Arthur remained kneeling silently upon the shore, his breathing was uneven as the seven pale soul orbs exited the body and continued hovering just above the chests of their respective bodies. Every passing second increased the invisible force trying to drag them away toward the cycle of reincarnation.
The spiritual pressure acting upon the souls had already become noticeably stronger than before, causing their once stable forms to flicker intermittently like candles struggling against a violent storm. His hands trembled slightly, not because of exhaustion but because of frustration. He had come so close, he had restored their hearts, replenished every drop of blood they had lost, and even succeeded in recalling their souls before they could disappear from this world.
Yet the final step, the one that truly separated life from death remained beyond him. He slowly lowered his head, forcing himself to think rationally instead of allowing panic to take control. Continuing to force Animakinesis would accomplish nothing except risk damaging their souls permanently.
A damaged body could always be repaired. A damaged soul... was an entirely different matter. Arthur understood that better than anyone after everything he had experienced since his transmigration. "Think..." he whispered hoarsely to himself. "There has to be another way." His eyes wandered over the peaceful faces before him before suddenly stopping.
A memory surfaced within his mind almost instantly. Source Matter, more specifically... the unique Source Matter he had discovered long ago on the planet he transmigrated to, better known as Element-M. His pupils slowly contracted as another possibility emerged. It wouldn't resurrect them... but perhaps it could buy him something infinitely more valuable, time.
Without wasting another second, he extended one hand and a fist sized chunk of purple crystalline rock quietly appeared above his palm. Unlike ordinary metals, it possessed no identifiable texture or characteristic. It neither reflected sunlight nor absorbed it. It simply existed, as though refusing to obey the conventional laws governing matter. Looking at the seemingly ordinary piece of metal, Arthur couldn't help recalling the information his System had once revealed after he asked about it.
[Source Matter: A matter that was formed during the birth of a universe. This matter existed before any defined elements were set in stone, lacking an identity of its own. It became an open cosmic canvas, absorbing the fundamental concept of "The Conductor," the bridge through which the energy of creation flowed to shape the rest of the stars. Very few universes give birth to such matter, and even then only in extremely limited quantities and each one of them is unique on their own. This particular type of Source Matter possesses the ability to copy the characteristics of other matter. As "The Conductor," all Source Matter occupies the highest position within the hierarchy of energy conductivity in any Universe.]
Arthur quietly stared at the information replaying inside his memory. Even now, after all this time, he still didn't fully comprehend just how extraordinary the treasure resting in his hand truly was. It wasn't merely a rare material, it was something born before the fundamental laws governing an entire universe had even taken shape.
A blank page upon which reality itself could write. The cache of Source Matter he had with him had already copied the characteristics of numerous precious materials over the years, eventually becoming the foundation of the Godbuster Armor.
Yet he remained convinced he had barely scratched the surface of its true potential. If he could someday discover other kinds of Source Matter born from different universes... then allowing the Source Matter he had with him to copy their unique characteristics might create something whose capabilities even his System couldn't currently predict.
That thought flashed through his mind only briefly before he forcibly suppressed it. There would be time to explore those mysteries later. Right now... seven lives depended upon what he intended to do next.
He slowly closed his fingers around the metal before releasing his will. Unlike ordinary materials, Source Matter couldn't be shaped through physical force regardless of how much strength was applied. His Origin Flame failed to melt it and even spatial attacks left it completely unaffected. The only thing capable of altering its form was pure intent.
Under Arthur's concentrated will, the fist sized chunk slowly began flowing like liquid despite never actually becoming liquid. The purple mass quietly divided itself into seven perfectly identical beads, each one no larger than the tip of a thumb. They floated before him in a neat row while faint ripples spread across their otherwise featureless surfaces.
He immediately extended both hands as streams of Aether surrounded every bead simultaneously. His consciousness separated into multiple parallel thought processes, allowing him to engrave intricate runic formations upon all seven beads at once.
