Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 173: Interlude: Transcendence of Humanity, Part Three

Sirius exhaled after finishing the destroyer, looking upon the results of the release of lightning—

Across the region of the cosmos, the black landscape was scarred with snow-white bolts.

"—We did it," Sirius breathed out, looking ahead.

["Burned into the flesh of the universe forevermore was the mark of not just Sirius, but those that had lived on the world that no longer stood."]

With his last purpose achieved, there was nothing left for the man to do. There was no world left for him, nobody to connect with, simply a vast, empty galaxy looking back at him.

As he floated in the cosmos with nothing left, Sirius began to close his eyes with the intent of resting for millennia, yet—

A light pushed against his eyes before they could sleep. He parted his eyelids, replaceing the radiance to come from a peculiar existence that had spawned before him.

A white doorway emerged in the void in front of him, welcoming him in.

'Guess I'm being invited…? Where?' Sirius questioned.

With nothing left to do, he decided there was no harm in seeing where the enigmatic doorway led. He stepped on the bare cosmos, crossing the threshold into the unknown.

What awaited for the man who had transcended the boundaries of reality was something that caught him off guard—

"Ah?" Sirius let out.

What sat through the universal doorway was an unassuming, well-furnished home. It brought him to pause for a moment from the jarring shift, looking around at the peculiar interior.

The room was occupied by cushioned seats, set atop a fluffy rug sat in front of a warm fireplace.

'It's a home…? What's going on here?' Sirius questioned.

It was all quite odd, questioning how he found himself stranded in the boundless cosmos in the quiet, comfy home.

"Take a seat."

The voice caught him off guard; it was that of an older gentleman, calm and sophisticated, though with a strong undertone.

Sirius looked to his left, replaceing that somebody was sitting in the chair closest to the fireplace. A middle-aged man, bearded man sat there, looking at the guest. Without needing to ask, Sirius already knew just who he was looking at–it was a gut feeling, though the sort he was absolutely sure of.

"You're the Creator, aren't you? The one responsible for all of this mess–it's you," Sirius accused, looking at the stranger.

The accusation that came out as something undeniable, unable to be rejected, from the lips of the guest brought the bearded man by the fireplace to calmly respond–

"I am who you believe me to be, yes. How does that make you feel? I'm sure there's a lot of things you wish to ask me," the simple-in-appearance Creator admitted.

Having his suspicions confirmed, a range of emotions played through Sirius, manifested through electricity at his fingertips.

"Why'd you do it? You're all-powerful, right? Why'd you send the Apocalypse to my world—what reason was there to doom millions?" Sirius asked with anger lacing his words.

The Creator sat there with an unmoved expression, unflinching to the threat of lightning as the flames in the fireplace crackled.

"You first need to consider it from a new view. The power you've obtained now—it's why you were able to see that doorway. You've transcended. In that, do you still believe life to be that precious?" The Creator asked.

"What kind of question is that—? Of course I do! It's the only meaningful thing there is in existence!" Sirius answered.

With his response, he swept his hand, lashing out with lightning that scattered through the once calm, comforting room. As he cast his contempt forth, the environment around him peeled away as though it was nothing more than a plastic curtain.

"Of course," Sirius muttered.

As the walls burned away, what was revealed was a void of white, filled with translucent shapes that loosely resembled the architecture of a grandiose building. It was far from anything "human"--completely foreign to anything built off of emotion or the unison of others.

What it was amounted to the handiwork of an all-powerful entity, uncaring for the work put into building structures.

"This is your real form then, is it?" Sirius questioned.

Looking up ahead of him, what he found was a far cry from the appearance of the simple, bearded man previously. Instead, he stared at a towering figure that was roughly humanoid, possessing dozens of ivory arms with a body decorated in pale robes.

Even the face he looked at was nothing human, more like a carving made out of brilliant diamonds in the shape of a cross between a man and woman's faces, dazzling with light.

"I had hoped creating an environment and appearance familiar to you would allow us to build rapport. I see now that I was mistaken in that judgment," the Creator spoke.

Though the voice was loud enough to fill the transparent space, it didn't disrupt the ears of the man, instead instilling a tranquil feeling like that of a nighttime melody. Yet, Sirius kept his contempt close to his heart when confronting the all-powerful being.

"Something like you…There's no way I can believe humanity was your creation. There's no emotion in your voice–it's completely empty," Sirius accused the pinnacle entity.

A moment of silence followed before the many-armed Creator responded to the observation from the guest, "You are correct in your assessment. The core of humanity–the "Soul", as you might call it, is not a concept of my intention."

"It's not–? You're supposed to be the all-knowing, all-powerful god of all of this, aren't you? You're telling me something like that wasn't your doing?" Sirius questioned.

With the motions of its countless arms, the diamond-headed being conjured a look into the cosmos, bringing the light of miniature stars and planets into view, displaying it all to Sirius.

"I possess complete authority over creation, that is true. However, I am not all-knowing. I have spent many cycles of the universe observing, learning. That is…I am still unsure of how the "Soul" was developed–this is something I did not observe," the Creator admitted, holding a vibrant, white object in the palm of one of its hands. "Perhaps, this is the work of one that came before me. Continue reading on m|v-l'e -NovelFire.net

A greater being? Somebody in a reality higher than our own? I yearn to discover the truth behind this unforeseen concept."

"I don't care about that. None of it matters to me—you took away everything that mattered!" Sirius admonished the being.

"You still…feel attachment to those that are gone? Even in your current state that you've ascended to?" The Creator asked with genuine curiosity.

Hearing the question come from the almighty figure, Sirius felt himself conversing with something far, far from humanity. It was clear to him that this being truly didn't have any hand in what humanity had become.

'Maybe that's why it ended up like this…The way humanity has developed, what it's become…Maybe it's become fearful of that unknown,' Sirius considered.

After some thought, he gave his response as the lightning surging through his body had no choice but to coil around his arms, "As I am now, it's harder to see the smaller things. That doesn't mean I've stopped caring though–it doesn't mean my rage is forgotten. My love for my world isn't so shallow that a bit of power would strip that all away."

"I understand now. One empowered by the human soul will not tarnish it, even when transcending the mortal coil. I have no such foundation…From before existence took form, I sprouted from the First Cell.

In that great void, I melded with existence itself, integrating with it and becoming its host and weaver," the Creator explained, using its many hands to conjure a view into the plain, vast void that existed before the universe.

"…You haven't answered me. Why did you do it? These Apocalypses sent to worlds of humans—why did you send them?" Sirius demanded an answer.

In that pale palace of translucent structures, the Creator's mechanical limbs clicked as its hollow eyes watched the guest with no emotion behind them.

"You are an example of why I've committed to this Grand Experiment," the Creator claimed.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"Being brought to the limit, pushed into the brinks of the most depraved situations…I've observed that's when the soul thrives and begins to evolve. In an age of calamity, the adaptations of the soul are truly boundless, perhaps endless–you are one such result," the Creator explained without a touch of emotion in their voice.

The answer from the divine entity only served to ignite something within Sirius as he stood there silently for a moment, settling in what he had heard.

"Experiment…? Result…? You brought the end of millions of lives just to serve your curiosity?" Sirius accused.

The Creator clarified, "--You make it sound like something so heinous. Each life is my own creation. What I'm doing is no different than a child pushing around sand to see what shapes can be made. It is of no consequence."