"It seems you've figured out a lot of things."
Seeing Ethan again, Artoria formally expressed her gratitude.
If Ethan hadn't brought her here to observe how another King Arthur dealt with rebellion from a relatively objective perspective, she probably wouldn't have been able to resolve her inner conflict so quickly.
"Have you decided what you're going to do?"
"I plan to face my own ending."
Arthur had been speaking with her frequently these past few days, helping her understand many things.
She realized that her thoughts on certain matters had indeed been too stubborn. Her belief that she could prevent Britain's destruction by not pulling the Sword from the Stone was nothing more than her own delusion, and she shouldn't invalidate her entire life just because of one failure.
The bad must be faced directly, and the good should not be denied.
After finally understanding this, she no longer remained stuck in the past. Once she helped Arthur suppress the rebellion, she planned to return and bravely face the end that awaited her.
She knew that if she asked, Ethan could restore her health, and she could even lead the remaining knights to pacify Britain once again. But she had already accepted her end and wasn't going to change it.
Just as Ethan had said before, "Britain is doing fine. It doesn't need anyone to save it." And her Britain had already fallen. She had seen her own limits, and even reunifying Britain would only begin the cycle anew.
"So you're planning to meet that guy?"
"..."
Artoria didn't immediately understand what Ethan was referring to, but then a certain white-haired man suddenly flashed through her mind.
"Why would I need to meet that guy?"
Ethan looked at her and, judging from her curious expression, finally realized that this person, known by many as the "Ahoge King," really was a bit dense...
She hadn't realized at all that her soul had long been "bound," and even in death, the result would be completely different from what she expected.
After Artoria's death, her soul would enter Avalon and live there peacefully for a long time, enjoying a carefree existence in a place detached from all world lines. If she ever got bored, she could choose to sleep until she was rested.
In that world, Merlin cared deeply about Artoria and had arranged everything long ago.
Perhaps the only thing he hadn't foreseen was that Artoria's obsession at the time of death would be so strong that it attracted a certain negative consciousness intent on abducting her, which led to her meeting Emiya Shirou and the emergence of several possible futures.
Even with those unexpected changes, Merlin still did his best to ensure Artoria's happiness. After she entered Avalon, Merlin even found a way to "guide" Shirou, who shared a deep connection with her into that world, so the two could be reunited.
He had been more thoughtful than a biological father.
However, now that Ethan had intervened, and given that Merlin and his Avalon were under Ethan's jurisdiction, it didn't matter where Artoria chose to go. As long as Ethan wanted to find her, he could, whether she went to Avalon or ascended to the Throne of Heroes.
Their conversation wasn't hidden from the others, and Shirou also heard what Artoria said.
Shirou looked a little disappointed, but he didn't try to make her stay. Instead, he was glad that Artoria had resolved her inner conflict, and he introduced her to a game Illya had just taught him.
"Artoria, there's even a character of you in this game!"
"Huh? There's a game like that?"
Artoria had once been a king who unified Britain and ruled for years, but now that she had come to terms with herself, when she wasn't fighting or discussing serious matters, she behaved like an ordinary young girl. Ethan had even suspected more than once that the Sword in the Stone might have frozen not only her physical age but her mental state as well.
Now, seeing her watching Shirou play the game with a surprised expression, then happily accepting the brand-new phone Illya handed her, she didn't resemble an experienced ruler at all.
However... was it really a good idea to teach Artoria this game? The road ahead in that game was hellish!
Not just for Shirou, but for Artoria as well.
"But this is pretty fun."
Ethan only thought this to himself. He didn't say anything to stop them. After greeting Arthur and checking in on everyone, he left.
According to the previous arrangement, Rin and Illya would be staying here for a few days. During that time, the flow of time in this world would remain synchronized with Ethan's personal time flow. The time in the Harry Potter world was also still synced with Ethan, all to ensure they could finish summer break properly.
After settling everyone, Ethan first checked on Ryu's progress in the Yu Yu Hakusho world.
Overall, things were going well. He had successfully trained in spirit energy and combined it with the swordsmanship he had learned from Sasaki Kojiro, along with various types of magic from Medea.
He hadn't become Genkai's disciple. Yusuke Urameshi, the main character, had both strength and plot armor, and Ryu, who had started as a normal person, didn't have a good way to outshine him.
Still, he had already built some friendships with key characters like Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei, and had smoothly integrated into the main group.
If things continued like this, Ryu might not surpass the protagonist or drastically alter the plot, but by staying with them, he could steadily gain battle experience and improve his strength.
If he was clever enough, he might even obtain Kurama's and Hiei's exclusive training knowledge. Kurama's ability to control Demon World plants through his fox demon bloodline, and Hiei's Evil King Flame Killing Fist, which manipulates Demon World flames, were both of great interest to Ethan. He wanted to study the techniques that controlled all types of fire and also that unique Demon World flame.
Ethan recalled the entire Yu Yu Hakusho storyline in his mind. From beginning to end, it only spanned a few years. Not very long, so even if Ryu remained alone in that world, it wasn't a big problem.
But Ethan still decided to give him a little reward. Seeing that Ryu had just completed a major story arc and performed well, Ethan sent Medea to that world as well.
To Ethan, the closer and more stable the relationship between Ryu and Medea became, the better. Especially since the world Medea came from was now under Ethan's jurisdiction.
After handling that, Ethan returned to Artemis. After some thought, he didn't immediately head to the Marvel universe to inform Tony about the connection between the two worlds. Instead, he chose to travel across dimensions directly.
This time, he went specifically to the Edge of Tomorrow world. He ignored the protagonist and heroine entirely. Upon arriving, he headed straight for the battlefield.
His goal was to collect the blood of the alien creatures that could control time. First, he captured a smaller creature, drew its blood, then killed it and personally experienced the sensation of time reversal.
Because Ethan possessed spacetime power, even though he didn't get any of the blood on him (it was securely stored in his space storage), he wasn't affected by the reversal like others.
His memory remained fully intact. He could stand there motionless and watch the world around him rewind rapidly. He had completely detached himself from the timeline, becoming a unique observer.
After the experience, Ethan went directly to the alien lair, killed the largest creature, and stored its entire body in a specially made storage device for proper preservation.
Ethan's actions were equivalent to saving this world, but he had no desire to be thanked by its people. After collecting what he needed, he left immediately.
He gathered these materials because, when Harry entered his third year, a very interesting item would appear in the story: the Time-Turner.
This magical item, which allowed the user to travel back in time, was an incredibly powerful cheat.
With it, Hermione had been able to take all her elective classes despite a tight schedule, and even reversed several unfortunate events.
More importantly, it was very easy to use, far more convenient than the time energy Ethan himself controlled. Even now, Ethan had yet to fully master the magical properties of time.
One of the reasons he chose the Harry Potter world in the first place—besides its rule-based magic system and the fact that it suited him.
With the third year fast approaching, it wasn't strange for Ethan to start preparing early. He wanted to deepen his understanding of time and see if he could master the Time-Turner's principles, thereby gaining full control over time.
After finishing everything, there was still quite some time before school started, so he decided to make a trip to the Marvel universe.
After properly storing all the items he had collected, Ethan found Bruce Banner, who was comfortably living on a small island, and asked if he wanted to come along.
"Back to my world? Might be good to take a look."
Bruce didn't particularly miss his world. He didn't have many good memories there, and life there wasn't as peaceful or comfortable as his recent days.
He had simply heard that Ethan had established a stable connection between the two worlds and was curious about this method of teleportation. According to Ethan, this device would allow him to travel freely between the two worlds from now on.
"That's quite convenient."
(To be continued.)