My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 430: Planning for the battle
Previously on My attributes are increasing infinitely...
Ethan wrapped up the concluding phase of his arrangements and halted in place, allowing the quiet to envelop everything.
This marked the pivotal instant.
The instant preceding combat when one's very life hung in the balance.
Yet defeat was utterly unacceptable.
Ethan positioned himself at the heart of his secluded room. A subtle ripple distorted the atmosphere nearby, caused by the lingering warmth and force from his earlier efforts.
He breathed out gradually.
For a figure of his present strength, demise seldom proved permanent. Forms could be swapped out. Essences might be rebuilt. Awareness could revive from shards preserved outside the flow of eras.
However, this scenario stood apart.
Should this duplicate perish, a far graver forfeiture would occur.
His very capacity for joy would vanish alongside it.
Ethan grasped this reality with chilling precision. Destruction of this form by a flawless Absolute Continuum entity would strip away his forever ability to experience delight. It wouldn't revive upon revival. It wouldn't recover through training.
That sense of emotion would be obliterated entirely.
The mere thought of such a void proved intolerable. This went beyond mere vessel ruin. It represented a profound disconnection from bliss on a fundamental level.
The duplicate embodied his delight and contentment.
Should it be snuffed out by an entity transcending eras and dimensions, that fragment of his essence would be wiped from the fabric of reality, resulting in a mere empty persistence.
Ethan tightened his grip.
"Yumiko," he murmured softly, his tone firm amid the immense pressure bearing upon him. "I need an ironclad getaway strategy."
He raised his eyes, gaze keen and intent.
"I won't enter this unprepared. Strength by itself won't suffice. I require an exit if disaster strikes. What do you recommend? Any ideas?"
[Master, why not use a proxy puppet?]
Ethan's brow furrowed.
His thoughts swiftly scanned myriad options. Relic items from antiquity. Essence-tied creations. Fate-connected lures. Items capable of absorbing fatal blows on his behalf.
"I've considered that," he responded. "But do you believe it could hold up against such a foe?"
It represented a timeless tactic. A method as ancient as the practice of cultivation. Elite practitioners and sorcerers depended on proxies as their ultimate safeguard. When the end loomed, another entity absorbed the fatal impact.
Yet this adversary was far from commonplace.
They confronted a flawless Absolute Continuum entity.
At such a pinnacle, the fabric of existence bent to will. Logic and outcome yielded. Chronology became a distant vista.
The awareness of such a presence could unravel the threads of destiny.
A simple effigy or essence duplicate would appear as a blatant ruse. Evident. Bordering on mockery.
Facing an entity attuned to the Absolute, trickery didn't obscure. It exposed.
He worried a proxy would shine like a flame amid utter blackness.
[You're right, master,] Yumiko answered, her inflection adjusting as she computed endless factors simultaneously.
[Still, you're overlooking a key element.]
Ethan paid close attention.
[Two flawed Absolute Continuum entities wander this region. We could draw those scoundrels into the fray.]
His gaze sharpened.
[They form the dual foundational pillars of this dual-realm framework. Though inferior to flawless Absolute Continuum entities from the neutral realm, they endure eternally in this setup. Destruction eludes them.]
Ethan fell quiet.
The notion started to take shape.
The Executioners.
The entities charged with upholding equilibrium across realms. Far from simple watchers, they served as foundational braces.
They reigned as supreme hunters in their territory. Inapproachable by nearly all. Dreaded universally.
By pulling them into the turmoil, his getaway wouldn't depend on illusion.
It would hinge on certainty.
He wouldn't evade the assault. He would reroute it.
Yumiko relayed broad outlines. Dimensional anchoring ideas. Fate-enticing devices. Harmony links that could compel reciprocal engagement.
She couldn't outline the complete strategy yet. The uncertainties around a flawless Absolute entity proved too turbulent. Too definitive.
But this provided a solid start.
Ethan could build upon it.
He could polish the details. Hone the reasoning. Transform a partial idea into a deadly backup.
"You're brilliant," Ethan whispered, a tired yet sincere grin gracing his face. "Have you always been this clever, or did this advancement sharpen you further?"
[I have no idea what you're implying, master! I've always been this clever!]
Her voice carried a hint of boastfulness. Nearly offense.
Ethan let out a soft laugh.
