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Chapter 590: The Rage of the Editorial Department
Somewhere in the Multiverse, in the sealed-off Editorial Department.
Numerous people, identical in appearance but varying in build, all stopped what they were doing at the same time and looked up in shock.
A colossal beam of light pierced through the Fourth Wall, shining directly into the hidden Editorial Department and causing the entire place to tremble.
"What's going on?!"
All the editors and authors stared wide-eyed, watching the scene in disbelief.
"This beam of light... why does it feel..."
"This isn't 'light' at all! It's a materialized law!"
An editor with a tall, slender build shot to his feet, his narrow eyes revealing an immense and vicious aura.
"Editor-in-Chief, what should we do?" someone asked hesitantly.
With a ferocious gaze and a savage expression, the Editor-in-Chief viciously snapped the pen in his hand and slammed his palm down on the documents on the desk before him.
"I want to know what the hell is going on! Logically, nothing in the Multiverse should escape our notice. But where did this Singular God come from, and why were we completely unaware of it?"
The Editor-in-Chief's face twisted, his expression terrifyingly grim. He roared, "Why?! We were just about to uncover the secret of Singularity, so why the hell has someone ascended a step ahead of us?!"
The Editor-in-Chief stared murderously at everyone, his eyes filled with immense killing intent.
The plump Number Ninety-Nine pushed up his glasses with trembling hands, quietly lowering his head. His whole body shook as large beads of sweat rolled down his face.
It seemed the only action related to Singularity was taken by Number One... The Editor-in-Chief knew this too, but he only knew that Slim had gone off to die; he was unaware of the inside story.
Without a doubt, everyone here had become nothing more than a backdrop for that unknown entity.
*I hope it's just a coincidence, please don't let it be what I'm thinking...*
Number Ninety-Nine trembled, curled up into a ball in his large chair.
"All of you, get moving! Go and search! Pull out all the old documents—comics, novels, animations, movies—find every single one of them!! Don't miss a single frame or a single panel! That person must be hidden in some panel somewhere, and we've just been ignoring him all this time!!! I want to know who he is!!!"
The enraged Editor-in-Chief flipped his desk over like a mad bull.
Everyone in the Editorial Department sprang into action immediately. All past creations were unearthed, and a crowd of people used magnifying glasses, determined not to miss even a single ant.
The Editor-in-Chief believed they must have missed something, treating some important figure as a mere background character or a bit player. Otherwise, there was no way to explain what had just happened.
In the past, the Editorial Department had always watched the changes in the Multiverse with the cold detachment of a god's-eye view. They were cautious with the avatars of the Singular Gods and the pawns left behind by the even more numerous quasi-singular gods, not even daring to create a butterfly effect.
But to the beings of the Multiverse, they were creator gods. They could create a living being and then watch it grow, age, and die...
Every editor in the Editorial Department could do this. While it was miraculous, it wasn't, frankly, hard to understand.
Think about the Fifth Dimension. That guy Mr. Mxyzptlk is just an ordinary resident of the Fifth Dimension, and he could destroy the Multiverse with a fart. Compared to him, what was the big deal about the Editorial Department?
They could easily be seen as a second "Fifth Dimension."
The Editor-in-Chief's face was grim and twisted, filled with immense coldness and anguish.
He refused to believe that the opportunity they had searched so hard for, their long observation of the Multiverse, had ultimately yielded nothing.
This group of people didn't even know who the ascending person was.
It came back to the same point: there were many ways to ascend to Singularity, but each method could only ever be used once, because it was "singular"!
If the same method of ascension could be used multiple times, then how the hell could a Singular God still be called a Singular God?
Moreover, each method required exhausting the entire Multiverse and the entire Sphere of the Gods just to grasp a single thread from among the endless worlds, endless dimensions, infinitely long and numerous timelines, and countless types of power.
Singular Gods were rare, but quasi-singular beings were numerous. They desperately sought the secrets of ascension, wanting to transform into a singular lifeform as soon as possible, otherwise the opportunities would only dwindle.
No one knew if the method being used by the person currently ascending was the very last one.
No wonder countless gods would go mad.
The Editor-in-Chief clutched his head in agony, letting out a suppressed roar.
Everyone else in the Editorial Department searched cautiously, drenched in sweat, trying to find the key character they had overlooked.
They were convinced that this person must be someone of supreme intellect and incredible cunning; otherwise, there was no explaining how they, who presided over the Editorial Department, knew nothing about him.
Something had forced them to deliberately ignore him.
The vast Editorial Department was filled with the rustling sound of pages.
"Universe XXX, major event... standout character is Tony, he defeated an Infinity-wielding Thanos."
"Universe number..."
"Prime Universe, a rising star, Tony. Nothing special. He defeated Steppenwolf, Trigon, Doomsday, Dormammu, and killed Mephisto... There are people like this all over the Multiverse."
Then, the voice abruptly cut off. Everyone looked up, their eyes wide as they stared at each other.
The Editor-in-Chief kicked Number Ninety-Nine to the ground and snatched the comic. On it, Tony's past deeds were clearly depicted. Every panel was thrilling, a true miracle of a great figure's powerful rise.
"Th-th-this..."
The Editor-in-Chief clutched the comic manuscript, his expression completely contorted. "Why? Why have I never known about this person?!!!"
"I don't know, I don't know either! I've looked through this many times, but I never once thought I should pay attention to this person! Only this time!!"
Number Ninety-Nine let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered, his face filled with terror.
"You useless piece of trash!!"
The Editor-in-Chief roared, kicking Number Ninety-Nine in the face. The tremendous force sent the plump Number Ninety-Nine flying several meters.
