Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 5043: Nakatsukuni! III

Nakatsukuni.

Noah looked at the place they had arrived at, and it was a marvel in several different ways.

The primary entrance rose before them like a declaration of intent made physical. A large heavy wooden gate stood at the center, its surface adorned with iron ring handles and ornate carvings depicting scenes he could not immediately interpret. This was no ordinary gateway but something built higher than the surrounding roofline, its very elevation announcing the significance of what lay beyond.

Stone and clay walls flanked the entrance in configurations that seemed both defensive and decorative. Gray roof tiles topped these barriers in patterns matching what he could see of the main structures deeper within, creating visual harmony. Everything here felt intentional, every stone placed with purpose, every tile arranged.

At the gateway itself, Noah saw something that made even his composed expression shift slightly.

Two Primordial Architects of THE First Scale stood guard, both at the level of Absolutes, their presence pressing against his awareness with force that would have crushed lesser beings simply through proximity. They turned to look at Naldine Manthon first, offering nods of recognition that suggested familiarity. Then their attention shifted to him.

Their eyes shone with luminosity that seemed to pierce through whatever he presented on the surface.

Both entities were humanoid in nature, their forms draped in wrappings of shining white and pink that moved like living things despite the absence of wind. Their faces held beauty that transcended simple aesthetics, features arranged according to proportions that seemed mathematically perfect in ways mortal minds struggled to quantify. Ancient eyes regarded him from those beautiful faces.

Even though they were Absolute, a million trash bum Absolutes like THE Living Elemental could stand before them, and all would get thrashed silly.

Naldine only nodded to them and passed through the gate without breaking stride.

Noah went inside as well, stepping through the massive entrance and immediately finding himself in a courtyard. It stretched before him as a communal hub connecting all the interior living quarters. Beyond this space, the actual buildings rose on raised foundations of stone and wood, elevated to protect from ground moisture and requiring visitors to step up when entering.

Deep curved wooden eaves extended over every entryway, providing shade and protection while framing views of the sky from positions within the courtyard. The architecture felt alive in ways that stone and wood should not feel, as if the structures themselves were aware of who passed through them.

Noah smiled as he spoke to Naldine walking ahead of him.

"After all the warnings you have given me, you have brought me to a place filled with Primordial Architects. Has this all just been a long elaborate trap?"

His tone carried amusement rather than genuine concern.

Naldine continued forward without looking back as she replied.

"I brought you here because I am confident I can protect you here. Barring anything unexpected happening, this should be a good step forward for you if we can secure the promises of the one we came to see."

...!

Barring any unexpected happenings.

Noah sighed internally at these words because they felt like a very bad flag that Naldine had just planted. Existence loved to be filled with unexpected happenings. The moment someone expressed confidence that nothing would go wrong, the foundations of reality itself seemed to take that as a challenge.

Inside, Noah saw something that genuinely surprised him.

Undivided Ones and Formless Terrors swept the extended courtyards with brooms and brushes, their movements methodical and unhurried. Some of these beings stood taller than normal humanoids, their bodies wrapped in stellar crimson skin that seemed to contain galaxies within its depths.

Others bore obsidian skin so dark that light seemed to fall into it and never return. Still others blazed with white stellar skin, their forms radiating illumination that pressed against perception.

All of them swept.

Was this their meditation? Some instructed method to elevate their Civilizations given by the Singular Cognizance who oversaw this place? Noah never expected to see Undivided Ones and Formless Terrors sweeping grounds like normal humans performing household chores. The sight seemed almost absurd given the power contained within each of these entities.

Every single one turned to see him and Naldine as they crossed through the courtyard.

Noah felt every single gaze stay on him, dozens of ancient consciousnesses tracking his movement through their domain. They did not stop their sweeping. They did not approach or threaten. They simply watched, their attention pressing against his awareness like physical force that accumulated with each additional observer.

