I Can Assimilate Everything

Chapter 684: The Great Flood! I

Mansa Zulu tapped his obsidian hand toward Achilles.

The motion was almost dismissive!

Obsidian-gold light erupted from that perfect finger and crossed the distance between them in an instant.

Pain seared across Achilles’s forehead.

An obsidian-gold tattoo scorched itself into his flesh, the design intricate and ancient and carrying weight that made his weakened existence shudder. The marking burned with authority he could not quite describe, power flowing into him from sources that existed beyond anything he had previously perceived.

"As THE Vilicus, you will be the representative of this Observable Existence."

Mansa Zulu’s voice pressed against reality with finality.

"You will spearhead integration once the pathway and connection to another Observable Existence is made. You will be the bridge between what this stunted reality currently is and what it will become under proper guidance."

Achilles felt the branding settle into his consciousness.

It provided...well, immense authority. He could sense threads of connection spreading outward from the tattoo toward every corner of Observable Existence!

But at the same time, it felt like he had gained shackles.

The authority came with weight he could not explain. Expectations he could not articulate. Obligations that would bind him in ways he could not yet comprehend.

Mansa Zulu waved his hand, and everything nearby began to shake.

The remnants of Lamashtu’s ritual space trembled as if the foundations supporting this region of The Existential Lattice were being restructured from below. The corpses of Absolutes disintegrated entirely, their remains no longer able to maintain coherence against whatever forces Mansa Zulu was gathering.

"Do you know anything about THE First Cause or other Causes?"

The question emerged with weight that demanded answer.

Achilles shook his head because this being seemed to love speaking.

He knew fragments. He had witnessed the memory of THE Primordial Cause through THE Watcher’s sacrifice. But true understanding of Causes and their nature remained beyond him.

Mansa Zulu seemed unsurprised.

"THE First Causes are what birth Observable Existences. They are the primordial expressions of creation that allow differentiation and undifferentiation to emerge from potential. Each Observable Existence has its own First Cause, its own unique configuration of forces that defined how reality would function within its boundaries."

The nine crowns above his head spun slowly as he continued.

"But within each Observable Existence, there are many Causes contained. Lesser expressions of the creative principle that shaped smaller aspects of reality."

Those pupilless obsidian eyes studied Achilles with something approaching pedagogical interest.

"Beyond these, there are Miniature Causes. Expressions of creative principle that those powerful enough can usher into existence through their own authority. A Miniature Cause is considered something that can have permanent and meaningful effect on Observable Existence."

Mansa Zulu raised one obsidian hand.

"It can be small. A Miniature Cause might alter the nature of a single Wheel of Existence, or modify how a particular element functions within limited boundaries. Such Causes are frequently ushered by beings at higher Scales seeking to customize their territories."

His hand began glowing with white light.

"Or it can be big. A Miniature Cause might wash across an entire Observable Existence, fundamentally restructuring the principles governing advancement and survival for every lifeform within."

Those pupilless eyes settled on Achilles with weight that made his branded forehead burn.

"Guess which type I will usher in right now to prepare this stunted Observable Existence to begin changing it somewhat."

Achilles’s weakened existence trembled as understanding crystallized.

"A... big one."

...!

Mansa Zulu smiled lightly.

The expression seemed almost gentle on features that radiated authority capable of restructuring reality itself. It was the smile of a being about to conduct an experiment, curious about the results without being particularly invested in the wellbeing of the subjects.

He snapped his fingers.

The sound was barely audible.

The effect was apocalyptic.

A tremendous white light bloomed around Mansa Zulu with brilliance that made THE Primordial Severance seem dim by comparison. Multiple white singularities emerged from nothing, each one spinning with forces that resonated with the fundamental nature of existence itself. They orbited the obsidian entity like moons around a planet of incomprehensible power!

Potent white waves began gushing out from each singularity.

They spread omnidirectionally, washing through the ruins of the ritual space, through the walls of The Existential Lattice, through dimensions that separated this region from everything else within Observable Existence. The waves moved with speed!

"Miniature Cause, THE Great Archean Flood."

"Named after one of THE Greatest Causes in Existence, THE Archean Cause. A primordial force of selection and evolution that shaped countless Observable Existences during the earliest ages of differentiation."

The white waves expanded further, their brilliance now visible in every direction.

"It will wash across this Observable Existence while elevating everything and rapidly inducing Archean Evolution. Half of all lifeforms will Persevere and overcome."

Those pupilless obsidian eyes held no sympathy.

"The other half... well, anything left behind by natural selection is not worthy of existence."

Mansa Zulu began rising toward the crack in reality from which he had emerged.

"This Observable Existence is so abysmal that not even having a single Second Scale entity is shameful. Something must change. Those that Persevere will meet the new era with foundations capable of achieving what your stunted reality never could."

He looked down at Achilles one final time.

"Rejoice, my Vilicus. Rejoice and Persevere."

...!

Mansa Zulu rose into the infinite obsidian brilliance above.

The crack in reality began closing behind him, that connection to the Unobservable sealing itself as the entity who had reshaped the fate of an entire Observable Existence departed without ceremony. His nine crowns disappeared. His perfect obsidian form vanished. His apocalyptic authority withdrew.

What remained were the white waves spreading in every direction.

And a grim Achilles!

Half of all lifeforms would perish.

This being had just ushered a Miniature Cause that would kill half of everyone in Observable Existence. Half of every Star Sea. Half of every Fold and Shattered Fold. Half of every civilization that had developed across billions of years of history. Everyone who had survived Lamashtu’s invasion would have to face something far worse from the aftermath of its conclusion.

The waves of endless white water smashed into him.

His existence cried out with fervor and excitement as he rapidly felt his Existence coming back. The decrepit body that had paid the cost of THE Primordial Severance began filling with vitality again. His gray hair regained its purple-gold luster. His protruding bones disappeared beneath flesh that remembered how to be healthy.

But more than restoration.

He felt elevation.

The Archean Flood was not merely killing half of all lifeforms. It was forcing evolution upon everything it touched, demanding that those who survived become something greater than they had been. His foundations shuddered as they restructured themselves according to principles he had never encountered. His Inner Dominion trembled as the territories within experienced the same forced advancement.

He closed his eyes at the weight of all the unfolding changes.

Toward the flooding waters surrounding him, washing through his existence, demanding that he Persevere or perish alongside the half who would not survive, he could only whisper one word.

"...Assimilate."

...!