Chương 206: The Pendragon

"I, won't, abandon, any, family, member." Artorius continued to say slowly word by word with a strong determination.

All the Artoria Species remained silent and not daring to speak, but hearing those declarations from their beloved son made them quite pleased inside.

"You asked me how I made my choice, this is my choice..."

Artorius said firmly without hesitation.

"If any of you still want to fight, you'll have to step over my dead body first."

"..."

"Artorius!"

"Artorius, don't act rashly!"

"Let's talk this out!"

As Artorius spoke with conviction as if he was ready to act, the Artorias around became afraid.

They had crossed space and time to get here for one reason—their beloved son, Artorius. If they pushed him to the brink like this, it would be a disaster.

"Artorius..."

Space Lion King spoke his name with a hint of resignation. Ex widened her eyes in surprise, while Z was left speechless.

Z instinctively wanted to say something, like how Artorius's stance was absurd, or something along those lines.

But that kind of stubbornness was something she could get away with in front of her other child, which was the Mordred Subspecies. Even if she reprimanded and bullied them, all they would do was say 'Stupid father!' and then cry and run away. The next day, it would be as if nothing had happened, and they would still be her good daughter.

But it was different for Artorius.

So, after putting 'himself' on the line, Artorius gained the upper hand in this game, driven by love and determination to protect his family.

However, this didn't mean that every Artorias would simply comply and let it go.

"You've stated your stance and position, Artorius." Ex said calmly after a brief moment of surprise. "But what's the solution then?"

"What's your proposal, Artorius?" Space Lion King inquired.

"What do you want?" Z added.

"If we leave, the next to come after us will be our enemies, the enemies of Artoria Species. They will surely kill Artorius." Ex explained. "So, no matter what, we must protect you."

"You may not understand my intentions now, but you will in the future." Space Lion King added.

By 'in the future', she likely meant the Artorius that got 'fixed' by her and became an obedient child who followed her every command.

"Yes, yes." Z regained her composure. In most cases, parents would pamper their children, but in matters of life and death, only a fool would continue to pamper them.

In other words...

'Everything we're doing is not just for the sub-element to get stronger but also to protect Artorius!'

With that thought, every Artoria Species reached an understanding.

Although they were still afraid of hurting Artorius, that fear was manageable. They were more afraid of someone coming and killing him.

The psychological barrier to fighting him had finally been removed, and they believed there was a way to confront him without causing harm.

Now, it all depended on whether Artorius could come up with a reasonable solution. Otherwise, nothing would change.

"We can sit down and talk this out..."

Artorius spoke with a gentle expression.

"Listen, I love each and every one of you, and I want all of you to stay safe. I'm not planning on going anywhere either; I'll stay in this world. If you want to be with me, we can live together in this world without any need for fighting or struggling. As for my safety, with so many of you together, we don't have to fear any enemies, right?"

As Artorius said that, Gaia desperately sent him a message like 'Don't!' and 'What are you thinking?! Earth can't accommodate so many powerful beings!'

With so many Artoria Species living on Earth, her life would be in a constant state of crisis and anxiety.

Those Artoria Species could quarrel over trivial matters and use their Noble Phantasms like nothing. If they fought too often, the Earth's crust would eventually be shattered.

Of course, Artorius ignored Gaia's plea and continued to look earnestly at every Artorias, waiting for their response.

"Are you suggesting that we 'share'? All of us?" Z frowned.

Sharing Artorius between two people was already too much, let alone so many. They were numbered in the hundreds for fuck's sake!

"Yes..." Artorius nodded.

"Do you want us to coexist peacefully without further conflict?" Ex asked calmly.

"That's right." Artorius nodded again.

"Artorius, your wish is admirable, but isn't it a bit delusional?" Space Lion King said gently. "Also, this world... I'm afraid it can't sustain us for too long."

"Artorius, do you really not want to go to the Sapphire Galaxy with us?" Z asked.

"As I said, I'll stay..." Artorius said calmly. "I've invested a lot in this world. I started from scratch and built an empire here. More importantly, this world has limitless potential."

Listening to him, Gaia was touched and on the verge of tears. Even though he wasn't talking about her at all.

"The Sapphire Galaxy also offers plenty of opportunities." Ex calmly stated.

