Chapter 309 - 309 Enough
Arthur concentrated his immense power, utilizing Ultear's knowledge of dimensional harmonics and Mystogan's familiarity with Edolas's planar layout.
He didn't use a portal; he used Reality Blending to force a simultaneous dematerialization and rematerialization, aiming directly for the largest interior chamber of the heavily armored mobile sealing unit known as the Dragon's Graveyard.
With a violent, silent snap of dimensional energy, Arthur, Rimuru, Ultear, and Mystogan materialized inside a vast, cylindrical chamber.
The chamber was a makeshift holding facility. Along the curving metallic walls were dozens of circular cells, each containing several of the captured Earthland mages.
The sight was heartbreaking. Makarov looked impossibly small and defeated. Gray and Gajeel sat with a haunted emptiness in their eyes, the total loss of their magic leaving them physically strong but spiritually weak. Mirajane lay unconscious, her body struggling without the constant flow of magic.
In one corner, Wendy Marvell sat with her eyes wide open, no longer crying. The subtle conceptual fortitude Arthur had secretly gifted her was keeping her mind sharp, but her body was frail. She was looking at the new arrivals with a mix of terror and desperate hope.
The only figure standing in defiance was Erza Scarlet. She was positioned near the center of the room, her Heart Kreuz Armor tattered and scarred, a clear sign of her fight with Knightwalker.
Her eyes, though tired, blazed with resolute fury. Her intact magic was an anomaly that baffled the guards but offered no comfort to the magicless captives.
The moment Arthur's team materialized, all movement in the chamber stopped. The captive mages stared in disbelief, and the handful of Edolas Royal Army guards panicked, fumbling with their mechanical Lacrima weapons.
Erza's face, etched with exhaustion, immediately softened into a profound wave of relief and confirmation. She saw Arthur, and she saw her friends. She knew she hadn't been left alone.
"Arthur-san!"
Erza cried out, her voice cracking with emotion, her armor now feeling lighter as her ally's presence reinforced the dimensional bond.
Arthur ignored the chaos, his attention zeroed in on the captured mages. He didn't need to speak; the goal was clear.
"Rimuru, Ultear. Containment field. Now,"
Arthur commanded.
Rimuru instantly extended an invisible, frictionless Conceptual Barrier that encased the entire cylindrical chamber, trapping the handful of Edolas guards and the captured Fairy Tail members inside.
Ultear immediately began scanning the complex mechanisms of the Dragon's Graveyard, using her Arc of Time to analyze the temporal frequency of the sealing unit.
"The core Lacrima seal is active, Arthur-sama,"
Ultear reported grimly.
"They were minutes away from completing the transfer. We need to disable the primary power source and breach the containment units."
Arthur didn't even glance at the terrified Edolas soldiers or the complex machinery. He walked straight up to the bars of the main holding cell, his crimson golden eyes radiating warmth.
"Relax,"
Arthur said softly, addressing the demoralized Makarov.
"You guys are safe now. The rescue team has arrived."
…
Arthur surveyed the chamber. The captive Fairy Tail mages were staring, shocked and broken.
Erza Scarlet stood defiant, but exhausted. Makarov looked utterly defeated. Arthur realized the truth: the hardship they'd faced in the last hour was more than enough.
The trauma of total vulnerability, the sight of their home vanishing, and the existential threat of permanent magic loss—that was the crucible. Forcing them through a lengthy fight against the Edolas regime would be needless torture, not growth.
"Alright, that's enough,"
Arthur stated, his voice calm but imbued with absolute, undeniable authority. The subtle Conceptual Barrier Rimuru had erected vibrated slightly under the force of his will.
He looked at Makarov.
"Master, you and your guild have already faced the absolute worst fear—losing everything. You've gotten the experience. I deem this hardship sufficient for your future growth. We're wrapping this up now."
Just as Arthur finished speaking.
Erza Knightwalker, spear raised and crackling with captured Lacrima power, strode into the room, flanked by two elite Royal Army guards. She had been waiting for the dimensional breach.
"Well, well. The Earthland trash brought the big guns,"
Knightwalker sneered, spotting Arthur.
"It makes no difference. I am Commander of the King's forces. You will all be sealed!"
She pointed her spear at Arthur, preparing to unleash a massive, magic-powered blast.
Arthur didn't move. He didn't raise a hand or even look away from the captive Fairy Tail mages. His power was purely conceptual.
The moment Knightwalker's spear gathered energy, Arthur executed a subtle command using his power. Knightwalker's spear simply stopped working. The magic-powered crystal at its core instantly shattered into inert dust. The spear became a useless stick of metal.
Simultaneously, Arthur extended a ripple of his strength. It was pure, overwhelming physical force applied across the dimensional space. Erza Knightwalker and her two guards were slammed against the ceiling and then instantly rendered unconscious, dropping to the floor in heavy piles of armor. The entire confrontation lasted less than half a second.
Arthur turned his attention to the core Lacrima unit of the Dragon's Graveyard—a complex piece of Edolas technology that was still dangerously active.
"Ultear, step back,"
Arthur commanded.
Arthur placed both hands on the massive, humming cylindrical mechanism. He didn't fight the system; he rewrote its function using his conceptual skills.
Arthur channeled the infinite, pure magic of his Magicules Breeder Reactor into the machine's core, overwhelming its limited Edolas energy source. Simultaneously, he used Reality Bending to change the machine's prime directive from 'Seal Earthland Magic' to 'Reverse Anima Flow to Earthland.'
The machine shrieked, glowing blindingly as the energy of a conceptual being forced it into a new, impossible function.
Mystogan, watching from the side, trembled. He realized that Arthur could effortlessly destroy the entire dimension, but was choosing to fix it instead.
With the sealing unit stabilized and reprogrammed, Arthur turned to the cells. He didn't look for keys or buttons.
"All prisoners are free,"
Arthur commanded conceptually.
The locks on every single cell vaporized instantly. The bars dissolved into harmless motes of light. The captured mages, though still magicless, were free.
Erza Scarlet, though relieved, rushed up to Arthur, her eyes questioning.
"Arthur-san, the King's plan—the Magnolia Lacrima? And the Anima?"
"Relax, Erza. I just turned this sealing machine into a dimensional super-pump,"
Arthur replied casually.
"It's already forcing the remaining Anima and Edolas's stored magic back towards Earthland. The King's plan is irrelevant. This entire dimension will be magicless again, but stable."
Arthur then reached into the primary holding cell, gently taking the hands of Makarov and the emotionally recovering Wendy.
"Rimuru, it's time to go home,"
Arthur declared.
"Bring Natsu and meet us at the Royal Palace. We have one more stop to make."