Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 4398: The Doctrines of Hunger V

The Early Infinity Dominion Realm.

Noah smiled internally as he thought of this self-proclaimed classification...even when he’d declared it what seemed like forever ago when it had only been days in objective time, he’d wondered if he would actually reach its gates.

And here I stand at its threshold. At the end of this self-proclaimed Realm... could be THE. Could be. Maybe.

Or I could be wrong, and THE distinction exists so far beyond this that my estimations were laughably inadequate...

There were countless possibilities!

His existence continued feeling waves of exuberance washing through every particle of his being...as if he was being baptized by currents of impossible coolness that brought unfathomable clarity.

Unfathomable clearness, as if fog he hadn’t realized existed was being systematically burned away.

|You can now enact the weavings of both THE CIVILIZATION OF HUNGER and THE CIVILIZATION OF MANA|

|Your unique nature allows personal harmonization but cannot be transferred. Those within your respective Civilizations cannot be like you.|

|Due to emergence of your Two Ways of Existence and entry into The Early Infinity Dominion Realm:|

|The Lens of Civilization has bloomed within your existence. A unique viewpoint. A unique perspective.|

|—Perceive truths of Ways of Existence and Civilizations with enhanced clarity|

|—See through surface appearances to understand fundamental frameworks|

|—Read truths and inner thoughts of Hearts belonging to Moderately Complex and Minor Complex Existences|

|—Potential to see truth about yourself if proficiency develops sufficiently|

|—Enhanced analysis of enemy Civilizations.|

...!

A terrifying capability bloomed within Noah’s consciousness.

The Lens of Civilization.

An entry gift of the founding of Two Ways of Existence and entry into The Early Infinity Dominion Realm!

He sensed his existence brighten even more, as if he’d been gazing at everything through murky glass before and someone had suddenly cleaned it to crystal clarity.

His Complexity and Purity...which had been rising nonstop since altering his Mana to Primus state...seemed clearer now. Not just numbers increasing, but understanding of what those numbers meant, how they interacted with his fundamental nature, why certain thresholds mattered while others were arbitrary.

He could see his own existence with greater clarity. Understand his own mechanisms better!

What happens when I turn this Lens toward others? Toward their Civilizations? Toward THE entities when I finally encounter them directly?

Can I perceive the weaknesses in THE Dead Order’s True Order? Identify flaws in THE Loom’s defensive architecture? See through THE Living Paradox’s carefully constructed machinations?

The implications cascaded through his mind!

He opened his eyes fully...both now returned to blue-gold, the crimson-obsidian having settled into Ozymandias exclusively, and felt profound change slowly settling over his existence like a new skin that fit perfectly despite never having worn it before.

Around him, his Isolated Civilization watched with expressions ranging from awe to concern to confusion.

Riya floated closer, her irreverence temporarily suspended by genuine curiosity.

”Ancestor,” she said quietly, ”what... what are you now? I can sense you’re still you, but also... more? Different? My sensitivity to Mana is going haywire trying to classify what you’ve become.”

Noah looked at her, and through The Lens of Civilization, he saw.

Her Heart, not the physical organ but the existential core.

Her deepest conviction...’protect what I love at any cost.’

Her hidden fear: ’that even infinite preparation won’t be enough.’

Her secret hope: ’that this baddie of an Ancestor might actually change the dimming future she perceives’.

He blinked, startled by the sudden invasion of understanding he hadn’t consciously sought.

And there was more he could do if he probed deeper!

He smiled at Riya.

”I am what I’ve always been,” he said simply. ”Just... more so.”

Behind him, Ozymandias’s form pulsed with synchronized agreement.

Two Ways. One Existence.

And Existence, for all its resistance, had finally accepted that this was possible!

With these two Ways of Existence and entrance into The Early Infinity Dominion Realm...

Even his Complexity and Purity had yet to settle with their advancement, the numbers still climbing, still integrating the profound changes coursing through his being.

Noah knew he also needed to define the precise parameters of his self-proclaimed realm, establish what exactly The Early Infinity Dominion Realm would entail.

But all of these were grand changes accumulating too rapidly, and in addition to everything else, there was Khor...whom he had not fully analyzed to quantify her new level of strength after the Existential Rollback.

With all these transformations...Two Ways harmonized, Primus Mana coursing through everything, The Lens of Civilization bloomed, entry into a new realm of power...has anything actually changed from what Riya perceived?

The question weighed heavily despite his recent triumphs.

He looked toward Riya, his mismatched eyes now returned to unified blue-gold meeting her jewel-blue gaze.

”Any... changes?” he asked simply.

His voice emanated with magnetic quality that seemed layered, coming in from different dimensions simultaneously.

Riya blinked, initially confused by the vague question. She stared into his complex eyes, trying to parse what he was asking, what specific aspect among countless recent developments he wanted her to assess.

Then understanding dawned, and her expression shifted.

Without a word, she closed her eyes, her enhanced sensitivity to Mana reaching outward and forward, perceiving not just the present but future trajectories, the brightness of Mana as it would exist in times yet to come.

A moment passed. Then another.

When she opened her eyes, her expression was downcast as she shook her head lightly.

”No changes,” she said quietly.

She then looked at Kael and the others as she sent a silent mental note only for Noah to hear as she could not let the others know.

’I still sense the brilliant light of Mana dimming in the future. Everything you’ve accomplished hasn’t altered what I perceive coming.’

Noah looked at her silently, his tyrannical composure absorbing that truth without visible reaction.

He nodded once, then turned to look toward Khor.

Before he could even formulate the question, she raised her hands, allowing obsidian-crimson darkness to coalesce over her fingers like living shadow.

”Your restoration and rollback of my existence was... somewhat useful, Outsider,” she said lightly.

”I gained, or really, recovered, some memories. Uniquely, all of them seem like bad memories just from their taste alone.”

Her crimson eyes flickered with something between pain and rage.

”These memories seem like something entirely new even for me, as I have not consciously gone through them. They feel like gaps being filled, spaces in my history that were surgically removed and are now bleeding back into awareness.”

...!