Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 4543: Existence Simply Is! II

The sensation was a unique one that Noah had not experienced before.

At times, existence was difficult and required genuine struggle. He had fought against enemies who sought his death, each battle forcing him to prove that his Way superseded theirs through brutal combat and tactical superiority.

And then other times, like now, he simply had to walk around and pluck fruits that contained multiple different Sovereignties. Accumulated essences of beings locked away in this unfathomable domain, refined over eons into perfect crystallizations of their power.

After the Crystallized Fruit of Storms, Noah had systematically harvested from the remaining trees with methodical efficiency.

The second tree bore Crystallized Fruits of Metal that gleamed with silver-chrome perfection. When consumed, they granted understanding of durability, sharpness, and the unyielding nature that defined metallic Sovereignty.

The third tree held Crystallized Fruits of Wood, vibrant green spheres that pulsed with growth authority and the concept of organic expansion refined to absolute limits.

From the fourth tree, he claimed Crystallized Fruits of Earth, dense brown crystals that contained the weight of mountains and the stability of foundations compressed into singular expressions.

The fifth tree provided Crystallized Fruits of Water, liquid-filled translucent orbs that held the concepts of flow, adaptation, and the patient erosion that could reshape continents given time.

Fire came from the sixth tree in the form of ever-burning red gems that contained conflagration refined to its purest essence, heat that could unmake matter itself.

The seventh tree bore Crystallized Fruits of Ice, blue crystals so cold that space itself froze in their proximity, holding authority over stasis and the cessation of molecular motion.

From the eighth tree, Noah harvested Crystallized Fruits of Wind, seemingly empty husks that howled when touched, containing the freedom of air and the cutting force of atmospheric movement perfected.

And now he stood before the ninth and final tree in the Outer Periphery.

Throughout this systematic harvest, THE Organ of Civilization had proven itself to be a thing of profound wonder that continued to exceed every expectation. After consuming fruits from eight of the nine trees, it had jumped rapidly past the five percent development threshold.

10%, which would mean Pre-THE, was actually not far away!

The speed was genuinely insane when he considered that each percentage point represented progress toward THE Surface Depth of Absolute Sovereignty. What should have taken eons was being accomplished in hours.

Beside him, Lumivara had continued to absorb the concentrated light suffusing the environment like a glutton finally allowed to feast. Her own luminescence had grown more and more intense until she rivaled the atmospheric radiance itself.

Now they stood before the last tree, and Noah consumed the final offering: Crystallized Fruits of Rage.

The fruits were unique among all he had harvested, appearing as pulsing crimson orbs that seemed to beat like hearts. They emanated pure fury refined into Sovereignty, anger so concentrated it had become a fundamental force.

As the rage flooded through him and was systematically broken down by his Way, Noah felt THE Organ of Civilization surge with completion of this initial harvest.

Lumivara could not keep her eyes off of him throughout the process. When he finished integrating the final fruit, she smiled with wry understanding while speaking with unusual depth.

”The Infinite Unfurling is a grand domain of existence filled with wonders beyond measure,” she said with voice carrying accumulated experience. ”And yet for those weak like me, all the years of my life have been spent moving around fearfully from one place to another.”

Her expression became more serious.

”I am actually lucky to have survived for as long as I could. For the many years before meeting Master, I have been hunted by others more times than I can count. I have hidden from those stronger than me while trembling with terror, sometimes even closing my eyes while knowing a THE Surface Depth of Absolute Sovereignty entity was passing nearby.”

She looked down at her hands.

”I would hope desperately that they looked down on me enough to not do anything against someone so insignificant. It is an utterly distressing way to live, but I would not change anything about it. It is simply existence as it is. And existence simply is what it is.”

Her eyes lifted to meet his.

”Sometimes filled with light, other times filled with darkness. I think The Master is a source of endless light that I never expected to find.”

Her words carried weight that went beyond simple gratitude.

Noah looked at her with a smile before reaching over to pat her head gently. Her fox tail wagged behind her with unconscious pleasure at the gesture.

Existence simply was. Nothing more, nothing less.

And—

”What a unique perspective that is.”

BOOM!

A voice echoed across the domain with unexpected presence.

