Sword God in a World of Magic Chapter 1032 - - Eternity

Time marched onward.

Alex revealed every detail to the Archivist.

No secrets needed to be hidden any longer.

Once the Archivist listened to the full story, comprehension dawned on him about the events.

Ultimately, the Archivist felt uncertain about his emotions.

Every Mage Emperor dreamed of escaping Aterium someday.

However, that dream stood confirmed as utterly impossible.

Thus, an end truly existed, and the Archivist had already attained it.

Even ascending to Godhood wouldn't alter a thing.

Indeed, the Archivist would gain immense power, yet everything else remained unchanged.

He would remain trapped within Aterium forevermore.

It changed nothing.

At that instant, Alex and the Archivist stood as the sole humans left in existence.

Following an extended conversation, Alex proposed Godhood to the Archivist too.

Yet, the Archivist refused.

The Archivist desired greater Mana for the world.

Should he become a God, Aterium would lack sufficient Mana for another.

Hope lingered within the Archivist.

Perhaps one day, the world might produce an unrivaled genius.

That individual could potentially breach the perpetual Destruction encircling Aterium.

However, if the Archivist ascended now, that genius couldn't follow without his death.

Clearly, the Archivist refused to perish.

This choice led him to stay as a Peak Mage Emperor.

Alex harbored a portion of the Archivist's optimism.

And so, time flowed by.

Alex and the Archivist examined the silver wall, Entropy, and the unending Destruction outside Aterium.

They discovered much knowledge.

Yet, in time, no further insights remained.

At minimum, their intellects lacked the capacity to fully grasp Entropy, Mana, and Destruction.

Eventually, concepts lost coherence, devolving into utter nonsense.

This realization struck 300,000 years following Shang's departure.

By then, humans had returned to the world through Alex and the Archivist's efforts, forging numerous distinct paths.

Beasts naturally populated the land too, surpassing humans in strength slightly.

Aterium had morphed into an entirely alien realm from its former state.

Alex and the Archivist abandoned attempts to fathom existence's core forces.

Such understanding proved unattainable.

Thereupon, Alex resolved to master every Concept within Aterium.

Confined to this realm, he chose to absorb all possible knowledge about it.

Leveraging his formidable mind, Alex required just 50,000 years to grasp all Concepts barring those of Life.

Yet, after another million years, he had mastered even them.

Nothing more awaited comprehension.

The world had endured yet another soft reset by this juncture.

Though far less total than Shang's, it qualified as an apocalypse.

Numerous mighty humans and beasts perished.

Afterward, life surged stronger once more.

One million years further on, Alex uncovered a startling truth.

Despite zero Abominations appearing since, the world's Mana quantity had still declined!

The drop measured merely 0.001%, yet it heralded existence's inevitable doom.

Alex and the Archivist naturally sought the cause and located it.

Infinitesimal specks of Entropy sporadically materialized within Aterium.

These fragments were minuscule enough to detonate instantly, unnoticed and ignored.

Over a trillion years might pass before they consumed all Mana.

Nevertheless, eradicate it they would, in due course.

This revelation further soured their spirits.

Did any hope persist at all?

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

It never ended.

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

All remained unchanged.

Nothing differed.

No additional knowledge lingered.

Alex could advance no further in power.

He perceived every particle in his world intimately, predicting events years ahead.

Eternity.

Only then did Alex gradually comprehend eternity's true nature.

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

Alex ceased active thought entirely.

He simply existed.

No subjects merited contemplation.

Alex's body and mind found no tasks.

Nothing.

He simply existed.

No purpose.

No goal.

No hope.

Nothing.

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

Another million years elapsed.

Pain gripped Alex.

Being had turned torturous.

Alex gazed endlessly at a mighty sword of his forging.

He yearned to conclude it all.

Yet, doing so would doom Aterium too.

Eternal turmoil raged within.

Alex just craved death.

But death eluded him.

Each second stretched to hours amid his torment.

He just desired an end to everything.

Please.

Please!

WHOOOOOOM!

Alex's head jerked upward abruptly.

Something unprecedented had just occurred!

Alex turned his gaze toward a remote island north of Aterium.

Deep inside a cavern buried underground, a transformation had taken place.

A fresh discovery had emerged!

An unfamiliar sight for Alex!

A golden portal of sorts!

However, right in the heart of the portal, pure emptiness reigned.

Alex identified the emptiness as Entropy, yet this version felt unlike any he had encountered before.

It exuded an eerie... mystical vibe.

Quite bizarre.

Alex vanished in an instant, materializing directly before the portal.

He remained utterly clueless about the portal's origin, its abrupt manifestation, or the cause behind it.

Alex just stared at the portal for a moment.

Next, he extended his right hand to graze its edge.

Alex's eyes flew wide with astonishment.

Impossibly solid!

He couldn't shatter it!

Remember, nothing had ever resisted Alex's power to destroy!

Still, this portal's durability eclipsed every material Alex had ever tested!

But gazing into its depths, Alex sensed a chilling presence.

Intense dread.

Sheer horror.

His whole being warned of certain death should he step through.

Every instinct screamed that no survival was possible.

Yet, this portal symbolized uncharted territory.

Perhaps Alex possessed some means to handle it?

Could it offer an escape route from Aterium?

Then, the harsh truth hit Alex.

Passing through would break his bond with Aterium, leading to its total annihilation.

Once again, Alex found himself trapped in agonizing dilemma.

The decision pitted his own slim chance against Aterium's survival.

Alex grappled fiercely.

However, before he could settle on a choice, chaos erupted.

BANG!

Terror filled Alex's eyes as the portal before him blasted sideways, as if booted by a powerful leg.

"I said, stop doing that!"

Alex gazed in rigid shock at the... thing? Some sort of silver shadow?

It appeared as a flat silver outline of a human figure.

Alex had never witnessed anything remotely similar.

"Fuck, this is getting annoying!" the silver shadow yelled in frustration.

Then, the silver shadow "swiveled" toward Alex, eyeing him intently.

In that instant, Alex felt the silver shadow devour every detail of his life and essence at once.

"Oh wow," the silver shadow commented soon after.

"You have some problems, dude."

"Dude...?" Alex echoed, stunned.

"But hey! Don't worry! I know just the guy that can help you!" the silver shadow declared cheerfully.

SHING!

Suddenly, a tiny card popped up before Alex, leaving him staring in disbelief.

"The Gravitas Mental Health Clinic?" Alex read, utterly perplexed.