The Origin Force condensed into the sun and moon, while billions of stars flickered in the depths.
The entire continent of the Mirage Realm began to shift and writhe.
Booming rumbles echoed without pause.
One towering mountain after another rose from the earth, some linking together to form ranges.
Where there were rises, there were also depressions.
At the very center of the land, a crater fifty kilometers wide yawned open.
At its heart, an island about a kilometer across remained.
The Origin Force converged there in torrents.
A single seed took shape and fell into the soil.
Nourished by the power flowing into it, a tender sprout pushed through the ground and began growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
One meter, a hundred, a thousand—
In just moments it had become a colossal tree nearly ten thousand meters tall.
Its form resembled a banyan, its canopy lush and dense.
Branches and leaves spread outward into a vast umbrella, as if capable of blotting out the heavens themselves.
Countless roots as thick as serpents coiled around the island's supporting bedrock, burrowing into the crater and spreading outward.
Along the trunk and branches, light flickered.
Veins of energy, condensed from Origin Force, coursed through the entire tree, reaching even to the smallest leaves.
A faint breeze rose from nothingness.
It stirred the canopy, sending down a soft rustling and a shower of starlight.
From the giant tree's roots, water gushed forth in torrents, swiftly filling the massive crater.
A vast lake took shape.
Its waters surged and overflowed.
Four great channels spread from it in the cardinal directions, with countless tributaries branching along the way.
Like a spider's web, the waterways extended across the land.
Some of the great tree's roots tunneled deep into distant hollows, becoming new sources of springs.
The continent sloped downward as it spread outward.
And as the saying goes—water flows downhill.
Rivers gathered at the edges of the land, merging into seas.
Meanwhile, above the continent, dark clouds gathered. Thunder cracked and lightning danced.
A drizzle became a torrential downpour.
When the storm passed and the sun—condensed from Origin Force—shone once more, its brilliance lit the world.
The barren land, once devoid of life, began to breathe again.
Flowers, grass, and trees pushed through the soil.
Their colors began to paint the canvas of this newborn world.
Everything unfolded in an orderly rhythm.
The transformation of the Mirage Realm lasted a full three hours.
During that time, Arthur split his attention—he briefly went to find Akashiya Moka, told her he was busy with a great project, promised her a surprise later, and invited her to stay over.
Moka happily agreed, returning home only to gather some clothes.
Arthur gave her one of the house's keys.
Yotsuya Miko already had one as well.
Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.
High above the Mirage Realm, ten thousand meters in the air—
"Phew, finally done."
Arthur slowly opened his eyes, letting out a long exhale.
He raised his right hand and casually wiped away nonexistent sweat from his brow.
Looking down at the transformed land below, a pleased smile tugged at his lips. Satisfaction filled him.
He had sculpted twelve distinct climate zones, modeled after Earth's:
Tropical rainforest, tropical savanna, tropical monsoon, tropical desert;
Temperate monsoon, temperate continental, temperate maritime;
Polar tundra, polar ice cap;
And plateau highlands and mountain climates—twelve in total.
Thus, this continent—comparable in size to Earth's landmass—now contained a vast array of environmental regions.
But all this required energy to sustain.
For the Mirage Realm was only a subspace.
Without infinite energy, maintaining such natural cycles would be utterly impossible.
Unless it could draw power directly from the void itself.
If that day came, the Mirage Realm would no longer be mere subspace—it would become a true world, capable of sustaining its own cycles and evolving life.
After completing the remodeling, Arthur carefully gauged the energy consumption.
To maintain the current natural cycles, he needed to output one-twentieth of his total Origin Force per second.
For example, if his current limit was one million points, then fifty thousand points per second were consumed just to keep the Mirage Realm functioning.
Without infinite energy, he could only last about twenty seconds at that output. That was how immense the cost was.
He had also tried creating animals, but nearly all attempts failed.
Because the Mirage Realm wasn't a true world, its foundational laws were incomplete.
Even creating plants was already pushing the limit.
For animals, only tiny ones like mosquitoes and flies could manifest. Anything larger was impossible.
So Arthur simply gave up.
This much was already good enough.
If he really wanted richer ecosystems, he could import animals from Earth later.
That was something for the future.
With a thought, he opened the Gate of Mist.
Returning to his bedroom, he was surprised not to see Moka.
Sensing carefully, he realized she was in the bathroom.
So he opened his Compendium of All Things.
Name: Arthur
Rank: A+ (Nation-Bane)
Abilities: Supreme Authority, Third Magic, Invisibility, Freezing Domain, Sky Magic, Mirage Realm
Items: Divine Armored Dragon · Bahamut, A Knight Does Not Die Empty-Handed
…
"Quite a few new abilities now."
Looking at the updated data, Arthur nodded in satisfaction, then closed the compendium.
Just then, his eyes shifted to the doorway.
Moka emerged, wrapped in a bathrobe.
Her long hair hung loose, still damp, clinging to her shoulders.
Her exposed skin was white as snow, faintly luminous.
Delicate fragrance drifted into the air.
"Arthur, you're back!"
Her eyes lit up, a bright smile blossoming on her face, gaze as soft as water.
"Mm."
Arthur nodded with a smile.
Then he said, "The big project's done. Come on, Moka—I'll show you my private domain."
"Really? Okay!"
Moka's face lit up with curiosity and anticipation.
Arthur snapped his fingers—pa!—and the Gate of Mist appeared beside them.
"Let's go."
He stepped in first.
Moka studied the gate for a moment, then followed without hesitation.
The scenery shifted in an instant.
The murmur of flowing water filled the air.
A small river, its bed strewn with smooth pebbles, rippled under sunlight, sending dazzling waves of light across its surface.
Beneath their feet lay grass two centimeters tall.
In the distance, mountains soared skyward, wreathed in mist. Along the riverbanks, Yoshino cherry trees and willows stood rooted.
Unlike the cherry blossoms outside—whose season was nearly over—here, they were in full bloom.
A breeze drifted through.
Petals fell like gentle snow, settling on the grass or drifting into the stream.
The sun poured down warm golden light.
The day was clear, the air crisp and fresh.
"Wow!!!"
Moka's lips parted in wonder, her eyes sparkling as she looked around.
She was truly astonished, even a little awestruck by the beauty.
Turning to Arthur, her gaze was full of curiosity.
"What is this place?"
Arthur's lips curled. "It's my independent subspace."
"I call it the Mirage Realm—like in 'mirage city.'"
"Its size is about the same as Earth's land area, roughly equivalent to four times the surface of the moon combined."
And that was only its current state.
The Mirage Realm would grow larger as his strength advanced.
Though there was a limit, based on its feedback, Arthur estimated its maximum could reach a hundred times Earth's surface area.
"That's incredible!!!"
Moka gasped again, astonished that Arthur actually possessed such a vast subspace.
And more than that—
It was beautiful.
It felt like stepping into a real world.
…
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