I Can Assimilate Everything-Chapter 673: Pathways I
Achilles was absorbed in his changing Inner Dominion as his foundation elevated.
Then he suddenly sensed an extremely terrifying aura with his perception as a Primordial Architect.
The aura felt unfathomably far away, somewhere in distant regions of The Existential Lattice he had not yet explored. It was distinct and familiar, authority he recognized from that crystallized hall where he had been forced to kneel and submit his Civilizations.
And yet it was grander now. Beyond anything the current Scale of Existence should be capable of producing!
Beside him, THE Lexicon turned over in the direction he was looking, its leather face settling into serious expression that replaced its usual talkative nature.
Even the fighting mutated creatures ahead of them stopped their battle. THE Abyssal Maw of Infinite Depths and the three Absolutes attacking it all turned toward a certain direction, their conflict forgotten as they perceived something that made their own authority seem insignificant.
"Well, that cannot be good at all."
THE Lexicon's voice emerged ominous and calm.
"Big guy, that should be the aura of something above THE First Scale of Existence. Is that the guy you were talking about who initiated all of this?"
Its ancient eyes narrowed with assessment that held genuine concern.
"He seems to be moving fast if he has grasped THE Second Scale of Existence. You and I and everyone else here may just be screwed. You cannot really fight against something that obscene. Hmm...should we form a suicide pact? Ending ourselves may be proactive..."
...!
The words of THE Lexicon were heavy and calm.
Achilles remained calm as well.
One of the worst possibilities was happening at this moment, even before he got the chance to approach THE Prisoner properly. In his mind, there had been multiple pathways of how things could have played out. Multiple fables he could have been a part of.
One of them was grand and simple. He would face THE Prisoner before Lamashtu attained his old power at THE Second Scale. He would systematically dismantle the invader's forces, consume their Absolutes one by one, and neatly wrap the invasion in a bow. Then he would go back to advancing through existence while spending time with his family.
That would have been nice.
But that was not the pathway playing out right now.
Okay. Things had gotten much harder. But they still were not impossible.
Achilles closed his eyes as his perception shifted.
---
Back in the Sea of Tian.
Rose stood beside a dozen Fundamental Depth Masters, the followers of THE Prisoner who had been tasked with taking the natives of their Observable Existence to spread endless Corrupted Growths across reality.
She and Achilles had been continuing to gain control of these beings, spores of Assimilation spreading through their foundations until their autonomy dissolved and loyalty replaced it. They had begun gathering them in one place.
In the next moment, the figure of Achilles appeared near Rose.
She turned toward him with a smile, her current body taking on the form she always wore when not transformed into her Jötunn lineage. Her fiery green hair cascaded down her back like flames frozen mid-dance. Her radiant flaming green eyes held warmth that she reserved only for him. Her sparkling fair skin glowed with health that belied the Chaos giant lineage flowing through her veins.
One would not know she was the one who had fully Claimed Chaos itself.
He smiled back.
He went to her and took her head into his hands, fingers gentle against her cheeks as he put his forehead against hers. The gesture was familiar, something they had done countless times across their journey together.
She instantly knew something was up.
"What happened?"
Her voice held concern beneath the calm.
"Don't tell me..."
She had an idea of what could have happened.
He gave a light nod.
"THE Prisoner has taken a step forward and likely reclaimed his Second Scale power. It makes things a little bit harder."
He paused.
"But not impossible."
BOOM!
His words were heavy as Rose frowned, her flaming green eyes narrowing with determination rather than despair. She put her hands on him, one palm against his chest and the other cupping his face as she raised his head and looked directly into his purple-gold eyes.
"Are you okay?"
He smiled at her and thought about how amazing of a woman she was. Through everything they had faced, through every adversity that had tried to break them, she always asked about him first!
He nodded.
In the next moment, he took his palm out and held it before her. His skin parted without visible wound, and his blood began to leak out like a river of crimson-gold radiance. The liquid shone with authority that came from foundations now touched by Primordial origins.
"Assimilate it."
She blinked and looked at the blood pooling in his palm. She didn't ask questions. She never needed explanations when he offered her something with that look in his eyes.
The crimson-gold blood flowed toward her, answering her will before she even spoke.
"Assimilate."
The blood disappeared in the next moment.
Her body released a burst of crimson-gold light, authority flooding through her existence with force that made her gasp. Her flaming green eyes opened wide with intoxication, pleasure and power mixing in expressions she couldn't fully control.
|Subject Rose Adrian has Assimilated the blood of a Primordial Architect.|
|Her foundations are integrating Primordial weavings at accelerated rates.|
|Assessment: Once she Assimilates enough Primordial blood, it may be possible to begin the formation of a Heart of a Primordial Architect.|
|Current Progress: 1%|
...!
Achilles saw this as satisfaction settled into his chest. He could share what he had become with her. He could elevate her toward the same transformation he had undergone. Together, they could face whatever Lamashtu had become.
Before he could even say anything else, the figure of Rose looked at him hungrily.
Her flaming green eyes held something beyond simple desire. She looked at him as if he was a delicacy, as if his very existence had become something she needed to consume!
She...jumped him!
They fell toward the golden sea together, her body pressing against his as the waters of Tian closed over them!