Countless microscopic runes gradually appeared across their surfaces. Every line was carved with extraordinary precision, weaving together into one enormous spiritual formation compressed within something no larger than a marble, and these weren't ordinary storage formations.
Over time he had studied countless techniques regarding runes and formations. Although he had never before attempted to preserve a complete soul, he possessed more than enough theoretical knowledge to construct a temporary soul vessel. He had come in contact with these types of runes from the ancient book he got to read in the Vault of Oracle, and he thanked the heavens that he got to acquire these runes, otherwise he would have no way to save his friends.
Even so, his expression remained extremely serious. Souls were not easy to handle, every rune had to harmonize perfectly with spiritual frequencies while simultaneously preventing outside laws from recognizing the existence trapped within.
Failure would mean the souls either escaping... or worse, disintegrating completely. Nearly five long minutes passed before Arthur finally completed the final rune upon the seventh bead. He quietly exhaled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Looking at the completed creations floating before him, he muttered softly, "These should work... at least temporarily." Yet he also understood their limitations. Even these runes weren't truly designed for preserving souls for long and that too in perfect condition, though the energy conductive property of Source Matter dialed up the efficacy of the runes to a tremendous level.
These runes etched on Orichalcum, the most conductive metal in Thyrandel were originally able to anchor a soul for at most a week; now the same runes could at least deceive the natural order for roughly a year before the souls inevitably began deteriorating or being reclaimed by the Cycle of Reincarnation. It wasn't a permanent solution, but right now... borrowed time was exactly what he needed.
The invisible pull dragging upon the seven souls had grown noticeably stronger while Arthur engraved the runes. Several of the soul orbs had already begun drifting upward despite his constant efforts to restrain them through Animakinesis.
He immediately acted, both hands rose before countless violet threads extended outward, gently wrapping around every soul. "Easy..." he whispered almost instinctively, as though comforting frightened children. "Just a little longer."
Slowly, one by one, he guided the seven white soul orbs toward the waiting beads. The process proved far smoother than attempting resurrection. Rather than forcing the souls into bodies unwilling to accept them, he simply allowed them to flow naturally into prepared spiritual vessels.
One by one as the seven souls disappeared inside its bead, the runic formations he had painstakingly engraved activated simultaneously. The countless microscopic runes illuminated one after another before quietly fading from view.
Arthur immediately sensed the difference. The oppressive force trying to pull the souls toward reincarnation weakened dramatically. It didn't disappear completely... but it became so faint that it was almost negligible. The seven beads quietly floated before him, each containing a tiny white light pulsing gently deep within its core.
He remained motionless for several long moments, carefully examining every fluctuation. No instability appeared, or any signs of rejection emerged. The souls remained perfectly preserved. Only then did the overwhelming tension gripping his heart finally loosen.
He slowly sat back upon the sand before releasing a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "...I made it." The words came out little more than a whisper. They weren't alive... not yet, but neither were they truly gone anymore.
Through Animakinesis he could still clearly sense every familiar soul resting peacefully within. He slowly closed his hand around the seven tiny beads before looking toward the seven restored bodies lying peacefully upon the shore. "I'm sorry..." he said quietly, his voice carrying genuine regret. "I wasn't fast enough."
The confession lingered in the salty sea breeze for several seconds. His eyes slowly lifted toward the distant horizon where the endless ocean met the sky. He carefully stored the seven soul beads inside the safest corner of his Sea of Consciousness before gently placing the seven bodies in stasis inside the SOH.
He slowly stood, the grief that had threatened to consume him gradually crystallizing into something colder... and far more dangerous. He had lost his friends, his master and Lisa but he would not lose Selene too. Today, he hadn't gained seven corpses, he had gained a reason to become powerful enough that even the laws governing life and death would one day be forced to yield before him.
He quickly tracked Selene through the ring he gave her and teleported to her location.
***
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