Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse-Chapter 4973: The Shadow He Cast I
Alexander Asmodeus burned.
His existence burned with fire that exceeded physical flame, with heat that exceeded thermal measurement, with pain that exceeded anything THE Living Law had warned him about when they first began their partnership.
Every aspect of his Civilization was being consumed to fuel elevation that he had never asked for, advancement that he had never sought, power that was being purchased with currency he could not afford.
And yet he could not stop.
The brand of Horus blazed on his forehead with crimson light that commanded obedience beyond resistance. His body sat in meditative position against his will. His Civilization cycled through cultivation patterns that his consciousness had not chosen. His Depth, which had been approaching Fundamental before the eyes opened, now burned at heights that should have been impossible.
He had already become Absolute.
His Enneagram spun uncontrollably on his chest, its nine points blazing with silver light that held gold glimmers from the undifferentiation that Horus’s brand carried.
The construct that THE Living Law had helped him build, that had absorbed the weavings of countless beings across his journey, now operated at levels that made his previous power seem like a child’s toy.
He held tremendous Depth, and he felt tremendous pain as his existence burned in a terrifying way to achieve it.
Around him, the Early Creatures and Living Elementals that had been kneeling in submission now sat in the same meditative positions he occupied. Their forms pulsed with cultivation occurring against their will. Their foreheads bore the same crimson insignia that his did. Their existences burned alongside his own!
Many of them had already attained Fundamental Depth.
Some had reached Intermediate.
None of them were stopping as none of them could stop.
In his mind, in all of their minds, the words of enslavement repeated every few seconds with a voice that pressed against their consciousness like weight that could not be lifted.
"Toil away and elevate yourselves for Horus."
The words arrived with force that made thought difficult.
"Build your civilizations for Horus."
The words arrived with command that made resistance impossible!
"Toil, and Persevere."
The words arrived with finality that made hope seem foolish.
Over and over. Every few fucking seconds. The voice of Horus resounding constantly through their branded existences, reminding them of what they were now, reminding them of who they belonged to, reminding them that their cultivation served purposes that were not their own.
Alex’s mind raced even as his body continued cultivating against his will.
Should he have stayed in THE Infiniverse with Osmont?
The thought emerged with bitterness that exceeded anything he had felt during his journey. He had left THE Infiniverse because he wanted to build his own path. He had departed from Osmont’s shadow because inherently, he himself had his own ego. He believed he could survive without the help of another. He believed his strength and his methodology and his partnership with THE Living Law would be sufficient.
Would he be where he was right now if he had stayed?
"..."
If he had remained under Osmont’s protection, if he had accepted being a follower rather than a leader, if he had swallowed his pride and joined the folds of someone else’s Civilization, he would not be sitting here with Horus’s brand burning on his forehead. He would not be cultivating against his will. He would not be burning his existence to fuel advancement that served an ancient monster rather than his own ambitions.
But he had left.
He had chosen his own path, and now that path had led him here.
Inside his Enneagram, all those he loved were staying within. The beings who had joined him, the followers who had believed in his vision of peace, the companions who had trusted his judgment, his family...all of them resided in that construct. And he could feel the brand of Horus going toward them little by little.
The crimson insignia was spreading! Slowly and Ievitably!
Could he live with himself if they all burned because of his choices?
"..."
As he thought about all of this, as the weight of his decisions pressed against his consciousness, something within him crystallized with defiance that rejected despair.
No.
His choice was his to make. Whether he was right or wrong, he would live with it. Osmont was not there when he went through everything he went through. Osmont was not there during the struggles and the growth and the pain that had shaped who he had become. Why... should he rely on another?
He had made his choice, so he would fucking stand by it!
HUUM!
His Enneagram shone brilliantly at this affirmation, silver light blazing with intensity that exceeded its forced cultivation!
But within that brilliance, THE Living Law’s voice echoed out in his mind.
The voice did not hold its usual confidence. It sounded despondent and it sounded defeated. It sounded like something that had assessed the situation and found no path forward.
"This...Horus being may be grander than even THE Creature and others. This may be it."
...!
THE Living Law had actually given up!
Yet Alex still burned with defiance!
He would not give up. He would not surrender. He would not accept that this was how his story ended, burning his existence to fuel a monster’s purposes while the being who had partnered with him abandoned hope.
At this time, changes began blooming all around!
Weavings of Paradox flashed across this region of THE Wastes with intensity that made Alex’s forced cultivation pause momentarily. The corruption that permeated everything twisted with infinite variations that should not have been possible. The principles of existence itself seemed to stutter and shift. THE First Tongue’s expressions became paradoxical in ways that made pronunciation impossible.
The corrupted proto-matter filled with Infinities seethed as if a new paradox was weaving itself into its very fabric!
And the surroundings began to shine with an obsidian blue-gold brilliance that exceeded anything Alex had witnessed since arriving in THE Wastes!
Alex was astonished at this.
What was happening? What could produce changes of this magnitude? What force existed in THE Wastes that could alter the fundamental weavings of reality itself?
At this time, THE Wastes churned with violence that exceeded the paradoxical changes!
While still being forced to cultivate, while still burning his existence against his will, Alex looked over in a direction that his instincts screamed held danger beyond anything Horus had presented.
He saw...a massive armored entity appearing from THE Wastes.
It carried a hammer.
The entity was colossal beyond mortal scale. Platinum armor covered every inch of its frame with craftsmanship that predated the concept of craftsmanship itself. The armor seemed forged from proto-matter that had been convinced to become metal, each plate holding weight of undifferentiation that had been given form through will alone.
The hammer was massive even compared to the already colossal form that wielded it. Its head was composed of condensed metallic proto-matter that had been compressed until it achieved density beyond normal matter. The hammer’s surface shifted constantly, churning as if eager to be unleashed.
And the gaps between the armor’s plates revealed nothing but darkness.
No body. No being. Just the armor itself, existing as entity rather than equipment.
Alex looked toward this monstrous thing with despair and defiance warring across his features.
He could sense its aura.
And that aura felt eerily similar to the eyes of Horus!
Another...Primordial Architect.
"..."
Another force that exceeded everything Alex had prepared for, everything THE Living Law had imagined, everything he had built across his journey toward peace.
The armored Primordial Architect stood before them with stillness that lasted only a moment. Its visor, revealing nothing of features or thoughts or intentions, turned toward Alex with attention that felt like weight pressing down upon his existence.
It looked him over up and down.
Alex looked up at it defiantly even as his existence continued burning against his will.
Did existence truly wish for him and everything he wanted to collapse?
Was that why one monster after another was appearing?
First Horus. Now this armored entity. What would come next? How many ancient horrors would emerge to crush his ambitions before existence was satisfied with his suffering?
At such a time, the armored entity’s heavy voice boomed out across THE Wastes!
"It is a shame."
The words emerged with authority and immensity that pressed against Alex’s consciousness like mountains settling upon his shoulders.
"Horus has spread his brand so quickly. Just when I found a clue."
The armored Primordial Architect’s visor fixed upon Alex with attention that felt like being examined by something that had witnessed THE First Cause.
"I was chasing the origin of these weavings of Infinity mixed in with proto-matter. The trail was clear. The scent was strong. And then, all of a sudden, these Infinities became truly paradoxical."
The hammer shifted in the entity’s grip.
"I lost my scent. Even though it drew me here. To a little thing like you."
The visor tilted slightly.
"Say, you are connected in some way to the owner of this Infinity? Might you know where I can find them?"
The question hung in the air.
"Could...you reach out to them?"
...!
