My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 384: The parasite lotus

The gray residue of the conflict finally settled, yet the air Ethan inhaled felt as heavy as molten lead. Standing solitary at the heart of his Ultimate Domain, he looked upon a space still scarred and flickering with the fading remnants of the Law of Entropy.

Within his grasp, the Primordial Astral Marrow pulsed with a rhythmic, nauseating heat. This was the concentrated essence of Rozers the Executioner, a literal fragment of authority stripped from the negative universe.

"Nini," Ethan called out, his voice sounding strained and raspy.

"Master, the Marrow’s state is extremely volatile. To commence the evolution toward the Chaos Rank, we must act without delay. However, be cautioned: the energy demands will be monumental. I will be forced to draw power directly from your inner dimension."

"Do it," Ethan ordered.

Nini gave a nod, her physical form dissolving into ribbons of blue data that coiled around the Marrow. The Space Cube began to expand, its geometric surfaces rotating and unfolding into a sophisticated, multi-dimensional tesseract.

The Cube started to consume the Marrow, drawing the silver-gray essence of the Executioner into its core. A low-frequency hum began to vibrate through the air, signaling the emergence of a Chaos Rank artifact.

Yet, just as the Cube’s transformation took hold, a violent convulsion rattled the very foundation of Ethan’s soul.

Ethan’s consciousness was abruptly dragged into his inner dimension. Normally a peaceful realm of shimmering golden light, it had transformed into a chaotic battlefield.

The World Tree, which had recently formed a symbiotic bond with the Creation Lotus, was now aggressively absorbing it. Its roots, typically deep and motionless, were striking out like massive whips. They had completely entangled the Creation Lotus—the very source Ethan used to manipulate Entropy.

Initially, Ethan was seized by dread. If the Lotus were destroyed, his capacity to combat the inverse world would be lost.

"Stop!" he bellowed, his mental avatar racing toward the clash. "World Tree, stand down! That Lotus is essential for our survival!"

He funneled his willpower into the Tree, attempting to command its roots to pull back. But for the first time, the Tree—his most steadfast anchor—disregarded him. It wasn't merely acting in self-defense; it was predatory. The Tree began dragging the Lotus into its primary trunk, the wood creaking as it prepared to devour the cosmic flower entirely.

"What the hell is happening here?" Ethan’s voice thundered through the emptiness of his mind.

Suddenly, a sharp, frigid voice, saturated with ancient pride, erupted from the center of the vibrating Lotus.

"Boy! Tell this wooden mongrel to stay away from me! Otherwise, I will take your entire foundation down with me as I perish!"

Ethan stood frozen.

The voice had not originated from his own thoughts.

He was certain it had come from the Creation Lotus itself.

The Creation Lotus, an object he had carefully cultivated and trusted, was actually a sentient entity. More than that, it was a parasite.

The warnings provided by Jian struck his mind like a bolt of lightning.

"Don’t let the lotus take control over you."

Ethan had previously interpreted that as a metaphor for the corrupting influence of power. Now, with chilling clarity, he understood that the Lotus was a living Trojan horse, waiting for its host to reach a certain strength before seizing the "throne" of the soul.

"You’ve been lurking in my home this entire time," Ethan murmured, his fear sharpening into a cold, lethal fury.

The World Tree wasn't sabotaging his foundation; it was eradicating a virus. Linked to the Infinite Source and a higher existential legacy, the Tree had detected the Lotus’s malicious intent the moment their connection was established.

Ethan now joined the assault on the lotus himself.

"What are you doing? Do you seek death?" the Lotus shrieked once more, its petals darkening into a jagged, toxic black. "Without me, you are nothing but a speck of dust to the Inverse Gods! I am your only protection! Restrain this wooden beast!"

Ethan gazed at the World Tree. Its foliage was radiant with a fierce, guardian light. It had stood by him through every ordeal, a silent companion that never asked for anything in return.

"I’m sorry I doubted you, buddy," Ethan whispered to the Tree.

He did not hesitate. Instead, he channeled every bit of his authority into the World Tree. He no longer cared for the Law of Entropy. If the price of that power was serving as a puppet for an ancient being, he would prefer to let his soul burn to ashes.

"Punk," Ethan said with a smirk directed at the Lotus. "Do you really think I’d choose slavery over death? Keep dreaming. I’ll fight you to the bitter end. And looking at my friend here, I’d say we have the upper hand. So shut the fuck up and die already!"

Bolstered by Ethan’s support, the World Tree unleashed a psychic roar. Its roots pierced the core of the Lotus, crushing its will. The arrogant voice dissolved into a pathetic cry of pain as seventy percent of the flower was absorbed into the Tree’s bark.

"Please... let me go... I will serve you as my true master... I will grant you everything..." the Lotus begged, its voice sinking to a faint whisper.

Ethan offered no reply.

He watched with grim contentment as the final petal disappeared into the World Tree.

Silence returned to the dimension.

The World Tree began to throb with a strange, unfamiliar energy. It had transcended its original form, becoming a hybrid of life and the void. It started to wrap itself in a dense, crystalline cocoon of golden-green light. It was evolving, transitioning into a state of existence that neither the positive nor negative universes had ever witnessed.

In the furthest reaches of the Negative Plane of Existence, where light was nothing more than a forgotten legend, a being sat upon a throne.

To the few who had survived its presence, this being was known as a fragment of "The Presence," the supreme deity of the inverse world.

The being’s eyes, which held the darkness of a billion dead suns, slowly opened. A peculiar sensation had pricked its awareness. It felt as though a finger had been severed, yet when it inspected its hand, the digit remained.

"Something... is missing," the being whispered. Its voice caused the surrounding fabric of reality to crack. "A portion of my essence has been erased. Not merely destroyed, but wiped from the very records of Fate."

It searched its memory, but found nothing. Everything was obscured by a thick haze.

The being stared into the emptiness for a long duration.

Then, with a sigh that echoed like the collapse of a galaxy, it closed its eyes once more.

If the memory was gone, then that part of itself was truly lost. In the vastness of its existence, a single seed was no more than a drop of water in an ocean of essence.

It returned to its eternal sleep, oblivious to the fact that the "drop" had transformed into a poison that would one day seek its heart.

Back in his internal world, Ethan sat in a cross-legged position.

To his left, the Space Cube—Nini—was enveloped in a shell of shifting, chaotic geometry as it ascended toward the Chaos Rank. To his right, the World Tree remained a silent, glowing cocoon.

He was temporarily "powerless" regarding his external equipment, but his own physical form, the Body of the Supreme One, felt more refined than ever. The merger of the Tree and the Lotus had left behind a pure, distilled version of the Law of Entropy that truly belonged to him. It was no longer a gift from a parasite, but a hard-won trophy of war.

"I can’t wait for them to finish their evolution," Ethan thought to himself.

He turned his attention to the Thalor Mandate Bloodline he had taken from Rozers. It was contained within a sealed vial of energy, its black blood churning with enough power to potentially level his entire inner dimension.

"This bloodline is too overwhelming for me right now," he whispered. "If I attempt to absorb it at my current level, I’ll be obliterated before I can even scream."

He needed to grow stronger before attempting that.

He required more.

More bloodlines. More power.