I Can Assimilate Everything-Chapter 597: THE! I
The incorporeal domain between spaces continued to buzz with tension as THE entities processed the image of Achilles that THE Corpse Hierophant had displayed before them, each leader of a Collapsed Civilization calculating implications and risks.
THE Sovereign Catalyst was the first to break the heavy silence, his liquid-metal consciousness rippling with barely contained fury that he visibly struggled to reign in. His manifestation here was diminished compared to what he had projected into the Sacred Holy Land of Alchemy, evidence of the damage that losing that projection had inflicted upon his recovering existence.
"What is the plan against an abomination such as this?" His voice emerged like bubbling mercury, hot and fluid and dangerous. "We cannot simply throw ourselves at him and hope for different results than what I experienced. Direct confrontation appears to be exactly what this creature wants."
THE Elemental Monarch’s cycling form flickered through fire and ice as he added his own concern to the discussion. "If this being is weak as of now and has yet to fully build his Depth, can he not be overwhelmed with our Civilizations and Ways if we all stood against him simultaneously? Surely the combined weight of our authorities would crush something that has not yet achieved THE distinction."
Several of the other assembled consciousnesses murmured agreement with this assessment, their pillars pulsing with authority as they considered the possibility of coordinated assault.
THE Corpse Hierophant’s shadowed form remained perfectly still as he listened to these suggestions, and when he spoke his voice held the cold patience of someone explaining obvious truths to beings who should already understand them.
"If you wish to die, be my guest."
The blunt dismissal made several THE entities bristle with offense, but he continued before they could voice objections.
"The likely scenario of direct confrontation would be all of you playing the role of snacks to fatten up that behemoth even more. He consumed my manifestation and THE Sovereign Catalyst’s manifestation not through overwhelming power but through methodology we do not fully understand and apparently cannot defend against." His deathly eyes swept across the assembly.
"Throwing more authority at someone who devours authority is not strategy. It is suicide."
THE Bastion of Light’s radiant form dimmed slightly as he processed this assessment. "Then what do you propose? If we cannot fight and we cannot flee, what options remain?"
THE Corpse Hierophant’s shadowed form shifted.
"The solution is to fully escape the limitations of Collapsed Civilizations entirely. To stop fighting over scraps of power in this stunted Observable Existence and instead claim what should have been ours from the beginning." His voice took on weight that made the incorporeal domain tremble.
"The answer to that is the place where the Keys lead to. Whatever THE Resplendent Paradox found, whatever allowed her to achieve power beyond what any of us could match, the Keys she left behind will show us the path."
He raised his shadowed hands with deliberate gesture.
"I will act first to show how serious I am about this cooperation."
The shadows around his form parted to reveal objects that made every other THE entity in the domain lean forward with shock and desperate hunger.
"These are the Keys I hold. The one I owned originally, and those I stole from some of you during the war that collapsed us all."
Six Keys materialized in the space between all of them, each one radiating authority that resonated with the fundamental structure of Observable Existence itself. They appeared as geometric impossibilities, shapes that shifted between configurations too complex for even THE perception to fully track. Some glowed with colors that didn’t exist in
"I brought them here in hopes we can move quickly." THE Corpse Hierophant’s voice carried urgency that none of them had ever heard from him before. "The rest of you must also bring out your Keys so we can open that gateway before the abomination grows strong enough to threaten even what lies beyond."
BOOM!
The revelation struck the assembled THE entities with force that made the incorporeal domain shake. THE Corpse Hierophant, the being who had waged war against all of them specifically to claim sole possession of these Keys, was voluntarily offering to share them.
He was this serious about the threat Achilles represented!
Oh!
A moment of stunned silence stretched through the domain before THE Slumbering Genesis moved first among those who had been enemies. His massive draconic elephantine consciousness shifted, and verdant light erupted from his presence as two additional Keys materialized beside those THE Corpse Hierophant had displayed.
THE Sovereign Catalyst followed despite the rage still simmering in his liquid-metal form, his own contribution of 2 Keys appearing with copper-green radiance that added to the growing collection.
One by one, the other assembled THE entities began producing their own Keys, each addition making the combined resonance stronger and more coherent. THE Weaver of Fates contributed threads of silver light that wove around the geometric impossibilities. THE Primordial Forge added constructs of living metal that locked into configurations with the others. THE Bastion of Light, despite his earlier hostility, released crystallized illumination that filled gaps in the emerging pattern.
The Keys began orienting toward each other as if recognizing long-separated parts of a greater whole.
18 parts made one whole!
THE Corpse Hierophant observed this unprecedented cooperation with expression that none of his former enemies could read through the shadows shrouding his features.
"This is THE Way." His voice carried conviction that transcended his usual cold pragmatism. "Let us recover what was lost and gain a Depth that will be capable of standing against an abomination with complete confidence. Let us claim what THE Resplendent Paradox found and use it to ensure that no threat, regardless of how impossible its capabilities seem, can threaten our Civilizations again."
The assembled Keys continued their slow dance of alignment as THE entities who had spent eons trying to destroy each other finally worked toward shared purpose!
---
Across the Shattered Folds, in the Sacred Holy Land where Eyyanah, Rose, and Achilles remained, the atmosphere held different weight entirely.
Cyna and the Firstborns of the Civilization of Dreams lined up behind their leader in formation that suggested readiness for departure.
The entire place had been thoroughly looted. The foundations of Alchemy that had been built into this Sacred Holy Land across eons of careful cultivation were all swallowed up!
The visage of THE Endless Dream emanated waves of power that made her seem even more solid than she had appeared at the beginning of this operation. The THE Civilizational Authority she had consumed during the raid had strengthened her manifested form considerably, accelerating her recovery.
But her power was actually, shockingly, not the brightest presence here.
In the last hour, she had been forced to watch Achilles become more and more luminous as his Depth grew heavier and heavier with each Principle he consumed. The jagged lines of Existential code that had been flowing into him showed no signs of stopping, and the ethereal glow surrounding his form had intensified to levels that made her manifested eyes ache despite her elevated nature.
And unbelievably, impossibly, he seemed on the very cusp of having an undeniable THE Surface Depth weight pressing against reality around him.
This... was becoming a THE entity so easy? Especially in their stunted Observable Existence where advancement was supposed to be nearly impossible?
She was stunned and didn’t understand how any of this was happening. She had spent eons cultivating her Way of Dreams, had sacrificed and struggled and nearly collapsed multiple times before finally achieving THE distinction through conventional means. And this creature was approaching equivalent weight after consuming Principles for merely an hour?
But in Achilles’s perspective, the prompts cascading through his awareness explained exactly what was occurring with clarity that left no room for confusion. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
|The Grand Principle of Stability has been Assimilated completely into your existence.|
|The Phoneme of Earth has now been understood in its entirety.|
|You should have the capability to utter and utilize this Phoneme as extension of your will.|
|You begin to embark on the path to become a Speaker of The First Tongue.|
|Current Phoneme Understanding- Earth (Complete), Fire (Partial), Water (Partial), Air (Partial)|
|With the immensity and connection to the makeup of a Grand Principle and what it truly means to be 100% Assimilated with it, your existence has attained enough Depth to exceed your current Level Zero Scale of Existence.|
|You are elevating into The Level One Scale of Existence.|
|Distinction Achieved: THE Surface Depth of Absolute Sovereignty|
|Your Way of Assimilation is now recognized by Observable Existence as legitimate Primordial Civilization.|
...!
BOOM!
Purple gold brilliance erupted from Achilles like an endless pillar that would illuminate everything!
It was the Depth of a true Civilization...amidst many Collapsed Civilizations!
