"Yes, you're right… it's a childish utopia. But I will achieve that goal, no matter the cost. And nothing—no one—will stand in my way," said Yuuki Kagurazaka.
Arthur observed him in silence for a moment, showing no surprise.
"Let me finish drinking this tea…" Yuuki continued, calmly lifting his cup. "Then we'll finally settle this dispute."
Arthur rested his elbow on the back of the sofa.
"Alright."
Yuuki finished his tea unhurriedly, set the cup on the table, and stood up.
He then walked to the office window, looking out over the vast city beyond the walls.
The capital of the Kingdom of Englesia stretched below them—busy streets, tall buildings, and countless people living their lives.
"Englesia is an overpopulated metropolis," Yuuki said calmly. "If we fight here, we'll destroy everything."
He turned his head slightly.
"Let's fight in the barren lands of the far west."
Arthur nodded naturally.
In the next instant, a portal opened before them.
As soon as they stepped through, the scenery changed.
The fertile ground of the city was replaced by vast, dry, barren land.
Arid winds swept across a desolate horizon.
Yuuki looked around and whistled.
"This is impressive."
He had witnessed many abilities throughout his life, but manipulating space so effortlessly was still something worthy of admiration.
Arthur, however, simply raised his gaze with disinterest.
"I really don't know whether to consider you a fool…" he said calmly.
Golden portals began to appear around him.
Within moments, hundreds of portals shone in the air, each revealing the hilt of a legendary weapon.
The sky itself seemed covered by an infinite arsenal.
"…or if you're simply too confident."
Yuuki smiled.
"Perhaps a bit of both."
Then he advanced.
Unfortunately…
Yuuki's opponent was Arthur.
The difference between them wasn't small.
It wasn't even large.
It was absolute.
Arthur possessed far more combat experience, and beyond that, his arsenal of abilities was absurdly greater.
Yuuki attacked with everything he had.
But all of it was crushed by an endless storm of weapons that rained down upon him like a metallic deluge.
Weapons emerging from golden portals, firing in an unending sequence.
And the most humiliating part…
Arthur hadn't even moved.
He stood still, arms crossed, watching the battle.
Meanwhile, Yuuki had to use every fragment of power he possessed just to survive.
With every passing second, the gap between them became more evident.
This wasn't a balanced fight—it wasn't even a fight.
It was a prolonged execution.
—xXx—
"I have to admit… this was disappointing, Yuuki."
Arthur spoke as he looked at the young man lying on the barren ground.
His tone wasn't angry—it was genuinely disappointed.
"I really thought you were stronger."
Yuuki was completely battered.
His body was covered in cuts and bruises.
During the battle, he had given everything he had.
He had even forced an evolution upon himself, elevating his existence to the level of a full Saint.
Even so, it wasn't enough.
Yuuki let out a faint, tired laugh.
"I can't deny that…" he said. "I really didn't think the difference would be this absurd."
Arthur gave a small smile.
"Look on the bright side."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You managed to last almost three minutes."
Yuuki was completely stunned.
"Three minutes…?"
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then Yuuki let out a weak laugh.
"Heh… I really hope you remain who you are now… and don't become that arrogant and cruel tyrant that so many kings end up becoming."
Arthur replied without hesitation:
"Good and evil are relative concepts, Yuuki."
Yuuki looked up at the empty sky.
"That's true."
He took a deep breath.
"I'm going to die."
Then he turned his head back toward Arthur.
"Could you do something for me?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Depends on the request."
Yuuki closed his eyes for a moment before speaking:
"Could you tell Teacher Shizu that I'm sorry?"
Arthur remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he began to laugh.
"Why don't you tell her yourself?"
Yuuki opened one eye.
"…And how exactly do you expect me to do that?"
His tone was clearly sarcastic.
Arthur answered with complete nonchalance:
"I just won't let you die."
A new golden portal opened, and from it, Arthur pulled out something small.
A Senzu Bean.
Yuuki's eyes widened.
"Don't tell me that's—"
"Yes."
Arthur casually tossed it to him.
"Eat it."
He shrugged.
"To begin with, I never wanted to kill you. You're far more useful alive than dead."
Yuuki held the bean in his hands, still in disbelief.
"I honestly… don't even know what to say to you right now."
Arthur turned his head with a faint, arrogant smile.
"Then don't. Just stop with those useless plans. I have a much better way to change society."
Yuuki looked at the bean for a moment and finally smiled.
"If that's the case… then I'll leave myself in your care… King of Heroes."
Yuuki ate the Senzu Bean.
Immediately, all his injuries began to disappear.
No matter how chaotic and morally questionable Yuuki Kagurazaka might be, Arthur couldn't deny the goodness in his dream—that much was undeniable.
That was why Arthur chose to keep him alive. He wanted to see with his own eyes whether, even with his help, Yuuki could truly achieve that unattainable utopia.
—xXx—
And so, time passed once again.
Three months had gone by since Arthur's battle with Yuuki, and it had to be said that not everything went exactly as Arthur had predicted.
When the two finally returned to Yuuki's office at the headquarters of the Free Guild, someone was already waiting for them.
Shizu.
She stood there with her arms crossed, a deeply displeased expression on her face.
The atmosphere grew heavy instantly.
Even after Arthur and Yuuki explained the entire situation, Shizu still seemed far from satisfied.
As a result…
Arthur spent nearly an entire week under a strict silent treatment imposed by Shizu.
And for him, that might have been one of the most uncomfortable experiences he had ever endured.
Meanwhile, on a much larger scale, events across the world continued to unfold.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the Western Holy Church, the image of monsters in people's minds slowly began to change.
It wasn't immediate.
But little by little, irrational fear began to give way to curiosity… and eventually, interest.
More and more caravans started traveling toward Nova Uruk, drawn by stories of a city where humans and monsters coexisted under the same rule.
Merchants saw new opportunities.
Adventurers sought new jobs.
Diplomats wanted to witness that social experiment with their own eyes.
As a result, the flow of visitors increased drastically.
More and more monsters, demi-humans, Majins, and even humans began requesting entry into Nova Uruk.
This led to a true population boom.
The city was growing at an astonishing pace.
And Arthur's name was beginning to spread further and further across the continent.
During this time, Arthur also received an unexpected message from Yuuki.
According to him, Clayman wanted to meet him.
Thanks to Arthur's vast knowledge of creating artificial bodies, Yuuki was finally able to fulfill an old promise.
He managed to create a new body for Kazalim.
Perhaps that was enough to erase whatever poorly conceived revenge plans Clayman had been harboring.
Or perhaps Clayman had simply realized that provoking Arthur would be an extremely bad idea.
Mjurran also had her own opportunity to take revenge on Clayman.
But…
That is a story for another time.
Let's just say that Clayman will probably never get close to a woman again in his life.
Meanwhile, extremely dangerous figures began visiting Nova Uruk with increasing frequency.
Guy Crimson and his two maids, as well as Velzard.
Curiously, both had started appearing quite regularly now.
Although…
For completely different reasons.
During this same period, Chloe Aubert finally obtained the secretary position she had always wanted.
She was now working directly in Arthur's office.
At the same time, Diablo fully dedicated himself to his role as Arthur's personal butler, especially after resolving the issue involving the Kingdom of Falmuth.
Naturally, the office routine remained… peculiar.
Luminous was still an extremely frequent visitor to Arthur's office.
Although…
Not always for reasons appropriate for minors.
And almost always by her side was Hina.
After all, Hinata Sakaguchi still had her own duties as the leader of the Church's Knights.
Even so, she always found some time to accompany Luminous and Hina on their occasional visits to Nova Uruk.
(End of Chapter)