Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 3646  Existence V

The coldness in the region of the Prime Frequency of the Abyss was bone-chilling.

In the Spiral Dissonant Lexicon- a massive, stair-like structure extending across this Frequency, the visage of Bob stared calmly at the True Severed Origin Osmontian as he laid out his leverage.

He held multiple Nodes of Existence, each with the power to make or break Frequencies themselves.

Countless lives and weavings of existence resided in each, and he wielded several of these Frequencies as leverage!

And even with all that, he had still sent others to capture Noahʼs people- just for a little more leverage. Just to be as prepared as he could be as he was this close to finding a way into a True Frequency of Existence. Though unsuccessful in getting more leverage, it revealed his obsession with control in the current moment.

He sighed.

”Friend, Iʼve made some mistakes in my past- many of them, in fact. Iʼm paying for them even now. I know the dead and the living donʼt mix. I made the mistake of connecting a dead Wheel of Existence to one that was alive, and I have been paying for that mistake ever since. All those lives.” He paused, then offered a rueful chuckle. ”What do you humans say? Everybody makes mistakes? And those who learn from them, those who try their best not to repeat them…those are the ones who are truly human.”

You humans.

Noah absorbed the words coldly. He remembered the musings of the Alchemist Ashmole who once looked him in the eye and said he wasnʼt human at all.

With his weavings of the True Source of Existence, he knew well where he stood as he didnʼt reply to this.

He didnʼt want a psychological sparring match with the entity before him. So he simply responded, cold and sharp.

”This is a fascinating monologue youʼve got going. Any chance youʼre nearing the end?”

…!

His gaze didnʼt shift. His body was cloaked in a stellar obsidian luster brimming with power and threatening to overflow.

It was the allure of a terrifying True Source of Existence, and it was only getting started! Even Bob seemed to regard it with a glimmer of caution as he gave it a few looks.

Behind Bob, dreadful black-and-white wheels manifested silently as he looked back at Noah and spoke softly.

”Youʼre angry.”

…!

Angry?

He was angry?

Noah shook his head.

”No. Iʼm not angry. Iʼm pissed.”

HUUM!

Around him, the illusory echoes of alternate versions conjured forth, flickers of possibility…stilled.

As if, through sheer will, Noah had frozen even the shifting threads of potential and possibilities spawned by the Prime Frequency of the Abyss.

Bobʼs expression turned grimmer. He raised his tentacled hands and revealed dazzling Nodes of Existence shimmering between them.

”I really donʼt want it to come to this. When two unstoppable forces meet, they often choose to clash. But there are other routes. There is dialogue one could have. There is a level of understanding to be given to both sides.” His voice softened as he uttered lastly. ”I thought, at least, that you would understand.”

…!

”Your Wheel of Existence will remain untouched. I just need to see what it is- to confirm something. If it truly leads to what Innervates all Wheels. I just need to find the missing piece. If I do, I can revive a dead Wheel. My actions and every single thing that I am doing right now…they could save countless lives across two whole Wheels of Existence.”

He continued, eyes earnest.

”This isnʼt some grand, evil plan. Iʼm saving lives. Iʼm rewriting terrible mistakes, ensuring they never repeat. Why stand in the way of that? Why not simply consider that my path might actually be possible? We could enter a True Frequency of the Wheel together. There, everything would be made clear.”

…!

Bobʼs words were terrifying in their simplicity. He spoke to Noah about imagining a different outcome.

”It could all be so simple,” he added, as he plucked a Node from the cluster and held it delicately between two tentacles.

”In every Wheel of Existence, there are always one or more entities that rise above the rest. In your Wheel, thereʼs you and a few others. Anomalies. In mine, there was only me.”

He leaned in slightly.

”My complexity is unlike any anomaly youʼve met. Behind me are two Dead Absolute Complex True Sources. I bear them. They draw from me, and I draw from them- even in death.”

Then his voice dropped low.

”But more than that, you remember, donʼt you? I have my own Source.”

WAA!

”Khaos. I never lied about that, friend. Iʼve been slowly regaining clarity on it. So while you may have attained a True Source in the midst of this chaos somehow, I hold the equivalent of three.”

His voice now held weight, grief, and pride mixed alongside everything else!

”We could fight. But even on my worst day, I doubt Iʼd lose to you. And if we do fight? The death toll will be obscene. It will make me infinitely sadder. But I can bear the burden of death. I donʼt think you can.”

As he spoke, he raised the Node of a normal Frequency like a man drawing a final line in the sand.

His eyes held no cruelty, no triumph.

Only sincerity.

As he looked at Noah, he waited for the choice.

The decision.

As always, it came down to a choice.

And in that moment, the visage of the True Severed Origin Osmontian looked toward Bob with chilling apathy.

A response. A verdict!

”The dead and the living do not mix.”

No matter how sweet the words Bob used.

No matter how twisted his logic.

No matter how simple he made it all sound.

”If we just do this,” or ”Let me into the true frequency and Iʼll find the answer”…

None of it mattered.

The core truth remained unchanged.

The dead and the living do not mix.

The moment these words were spoken, Bob sighed and closed his eyes...

And crushed the Node of Existence in his hands!