Arthur's Death
Arthur didn't want his golden pearl energy to be cut off the star map before he reached there. The monsters were coated with a defensive shield of his energy, plus they seemed a bit stronger when they were supported by this energy.
They kept rolling the portal towards the star he selected and the distance just kept getting smaller. He didn't want to lose his most formidable and only ally in this life and death situation.
And thus he waited and ran in such a weird way until he finally was so close to the portal.
However getting closer meant he was also close to that annoying pagoda.
The energy it emitted kept increasing at an alarming rate. At some point he was so close but couldn't make a single step forward without using his sword.
He tried to slash using his real sword but it was futile. The difference in power was simply enormous for the regular sword of his to handle.