Noah’s smile faded immediately as his expression became cold and analytical. His gaze turned sharply toward the source of the voice.

He had not sensed anything approaching. Had felt nothing until the moment the words were spoken. But how could he have detected it when it involved the power of THE? How could someone at his level perceive such things?

Beside him, Lumivara trembled fiercely with instinctive fear. But for the first time since swearing herself to his service, she did not hide behind him for protection.

Shockingly, she stepped in front of Noah protectively, raising her small fists as if ready to fight despite the overwhelming gap in power.

Because the voice had emanated from behind their position.

And there, when they turned their gazes to face the source, stood none other than THE Living Origin herself.

She appeared exactly as Noah had observed her before in that distant confrontation. A woman of otherworldly beauty with features so perfect they seemed almost unreal. Her hair flowed like liquid starlight, shining with white-gold brilliance that created its own illumination.

She wore flowing robes that seemed woven from light itself, and her eyes held depths that suggested she could perceive the origin points of all things.

At this moment, her body emanated powerful waves of THE Civilizational Authority without restraint or concealment.

And yet shockingly, the surroundings that should have been immediately locking down and systematically devouring all her accumulated power did absolutely nothing against her. The domain that had stripped Stellara of her Pre-THE status seemed to not even acknowledge THE Living Origin’s presence.

Noah’s expression became unfathomably heavy as he processed this critical observation.

THE Living Origin walked toward them with unhurried grace, her steps making no sound against the grassland. She looked between Noah and Lumivara with analytical assessment before her gaze ultimately came to settle on him specifically.

Noah kept his mind clear and focused amidst this unprecedented situation. He could feel The Barrier of Hunger that Tor had placed upon his existence, ready to activate if lethal threat manifested. He prepared himself mentally for anything that might occur.

And yet this terrifying entity in front of him actually smiled with what seemed like genuine curiosity rather than hostility.

She walked over and even moved past their figures without aggression, approaching the blazing barrier of white light ahead of them that marked the boundary to the second ring. She reached out with one delicate finger to touch the luminous wall, causing ripples to spread across its surface.

As she did this, she turned her head to look back at Noah with that same curious smile.

”What do you think about the idea of Origin?” she asked.

Beside Noah, Lumivara continued trembling but maintained her protective stance with admirable courage.

Even Noah had to pause!

This...was THE Living Origin!

He had only ever heard stories about her in The Earliest Folds. about her interactions with THE Creature that he now questioned more and more as there seemed to be parts of this story that nobody else knew.

She actually stood before him and asked such a question.

Noah considered the question carefully before responding with measured words.

”Origin is the point from which all things emerge,” he said with calm certainty. ”It is the foundation upon which existence builds itself, the seed from which complexity grows. But Origin is not singular or fixed.”

His eyes remained steady on hers.

”Every moment contains its own origin. Every decision becomes the origin of consequences that follow. Every existence carries within it the origin of what it will become. Origin is not merely the beginning but the continuous act of beginning that occurs with each breath, each thought, each choice.”

He paused.

He did not day the rest of the words on his lips. He only continued them internally!

’And because I walk the Way of Mana and Hunger, I understand that all origins ultimately derive from the same source. Mana is the foundation of change, and Hunger is the force that drives that change forward. Together they form the origin of progression itself...’

...!

Toward his answer, THE Living Origin smiled with what appeared to be genuine appreciation. She nodded slowly before offering her own perspective.

”Origin, to me, is the purest expression of potential,” she said with voice carrying profound depth. ”It is the moment before manifestation, the instant where all possibilities exist simultaneously before collapsing into singular reality. Origin is not what has been but what could be.”

Her white-gold eyes gleamed with intensity.

”I have walked the Way of Origin for longer than most civilizations have existed. I have witnessed countless beginnings and understood that each beginning contains infinite endings within it. Origin is the most fundamental authority because it precedes all others.”

She turned fully to face him now, her expression becoming more serious.

”Which is why I find it truly curious that my Origin, which begins here with me in this time and place, can also be sensed within you. An anomaly not of this era and not of this location. Why do you think that is?”

Her question carried weight that went beyond simple curiosity.

”Is your Origin real, or is it false?”

The question hung in the air between them!