THE Terror of Chains, Gal’Thûrak.
His gaze was heavy as he stared at the entity who had shockingly uttered out what looked to be a Declaration, but seed to be so much more.
More than that, they proclaid not giving permission to others utilizing The First Tongue.
For the declaration to actually stay, for it to take hold and begin affecting reality itself, what did that an regarding this being whose Depth could not be discerned?
He couldn’t be Half-Step Absolute Depth or Absolute, right?
Such beings were rare beyond asure. THE Living Spirit was Half-Step Absolute, and his presence alone had been enough to subjugate the Muspeli Lifeforms here and claim dominion over vast swathes of this primordial territory. If another being of similar caliber had arrived, Gal’Thûrak would have sensed it. The weight of such existence couldn’t be hidden.
And yet...
This entity’s Depth was unreadable. His power was masked behind sothing that Gal’Thûrak’s senses couldn’t penetrate. And the declaration he had just made was functioning, actually functioning!
Even if he was Fundantal, how was his declaration affecting Gal’Thûrak so severely? How could he command The First Tongue like so?! He didn’t even seem like a Muspeli Lifeform!
Gal’Thûrak’s seven eyes flickered toward THE Living Spirit, who remained floating near the citadel far below. At the sa ti, he sent a private ssage through channels that only those bound to THE Living Spirit’s Civilization could access.
"Sir, what shall I do here? My Way seems to be in peril as we cannot properly gauge this being. Could he be at your level?"
The ssage carried his genuine concern, his confusion, his request for guidance. He had served THE Living Spirit faithfully for eons. He had subjugated countless entities in his master’s na. He had earned the right to ask for counsel in monts of uncertainty.
...!
But THE Living Spirit did not reply.
The silence stretched for one heartbeat. Two. Three.
Gal’Thûrak’s expression beca even heavier as understanding dawned.
The Sir wanted to use him to test things out. THE Living Spirit was observing, waiting, allowing his subordinate to probe the enemy’s capabilities so that he could gauge the threat without exposing himself to unknown danger. It was a logical strategy. It was a cold strategy. It was exactly what Gal’Thûrak himself would have done in his master’s position.
But that didn’t make it any less bitter to be the one used as the probe.
Still, Gal’Thûrak had lived for long!
Eons upon eons of existence had taught him many things. Pride was useful when it served survival. Pride was a liability when it didn’t. Lesser beings, those young fools who had accumulated power without wisdom, would bellow out in rage at an enemy who had sohow made a declaration that caused them to lose access to The First Tongue. They would attack blindly, seeking to prove their superiority through force.
And they would die.
Gal’Thûrak had not survived this long by being a fool.
His chains fell silent at his sides. His seven eyes closed, one by one, until only the central eye remained open. And then, in a movent that seed to defy everything his title represented...
"It seems I have, in haste, stood against soone I did not understand."
His voice erged calm and asured, carrying none of the earlier contempt.
"For this transgression, I shall kneel in apology."
...!
And then THE Terror of Chains, THE Fundantal Depth entity whose very na had made civilizations tremble, whose chains had bound countless Ways and dragged them into servitude, whose existence had been synonymous with conquest and domination for longer than most entities had existed...
Knelt.
His massive form descended from its hovering position, obsidian-gray limbs folding beneath him as he lowered himself before Noah. His twelve horns, which had always pointed proudly toward the heavens, now angled toward the burning earth of Muspelheim. His chains pooled around him like the shed skin of a serpent, no longer weapons but re accessories.
"However," Gal’Thûrak continued, his voice still asured, "presenting my Way is a bit harder. It is intertwined with my Civilization and with those I have bound over the eons. To present it would be to unravel everything I have built. I hope this apology will suffice for the mont while we discuss terms."
...!
Silence descended upon this region of Muspelheim.
The Muspeli Lifeforms stared in disbelief, their obsidian flas flickering with confusion.
The armies of THE Living Spirit wavered in their formations. Interdiate Depth entities exchanged uncertain glances. The other Fundantal Depth spirits near the citadel shifted uncomfortably, their certainties shaken by the sight of one of their own abandoning pride so completely.
And THE Living Spirit himself...
His expression showed coldness and a trace of anger.
The massive presence that dominated this region of Muspelheim rippled with displeasure that made the air itself grow heavy. He had wanted Gal’Thûrak to engage, to probe, to reveal the stranger’s capabilities through combat. Instead, his subordinate had surrendered without a single exchange of power.
He had learned nothing new.
Noah looked at this powerful demon before him as he wholly did not expect this.
Where was the pride and arrogance that he had always co to know? Every enemy he had faced, from the lowest Beast World invader to the mightiest THE Entities, had t him with certainty in their own superiority. They had attacked first and questioned never. They had died with confusion in their eyes, never understanding how soone of lesser apparent power had overco them!
But this one...
This one had actually thought.
This one had assessed the situation, recognized the danger, and chosen survival over pride!
Were those of higher Depth so perceptive and so protective of their Ways that they actually moved with logic?
It was almost disappointing.
Almost.
|Submission Recognition Protocol|
|Through the brilliance of your Way and actions, you have caused a Fundantal Depth entity to kneel before your grandeur.|
|Entity Affected: Gal’Thûrak the Subjugator|
|Action: Voluntary submission and apology|
|Consequence: The Way and Civilization of Gal’Thûrak will never be capable of proudly standing up before you. This is not a limitation you imposed. This is a limitation he imposed upon himself by choosing to kneel. His own existence now recognizes you as superior, and that recognition cannot be undone through force alone, regardless of Depth.|
|Combined Effect Assessnt:|
|Previous Limitation: Your Thesis restricts his access to The First Tongue, reducing his capability to approximately 50%.|
|New Limitation: His voluntary submission reduces his capability to stand against you specifically by an additional factor.|
|Result: Gal’Thûrak can only express approximately 10% of his Depth and imnsity against you.|
|THE Terror of Chains has successfully terrorized himself into impotence against you.|
|Harvest Drawn: Infinite Potential has been granted for this action. Your weight continues to increase.|
...!
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