare the arena for the next bout.

In less than five minutes, a clear voice echoed across the arena:

"Next match… Mobillax from Professor Barok's division versus Merina from Professor Robin Burton's division."