Chapter 255: Trophies, three seals!
Using the cyclops Black Dragon's near-limit carcass as a sacrifice, the unknown entity detonated four dimensional black holes, unleashing a storm of ultimate destruction.
This was the grand funeral the unknown entity had prepared for Arthur and the others, but unfortunately, it would never learn a lesson.
A star-like glow, shimmering with mysterious light, suddenly branded itself onto Arthur's palm!
The gifts from multiple worlds transformed into supreme power, and countless Child of the Stars chains extended from the void!
The spatial fragments, which were originally disintegrating and turning into pure white light particles, were forcefully frozen by this homologous power.
The destructive white light receded at a visible speed, replaced by a gentle yet tenacious golden starlight.
The rapidly expanding dimensional black holes collided with an invisible Wall of Sighs, and their expansion abruptly ceased.
Immediately after, the star-like imprint on Arthur's palm rapidly dimmed, beginning to reverse the world-destroying scene.
The Child of the Stars chains, piercing through heaven and earth, tightened abruptly, forcefully stitching the fragmented space back together and firmly anchoring the imbalanced black holes.
This Different Space, on the verge of destruction, was forcefully pulled back from the brink of death.
The cost was that the newly born, still-warm star-like imprint on Arthur's palm completely vanished, leaving no trace.
"Sure enough, free lunches are always the most expensive," Arthur murmured softly, with no hint of regret on his face.
Trading a star-like imprint for everyone's lives and a stable Different Space.
This deal was a huge profit, with no loss.
Next—
Below the chaotic black holes, the assistant stood silently, her electronic eyes reflecting the entire process of the Different Space returning to stability, data streams flashing wildly.
She did not escape immediately but observed until the end, confirming the complete failure of the plan.
"How does it feel to shoot yourself in the foot again?" Arthur's calm voice rang out as he descended before her.
The mechanical body stopped moving and looked up at Arthur, its voice still a flat electronic synthesis.
"The mission failed; rash actions would only aid the Child of the Stars' growth, deviating from the original plan. There is no point in staying any longer."
"I'm very curious," Arthur said, examining the machine that had been calculating all gains and losses from beginning to end, his silver eyes filled with scrutiny.
"Unlike other puppets controlled by the desire for destruction, you are, to some extent, overly rational."
"The advantage of a mechanical body is its ability to minimize emotional interference with logical judgment," the assistant admitted candidly, even proactively revealing more information.
"This mission not only failed to eliminate the Child of the Stars but also allowed you to gain gifts from multiple worlds and a stable dimensional anchor."
Her cold electronic eyes stared directly at Arthur, delivering a chilling conclusion.
"After evaluation, your growth rate has exceeded the limits of conventional methods. Therefore, dormancy will be the optimal solution for now."
"This is not a sign of weakness," she emphasized, "but to ensure that next time, it will be you who dies."
As her words fell, she gave Arthur no time to react.
A dazzling red light suddenly glowed within her steel body, decisively and completely initiating self-destruction!
Boom!
Energy exploded, but its power couldn't even stir Arthur's clothes.
As the light dissipated, a new star-like imprint merged into Arthur's palm.
Yes, the second one.
He turned his head to look into the distance; the battles of the other three combat groups had also concluded.
Reinhardt sheathed his sword, the corpses of the White Whale and Black Snake behind him frozen in eternal ice, then shattering into countless ice crystals.
Ainz's magic robe flapped in the residual magical power, and Nazarick's Guardians vigilantly watched Aqua, who was completely purifying the Earth Great Spirit.
On the other side, Finn and Tanya were leading their respective teams, checking whether there were any remaining monsters around the black holes.
As the last trace of evil not belonging to this world was completely erased, the third star-like imprint quietly condensed.
Joyful with victory, everyone converged towards Arthur's location.
Kazuma, still somewhat shaken, asked, "Big brother, are you alright? That explosion just now…"
Arthur nodded calmly, "Don't worry, it's all resolved."
Everyone's gaze shifted upwards, finally resting on the four black holes in the sky, which, though stabilized, still existed.
Aqua reluctantly raised her hand, "But Mr. Arthur, the black holes in the sky are still there. What if more monsters appear later?"
Arthur extended his palm, displaying the remaining two star-like imprints, as if he held the authority of the entire space.
"In the explosion just now, I used the power of the world's gift to forcefully stabilize the space here, and I can further reconstruct the dimensional passages."
His voice clearly reached everyone present, and some quick-witted members already had a peculiar glint in their eyes.
"Simply put, I can now reverse the one-way passage and open the door to your respective worlds at any time."
At these words, the entire area first fell silent, then erupted in a huge cheer.
"Oh oh oh! We're finally saved!"
"Great! We can go back!"
"Does that mean this place can be used as our secret base from now on?" Megumin, whose thought process was different from ordinary people, exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Arthur pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile, confirming her conjecture.
"That's right, this Different Space has been solidified, and its coordinates have been locked by me. If any of you need it in the future, you can come here for gatherings at any time via the warp button."
This news undoubtedly surprised everyone more than a simple victory.
It meant that their connection would not be severed with the end of this incident.
"Then, everyone, let's pack up," Arthur said, looking around at everyone.
"I will open the door home for each of you, one by one."
Hearing this, the joyful crowd immediately sensed something was amiss, and Finn directly asked, "From what you're saying, you're not going to stay here alone, are you?"
Arthur shrugged noncommittally and pointed at the black holes in the sky.
"Someone has to stay behind to deal with the aftermath of this Different Space. If we just leave it alone, there will be big trouble."
A flicker of doubt crossed Finn's eyes, and he opened his mouth to ask further, but Loki patted him on the shoulder, chuckling, "When have you ever seen this kid do something he wasn't confident about? Don't worry so much. Go back and teach Ares's people a lesson, then come back to play when you have time."
As she spoke, Loki did not look at Finn but nodded at Arthur, then pulled her Familia members towards the classroom.
Arthur quickly went to Kazuma and the others, took the magic sword gram from his storage bag, and tossed it over.
"Take this back and see if that guy has improved. If not…"
Kazuma leaned on the sword hilt and patted his chest, guaranteeing, "Don't worry, Big Brother! I'm good at this!"
Arthur then turned to Aqua, who was pouting and waiting to go home, picked up the White Tiger from his pocket, and placed it on her head.
"Haven't you always wanted to take care of it? Then it's yours."
"Really?" Aqua squeezed the White Tiger's soft paw pads. "Leave it to me! I'll train it into a hidden ultimate attack against the Demon King!"
Arthur recalled the time required for a Holy Beast to grow and ultimately decided to just smile.
Afterward, he opened new dimensional passages and bid farewell to the prepared group one by one.
Loki, while urging her Familia members to hurry, herself fell behind.
"Remember to come back early once you're done."
Arthur nodded silently.
Watching the last person disappear beyond the light gate, Arthur did not stay behind to deal with the aftermath as he had said but instead turned and opened a brand new dimensional doorway, stepping through it.
The mysterious voice echoed in his mind, hinting that he didn't need to rush.
Arthur walked with firm steps to the Type-Moon doorway, extending his palm; the original spatial resistance had already receded.
He couldn't help but smile.
"I know, and thank you for your kindness, but I always have to face it."