Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 3654  Adaptation! I

Yrrmoth, the Maw of the Unwritten.

A dead thing wielding the forsaken True Source of Obliviscript—a Source capable of consuming lore itself, erasing the very meaning of oneʼs existence. Against such a force, even a bearer of a True Source could find their essence fading, their reality unthreaded if they lacked the power to resist Obliviscript.

A monstrous entity, skeletal and serpentine, covered in glyphs etched into bone, tore through the pale white halls and corridors of the Pale Verbum Labyrinth. Nearby, Noah, the Great Beyonder, and VeylʼAethra, the Oracle of Collapse who wielded the True Source of Chronotropy, prepared for what approached.

Amidst that preparation, the dark hair of the Great Beyonder shimmered as she turned to Noah and spoke.

”Before that Dead Thing gets here, I want to get a better grasp of your power—and your complexity. I need to understand why the Wheel would do something so drastic, and why now. Tell me, what do you know about the levels of power and complexity among those of us whoʼve obtained a True Source?”

Even as a dead thing barreled toward them, they conversed—because beings of their caliber could hold entire conversations in the space of a single moment, stretching seconds into what felt like days.

Communication flowed like lightning as in mere instants, they could exchange volumes.

The Great Beyonder was doing exactly that, ensuring she understood the power of the being who had entered this domain—one who claimed to possess two True Sources.

Noah gave her a slight nod before replying with ease.

”Why donʼt you enlighten me?”

The complexity of those who had attained a True Source.

The Weaver of Existence was already quantifying such metrics under Noahʼs terms—but there was no harm in incorporating what the current Weavings of Existence defined as complexity.

The Great Beyonderʼs eyes glinted as she looked toward the distant Yrrmoth, who now broke apart the Wild True Source of Verbum while surging toward them like a hurricane of decay.

”When one obtains a True Source, theyʼre considered to have reached a benchmark that few beings among the countless under the Wheels of Existence ever attain. Itʼs a pinnacle of power. It means that someone, within their lifetime, achieved something monumental. And yet, in terms of complexity, someone whoʼs just awakened their Source is known as a Nascent Source-Bearer.”

…!

Nascent Source-Bearer.

The Great Beyonder uttered the term with clarity, gesturing toward Noah as if to confirm that was what he currently was.

VeylʼAethra watched their exchange with a silent smile.

The Great Beyonder continued.

”A Nascent Source-Bearer earns that title based on their Complexity and Purity. These two traits—Complexity and Purity—are fundamental. It doesnʼt matter how powerful someone appears; if they lack in either, theyʼll never truly ascend. If one has great Complexity but low Purity, their power stagnates. At the Nascent Source-Bearer level, you can command your Source to pass through the Infinite Ravines, even survive without the shelter of a Wheel. You can challenge Wild True Sources and clash with other True Source entities of similar standing.”

…!

”To overcome another Nascent Source-Bearer, your own Source must either be of an extraordinarily high tier, possessing elevated Purity and Complexity, or be uniquely compatible. Most Nascent Bearers have average levels in both. So then—how does one grow stronger? How do you refine your Purity and Complexity?”

She asked, her voice threaded with challenge.

Noah remained calm, pointing toward the chaotic Wild True Sources whirling around them.

”A place like the Infinite Ravines helps.”

…!

Yes.

A place like the Infinite Ravines.

The Great Beyonder nodded in agreement.

”Yes. One of the methods for increasing oneʼs Complexity and Purity is something we call... Existential Source Trials.”

A methodology for enhancing oneʼs True Source—Existential Source Trials.

”When your Source is exposed to and withstands other Sources—especially Wild True Sources—over time, it adapts. Itʼs like being struck by hammers of raw existence, over and over again. Each blow tries to break you. Every time you survive, you come out stronger. Thatʼs what an Existential Source Trial is—a relentless battering of your essence until it evolves enough to challenge many others.”

”This is the path most of us walk in the Infinite Ravines. Even I have reforged my Source through it. After fighting Dead Things over and over again, enduring the Wild True Source of Causality across countless millennia... I escaped the bounds of a Nascent Source-Bearer and became…a Harmonized Sourcebound Icon.”

WAA!

The first two stages of True Source Entities were revealed.

Nascent Source-Bearer, and then Harmonized Sourcebound Icon!

Trillions of runes circled the Great Beyonder as she raised her hands, revealing a fraction of the power sheʼd cultivated through the harsh discipline of Purity and Complexity refinement.

”At this stage, oneʼs True Source has matured to the point where it is recognized as having Moderate Purity and Moderate Complexity. We can easily surpass newly awakened Sources with lesser development. A hallmark of a Harmonized Sourcebound Icon is the ability to lay down a Pillar of Concordance—an imprint of oneʼs Source that spreads through external existence. A projection of power, purified and harmonized, that can convert a region across light-years to reflect the law of your own Source.”

”Itʼs as if youʼve built your own Domus—a stable realm, no longer ruled by Wild True Sources, but governed by your own. And when a Dead Thing arrives? It must fight you on your terms. It must contend with your Source. That is how Iʼve survived these countless years inside the Hollow Cascade of Reversed Causality.”

…!

The Great Beyonder had survived for millions of years because she had attained the second distinction among those who obtained their True Source.

She had become a Harmonized Sourcebound Icon, capable of laying down a Pillar of Concordance—a manifestation of the philosophy and purpose behind her True Source—unleashing its Purity and Complexity to turn an entire region into her own Domus- her own source with its unique impositions of existence!

Where every being who dared to breach it had to withstand the very essence her True Source represented.