Chapter 4669: The Shore of THE Creature I
Chapter 4669: The Shore of THE Creature I
When the end of Existence was coming, what should one do?
Many across eons thought about this question endlessly, coming to conclusions that ranged from the profound to the absurd. Some argued that one should spend their final moments in contemplation, making peace with Existence and accepting the inevitable with grace and dignity.
Others suggested hedonism, indulging in every pleasure and desire before the void claimed everything. Still others advocated for connection, spending those precious remaining moments with loved ones and forging bonds that would transcend even annihilation.
There were those who chose denial, convincing themselves that the end was not truly coming and continuing their routines as if nothing had changed. There were those who chose despair, losing all hope and collapsing into nihilistic emptiness before the actual ending arrived.
And there were those who chose to end themselves before the end could claim them, preferring the illusion of control over the reality of helplessness.
All of these were valid responses to the incomprehensible weight of finality.
But Noah seemed to be taking an entirely different route.
He was going out sightseeing.
...!
At this moment, he stood outside The Wandering Territories beyond his Infiniverse as beside him were the figures of THE Living Order, THE First Hunger, and THE Living Origin who could not stop looking at Anaximander with expressions ranging from curiosity to barely concealed shock.
Noah had just brought them out here as they looked at the figure of Anaximander who almost seemed malnourished, his form still recovering from eons of fragmented existence and the strain of being reassembled after so long scattered across Observable Existence.
And yet this maddening entity smiled toward them as he simply said, "Hello! Any friend of Osmont is a friend of mine. I am Anaximander."
...!
He introduced himself casually as if they were meeting at a social gathering rather than on the eve of an apocalypse that would reshape all of Observable Existence.
Sigrid and THE First Hunger had no immediate reaction beyond polite acknowledgment, but the eyes of Origin opened wide as if she had recognized that name and face from somewhere deep in her ancient memories.
She looked toward this being closely, evaluating him up and down as if trying to reconcile what she was seeing with what she remembered eons ago.
THE First Hunger looked at Anaximander with curiosity while asking, "Are you like him?"
Tor asked this question while pointing toward Noah, and Anaximander couldn’t help but laugh at the comparison.
"Haha, no, my friend," he replied with genuine amusement dancing in his brilliant eyes. "Nobody is like this guy. He is something else entirely."
...!
Noah looked at these interactions as he shook his head and said, "Anaximander, these are three THE Surface Depth of Absolute Sovereignty entities who all have some connection to THE Creature. It would not be an issue to bring any of them, would it?"
Anaximander smiled as he considered the question.
"Not at all," he replied. "Although it might need to take a little bit longer because..."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and without any fluctuation of energy or authority, a stick appeared in his grasp.
A stick that caused the faces of THE First Hunger and THE Living Origin to pale as they recognized it right away.
This ancient-looking stick seemed to be made of a common tree, its surface worn smooth by countless hands over countless eons. And yet it emanated an air of terrifying might and majesty that belied its humble appearance.
It was none other than the stick of THE Creature. THE First Lesson. The stick that THE Creature used to discipline Early Creatures back in the Earliest Folds!
Before THE First Hunger and THE Living Origin could even ask where he had gotten the stick, Anaximander continued.
"This is going to open up the gateway that will bypass tedious travels of who knows how much distance," he explained while twirling the legendary stick casually. "And really, it isn’t even a matter of distance as much as... ah, it’s hard to explain. Distance didn’t matter to THE Creature. The main thing is that I have been telling this stick to open up the way to The Early Veiled Shore of THE Creature, but the power that I have recovered so far is only capable of allowing me to open it for you and I. I would have to wait a few more minutes in order to add a few more words to this Guideline to include these three others..."
...!
Anaximander waved the stick around like it was nothing as Noah looked at it with shining eyes filled with curiosity and calculation.
Well, his stick was bigger as far as he could tell.
But this... hearing Anaximander talk about his Way made him curious as his eyes flickered with brilliance. A moment later, his eyes shone blue-gold as the Philology of Undifferentiated Mana bloomed around him in radiant patterns.
He floated closer to Anaximander and proceeded to touch his shoulder while sending out a glorious command internally.
’Utilize Way Manifestation to embody The Way of Anaximander.’
...!
He actually proceeded to claim such a ridiculous thing as in the next moment...
|Warning: The target of the Way you have chosen to copy is an extremely complex one.|
|Analysis: The Way of Anaximander operates on principles that defy conventional replication.|
|Due to missing the anomalous factor unique to the user, The Undefined Way of Anaximander can be utilized in a limited fashion.|
|Duration: 10 seconds.|
|Capability: You have free reign to define Existence as you wish.|
|Cost: Your immensity will pay the price for each declaration.|
...!
BOOM!
In the next moment, Noah’s eyes opened fully as he embodied The Way of Anaximander for the first time.
The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. There was a sense of freedom with it, a feeling that the rules of Existence were merely suggestions rather than laws. But it was also slightly unique and different from his own Way because where his Way worked with Mana and The First Tongue to shape reality, this Way simply... declared.
Around his body, the words of the terrifying Philology of Undifferentiated Mana buzzed with potent energy. Their presence caused THE First Hunger and THE Living Origin to look over once more, their eyes gradually opening as they began to recognize this Philology to be the one that Ul’Moreth had held in Ginnungagap all those eons ago!