Chapter 1533: Robin’s idea
Half an hour later—
WhooshWhoosh
The sound of rushing air echoed through the cavern as Wade and Malik entered one after the other, their boots crunching lightly against the stone floor. Both men stood tall before Robin and offered him a crisp, respectful military salute.
Yet, as discipline gave way to curiosity, their gazes drifted toward the girl sitting quietly at the edge of the cavern. She looked no more than fifteen, her small frame wrapped in tattered clothes, her skin and hair stained with dried blood. Despite her ragged appearance, there was an undeniable improvement compared to the state she had been in when they had left. At least now, she no longer required the support of the triple array to stay alive. Even beaten and frail, she radiated a faint aura that made them instinctively wary.
"Good." Robin clapped his hands once, the sound echoing against the cavern walls, and rose slowly to his feet. "I’ve been waiting for you both."
"We apologize for the delay, Your Majesty. We are ready to move out at once." Malik responded immediately, his tone firm and respectful. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from casting a sharp glare at Wade. The delay had been his fault—Malik had found him locked in combat against a wandering pack of specters, and had been forced to step in so the fight could end quickly.
Robin raised a hand. "I didn’t summon you so we could leave. There is something we must do first." His sharp gaze swept over both men from head to toe. "Your bodies are intact, your energy gathering centers are brimming... good. Each of you, take out a few Pearls, draw energy from them, and then channel that refined power into my body. I want the densest flow you can manage."
Malik’s brow furrowed in concern. "Is that truly wise, Your Majesty? Both of us are at level 50, while you remain at level 31. If we forcefully pour high-density energy into your meridians, they could rupture and—" He cut himself short, his eyes suddenly widening in disbelief. "...Wait... Your Majesty... are you at level 11?!"
"Yes, level 11." Robin chuckled, unbothered by their shock. "You both know how much I enjoy rebuilding my foundations. I’ve done it countless times. Nothing brighten my days more." He patted their shoulders with surprising force, and a sarcastic smile. "Now, stop hesitating and do exactly as I ordered."
"Your Majesty!" Wade’s voice cracked with panic, his composure slipping. "What happened while we were asleep? How could you possibly lose so many levels?!" His heart raced, memories flashing of previous incidents where His Majesty had fallen in rank. Each time, it had been tied to calamities of cosmic scale, moments where Robin’s survival—and the empire’s survival—hung by a thread. For such a drastic loss to happen during their short rest... it was unthinkable! Had they failed him so terribly in their watch?
"There’s no need for questions now." Robin’s voice was firm, dismissing their worries. "Begin." He turned his back on them and gestured toward Morgana. "Are you ready?"
"...." Morgana nodded and rose to her feet. Even she did not know what she was preparing for. He had told her he would make her ready to leave once his aides returned, but had never explained what that entailed.
Hummmm—
A deep vibration filled the cavern as Malik and Wade pressed their palms firmly against Robin’s back. In their other hands, Pearls pulsed with dim light as they prepared to funnel energy. "We’re ready, Your Majesty."
"Good." Robin’s eyes softened into a smile as he raised his hand, resting his palm gently against Morgana’s forehead. "Brace yourself. I’ll alter your appearance. It will hurt, but only for a moment."
Morgana scoffed, her lips curling with disbelief. "There are countless illusion and shapeshifting techniques, and even more ways to expose them. Do you really think the Syndicate doesn’t have a method to see through this?" She sighed, her voice heavy with disappointment. "You’re raising my hopes for nothing."
"My method is nothing like theirs." Robin’s chuckle echoed in the cavern, but as he spoke further, his tone shifted to razor-edged seriousness. "I’ll begin now."
"Suit yourself. But I’m telling you, this is usele—"
Her words were swallowed whole. A burst of light, shimmering in a color that defied description, erupted from her mouth, her nose, her eyes—every opening of her face.
At once, she felt her very flesh twist. Muscles shifted, bones creaked, the contours of her face melted and reshaped. Even her throat clenched and warped, denying her the scream she longed to release. Pain ripped through her body, sharp and searing, until she thought she might collapse. But mercifully, it ended as quickly as it began.
BamBam
With the final flicker of that strange-colored light, Wade and Malik collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, their arms trembling violently, their entire bodies shuddering under the toll of the technique.
"Hmm... much better." Robin’s voice carried a note of satisfaction. His gaze lingered on Morgana, studying her as though she were a masterpiece sculpted by his own hand. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "They won’t recognize you now. Still... I think it might be better to remove that black coloring around your lips and eyes."
