Paa!

The cosmic elder, who had been clutching the golden rune with both his hand and leg as if terrified it might slip away, finally collapsed to the ground.

"Hm?" Still balancing on his single leg, the elder extended his left hand forward and began to turn it back and forth, studying it as though he were seeing it for the very first time. "Heh-heh…"

"....."

Shaddad and Jabba slowly rose to their feet, while Althera's eyes widened to their limits—utterly terrified.

Life Force was surging from the cosmic elder like a roaring waterfall, a torrent of green vitality so overwhelming that it shook the very air of space and carved into the earth beneath his lone foot. The sheer pressure of that overflowing energy made the air itself tremble, as if the universe recognized his rebirth.

Only Robin kept watching in that direction with a calm smile— uninterested in the outpouring of life force itself, far more fascinated by the subtler, deeper details. His golden eyes were fully activated, penetrating through the elder's body without restraint. Inside, many of the man's inner organs had regenerated, and dozens of the soul seals binding his soul domain had been undone.

The inside of the cosmic elder's body resembled a grand palace—magnificent, intricate, yet locked from within—except for a single chamber.

And now, Robin had finally managed to open a portion of that grand palace

Beyond the flowing life force and the restoration of his internal organs, there was something else that drew everyone's attention even more.

…There, the golden glow had completely vanished, revealing the elder's body in full, before their astonished eyes.

"Could it be…?" Altheira took an involuntary step back.

"And why couldn't it be?" Robin chuckled darkly, amusement glinting in his voice. "I didn't allocate a single drop of energy to refill his life artery. I left that entirely to his planet's soul. Every trace of energy I took from you was used first to unlock the seals, and second to reshape him into a form worthy of his renewed vitality. And it seems," he tilted his head with satisfaction, "that it did the job perfectly."

The cosmic elder looked down—at his foot, his thigh, then his abdomen. "Ha… ha…"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Altheira waved her arms in disbelief and spun toward Robin. "Even if his life artery has been refilled by a vast amount, his appearance—how is that possible?!"

"…" The elder slowly raised his left hand, trembling with hesitation, until his fingertips brushed against something—something fine, delicate, and long. Something he had believed lost forever.

Hair. There was hair on his head!

"Hahahahahahaha! Aaaaaah-hahahahahaha! Hair! I have hair!!!" the cosmic elder shouted with wild laughter, his voice echoing across the vastness.

At that moment, he appeared no older than his early fifties. A white beard adorned his face, and a few thin strands of hair fell lightly from his scalp. His body, too, was no longer that of a mortal who had lived a century and a half—it brimmed once again with vitality. Flesh had returned to his leg that once looked like dry reeds, and muscle had reformed across his previously hollow torso.

The cosmic elder—once a symbol of frailty and decay—now looked nearly indistinguishable from a man in his fifties, both in body and appearance.

Of course, he still lacked one arm, one leg, and both eyes, but those were minor inconveniences compared to what he had regained.

"It was easy for me," Robin waved dismissively a few times, his grin widening. "One of my disciples faced the same problem—his vitality withered away. I spent decades developing a formation to restore him, and I added that very pattern into the rune moments ago." He let out a hearty laugh. "I had to include it. Appearance may be meaningless when it comes to true power, but if the process had ended and he remained an old man, we wouldn't have gotten such a priceless reaction!"

"..." Altheira's gaze lingered on Robin far longer than it did on the cosmic elder.

That man... he actually went out of his way to add that intricate pattern—just to bring a spark of joy to the old cosmic elder?

Perhaps... perhaps he wasn't as cold or self-centered as he always appeared to be. Beneath all that arrogance and mischief, there might still be a faint trace of compassion, buried deep inside him.

"Old man," Robin's tone was casual, even playful, as he crossed his arms. "Did I fulfill my end of the deal? Do you like your new, handsome look?" He extended a hand toward the elder with a smirk. "Now, be generous and hand over some gifts."

Bam! Altheira immediately smacked her forehead with an audible sigh.

So that was it! The cunning brat had done all of this—revived the elder's youthful vigor and restored his hair—just to make him happy enough to meet the third condition of their deal. How sly!

Whoooosh!

In a blur of motion, the cosmic elder appeared directly in front of Robin. His presence alone caused the campfire's flames to waver. Though his eyes were long gone, the hollow sockets somehow conveyed a depth of emotion beyond words. "..."

"...What?" Robin frowned, his golden pupils narrowing slightly. "Don't tell me you're backing out now."

"Little Robin..." The elder's voice grew low and resonant, carrying the tone of an oath that transcended lifetimes. "I will not step out to kill anyone for your sake, nor will I fight to defend you from your enemies. But hear my next words well— for they are an eternal vow."

He lifted his right hand and placed two fingers gently against Robin's forehead. From that touch, a radiant orb of violet soul energy emerged, shimmering like condensed eternity. It pierced Robin's brow and disappeared into his soul domain.

Then the elder continued, his tone solemn and heavy with divine weight, "...If ever you grow weary of this endless struggle—if the paths before you darken and you find no road left—summon this shard. I will come to you, wherever you may be, and carry you to one of my planets. There, even if every being in the cosmos were to unite against me, none would be able to take you from my grasp. You could live out your remaining days in peace... a peace I grant in return for the life you've restored to me today."

"...." Althera's eyes widened, and she raised both hands to cover her mouth.

Every word that fell from the cosmic elder's lips resonated with a sacred gravity—as if spoken by the heavens themselves. A vow of protection... against the entire universe? Such a promise was beyond comprehension.

"Oh?" Robin's grin widened, his tone teasing but his eyes sharp. "Protection against everything, you say? Even from him?"

"...Everything, except him." The elder's tone grew softer, his head lowering slightly. He knew all too well that Robin was speaking of the Seer.

Straightening his back, the elder turned to gaze into the far horizon. The golden light of the dying campfire reflected faintly off his rejuvenated body. He now stood taller than Robin, his posture firm, his muscles strengthened. "It seems I am not fated to ever meet that being, much less face him."

"Then your promise is worthless," Robin said lightly, though his tone carried an undertone of truth. "There's no real danger to me—except from that one."

Who else, after all, could possibly threaten him to the point of eternal retreat? Sevar? No—he already had a mission to deal with Sevar. A mission that, if failed, would leave him entirely at the All-Seeing god's mercy. And that meant returning to the starting point once again. No one in existence could shield him from the danger looming over him now.

Robin's lips curled into another amused smile. "How about giving me something more practical, then? Something that might actually help me survive these little 'missions' I'm burdened with? I'd be very grateful."

The cosmic elder let out a low, knowing chuckle and nodded slowly. "...Perhaps I have overestimated my own worth a bit," he admitted, then lifted his hand and raised three fingers, his tone calm yet resolute. "Very well—ask for three items. Whatever they may be, consider them already in your hands."

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