Chapter 4616: Choices II

THE Fisherman’s eyes flashed with alarm as he immediately began to-

|Come on now, don’t do any of that.|

Before Ains could even fully perceive what was happening, faster than even Plank Speed, dozens of silent Logos flashed into existence throughout the surrounding area.

The light of at least nine distinct Genesis Principles erupted simultaneously.

This entire region turned eerily quiet, reality itself seeming to hold its breath.

The urgent warning information that THE Fisherman was desperately trying to send to alert Ul’moreth did not even leave his existence before it was completely stopped and contained.

His eyes filled with genuine trepidation as he looked over at this being who had appeared from nowhere.

The mysterious entity seemed deceptively simple by all visual accounts.

A humanoid figure adorned in flowing robes that were perfectly split between absolute black and pure white, the division so precise it seemed to cut through the concept of color itself.

His eyes crackled with vibrant purple light that seemed to contain compressed infinity within each pupil.

His bearing felt unfathomably grand despite his relaxed posture, as if the weight of countless eons and infinite possibilities rested comfortably on his shoulders.

His eyes alone, as they gazed at everything around them with detached curiosity, held a natural superiority that would cause even weak THE entities to falter and question their own worth.

When facing such an entity, THE Fisherman felt like...a child! As if he would be powerless regardless!

Ains stared at this being as the first words that left his mouth carried desperate need for identification.

|Which one of them are you? THE Creature? THE Primordial Chaos? THE Primordial Paradox? THE Secretive Eon? THE Tongue Whisper? THE—|

The entity laughed with genuine amusement, waving one hand dismissively.

|Relax with all those grandiose names and titles. Me, THE Creature? That brutish fucker who solves everything through raw consumption and violence? Haha, no, no. Nothing like that monstrous approach at all.|

He smiled in a manner that seemed friendly on the surface but carried unfathomable depths beneath.

|You can refer to me as THE Arbitrium. What I am is someone who seeks to learn absolutely everything about Existence and all its infinite permutations. I am also a devoted student of choices and the consequences they create. I love choices more than anything else.|

His purple eyes gleamed with building intensity.

|I consider flashy battles to be quite boring and ultimately a waste of potential. Watching the process of a choice being made, especially profoundly difficult ones where every option carries terrible cost, entertains me far more than any combat ever could. So for you, right now, there is a choice to be made.|

HUUM!

As THE Arbitrium said such words, he smiled in an overtly friendly manner and came to sit casually beside Ains as if they were old companions sharing a peaceful moment.

His voice carried terrifying weight despite the conversational tone.

|I know that your buddy Ul’moreth passed through here recently with someone unusual. I know they are currently enjoying that delightful festival inside The Primordial Genesis Shore. Which fucking sucks that you can’t even go and participate yourself, right? Stuck out here fishing endlessly while everyone else celebrates. But regardless, I know exactly what’s happening in there.|

He paused to let that sink in before continuing.

|Instead of doing some insane things that would be terribly destructive and wasteful, I want to give you a choice. A fairly simple one, all things considered. I...won’t lift a single finger to harm anyone directly. But if you choose to collapse your own Depth of Absolute Sovereignty voluntarily, if you take it all the way down from THE Fundamental Depth to merely THE Surface Depth through self-imposed destruction, if you make that choice of your own free will right now, I promise you that absolutely no harm will come to Ul’moreth.|

HUUM!

The words hung in the air with ominous finality.

This entity sat beside Ains with complete calm while delivering such a horrifying ultimatum.

Ains became even more somber as the implications crashed through his mind.

His voice emerged carefully controlled.

|What of the one that Ul’moreth traveled with?|

THE Arbitrium’s smile widened as purple light danced in his eyes with building amusement.

|Ah, good question! I appreciate someone who thinks about all the variables before committing. If you go one step further in your sacrifice, if you completely dismantle your entire Civilization rather than merely suppressing your Depth, if you drop yourself down to before you even held any classification at all, down to just Pre-THE existence, then I won’t touch the unusual one that Ul’moreth traveled with either.|

He leaned in slightly as if sharing a secret between friends.

|And this choice I can actually help you execute if you wish to go through with it. I can ensure the process is clean and complete, no lingering fragments or hidden anchors. A true return to lesser existence. So tell me, THE Fisherman...|

His purple eyes locked onto Ains with crushing focus.

|What will it be? What will be the choice you make?|

The mysterious entity remained unfathomably calm after delivering those terrifying words.

As if they were having the most casual conversation imaginable rather than presenting Ains with a choice that would shatter his entire existence.

THE Arbitrium swung his legs with childlike playfulness as he spoke with conversational ease.

|All those years ago, you found those despicable Ginnu Lifeforms who had discovered a loophole in your community’s laws. They knew that if they outright killed any of their own kind, they would be persecuted and punished severely. So they didn’t kill. They simply slowly ate away at the existence of other Ginnu Lifeforms, keeping their victims perpetually on the edge of death and complete collapse while continuing an endless cycle of harvest on their own kind for an untold number of years.|

His purple eyes gleamed with something that might have been admiration.

|They were respected leaders in your community, trusted authorities that everyone looked up to. When you finally discovered what they were doing, you rightly and decisively collapsed every single one of them without hesitation. And in the end, you chose to keep the secret of their horrifying actions so that all Ginnu Lifeforms would not lose their fundamental faith in their leadership structure.|

He nodded with genuine appreciation.

|It was something genuinely valiant to watch unfold. Which makes it such a shame that now you have to make this new choice. Ah, the irony of Existence...|

The words caused Ains to tremble visibly as profound emotion crashed through him.

His voice emerged somber and heavy.

|Who are you really? What entity holds such knowledge of events that were buried and forgotten?|

THE Arbitrium waved one hand dismissively, his smile never faltering.

|My specific identity is not the point here. You are missing the point entirely. The point is your choice and nothing else. So what will it be? You defended your juniors last time when it cost you dearly. Will you defend Ul’moreth and an Anomaly this time?|

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