"I... I’m not wearing makeup." Morgana’s voice wavered in shock as she raised her hands. Turning them over, she inspected them with disbelief before bringing them up to feel her face. Her flesh felt alien beneath her fingers. "This is... corruption. My body composition itself has changed." Despite the residual pain tearing at her nerves, her curiosity drove her forward, desperate to understand what had been done to her.
"Oh, then we’ll simply need some cosmetics to cover the blackness," Robin replied lightly, clapping his hands as though it were nothing. "Otherwise, someone may suspect. Fortunately, it’s a trivial matter. It won’t require me to destroy more levels or use external help!"
"I don’t carry such—" Morgana’s words snagged in her throat again, the same way they had several times that day. But this time it wasn’t pain forcing her silence, nor fear clawing at her chest. It was something far more unsettling—she was struck dumb with awe.
Before her very eyes, in Robin’s outstretched hand, a small and ornate box began to shimmer into existence. Its contours sharpened little by little, its edges smooth and elegant, until in the span of just three breaths the container was complete, gleaming as though it had always existed.
"This...?!" Morgana gasped softly, her pale fingers trembling as she accepted the box. She opened it cautiously, and inside she discovered rows upon rows of cosmetics and beauty tools, each neatly arranged, polished, and perfect. Lip dyes, powders, brushes, glitters—every tool a lady of nobility could ever dream of. This was no mere box; it was the kind of gift given to a princess preparing to stand before her people for the very first time, radiant and flawless.
But Robin wasn’t finished. As if conjuring the impossible was a casual pastime, he strolled toward the rough cavern wall behind her and pressed his hand against the cold stone. Rumble— A full-length mirror taller than a man rippled into being, its glass flawless, its frame carved with elegant lines of light. Then the ground itself responded to his will; a chair rose slowly, as if carved from the stone floor yet draped in unseen velvet. Robin raised his other hand, and threads of luminous energy began to weave themselves in the air. Bit by bit, they spun into fabric—soft silks and shimmering cloth—until an exquisite gown floated in the air. Its beauty was staggering; it seemed to breathe, to glow faintly as if it had a soul of its own. Anyone who looked upon it would swear it radiated an otherworldly aura.
"Hmm," Robin tilted his head, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful hum, "perhaps this is too extravagant for a girl who just spent who knows how long trapped inside Specter Valley?" With a lazy flick of his hand, a few artful blemishes appeared—small tears in the fabric, faint scuffs here and there—subtle imperfections that made the gown look more believable, less like a divine treasure and more like an elegant dress touched by the hardships of life.
He then turned back toward Morgana, the gown floating gracefully at his side. His hand extended, his tone half-playful, half-commanding. "Well then... your turn!"
"...!!!"
Morgana froze in place, her entire body stiff. Her eyes were so wide they looked ready to fall from her skull, her lips parted as if she were preparing to swallow Robin whole just to make sense of his insanity.
"What do you mean, ’my turn’?!" she sputtered, voice trembling between outrage and disbelief. "Is this... is this supposed to be normal?!" Her head whipped toward Wade and Malik, seeking sanity from her companions. "You both, tell me you see what I see!"
And indeed, she was not hallucinating. Wade and Malik had forgotten everything—the pain still wracking their drained bodies, the cracks that had formed in their cultivation after channeling power into Robin, even the fact that their level 50 foundations had been shaken. All of that faded as their attention locked on the scene before them.
Yet, their shock wasn’t focused on the gown, nor the mirror, nor the conjured luxuries. Their astonishment was fixed entirely on Morgana herself—on the transformed presence that now radiated from her.
"...What’s with those looks?" The Royal Soul Sovereign shifted uncomfortably beneath their stares. There was a heat, a hunger in Wade’s eyes especially, the look of a wolf who had just caught sight of prey. It unnerved her to the core. Her dark aura, her corrupted flesh—these had always inspired men to glare with suspicion, with caution, with unease. Sometimes disgust, sometimes fear, but never this... never eyes that lingered with hungry fascination.
Morgana staggered back a step, her heart pounding. Panic seized her chest, and she spun toward the mirror Robin had conjured. She forced herself to look. What she saw made her stumble backward two more steps.
Her vision blurred as tears gathered in her eyes. She whipped around to Robin, voice breaking, every word laced with raw emotion.
"You... you degenerate! You pervert!!"