The chamber inside the Spear of Heaven remained silent except for the faint flickering light of life-support systems and the data that kept scrolling on the receptacle's surface . Six million glass receptacles stood in endless rows, each containing a human body suspended in artificial stasis, they were perfectly preserved but still carried the invisible hand of Typhon's corruption.
Arthur hovered slightly above the floor, with his eyes closed, golden light creating a halo around his Divine Crown. What he was doing now was not physical surgery, nor purification in the conventional sense. It was a delicate, and intimate work at the level of the soul.
His awareness, expanded through Animakinesis, threaded through millions of consciousnesses simultaneously. Each soul felt different, some flickered weakly scarred by trauma, while others burned stubbornly, clinging to a will that refused to fade even while fighting the corruption of Typhon.
Typhon's residual energy was coiled around their souls like parasitic roots, like dark spots embedded into their essence. Removing it required precision, if he was too forceful he would risk tearing the soul apart. Or if he was too gentle, he would be unable to remove Typhon's energy entirely.
So, it took him nearly an entire day to complete the process.
Selene remained by his side the entire time, watching as waves of golden light expanded and contracted rhythmically through the chamber. At times Arthur's breathing grew shallow, his expression tightening in concentration, but he did not stop. One by one, then by thousands, then by millions, the corruption dissolved under his control, finally getting purified and erased.
While working, he made another decision.
As he brushed against each soul, he adjusted their memories without deleting them, he was also not rewriting them. If he wanted he could have wiped that memory entirely but he felt it was not the right thing to do without these people's consent.
"It's not my right," he murmured to himself as he worked. "Pain is still part of who they are."
He made the memories of the experiments appear like they happened decades ago so as to alleviate their trauma. The horror of experimentation, their helplessness, they would remember it, but it would feel as though it had happened decades ago, and would forever remain as a scar, a distant memory.
Finally, the last thread of Typhon's influence unraveled and vanished and Arthur opened his eyes.
He exhaled slowly and turned toward Selene. "I'm finished."
She immediately stepped closer, taking his hand. "Then what are you waiting for?"
Arthur hesitated and told her about his worries.. "I'm worried about what happens after I take them to their home. Their bodies… they're stronger than most beings in my universe. If they return there unchecked…"
Selene listened quietly, then nodded. "Then give them a choice, offer them to stay in our world. That way, it's safer for everyone."
Arthur studied her for a moment, then gave a small nod. "You're right, I was also thinking that I should do that."
They rose together, floating high above the sea of glass chambers.
Arthur closed his eyes briefly and activated Animakinesis once more to awaken everyone. With a subtle pulse of his will, the stasis systems disengaged. One by one, then in cascading waves, the receptacles opened.
And six million people inhaled sharply for the first time in months.
Confusion swept through the chamber as people stumbled out of their pods, looking around in disbelief. Some fell to their knees as the memories of the war and experiment hit them. They clearly remembered the Chimerian fleets burning through their cities, their defences falling, their loved ones getting killed in front of them, then their eventual capture and experimentation.
A few screamed, clutching their heads. While others simply stood there, breathing hard, with their eyes wide.
Yet something felt off to them, the memories were vivid but distant. As if recalling a war from long ago rather than something recent. The emotional edge had dulled, replaced by a strange sense of temporal dislocation.
"What… happened?" someone whispered.
"Where are we?"
"Is this… heaven?"
Arthur cleared his throat to catch their attention. "Ahem."
Millions of heads tilted upward simultaneously.
Two figures hovered above them, one was calm, composed, and radiating authority; while the other person was standing close beside him, her silky purple hair catching the chamber lights.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Arthur projected his voice evenly across the entire space. "I know you're confused right now. Don't panic, I will explain everything slowly."
The noise gradually subsided.
He then went on about how the war with the Chimerians had ended and humanity won and how he had personally taken responsibility to cure them from whatever the Chimerians did to them, then he then gave them some time to absorb the news.
His words sank in slowly. Some broke down crying, not from pain, but from relief. Others stood in stunned silence, a few clung to family members who had been captured alongside them.
