Chapter 4290: War! IV
Chapter 4290: War! IV
But as the Existential Trembling unfolded...
HUUM!
A golden light erupted from the heart of Aethelgard!
It was not a blinding flash, but a soft, warm, and utterly absolute glow that washed over everything.
And in that instant, the trembling stopped.
...!
The very air, which had been a screaming chorus of impending doom, became still, reinforced, and utterly, profoundly, calm.
|[A grand Principle has been exerted.]|
|Analysis: I have barely managed to decipher a sliver of its nature, Master. It appears to be [The Principle of the Sovereign’s Domain].|
|Effect: Within a defined territory, the will of the Sovereign is absolute. The very laws of existence can be rewritten. In this case, the law ’Existence shall tremble before overwhelming power’ has been temporarily amended to ’Existence shall not tremble, for the Sovereign finds it distracting.’|
WAA!𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Noah listened to RUIN/EDEN’s words, his eyes shining with a sharp, analytical light.
Who? Who had unleashed such a terrifying power, a Principle that could impose its will on Existence itself with such casual, absolute authority?
He looked around, but no one had moved.
Vulcan and the others simply smiled, their confidence now seeming less like faith and more like... knowledge.
At that moment, from the ranks of the approaching enemy, a new figure floated forward.
She was an Early Creature of terrifying power, her form clad in a fiery red chiton that did little to hide her magnificent, curvaceous figure.
And she was curveceous!
Her eyes shone with a brilliant, almost manic, light as she smiled and breathed in the surrounding air. Her voice boomed out, a glorious, theatrical declaration.
"Was that the light of The First Leader?! Sir, I am your biggest fan! Why don’t you come out so we can gaze upon you?!"
...!
|[Valkyrie Anastasia]|
|Classification: Elder Early Creature|
|Complexity: 3,800 Quadrillion|
|Purity: 3,900 Quadrillion|
The First Leader. Gilgamesh. The golden light that had just stilled a Fold-wide tremor... it was his?
Noah’s eyes flashed sharply as he looked around, but nothing and nobody rose to answer the Valkyrie’s call. She pouted, a gesture that was both childlike and utterly terrifying.
"It seems like you won’t come out just yet... okay! I know those like you have to make a grand entrance. I shall do the honors. Ahem!"
She waved her hand, and an illusory scroll of pure, informational light materialized before her.
She began to speak, her voice now a formal, ringing proclamation. "I, Valkyrie Anastasia, Blade of the Rising Sun, stand before everyone today to announce the intent of war between The Early Laboratories and Aethelgard! This is due to the repeated and egregious invasions from Aethelgard to steal our weavings of existence, the unprovoked deaths of our esteemed researchers, and a fundamental violation of the sovereignty of the sacred Laboratories of THE Living Concept! This simply cannot be allowed to go on unchecked! That is why we stand here today. To defend... our Way of Existence that has been threatened by Aethelgard!"
HUUM!
...!
Her voice was grand and piercing as it spread all around.
The moment it did so, Noah’s own existence buzzed, a violent, protesting vibration!
The Principles within him, Cheating Architect and Perpetual Harvest, rumbled with a sudden, urgent warning.
|[CRITICAL ALERT: EXISTENTIAL THREAT DETECTED.]|
|[The Principle of the Cheating Architect] has detected the opening and collapse of countless possibilities. This conflict is a nexus event, a focal point in the weavings of existence. The level of observation on this battlefield is... absolute.|
|Analysis: There is a 90% certainty that this war is being directly observed by both [THE Living Concept] and [THE Living Spirit], and potentially multiple other Level One Scale existences.|
|Conclusion: If you, Master, an anomaly from a future epoch, are observed by any of these beings enough to garner their attention, there is a 99% certainty that your intrusion in the Earliest Folds will be discovered as they will know you do not belong. The consequences would be... catastrophic.|
...!
Noah read the information as his existence buzzed...but he felt no Doubt!
He felt no Fear!
He had none of it to give.
But...
To be seen, to be known by a being of that scale... it was not a risk he could afford to take.
|[Strategic Re-evaluation Initiated.]|
|Primary Directive: Self-Preservation. You cannot be an active participant in this conflict. Even the acquisition of potential loot must be handled with extreme care. The risk of detection is too high.|
|Action: [The Principle of the Cheating Architect] is invoking a new protocol. Your authority as a [Protagonist] is being temporarily sealed to ensure you do not inadvertently draw the narrative focus of this event. Furthermore, Cheating Architect has activated the authority of your [Plot Tower of Osmont] to rewrite your existential signature.|
|Your new role: Background Character. A nameless, faceless extra. You will blend into the background, your presence a mere whisper in the storm.|
WAA!
He felt it. A profound, almost painful, shift in his very being.
The vibrant, tyrannical light that had always surrounded him dimmed, faded, and was replaced by a quiet, unassuming grayness.
The Glyphs on his body became invisible, their power contained. The Aegis, his glorious armor, remained a simple, unadorned necklace that radiated no authority at all.
He moved backwards, to the periphery of the Rampart, a slow, shuffling movement that was utterly unlike his usual, confident stride.
The Early Creatures around him, who had been a silent, supportive presence, did not even spare him a glance. He was no longer one of them. He was... nothing.
|[The Principle of Perpetual Harvest] has recognized the immense effort required to be a nobody. This act of self-suppression is a profound one.|
|Your ability to blend into the background is being amplified. Your presence is now conceptually... irrelevant.|
He floated in an unseen corner of the Rampart, a single, insignificant figure in a sea of titans!
He had his power, yes. He had his plans. But for now, he had to be a ghost.
He had to watch, to learn, and to survive. For the greatest battles are not always won by the strongest, but by the one who is still standing when the dust settles.
And to do that, sometimes, one must first learn the art of not being seen at all!
To be a speck of dust!
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust!