Infinite Mana in the Apocalypse - Chapter 3655

Chapter 3655: Adaptation! II
“It takes very little authority from our True Source to enact the Pillar of Concordance, but it’s one of the supreme weapons available to entities at our level. Any being seeking to survive within a Gateway Domus of the Wheel and defend it must obtain this level of power. Some of us are fortunate enough to grow into it without being ground down to nothingness, while others… they don’t have the time. And so, they seek other paths to acquire such power. That brings us to the second methodology for obtaining a higher level of Complexity.”

The Great Beyonder chose her words carefully. Noah raised an eyebrow, catching something unspoken in her tone, and asked lightly.

“Only Complexity? This other method… it doesn’t raise Purity?”

…!

She hadn’t mentioned Purity.

Only Complexity.

And now, she nodded slowly, the weight of the truth settling in her eyes.

“Yes. The first Mechanic of Ascension to elevate a True Source is the Existential Source Trials. The second… is Source Devouring Evolution. It has two components, but only one of them truly works—and that’s Complexity Devouring. It focuses solely on Complexity. Through this method, one can devour the Weavings of Wild True Sources, Living True Sources, or even Dead True Sources to rapidly increase Complexity. The fastest method is devouring Living True Sources, followed by Dead True Sources, and then Wild True Sources. But this method comes with a terrible cost—your Purity becomes corrupted. Tainted to an unimaginable degree. Your Source is stained by what you consume.”

…!

Her expression turned solemn, and a shadow flickered in her eyes—something heavy, burdened by history and sorrow.

“Some of our own people have taken this path, sacrificing the Purity of their True Source to gain more Complexity. If they raised their Complexity high enough, some were able to ascend into Harmonized Sourcebound Icons with a high level of Moderate Complexity…but with Below Average Purity, or even worse—Tainted Purity. This path is very, very dangerous. It’s the one Dead Things follow most often. They will devour any trace of a True Source they can, because they have already accepted a predetermined death. And they will do anything to postpone it.”

“That is why they are drawn to the Infinite Ravines—any Absolute Complex True Source of Existence can nourish them. Even the Wild True Sources that dwell within can sustain them. But there’s a terrifying drawback to devouring any Source indiscriminately and weaving it into your own. True Sources are too powerful. You risk corruption, existential collapse… even the complete loss of identity. When it gets truly bad—when your Source becomes a tangled mess of incompatible weavings—you face something called… Fractal Collapse.”

WAA!

Her voice trembled with memory, as if she were reliving something vile from a past too ancient to name.

Fractal Collapse.

Even Veyl’Aethra’s face darkened at the mention of it.

The Great Beyonder continued.

“Fractal Collapse happens when a Source becomes increasingly complex but is paired with dangerously corrupted Purity. It leads to the formation of… Fractal True Sources of Existence. Fractal Beings. Most Dead Things you’ll encounter are either on the brink of becoming one—or already are.”

Her voice was somber.

She had just spoken in detail about one component of Source Devouring Evolution-Complexity Devouring.

Noah’s Weavings buzzed with endless possibility. He couldn’t help but ask.

“What’s the second component of Source Devouring Evolution?”

The other mechanic.

The Great Beyonder shook her head, as if it were something not even worth mentioning. Still, she answered. Even as they spoke within the span of an instant, Yrrmoth—the Maw of the Unwritten—was still inching closer within that very same breath of time.

“The second component… is Purity Devouring. It involves finding a complementary and similar True Source of Existence, then devouring its likeness—its resonance—to your own. But this is nearly impossible. Every True Source is unique. To find one that matches yours exactly… it almost never happens. But if someone is lucky enough to encounter a True Source similar to theirs, they can siphon its Purity and rapidly increase their own, gaining a slight boost in Complexity as well. Still… it’s so rare.”

Too rare.

There has only ever been a single case—a True Source Entity who arrived in the Infinite Ravines and, by unimaginable chance, encountered a Wild True Source in a Gateway Domus that matched their own forged Source. They were able to siphon its Purity and Complexity, rising to a level of power beyond even the Harmonized Sourcebound Icon.

But that was just one…

…!

One being.

One moment of absurd luck.

As Noah listened, he glanced toward the wild resources around this Domus, thoughts spinning.

He wanted to voice something—to ask the Great Beyonder that what if someone could forge a second True Source to match the Wild True Source around them? Wouldn’t they then be able to siphon off its Purity freely?

But even if he asked… he knew the answer. He’d be met with skepticism. Others held only one True Source.

Unless they shattered their current Source and began anew—rebuilding from nothing, carefully matching the Wild True Source in their environment—they wouldn’t be able to. And even then, they would never survive the ravaging process long enough to see it through.

But he could.

HUUM!

His mind hummed with Tyranny.

His Weavings sparked with infinite potential.

He already carried the Weavings of Causality—it was a Pathway now.

Could he not continue?

Could he not forge multiple, compatible True Sources—each harmonized with Wild True Sources and even the Sources of others—so that he could seamlessly ascend in both Complexity and Purity?

The ideas buzzing in his mind made the Weavings of his existence leap with anticipation, vibrating as if they were already grasping the future.

Nascent Source-Bearer Complexity.

Harmonized Sourcebound Icon Complexity.

The Mechanic of Ascension, Existential Source Trials.

The Mechanic of Ascension, Source Devouring Evolution with its twin paths—Complexity Devouring and Purity Devouring.

All of it danced through his thoughts. Plans and possibilities began to take shape—visions even the Great Beyonder hadn’t imagined.