Chapter 42
The Mysterious Dark Entity (2)
Arthur's anger…
was a mad fury that had broken beyond the limits of control.
Anger at the vileness of this world.
Anger at the bullying of that insane child.
Anger at the cruel truth that he had to endure pain
simply because he had been born poor… weak… without support.
Arthur placed his trembling hand on the ground,
then pushed his broken body and stood up.
Across from him,
the mad boy burst into hysterical laughter,
a twisted laugh devoid of any human meaning.
"You're strong, orphan! Yes, stand up again and don't move!
You're good… better than that old man who came yesterday!"
Arthur stood there.
Blood covered his face,
flowing over his eyes and mouth,
but something else was exploding inside him.
His blood began to boil.
His eyes turned a deep crimson red,
as though a demonic spirit had awakened within his depths.
He stretched out his hand
and grabbed a hammer lying on the ground.
He struck the ground beneath his feet with force,
then rushed toward the mad boy like a beast that had broken free from its chains.
He swung the hammer…
and struck the boy's head.
The boy staggered in pain and shock,
fell to the ground clutching his head,
screaming hysterically
like a cowardly creature facing its end.
Arthur smiled.
He dropped his weight onto the boy's chest,
raised his hand…
and struck with the hammer again.
Once…
twice…
three times…
Ten…
twenty strikes.
After the twentieth strike,
nothing remained of the boy's head.
It had turned into a mangled mass,
a red paste without features.
Arthur breathed deeply.
He sighed…
as though a heavy burden had fallen from his chest.
Then he felt a violent shove from behind.
He turned around
to discover that the boy's father had arrived at that very moment.
The man grabbed his son's corpse
and let out a scream mixed with pain and grief—
a scream that carried no remorse…
but the loss of personal property.
Arthur sighed calmly
as he looked at the mad pair.
The father lifted his head,
about to shout at Arthur—
but before he could utter a single word,
the hammer met his jaw.
One strike.
It shattered the man's jaw completely
and tore it from its place.
Blood poured from his mouth,
and he collapsed beside his son.
Arthur raised the hammer again
and struck…
and struck…
and struck.
Until the father's head was crushed as well.
All of that…
happened within only a few minutes.
And this…
was part of Arthur's beautiful past.
---
Now…
in the shattered space.
Arthur opened his eyes
after his life had passed before him like an old video reel.
He smiled—a smile mixed with pain and sorrow.
Then he looked at Cthulhu.
Cthulhu had just finished absorbing the Sun.
He turned
and approached Arthur.
He raised his colossal hand
to end it…
and consume him as well.
Arthur closed his nearly lifeless eyes.
One second passed…
two seconds…
ten seconds.
But he did not feel Cthulhu's hand.
Nor did he lose the last trace of energy within him.
Then—
a thunderous scream echoed,
a scream that shook the entire universe.
Arthur opened his eyes quickly.
He looked forward…
and saw something unbelievable.
Cthulhu's right hand had completely disappeared.
And before him…
stood another entity.
A small human-shaped shadow,
the same height as Arthur in his human form.
It wore a dark black cloak
that covered its entire body.
Nothing of it could be seen except
a beautiful, demonic smile
and a decorated wooden necklace wrapped around its neck.
The shadow turned
and looked at Arthur.
A small smile appeared on its face—
gentle…
and demonic at the same time.
Arthur's body shuddered.
Fear crept into his depths,
for that smile reminded him of someone he was trying completely to forget.
"Who are you?"
Arthur spoke calmly
as he stared at the shadow before him.
A hand rose from beneath the cloak
and scratched the shadow's head.
It was a hand covered in darkness,
nothing visible upon it.
[[ I am not someone important…
what matters now is healing you, Arthur Narin ]]
The shadow smiled,
raised his hand again,
and placed it on Arthur's head.
Arthur felt that power—
that sacred celestial energy—
flowing through his body.
Within only a few seconds,
all his injuries were healed,
and he returned to his true human body.
Arthur's eyes widened with even greater unease.
"How do you know me?"
[[ Hmm… it's a long story,
but for now…
I will go teach that little child some manners first ]]
The shadow pointed a finger toward the enraged Cthulhu,
calling him—
no, describing him as a child.
The shadow moved calmly and gracefully
until he reached Cthulhu's gigantic body.
[[ You insignificant creature, how— ]]
Before Cthulhu could finish his words,
the shadow smiled with overwhelming pride
and unimaginable power.
That power pressed down on Cthulhu's body,
silencing him completely.
The shadow snapped his fingers,
and a crack opened in space…
a fracture in time and space
leading to a disgusting green world.
Cthulhu lifted his head
and saw that world.
For the first time since his appearance…
his body trembled.
This was the first time Arthur
had ever seen Cthulhu afraid.