Even on the edge of oblivion, Yumiko stayed true to form.
"Is that the case?" he replied.
He skipped further teasing. Moments were too valuable.
He refocused on the getaway scheme, picturing it afresh. Not as a warzone, but as intertwined layers in orchestrated disorder.
He would serve as the lure.
And at the clash's peak, he would swap positions with one of the flawed pillars.
The flawless entity wouldn't target him.
It would assault the very rules of the enclosure.
Ethan extended his hand and seized the Sword of Infinity.
As his grasp closed on the handle, a ferocious rush of might surged up his limb, shredding every limitation he had imposed.
The world responded without delay.
His being ascended.
Absolute Continuum.
The shift wasn't mere amplification of force. It was a fundamental alteration.
His aura grew denser, yet strangely unburdened. He sensed himself anchored within chronology and utterly detached from it. As though he had escaped the confines of the script to enter the realm of its creator.
It proved exhilarating.
And daunting.
Still, Ethan recognized one certainty.
He remained unaware of his true might.
Beyond Absolute Continuum, the path of advancement ceased. No stages. No levels. No hierarchies.
Henceforth, strength knew no bounds.
Not in measure, but in essence.
It transcended ascension. It concerned the degree to which one could manifest the Absolute.
Absolute Continuum wasn't an enhancement.
It was a transcendence.
The divide between an illustration and the fingers guiding the brush.
Ethan realized a disturbing fact. Even attaining Infinite Erebus, a stature that would render him invincible mere days prior, he couldn't overcome this iteration of himself armed with the Sword of Infinity.
The blade acted as the trigger.
But this time, he unsheathed it not for self-assessment.
He did so to gauge the limit.
He required insight into the ultimate pinnacle before wagering it all.
Thus, he reached his choice.
He would confront the One Above All.
Prior to tackling the enigmatic invader from the neutral realm.
It was audacious. Perhaps fatal.
Yet the rationale held firm.
Should he engage the paramount overseer of the positive realm and endure, absorbing his strength, his odds against the external threat would soar.
No stages lay beyond.
And the Sword of Infinity elevated its bearer to superior combat dominion.
Thus, matching the One Above All in battle skill, then wielding the sword once more, would propel his might a tier above.
Such was the hypothesis.
Success would render all attainable.
"Yumiko," Ethan inquired, his eyes shimmering with subtle silver radiance. "Can you access every detail within this enclosure now? The strength hierarchy post-Absolute Continuum?"
[Yes, master. Following this upgrade, nothing in the enclosure evades my sight.]
Her awareness had broadened to include each particle, each notion, each ripple inside the limits.
[Yet, I can't disclose it all immediately. That would breach the enclosure's rules and notify the architects. We have to stay under the radar.]
Ethan inclined his head. Knowledge equaled might. Yet it also signaled.
"But I can share the strength hierarchy," Yumiko went on. "That's permitted."
"Then speak," Ethan urged. "Where do I rank?"
[I can't juxtapose you with others directly. That ventures into total foresight.]
Thus, he called forth the display.
Illumination bloomed in the atmosphere.
[Status Panel]
[Master: Ethan Hunt
Realm: Eternal Sovereign
Physique: 4096 Erebus
Spirit: 4096 Erebus
Talent: Infinite Comprehension
Ability: Creation of All Things
Bloodline: Infinite Bloodline
Combat Power: Grade 1 Absolute Continuum]
Ethan fixed his gaze on the closing entry.
"Grades?" he questioned. "I assumed Absolute Continuum allowed boundless progression."
[Five grades exist inside the enclosure, master. Progress past Grade 5 demands breaking the enclosure.]
Each grade formed no mere progression.
It spanned an abyss.
Countless Grade 1 entities couldn't topple one Grade 2.
Quality of being, not numbers.
Ethan sensed the burden take hold.
He ranked as Grade 1.
The base of the peak.
"What of the One Above All?" he whispered.
[Grade 1.]
"And the invader?"
[Grade 2.]
A wave of ease surged over him.
Not security.
But potential.
He could battle the One Above All, confident in his survival.
Then, after a single day, he'd match a Grade 1 Absolute Continuum's battle might, and with the sword grasped, he'd rival Grade 2, equaling the invader.
Ethan's gaze steeled.
"One Above All," he muttered. "Come to me."
He cleaved the void before him.