While suppressing their memories he had seen that most of these peoples' families had died or at least anyone they were close to, but there were also a few who were captured along with their family so that's a positive side.
When the initial shock faded, he spoke again. "I will give you an opportunity."
That captured their full attention.
"I can help you settle in a different world, a world of magic and martial arts. A place where you will be able to start a new life. Or… I can send you to a cultivation world. There, survival and power are determined by personal ability. So, it would be up to you how you live there."
A long silence followed. At first, many thought he was joking.
"Magic world?"
"Cultivation? Like… novels?"
"Is this some kind of test?"
Many here had seen anime or read novels about the magical world or cultivation world, and those who were unaware about them quickly learned about them from the others as they started to discuss among each other.
But they could also clearly feel the strength coursing through their body, they felt they could crush a mountain with the strength they possessed which both amazed and bewildered them.
Arthur, seeing there were still people who didn't believe his words, lifted his hand and every single person in the chamber began to float, causing many to gasp. A few even yelped in surprise.
After a few seconds, he lowered them gently back to the ground.
"This is not a metaphor," he said calmly. "Your bodies are stronger than you realize. You possess strength comparable to Grandmaster-rank martial artists. So, what would you choose?"
That reality settled in heavily. Discussions broke out immediately, some people argued excitedly while others debated logically. Those familiar with anime and cultivation novels tried explaining to others what such worlds could offer them. Though they didn't understand how powerful a Grandmaster-rank martial artist was, from the title they could deduce they were powerful figures.
After nearly an hour, decisions began forming. The majority chose the magic world where they could get a chance to rebuild in relative safety under Arthur's protection.
But there were a few thousand daring ones who chose to go to the cultivation world, their eyes burning with ambition and adventure.
Then there was a group of a few hundred people who insisted on returning to their original universe.
Arthur explained gently to them that their world had been destroyed in the war, but they were adamant to return.
"I need to see it myself." someone argued.
"It's still my home."
Arthur did not argue further.
He extended his awareness into each of them individually, thoroughly checking all of their memories, even if it invaded their privacy, he could not risk returning some crooked people in a universe where they might be the strongest at the moment and become unchecked tyrants. So after checking and making sure they did not have any desire to cause problems or destructive intents, he agreed.
"Very well."
He then told them to wait here and together with Selene left the SOH.
…
Moments later, Arthur and Selene appeared outside the Spear of Heaven. He placed the colossal structure into his dimensional storage. He wanted to keep it inside his Sea of Consciousness, now capable of storing physical objects thanks to his soul's evolution but since there were living beings there he couldn't.
Arthur then activated the Obelisk and a portal opened before them, leading back to Thyrandel. They reappeared on the island and immediately teleported to Avalon.
From above, Avalon had transformed dramatically, the construction of all the satellite cities were completed. The satellite cities surrounded the main island, each with a ten-kilometer radius, filled with towering buildings, parks, hospitals, clean streets and many more important infrastructures capable of housing a hundred thousand people comfortably.
There were a hundred satellite cities built around Avalon and most were empty, so a big chunk of these cities would be occupied by these people.
Arthur nodded to himself. "This will work."
Before leaving the SOH, he had instructed the Guardian AI to collect the personal details from the people and make a list to assign living zones for each individual. Now, standing above one of the empty satellite cities, he released the first batch, one hundred thousand people appearing across designated areas seamlessly.
They looked around in awe at the cityscape. Guidance drones and projections began directing them toward housing assignments calmly and efficiently.
Arthur and Selene repeated the process again and again.
By the end of it, six million individuals were settled across multiple satellite cities. Some were overwhelmed and some were hopeful for their new life in this new world.
By the time they returned home, night had fallen so they went to sleep.
…
The next morning, Arthur woke up early and decided to return to his universe, Selene would not be accompanying him this time as her great grandfather the dragon king of Eldraheim had summoned her for some important matter.
Arthur nodded. "Then take care, I'll go alone this time."
He opened a portal and stepped through.
***
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