Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 4278: The Astral Codex and Everythings! II

The Forgemaster did not turn. His focus was absolute, his ancient, starlit eyes fixed on the armor before him. "The report was... intriguing, Kael," he rumbled, his voice the sound of a mountain clearing its throat.

He finally turned, his gaze, which held the heat of a billion dying Wheels, settling on Noah.

|[Forgemaster Vulcan]|

|Classification: Elder Early Creature|

|Complexity: 2,500 Quadrillion|

|Purity: 2,500 Quadrillion|

HUUM!

The numbers were a quiet, terrible scream in Noah’s mind. Vulcan looked at him, at his simple, white-gold wrappings, at the intricate necklace that was the dormant Aegis, and a slow, almost bored, smile spread across his ancient face.

"So," he said, his voice a low, rumbling challenge. "Show me. Tell me of the intricacies of the Living Existential Armor you made."

...!

Before Noah could even respond, Elara, her loyalty overriding her fear, stepped forward.

"We would rather die than reveal the methods and wonders of THE Living Concept to thieves and usurpers," she spat, her voice a blade of pure, defiant fury.

Forgemaster Vulcan’s smile did not waver. "Is that right?" he rumbled, his tone one of amused, almost paternalistic, condescension.

"A noble sentiment. But we have no plans of killing anyone here today. For now... Kael, would you be so kind as to take our esteemed guest, Miss Elara, to another part of the Forges? Show her our...improvements on her designs. I am sure she will find it illuminating."

WAA!

Kael’s hand, with a speed that was a casual violation of existence, gently grasped Elara’s arm. He smiled. "Please, Commander."

Elara struggled, but his grip was a band of absolute, unyielding authority.

"Osmont!" she cried, her eyes wide with a desperate, warning light. "Do not reveal anything! THE Living Concept will send forces to save us soon!"

She was escorted away, her voice fading into the hum of the forges, leaving Noah alone with the giant.

|Master, be immensely careful. This being’s power is not just in its numbers. It is... stable. Ancient. Woven into the very fabric of this place. He is not a king in this castle; he is the castle.|

Vulcan gestured to a simple, stone bench near his forge. "Sit," he said, not as a command, but as an invitation from one professional to another.

He turned back to his own work, his massive hands making minute, impossibly precise adjustments to the obsidian armor.

"How knowledgeable are you regarding the Weavings of Power? The Systems? Glyphs, Haki, Armaments, and Early Tools?"

Noah sat, his mind a silent engine of calculation. "I am... a student," he replied, his voice calm and measured. "I have a foundational understanding of Glyphs and Haki. My experience with Armaments is, as you have noted, recent."

Vulcan nodded, a slow, thoughtful gesture.

"A student. Good. Honesty is a rare and valuable material." He turned from his work and looked at Noah, his starlit eyes holding a new, analytical light.

"I sent the Commander away because some entities are simply easier to work with than others. Not weaker... but easier. She is a zealot, a being whose loyalty has become a cage for her intellect. But you... you observe. You absorb. You calculate. An entity like that is a seeker of knowledge. A learner. A scholar. Are you a scholar, Osmont?"

Noah smiled calmly. "As I said. A student."

Vulcan returned the smile, a genuine, appreciative expression.

"Then as scholars, let us have an exchange. You will share with me the complete methodology of how that Living Existential Armor of yours was made, from the theory to integration. And in exchange," he leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial rumble as he smiled.

"I will share with you... another System of Power. A power handed directly to us from THE Living Existences themselves. The Living Astral Codex."

HUUM!

|Alert: An unprecedented opportunity for data acquisition has presented itself, Master.|

Vulcan saw the flicker of interest in Noah’s otherwise impassive demeanor.

He raised a massive, bronze hand, and in his palm, a shimmering, conceptual glyph inscribed on a silver card materialized. It was a card, yet not a card, a thing of pure, ordered light that depicted a colossal, marble golem holding a golden gavel.

"This," Vulcan began, his voice taking on the tone of a master lecturer, "is what we call an Astral Arcana. It is not a power one cultivates from within, like a Glyph. It is a boon, a favor, a wonder designed by one of THE Living Existences. When faced with the opportunity, beings are granted a Blank Astral Codex, a conceptual Grimoire- a new external ’organ’ upon which these Arcana can be written."

He gestured to the card. "Each Arcana is a single, potent, and highly specific application of a Living Existential Authority. They are categorized into Origin, Law, Paradox, and so on. This one, the ’Verdict of the Gavel,’ is of the School of Law. A simple, but effective, tool."

...!

Noah’s heart beat faster and faster!

What was this?

What was this unique new wonder?!

Forgemaster Vulcan continued to talk and explain regarding the Living Astral Codex and the Astral Arcana Glyphs, and then RUIN/EDEN broke everything down in prompts!

|System Analysis: The Living Astral Codex.|

|Strategic Value: A system of immense burst potential. Unlike Glyphs, which are a constant, passive enhancement, Arcana are single-use tactical nukes. Their power lies in their ability to produce an overwhelming, often battle-ending, effect at a critical moment.|

|Continuing analysis...|

"To use it," Vulcan continued, his lecture becoming more intricate, "is a costly affair. You must expend Units of Everythings, crystallized concepts, as fuel. This fuel manifests a conceptual Creature...in this case, a Golem of Judgment, which unleashes a single, devastating ability and then dissipates. The single actjvation though...unleashes an ability that will decimate even a full fledged Juvenile Early Creature. The Arcana then becomes exhausted, inactive, until it is re-infused with new Everythings over a period of time."

...!

A single use ability that could decimate Juvenile Early Creatures!

Young Early Creature ranged from 1 Quadrillion to 100 Quadrillion Complexity and Purity.

Juvenile Early Creatures ranged from 101 Quadrillion to 1000 Quadrillion Complexity and Purity!

Elder Early Creatures...exceeded 1001 Quadrillion Complexity and Purity!

Noah was a Juvenile. Kael was a Juvenile. Even Fold Dwellers like Elara or Living Existences were grouped under the system of Early Creatures as they would be deeemd to have the power of a Juvenile Early Creature!

That single card that the Elder Early Creature, Vulcan showed...could decimate something upto 1000 Complexity and Purity?!

Vulcan displayed the Astral Arcana Glyph fully as its details bloomed before Noahs eyes!

|Astral Arcana Glyph|

|Name: Verdict of the Gavel|

|School: Law|

|Rarity: Resonant(Uncommon)|

|Description: ’When the court is in session, all will be judged.’ This Arcana summons a Golem of Judgment, a towering figure of white marble and golden chains. The Golem strikes a single target with a colossal gavel, an attack that is not just physical, but conceptual. It passes judgment on the target’s right to exist.|

|Cost: 6,000 Units of [Law] Everythings 10,000 Units of [Basic] Everything. |

|Requirements to cast: 100 Quadrillion Purity.|

|Effect: Deals 1,000 Quadrillion in Purity-based damage that bypasses 25% of all physical and conceptual defenses to a single Target|

|Cooldown: 1 Minute.|

...!