I Can Assimilate Everything-Chapter 647: Know Your Place I
The entrance to the Palace loomed before them like the maw of some ancient beast that had learned to digest Civilizations rather than flesh.
THE Resplendent Paradox led the procession forward with dignity that refused to bend despite the weight pressing against her contradictory form. Behind her, hundreds of THE entities followed in varying states of composure, their varied Civilizations radiating authority that seemed pitiful compared to what awaited within.
They stepped through gates that radiated concentrated Chaos, the threshold marking transition from freedom to something far more oppressive.
The grand hall stretched before them with dimensions that defied conventional architecture. The ceiling rose so high that it disappeared into darkness that seemed alive with watching eyes. The walls were lined with obsidian pillars that pulsed with authority heavy enough to make Surface Depth entities struggle simply to perceive them.
But the floor was the true cruelty.
A crystallized obsidian river of power flowed beneath their feet, solidified Chaos that had been shaped into surface designed not for walking but for subjugation. The moment THE Surface Depth entities stepped upon it, their legs buckled beneath them with force that could not be resisted.
THE Corpse Hierophant fell to his knees with impact that cracked the crystallized surface beneath him. His empty eye sockets blazed with humiliation as his recovered Depth meant nothing against this deliberate degradation!
THE Slumbering Genesis crashed down beside him, his massive draconic elephantine form reduced to crawling as the floor demanded obeisance that his pride screamed against giving.
One by one, every Surface Depth entity was forced to their knees. They had to move forward on those knees, crawling across the crystallized river like supplicants approaching a throne they had no right to even observe.
THE Intermediate Depth entities fared only marginally better. They could stand, but barely. Each step required effort that made their faces contort with strain, progress measured in inches rather than strides as the floor pressed upward against their authority with weight that sought to bring them down alongside their lesser peers.
Around the hall, floating on obsidian lotuses that hovered above the degrading floor, Fundamental Depth entities and Absolute Depth entities watched the procession with expressions ranging from amusement to boredom to mild interest.
Thirty-six Absolutes.
Eighty-one Fundamental Depths.
All of them adorned in obsidian garments and broken chains, all of them radiating authority that made the combined weight of every THE entity from their Observable Existence seem insignificant.
And at the forefront of the hall, dominating everything with presence that transcended physical size despite his thousands of miles of form, sat the Master upon his massive throne.
The Oldest Sovereign of Binding Flames looked upon THE Resplendent Paradox and all the others with smile that held calm satisfaction. His burning eyes swept across the crawling Surface Depth entities and the struggling Intermediate Depth entities calmly.
He turned to his forces with expression of mild curiosity.
"This should not be all of them, correct? Such a measly amount of entities at THE Civilizational Scale is laughable."
His words carried across the hall with weight that made several Surface Depth entities collapse entirely!
From among the Absolutes floating on obsidian lotuses, THE Unyielding Tempest responded with voice that held deference beneath her authority.
"No, Master. There should be others. Our scouts reported additional signatures that have not yet presented themselves."
The Oldest Sovereign’s burning gaze narrowed slightly.
"Then where..."
As soon as these words began to form, from the entrance of the hall, two figures appeared.
Achilles and Rose floated in with postures that held neither submission nor aggression, simply presence that refused to apologize for its existence.
They felt the pressure pulling them toward the crystallized obsidian floor the moment they crossed the threshold. The force was undeniable, authority designed to bring all who entered to their knees regardless of their Depth or Civilization.
Both of them planted their feet firmly against the pull.
Neither of them was forced to kneel!
Their existences resisted the degradation with weight. Achilles’s Inner Dominion anchored him against the pressure, the territories within him providing stability that exceeded what his Intermediate Depth should permit.
Rose’s Claim to Chaos resonated with the crystallized floor in ways that made its authority uncertain whether to press down or welcome.
They stood while others crawled!
They walked while others struggled!
Oh!
The Oldest Sovereign of Binding Flames looked at them with smile that widened into something approaching genuine interest.
"Did you two think you were better than all others?"
His voice crashed against them with weight that made their transformed bodies tremble, but still they did not fall.
"They came here quickly, answering the summons with appropriate haste. But you come last, as if you are something special? As if your time is more valuable than mine?"
BOOM!
The word landed with physical force that cracked the crystallized floor around Achilles and Rose, pressure intensifying to levels that would have collapsed Intermediate Depth entities instantly.
They remained standing!
And the Oldest Sovereign’s smile shifted into something that held appreciation.
"Interesting."
Achilles looked up at this entity ahead calmly as he had thought a great deal about how to navigate this situation. He had considered countless approaches during their preparations, weighed options that all seemed to lead toward outcomes he could not accept.
But really, there were no right answers.
For the sake of survival though, he replied.
"We were given an hour to come. There are still-"
"It does not matter, you insignificant shit."
BOOM!
An Absolute replied from among those floating on obsidian lotuses, his weight crashing into Achilles with force. His legs bent slightly under the sudden assault, his Inner Dominion straining to maintain the stability that kept him upright.
Rose moved instinctively to help him, her Chaos flaring with protective intent.
But he sent her a mental message through their connection.
No.
He did not wish to give them anything more than they already had. Any sign of weakness, any indication that they needed to support each other against this pressure, would be noted and exploited.
He bore the weight alone, his transformed body trembling but refusing to fall as the Absolute who had spoken on behalf of The Oldest Sovereign continued with smile that held cruel satisfaction.
"These ones here understood the assignment."
The Absolute gestured toward THE Resplendent Paradox and the others who had arrived first, the hundreds of THE entities who now knelt or struggled on the crystallized floor.
"In this Observable Existence, there will be a hierarchy under The Master. At the lowest are the Deplorables, beings so insignificant that their existence barely merits acknowledgment. The level above that are The Grot, those who have demonstrated basic comprehension of their place in the new order."
His burning eyes fixed upon Achilles and Rose with weight that intensified the pressure already pressing against them.
"These ones who came here first now stand above you in hierarchy as The Grot. They arrived with appropriate haste and showed proper deference to the summons they received."
His smile widened into something that held malice alongside authority.
"You two, however, are now the only Deplorables in Existence. The lowest of the low. Beneath even those who crawl on their knees before this throne."
He paused to let the designation settle into their consciousness with weight that felt like chains being clasped around their identities.
"From now on, whenever you pass any Grot, you must give them a nod of respect. Understood?"
...!
The words hung in the air with finality that demanded response!