"Yes." Artorius nodded. "But that world has almost lost its potential for further progress. You know, we can cooperate..."

As the three Artorias hesitated, Artorius continued.

"The technology and energy obtained by the Sapphire Galaxy have limited its further potential. But in my world, there is greater potential, albeit lacking in sufficient technology and energy."

"Our two worlds can complement each other."

"Why must we confine our vision to a single universe?"

"We can control everything."

"We can mutually benefit from each other."

"With the technology and energy from the Sapphire Galaxy, we can develop my world and then reinvest in the Sapphire Galaxy. More importantly, no one else lays claim to this world. This world belongs solely to us, the Pendragon."

"One day, our world will develop to the point of surpassing the Sapphire Galaxy, the Servant Universe—even the entire multiverse, boundless in time and space, will be within our grasp. Isn't this better than engaging in endless fights against countless enemies in the Sapphire Galaxy?"

Akin to comparing the countryside with fields of golden crops and the glimmer of silver with a modern city with empty and no more resources left. Artorius shared everything with his mothers, laying out his plan.

"Starting today, we unite as one. There shall be no Holy Lance Sisterhood, no Order of Avalon, no Dark Rounds, and no Heroines. There shall only be one family, which is us, the Pendragon! Following my path, we shall unite, build, and prosper. From this planet, we launch ourselves into the galaxy! This is my final answer!"

"..."

Surrounding Artorius, various Artorias exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.

His words seemed to make sense, but those Artorias who lacked ambition felt confused and thought something like:

'Aren't we here just to snatch the son? Why has it turned into a conspiracy for the multiverse?'

'I just wanted to be the strongest Saber, living happily every day with Artorius... Why has it become this complicated?'

Of course, since the situation had already developed to this point, it seemed pointless to say anything more.

"And... this way, we can be together forever."

Seeing the perplexed expressions on the faces of every Artorias, Artorius had to clear his throat and add that sentence, making most Artorias who lacked ambition around him smile again.

The situation was adjusted to the 'best' state by Artorius—whoever wanted to wage war, he would fight them, and if he couldn't win, he would kill himself. This made the Artorias hesitant.

Should they all unite into a single group, forming one big family, and collectively work towards developing this planet, using it as a base for further expansion?

Everything seemed too good to be true. It seemed that as long as they followed his path, everyone could find happiness.

"Very impressive, truly impressive, my son." Space Lion King nodded and praised him while smiling gently.

"Yes, indeed."

"Truly, as expected of Artorius."

Ex and Z also praised him at the same time. The latter then snapped her fingers and her little sisters immediately understood her intention, and after a while, Artoria and X were brought out.

Everything seemed to be progressing in a positive direction.

It appeared that being favored by the Artoria Species and showing his own fierceness and strength, Artorius could steer things in the best direction.

If only it were true.

"It looks like we're all accepting your plan, aren't you happy, Artorius?" Z asked, smiling cheerfully.

"Of course, I'm deeply gratified by this."

As everyone seemed to agree, Artorius's tone softened and he began to consider whether he should offer them some 'incentives'.

However...

"Alright, now there's only one question left. When it comes to a family, who should be the family head?" Ex asked in a calm tone.

Artorius remained silent.

"After all, there has to be someone whose word counts. The right leader who spreads the right ideas can achieve the right results." Space Lion King added.

Artorius continued to stay silent.

"Hey, what's going on?" X asked with a lowered voice as she and Artoria approached Mordred, Morgan, and XX.

Both Morgan and XX seemed nervous and didn't respond to them. Only Mordred, who was easier to approach, explained what had just happened simply and short, leaving X and Artoria astonished.

Had Artorius really gone from being an emperor of a small empire on Earth to a multiverse overlord in such a short time? Was this upgrade a bit too fast? It felt like the power dynamics were crumbling.

X and Artoria thought like that speechlessly.

"It's not that simple..."

Morgan interjected. Listening to their discussion, she couldn't help but snort.

"This family thing can probably be built. Using our planet as a base for development likely won't be a problem. But who says the leader has to be Artorius? Look at those three Artorias over there... Why did they change their minds so quickly and support his plan? Isn't it because they saw the benefits in there?"