Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 3679: Point of No Return VII

He would take it from here.

The version of Bob that shone with an obsidian luster spoke, his voice low and final, as a terrifying level of complexity radiated from his body in waves.

The other Bob, bathed in white light and brilliance, said nothing. His silence felt ancient, as if it carried the weight of millions of years spent drifting through the Nullvein Gravewake Folds and the Wheel of Existence. He simply floated, silent, as the obsidian Bob reached out and grasped the black Absolute Complex True Source of Existence.

With a slow breath, he clutched it tightly. Then, using his left hand- now transformed into a crescent-shaped blade- he cleaved open his own chest in one swift strike.

No blood spilled. There was none left to give.

Bob pushed the black wheel of existence into the gaping wound, inch by agonizing inch, until the entirety of the Dead Absolute Complex True Source of Existence was sealed inside him.

Into his being.

It was a choice with no return.

Even if he found what he was searching for- the one thing whose presence was rumored to be hidden deep in the Wheel of Existence- even if he discovered The Loom, this act made certain he could never reclaim the status of the living.

”I will ensure her weavings remain untouched. I will find THAT at all costs, and I will bring her back from the fate of a Dead Thing. I will see her smile again. No matter what.”

For her.

He would give up everything for her.

Even this- the irreversible union with a Dead Absolute Complex True Source of Existence.

He had passed the threshold.

A point of no return!

There would be no going back.

But this…this was only the beginning.

The obsidian Bob turned to the white Bob, his complexity rising in terrifying bursts of light as he spoke, his voice cold and resolute.

”Rest.”

WAA!

”Youʼve worked hard all these years,” he added, softer now. ”You can rest.”

…!

The expression on the white Bob was heavy, worn. He closed his eyes like a soldier laying down his sword, and in the next breath, his body dissolved into radiant light- disappearing into the obsidian form of the other Bob.

His form now shimmered with layers of radiant waves, and as he exhaled, he turned his gaze toward a far-off direction, speaking aloud-though more to himself than anyone else.

”You shattered my home looking for answers about The Loom—the Pirene of Existence. You know more about it than anyone Iʼve ever encountered. But what would you do… if you knew where its Weavings might be hidden?”

…!

His words carried the weight of choices his other self would have never made.

Because the one he spoke of- that entity- was something else entirely. A being that had laid waste to entire Frequencies with nothing but a thought in his Wheel of Existence.

A creature that, when disappointed by what lay at the core of an Absolute Complex True Source of Existence, had simply devoured its Coressence and shattered it.

What if that being entered the scene?

Another irreversible point.

And—

”STOP!”

A booming roar thundered from a shimmering doorway buried within the Nullvein Gravewake Folds. The Omnifather emerged.

A furious giant.

His multicolored brilliance flared with rage, Harmonized Sourcebound Icon Complexity blazing from his form as he stared down Bob.

”You! Have you been active in the Wheel all these years? What have you done? What have you done?!”

BOOM!

Versality exploded into existence- a brilliance of infinite possibilities and cascading variations.

And still, Bob stared back coldly… and tapped.

A single tap.

As if the very Folds themselves- the paradox, the collapse, the unknown- answered to him.

A wave of terrifying complexity surged forward, wrapping around the Omnifatherʼs radiant power.

In a blink…

Possibilities vanished.

Variations shattered.

The weavings of the Nullvein Gravewake Folds crushed the Omnifatherʼs might, until all that remained was a glimmering Crystallized True Source.

The obsidian Bob raised his hand, drew the crystal in- and swallowed it.

…!

Then, his gaze turned to the shattered, mirror-like doorway that led into the Infinite Ravines of the Wheel of Existence- a place where the Weavings of Noah Osmont lingered.

He spoke coldly, his words laced with timeworn gravity.

”Existence is but a stage. All the living and the dead are merely players. Each has their entrance, and each- an exit. Each has a role before they fade. Itʼs not a matter of if. Only when.”

Heavy. Ancient.

His form flickered, and then he vanished, a streak of light swallowed by the immeasurable depth of the Nullvein Gravewake Folds.

He had just decimated a True Source that had reached the height of Harmonized Sourcebound Icon Complexity.

Even if it was merely half- a body conjured through the hands of the Omnifather- it had still fallen.

The reasons were layered.

Partly because of the terrifying transformation Bob had undergone.

Partly… because the Folds themselves favored the Dead.

In this realm of collapse and paradox, the weavings of Dead Things surged with twice, even thrice the power compared to the living.

So yes- extinguishing a True Source happened in an instant.

And moments after the Omnifather fell…

WAP!

A new burst of multicolored brilliance lit the air.

A weakened, worn visage of the Omnifather emerged, trembling.

He had less than a tenth of his original complexity and purity. Still, he lived.

He inhaled ragged breaths, his body trembling from deathʼs touch, and stared at the shattered entrance of his Domus.

Without a word, he flew back into it.

”…”

Silence reigned.

Only the eerie howls of complexity echoed across the region of the Nullvein Gravewake Folds.

Until…

BZZT.

From the darkness, an illusory nine-pointed star bloomed.

And a man stepped forth.

His face was peaceful- but troubled.

He had waited here, guided by the whisper of his own Weavings, believing he would find peace.

Instead, he had witnessed a force he could not comprehend.

He had watched a being he could not see through… walk away after speaking utterly ominous words!