In one area they passed, Noah saw something even more unexpected.

A Primordial Architect at THE Proterozoic Scale sat at a table playing chess with three other Primordial Architects. The Second Scale being moved a piece with fingers that seemed too elegant for the simple action, pale skin catching light in ways that made it seem luminescent rather than merely fair.

Long silver-gold hair cascaded down his back in waves that moved with supernatural grace, framing aristocratic features that belonged on sculptures rather than living faces. Dark elegant clothing wrapped his slender frame, the garments suggesting nobility from traditions Noah did not recognize.

When they passed, the game stopped entirely.

Noah and this Proterozoic Scale entity locked eyes across the courtyard.

The being smiled dangerously, lips curving upward to reveal the faintest hint of sharpened teeth. One pale hand rose in a wave toward Noah, the gesture carrying mockery beneath its apparent friendliness.

"..."

Noah mimicked the same smile and waved back without hesitation.

The moment he did so, the smile disappeared from that Primordial Architect’s face. Those aristocratic features sharpened into something predatory as eyes that had been amused became cutting.

Naldine’s voice cut through the tension.

"Remember, do not try anything over the top. Strangers are allies until they become enemies, and things can change rather quickly. Let us go."

As if she expected trouble might start from that exchange alone, her authority wrapped around them again. She took a step, and they appeared before the tallest building in this place.

Two THE Proterozoic Scale Primordial Architects sat beside the entrance, both adorned in garments similar to the guards they had seen at the main gate.

The first seemed extremely young despite the ancient depths within her eyes. Silver-white hair fell past her shoulders in straight lines that caught light like silk threads woven from moonlight. Her features held delicacy that suggested fragility while her presence declared anything but weakness.

She sipped tea with movements so economical they seemed rehearsed across centuries of repetition, her small form somehow containing authority that pressed against Noah’s awareness despite her apparent youth.

The second Primordial Architect sat in a meditative position beside her, and he was anything but delicate.

A massive humanoid demon with crimson-gold horns curving from his temples regarded Noah and Naldine with calm that seemed inappropriate for something so obviously built for violence. His skin held the color of dried blood, stretched over a frame that towered even while seated. He smiled, the expression somehow warm despite the fangs it revealed, and his deep voice echoed out across the courtyard.

"Naldine Manthon. You have come bearing gifts and catastrophes."

The words pressed against everything nearby.

"Why would you bring such a thing when you know The Leader does not want any conflicts? By simply bringing you and him here, you force The Leader’s hand."

...!

Noah looked at this Primordial Architect and the one beside him. Their power felt heavy and suffocating to him even now, pressing against his foundations with force that reminded him exactly how far he still had to go. But he could not help marveling at all of this despite the pressure.

There were peaceful groups of Primordial Architects under a Singular Cognizance?

Existence continued to be vast and grand beyond measure. He had assumed beings at these heights existed in constant conflict, scheming against each other across eons while pursuing power through any means available. Yet here stood evidence of cooperation, of community, of entities choosing peace over perpetual warfare.

As he was thinking this, Naldine looked at the two Primordial Architects blocking their path. She nodded toward them.

"Sabayne. Ba’alzan. Times are changing."

Her voice carried conviction that pressed back against the force the demon had projected.

"Even those who hold peace as their only prayer will find the silence shattered. When the conflict breaks, peace becomes a cage, not a sanctuary. No soul remains a mere observer as all of us are forced to move when the foundations shift."

Her singularity-dotted eyes blazed brighter.

"The times of peace are over."

BOOM!

With such words, Naldine Manthon pushed the doors of the structure before them open.

Inside, a heavy aura pulsed outward, the presence of a Singular Cognizance that reminded Noah of the brilliance he had felt when THE Beholder manifested. This was another entity from before differentiation, another consciousness that had observed existence since before Observable Existence learned how to be observable, they held an authority so absolute it made everything outside feel like a fleeting dream!