Chapter 4953: Truly Live! II

The words pressed against Noah’s shield with a weight that exceeded the crimson light itself. They were a commandment given form, a will made manifest, and authority that predated the existence of resistance!

"Toil away and elevate yourselves for Horus. Build your civilizations for Horus. Toil, and Persevere."

Noah felt the words trying to find purchase within his existence, trying to establish a brand!

His Geodesic Declaration curved to intercept them, his Infinite definition denying the ownership that Horus sought to impose.

He remained unbranded.

His shield held, but he could feel how close it had been.

Then, in an area extremely far away, a brilliant multicolored light of existence flashed with intensity.

Noah recognized it immediately.

THE Creature.

The light reminded him of the Absolute Effigy he had witnessed in Alfheimr, of the multicolored flames that had surrounded that ancient being’s manifestation. But this was more than mere presence. This was assault and challenge. This was one titan announcing itself to another!

An instant later, the terrifying light of undifferentiation that was pressing down all around became tremendously weaker!

The crimson radiance that had been straining Noah’s Geodesic Declaration suddenly lessened in intensity, its attention divided, its authority contested by something that could actually contest it. His shield stopped straining. His Infinite definitions stopped working so hard to maintain themselves.

Something was fighting THE Primordial Architect, Horus!

And across THE Wastes, a word echoed with implications that exceeded its simple syllables.

"Defector."

The word boomed through existence! It was accusation and recognition simultaneously.

Another instant later, all of THE Wastes of THE Fallout vibrated and trembled!

It was as if reality itself was quaking, as if the foundations upon which THE Wastes had been built were shaking from impacts that exceeded what foundations were designed to withstand. The shaking wasn’t localized. It spread across distances that defied measurement, affecting regions that had no connection to each other except through the vastness of THE Wastes itself.

But truly, it was only the impacts of utterly terrifying things going head to head.

When titans fought, the masses could only huddle and hug each other for warmth, hoping that these titans didn’t have their battle cross where they were and decimate everything.

A conflict played out above mortal comprehension, forces that shaped existence itself clashing in ways that existence itself could barely contain!

The crimson eyes that had bloomed seemingly across all of THE Wastes faded moments later.

The crimson light of undifferentiation faded away.

And THE Wastes routinely continued to shake!

Each tremor spoke of blows being exchanged, of authorities being contested, of powers that exceeded Absolute clashing in combat that most beings would never be able to witness or comprehend. The battle had moved elsewhere, but its echoes remained, vibrating through reality like ripples from stones thrown into an infinite pond.

THE Great Usurper looked around with expression that had finally abandoned his pretense of stillness entirely.

"What the hell just happened?"

His voice held genuine uncertainty.

Noah’s reply was calm and somber, his eyes still fixed on a distance where multicolored light continued to clash with something unseen.

"It should be a battle between monsters. A Primordial Architect and..."

He didn’t finish his words.

He remembered feeling the glimpse of THE Creature in THE Wastes. He remembered the multicolored light that had flashed with intensity exceeding everything else. He remembered the word that Horus had spoken with weight of ancient accusation.

Defector.

THE Primordial Architect, Horus, the being that had just tried to exert their terrifying influence across these vast distances, had said that word as if he was referring to THE Creature. Then THE Creature had to have defected from the same weavings as Horus.

Which would theoretically make THE Creature a Primordial Architect.

Or rather, in this case, he was not any longer.

Noah still had his other body before THE Creature in Alfheimr as it seemed their conversation was coming to an end. He could always satisfy his curiosity to ask about this.

If THE Creature had once been a Primordial Architect, if he had defected from that classification to become what he was now, what did that mean for the nature of Primordial Architects themselves? What did that mean for the path that lay ahead?

He had many thoughts swirling in his mind, but he looked out across the expanse of THE Wastes all around him as he affirmed something fundamental.

Terrifying monsters were about to run free all around.

Some of them would be as terrifying as THE Five. Some would likely be even grander. At this moment, he couldn’t rule out something at THE Second Scale of Existence having been released from THE Prima Indifferentia. The corruption had opened doors that had been closed since THE First Cause, had awakened things that had been sleeping since before THE Infinite Unfurling.

"..."

And yet even with such a thought, even knowing all the problems that were echoing out all around, Noah welcomed it.

All of this was Adversity.

And Adversity would only mean that there would be some pain, but the gain from it would be even grander. The weavings of suffering resolved itself through this simple understanding!

Pain existed to produce growth. Struggle existed to produce strength. The monsters that now roamed free were not merely threats. They were opportunities. They were teachers. They were whetstones upon which he would sharpen himself until his edge could cut through anything.

As he thought about this, he turned over to The Fisherman, Ains, and Skoll.

The very good dog looked at him with eyes that held loyalty exceeding mere instinct. His tail wagged with enthusiasm that seemed almost comical given the apocalyptic events that had just occurred. Skoll didn’t understand the implications of what had happened, didn’t comprehend the horror that had just attempted to brand all existence. He only knew that Noah was here, and that was enough.

Noah smiled slightly at this display of pure, uncomplicated devotion.

"Let’s unlock your full potential, shall we? My Infinite Seals have not yet expressed themselves through you as now that they are Countable Infinities..."

He trailed off, considering the implications.

To awaken Skoll, he had infused this very good boy with his 27 Seals. Since then, his Seals had changed tremendously.

Skoll would change as well.

He also looked over to The Fisherman. Ains had witnessed things that most beings would never witness, had survived events that should have ended existences far stronger than his. But his path required more than witnessing. His path required struggle.

He would be sent to THE Yggdrheim.

And THE Great Usurper...

Noah turned to Eckert with eyes that burned with golden Infinity. This being who had grown through stillness, who had progressed through the paradox of non-progression, needed something that his idle path couldn’t provide.

He needed to move, and he needed to act.

He needed to confront rather than avoid.

"And...let’s go ahead and throw you in the folds of Adversity, shall we?"

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