Chapter 4327: A Glorious Protocol! II The first one displayed in his mind was what he had already forged before, but it was still a critical piece of his Codex! |[Mana Arcana Glyph: Annihilation’s First Spark]| |School: Mana (Primordial)| |Rarity: Primordial| |Description: ’From the smallest spark, the greatest inferno is born.’ This Arcana summons a [Primordial Mana-Flame Wyrm], a being of pure, conceptual fire forged from your own, infinite essence. The Wyrm unleashes a single, guided torrent of annihilating azure flame.| |Cost: 1 Unit of [Everythings of Mana].| |Requirements to Cast: Must be the Architect of Mana.| |Effect: Due to its rarity, it deals 1.5 Quintillion in pure, untyped Mana-based damage that ignores all known resistances and authorities. The attack is conceptually ’true’ and cannot be dodged. Its capabilities will advance and scale upwards as you progress.| |Cooldown: 1 Second.| The illusory image of the first card moved to the side, and a new one floated into view. On its surface was a glorious, azure-furred beast, a Mellivora benfieldi, an ancient honey badger, its eyes blazing with a defiant, almost comical, indifference. |[Mana Arcana Glyph: The Indomitable Will]| |School: Mana (Primordial)| |Rarity: Primordial| |Description: ’Existence is a relentless, brutal assault. This Arcana simply... does not care.’ Summons the conceptual form of an Ancient Honey Badger, a being whose very nature is a defiant rejection of all external influence. The Badger floats above the caster, a silent, furry guardian of pure, unadulterated stubbornness.| |Cost: 1 Unit of [Everythings of Mana].| |Requirements to Cast: Must be the Architect of Mana.| |Effect: For one minute, you are protected by a [Badger’s Barrier of Mana], a shield capable of absorbing up to 1.5 Quintillion in damage from any source. As they say... a honey badger does not give a damn.| |Cooldown: 1 Second.| Noah’s mind buzzed as he looked at its full details. He nodded once. "Let’s see the next ones." The presentation continued, a pageant of impossible, beautiful, and utterly broken tools of war. |[Mana Arcana Glyph: The Unshakeable Mountain]| |School: Mana (Primordial)| |Rarity: Primordial| |Description: ’The storm rages, the winds howl, but the mountain remains.’ This Arcana summons not a creature, but a concept: a spectral, azure mountain range that surrounds the caster, a fortress of pure, unyielding stability.| |Cost: 1 Unit of [Everythings of Mana].| |Requirements to Cast: Must be the Architect of Mana.| |Effect: Grants the [Mountain’s Heart] aura for one minute. All incoming attacks are reduced by 1 Quintillion in power. This is a flat reduction, not a percentage. Small attacks are simply... negated.| |Cooldown: 1 Second.| |[Mana Arcana Glyph: The Tyrant’s Maw]| |School: Mana (Primordial)| |Rarity: Primordial| |Description: ’The ocean is not just water; it is a mouth.’ Summons the conceptual ghost of a Megalodon, its form a shimmering, azure vortex of pure, predatory hunger.| |Cost: 1 Unit of [Everythings of Mana].| |Requirements to Cast: Must be the Architect of Mana.| |Effect: For one minute, all of your attacks deal 50% more damage. This is a conceptual amplification; your very intent to harm is made more potent.| |Cooldown: 1 Second.| |[Mana Arcana Glyph: The Saber’s Edge]| |School: Mana (Primordial)| |Rarity: Primordial| |Description: ’There is no defense against a perfect cut.’ Summons the ephemeral spirit of a Smilodon, its azure fangs long, sharp, and impossibly, conceptually, true.| |Cost: 1 Unit of [Everythings of Mana].| |Requirements to Cast: Must be the Architect of Mana.| |Effect: For one minute, all of your attacks gain a base damage of 1 Quintillion. This damage is applied before all other multipliers and ignores all resistances.| |Cooldown: 1 Second.| |[Mana Arcana Glyph: The Unbreakable Shell]| |School: Mana (Primordial)| |Rarity: Primordial| |Description: ’The best offense is an impenetrable defense.’ Summons the spectral carapace of an ancient Ankylosaurus, a living fortress of azure, crystalline plates.| |Cost: 1 Unit of [Everythings of Mana].| |Requirements to Cast: Must be the Architect of Mana.| |Effect: For one minute, all incoming damage is reduced by 25%.| |Cooldown: 1 Second.| |[Mana Arcana Glyph: The Unbound Moment]| |School: Mana (Primordial)| |Rarity: Primordial| |Description: ’Time is a river. This Arcana is a dam.’ Summons a glorious, spectral Wheel of Existence, its azure form spinning with the light of a billion frozen moments.| |Cost: 1 Unit of [Everythings of Mana].| |Requirements to Cast: Must be the Architect of Mana.| |Effect: For one minute, all of your abilities, including your Mana Arcana Glyphs, have no cooldown.| |Cooldown: 1 Second.| ..! Noah looked at the glorious, terrible arsenal that had been laid out before him in the quiet of his own mind. A one-second cooldown. He could, theoretically, have them all active at once. He could become a walking, talking, and utterly unbreakable apocalypse! And he even went further to give a big middle finger to cooldowns with another terrifying Arcana! Oh! "Okay," he said, his voice a quiet, satisfied hum. "The Codex is coming along nicely. Let us go and show others what the Way of Mana truly means, okay?" — Being overpowered. Many...misunderstand the very idea of this concept itself! It’s like the difference between imagining being rich (yacht parties and endless vacation) versus actually being rich (mostly tax documents and people asking for money). Most believe being overpowered means winning every fight, solving every problem with a gesture, having Existence bend to your whims. They imagine it as freedom from consequence, the ultimate power fantasy where you’re basically playing life with cheat codes enabled. This...was a fundamental misunderstanding of the burden of being overpowered! Some say that truly overpowered beings understand something the power-seekers don’t: strength isn’t freedom- it’s prison. The stronger you become, the smaller your world gets. Every increase in power is a decrease in things that can matter to you. This is why truly overpowered beings often become either utterly detached or desperately attached to tiny, trivial things. THE Creature playing with Early Creatures and Fold Dwellers like pets. THE Living Paradox obsessing over THE Creature! Some overpowered beings cling to whatever can still provide meaning in an existence that has become tissue paper to their touch. What it truly means to be overpowered is to be disconnected from the very fabric of existence you sought to master. It was winning so thoroughly that there’s no game left to play. It’s being so strong that strength itself...becomes meaningless. Some believe that those who are genuinely overpowered don’t seek more power. They seek limitations, weaknesses, something...anything, that can make them feel connected to existence again. The goal of becoming overpowered is to never have to struggle again. But struggle...is what gives existence meaning. So when someone says they want to be overpowered, what they really mean is they want to be just powerful enough to overcome their current problems. Actually being overpowered? Well...this was hard to conceptualize!