Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 4558: When Fortune Falters! IV

One must always be really, truly suspicious when circumstances seem to be proceeding a bit too well, and a chosen path feels a bit too easy to traverse.

There exists an old parable about such things, told across countless civilizations with slight variations but always carrying the same fundamental warning.

Once there lived a peasant whose entire miserable life was transformed dramatically in a single day through what appeared to be extraordinary fortune.

He stumbled upon a basket of quality food near his ramshackle home, appearing as if delivered by providence itself. This gave him sustenance he had not experienced in years of poverty and hunger.

Later that same remarkable day, he managed to witness a noble woman walking through the markets carelessly lose her expensive satchel filled with coins and valuables. Instead of stealing it and fleeing as any sensible desperate man would, he felt an unusual compulsion to do good.

He actually returned the satchel to her with humble courtesy.

She looked upon this honest action with visible favor and spoke words that would change everything.

"A lesser man would have taken this wealth and disappeared immediately," she said with approving smile. "And for demonstrating such rare character, I find myself liking you. I would like to invite you to join my personal guards."

The peasant was utterly astonished as it felt like one extraordinary thing after another was happening on this blessed day. He never stopped to question the sequence of events. He was not suspicious of such rapid elevation from his station.

He simply followed the noble woman and her well-armed guards with mind already racing ahead. He was already imagining his completely transformed life in vivid detail. He even began planning ambitious goals like potentially striking up a romantic relationship with another noble woman after establishing himself.

He followed the noble woman and her guards as they entered an impressive castle. While he waited eagerly for his new life to officially begin with some ceremony, he found himself guided to a private chamber.

Soon he was strapped onto a ceremonial table against his confused protests. The noble woman and her guards surrounded him while wearing cult-like robes that had been hidden beneath their normal clothing.

They began to systematically gut him as a ritual sacrifice to their dark patron.

Things had been proceeding far too well for a lowly peasant like him. He should have been deeply suspicious from the very beginning when fortune smiled so readily.

But by the time he realized the trap, it was far too late to escape!

Now, Noah was not a peasant, and he was considerably more experienced with how existence operated.

He knew that many extremely fortuitous events had occurred as he crossed into the Infinite Unfurling through temporal traversal.

After the excruciating and immense pain brought about by THE Living Elemental’s curse, this entire journey through time had been proceeding remarkably well for him. Meeting Tor and establishing that connection, then encountering THE Living Origin who actually helped rather than hindered him...well, maybe until now.

He had genuinely enjoyed all of those beneficial events while simultaneously maintaining an undercurrent of suspicion. As if existence itself could shatter catastrophically in the next moment without warning.

Because existence was fundamentally struggle. Existence was inherently unfair and did not distribute fortune equally or consistently.

Things would never remain so consistently easy for extended periods. And at this critical moment, a foreign and unknown THE entity appeared directly before him to prove that principle.

The being that manifested was striking in appearance and terrifically dangerous in disposition. He possessed wild white hair that seemed to crackle with residual electricity, standing up in spikes that defied gravity.

His physique was powerfully built, and his expression carried casual arrogance mixed with predatory interest. He wore minimal clothing that revealed muscular form covered in glowing circuit-like patterns of pure lightning.

Tendrils of extremely explosive and pure THE Civilizational Authority of Fulmination wrapped continuously around his body. The lightning was not chaotic but perfectly controlled, each tendril moving with purposeful intent.

His aura radiated confidence bordering on sadistic amusement, as if he found genuine entertainment in the fear of lesser beings.

The body of Lumivara began trembling with instinctive terror at sensing this overwhelming presence. But remarkably, she still forced herself to float forward and position herself defensively in front of Noah despite her fear.

Noah looked at this being with analytical focus as he immediately utilized his Lens of Civilization to gather critical information.

A status sheet bloomed before his vision with frustratingly limited data.

|ENTITY ANALYSIS|

|Name: Astrape, THE Maelstrom Thundermane|

|Classification: ???|

|Complexity: ???|

|Purity: ???|

|Depth of THE: ???|

|Way of Existence: The Way of Fulmination|

|Threat Assessment: EXTREME|

|Note: Analysis capabilities insufficient for complete evaluation of THE entities.|

Astrape.

THE Maelstrom Thundermane!

Noah’s expression remained heavy as he processed this encounter. When he had previously deliberated about this possibility occurring, there were theoretically a few approaches for how he could potentially navigate past such a confrontation without circumstances utterly deteriorating.

But when situations actually reached this point in practice, outcomes more often than not leaned heavily toward disaster rather than resolution.

Still, he looked at this terrifically powerful being with forced sense of calm as he spoke with measured diplomacy.

"It seems we have inadvertently come across your claimed domain and your designated treasure," he said. "Since that is the case, my companion and I will simply leave without causing any further intrusion."

His eyes maintained their calm tyranny as he watched the terrifying entity ahead of them. Astrape was looking at both Noah and Lumivara with analytical gaze, examining them as if one was observing a pair of strange animals discovered in the wilderness.

A moment passed after Noah’s diplomatic words had echoed across the space between them.

Then Astrape smiled with casual cruelty and spoke with finality.

"Nah," he said with dismissive tone. "Since you have already arrived here, you should definitely stay."

BOOM!

The voice was heavy and filled with an undeniable brilliance.

Undeniable!