Cthulhu raised his head toward the shadow.
[[ Who are you?
And how can you open a rift toward the world of the eternal prison? ]]
The prison world…
the world where Cthulhu had been imprisoned for millions of years without return.
Cthulhu's savage mind raced madly,
trying to determine the identity of this being.
And in the end…
his body trembled.
He looked at the smiling shadow.
[[ You… you are the guardian of the ∆∆∆∆∆ ]]
Before he could speak the name,
the shadow raised his finger
and placed it over his lips.
Silence fell.
All of reality trembled,
and Cthulhu's voice turned into incomprehensible distortions.
The shadow smiled,
then looked upward.
[[ You can't tell the world about me now.
Don't burn the story, man…
let them discover it themselves.
Isn't that more enjoyable? ]]
Cthulhu hesitated…
and submitted.
[[ What world are you talking about?
Who are the ones you want to know?
What do you mean? ]]
The shadow smiled calmly,
as though he had been asked this question a billion times before.
He raised his hand—
and Cthulhu vanished.
The rift to the prison world disappeared as well.
The shadow raised his finger,
folded the light within it,
and wrote strange words in the air…
then they vanished.
The shadow moved
and approached Arthur.
The shadow looked at Arthur calmly,
then moved his finger in a simple motion.
In the next moment,
the system window appeared again before Arthur's eyes,
as though it had never disappeared.
| Congratulations.
You have successfully completed your hidden secret mission with remarkable success.
You have succeeded in imprisoning the great entity: Cthulhu.
Success Reward:
8000 points
5 miraculous healing potions
1 gift |
Arthur's eyes widened in shock.
First…
the system had returned to full operation.
And second…
the achievement of imprisoning Cthulhu had been attributed to him personally.
All of this…
happened with a single lift of that mysterious shadow's finger.
Arthur raised his gaze toward him
and saw him laughing.
A pure hysterical laugh,
as though everything that had happened were nothing more than an amusing entertainment.
[[ You…
even in the middle of a battle with an entity like Cthulhu,
didn't miss a single opportunity to take advantage of ]]
The shadow laughed again,
then continued in a tone of open admiration.
[[ You stored Cthulhu's fingers in the storage,
then his leg,
then began absorbing twenty-five percent of his power.
You really are… an amazing person, boy ]]
The shadow could see everything.
Through the storage window,
he clearly saw the parts of Cthulhu's body stored there.
Deep within Arthur's thoughts,
he knew that every part of Cthulhu's body
carried unimaginable power,
and that absorbing them
was only a matter of time.
The shadow smiled,
then moved his finger.
Cthulhu's severed hand rose into the air
and gradually shrank in size
until it became the size of an ordinary human hand.
He looked at Arthur,
then moved his finger again.
The hand settled into Arthur's palm.
After that,
the shadow turned
and began observing the shattered space around them.
[[ Damn the two of you…
you completely shattered space with this insane battle ]]
The shadow raised both of his hands.
Energy began gathering around them—
calm… beautiful…
yet terrifying in its depth.
His power spread throughout the entire universe,
and within only a few seconds…
the cosmos returned to what it had been.
The stars.
The planets.
The space.
As though nothing had ever happened.
At that moment,
the laws of the universe pressed harshly upon Arthur's body.
He felt an unbearable pressure,
as though he were about to be crushed completely.
Then…
the pressure vanished
with a simple gesture from the shadow's finger.
The shadow approached Arthur
and spoke in a calm, gentle voice.
[[ Your mission here is over, boy.
You can return now.
Thank you for stopping Cthulhu for all that time.
Without you, I wouldn't have been able to catch up to him.
And perhaps he would have gone to another universe,
destroyed it…
and become stronger.
Perhaps…
even stronger than me.
And that…
is something we do not want ]]
He paused for a moment,
then continued with a faint smile.
[[ You fought bravely and valiantly.
You…
remind me of a young man I once knew long ago ]]
He finished speaking with a tone of relief.
He stepped forward
and raised his finger.
Space trembled around Arthur's body.
And before Arthur could ask a single question…
he disappeared.
And returned directly to the world of One Piece.
---
The black shadow stood alone in space.
He had recreated everything:
the stars,
the planets,
the humans.
He restored them as though they had never vanished,
and erased the final memory from their minds—
the memory of Cthulhu's terrifying form.
He stood in the void,
then lifted his gaze upward.
[[ And now…
where should I go next? ]]
He smiled beneath his black cloak.
He raised his hand,
and he was holding a black book…
then he hid it.
With another motion,
a dark black book appeared once more.
He looked at it
and smiled.
There were only four words written within it,
yet they were incomprehensible.
The shadow slowly opened the book.
[[ So…
this is the end ]]
And with those words…
the shadow scattered with the space
and disappeared…
without return.
---
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