An immense sense of unease welled up in his heart. The Editor-in-Chief's eyes burned with rage as he tremblingly scanned the comic, feeling as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
He felt like a fool. He had thought he was hiding behind the Fourth Wall, spying on everything, but in reality, he had been seen through long ago.
And the other party possessed a special ability to hide from the Editorial Department and block its perception.
"How did he do it? The Plot Gem? The Heart of the Universe? Or did the Fifth-Dimensional King get tired of living and help him personally? Or was it something else?!" The Editor-in-Chief squeezed out the words one by one, mad with hatred.
After a long time, his suppressed rage slowly subsided a little. The Editor-in-Chief turned his head and looked at the massive beam of light that was spreading towards them, saying nothing.
Then, the comic was thrown to the floor. The Editor-in-Chief's expression returned to one of cold indifference. He grabbed his cape, draped it over his shoulders, and gathered everyone in the Editorial Department.
"There's no other way. Although we can't know the state of the battle there for now, it's absolutely impossible for me to admit defeat!"
The Editor-in-Chief gritted his teeth, looked at everyone, and growled, "I will intervene personally. I can't wait any longer. To admit defeat just like this—I will never accept it!"
"All of you, make full preparations. If anything changes, immediately follow the plan I've left for you!"
"As for me, I will act in the name of the Prime Monitor—Mandrakk!"
(end of chapter)
Somewhere in the Multiverse, in the sealed-off Editorial Department.
Numerous people, identical in appearance but varying in build, all stopped what they were doing at the same time and looked up in shock.
A colossal beam of light pierced through the Fourth Wall, shining directly into the hidden Editorial Department and causing the entire place to tremble.
"What's going on?!"
All the editors and authors stared wide-eyed, watching the scene in disbelief.
"This beam of light... why does it feel..."
"This isn't 'light' at all! It's a materialized law!"
An editor with a tall, slender build shot to his feet, his narrow eyes revealing an immense and vicious aura.
"Editor-in-Chief, what should we do?" someone asked hesitantly.
With a ferocious gaze and a savage expression, the Editor-in-Chief viciously snapped the pen in his hand and slammed his palm down on the documents on the desk before him.
"I want to know what the hell is going on! Logically, nothing in the Multiverse should escape our notice. But where did this Singular God come from, and why were we completely unaware of it?"
The Editor-in-Chief's face twisted, his expression terrifyingly grim. He roared, "Why?! We were just about to uncover the secret of Singularity, so why the hell has someone ascended a step ahead of us?!"
The Editor-in-Chief stared murderously at everyone, his eyes filled with immense killing intent.
The plump Number Ninety-Nine pushed up his glasses with trembling hands, quietly lowering his head. His whole body shook as large beads of sweat rolled down his face.
It seemed the only action related to Singularity was taken by Number One... The Editor-in-Chief knew this too, but he only knew that Slim had gone off to die; he was unaware of the inside story.
Without a doubt, everyone here had become nothing more than a backdrop for that unknown entity.
*I hope it's just a coincidence, please don't let it be what I'm thinking...*
Number Ninety-Nine trembled, curled up into a ball in his large chair.
"All of you, get moving! Go and search! Pull out all the old documents—comics, novels, animations, movies—find every single one of them!! Don't miss a single frame or a single panel! That person must be hidden in some panel somewhere, and we've just been ignoring him all this time!!! I want to know who he is!!!"
The enraged Editor-in-Chief flipped his desk over like a mad bull.
Everyone in the Editorial Department sprang into action immediately. All past creations were unearthed, and a crowd of people used magnifying glasses, determined not to miss even a single ant.
The Editor-in-Chief believed they must have missed something, treating some important figure as a mere background character or a bit player. Otherwise, there was no way to explain what had just happened.
In the past, the Editorial Department had always watched the changes in the Multiverse with the cold detachment of a god's-eye view. They were cautious with the avatars of the Singular Gods and the pawns left behind by the even more numerous quasi-singular gods, not even daring to create a butterfly effect.
But to the beings of the Multiverse, they were creator gods. They could create a living being and then watch it grow, age, and die...
Every editor in the Editorial Department could do this. While it was miraculous, it wasn't, frankly, hard to understand.
Think about the Fifth Dimension. That guy Mr. Mxyzptlk is just an ordinary resident of the Fifth Dimension, and he could destroy the Multiverse with a fart. Compared to him, what was the big deal about the Editorial Department?
They could easily be seen as a second "Fifth Dimension."
The Editor-in-Chief's face was grim and twisted, filled with immense coldness and anguish.
He refused to believe that the opportunity they had searched so hard for, their long observation of the Multiverse, had ultimately yielded nothing.
This group of people didn't even know who the ascending person was.
It came back to the same point: there were many ways to ascend to Singularity, but each method could only ever be used once, because it was "singular"!
If the same method of ascension could be used multiple times, then how the hell could a Singular God still be called a Singular God?
Moreover, each method required exhausting the entire Multiverse and the entire Sphere of the Gods just to grasp a single thread from among the endless worlds, endless dimensions, infinitely long and numerous timelines, and countless types of power.
Singular Gods were rare, but quasi-singular beings were numerous. They desperately sought the secrets of ascension, wanting to transform into a singular lifeform as soon as possible, otherwise the opportunities would only dwindle.
No one knew if the method being used by the person currently ascending was the very last one.
No wonder countless gods would go mad.
The Editor-in-Chief clutched his head in agony, letting out a suppressed roar.
Everyone else in the Editorial Department searched cautiously, drenched in sweat, trying to find the key character they had overlooked.
They were convinced that this person must be someone of supreme intellect and incredible cunning; otherwise, there was no explaining how they, who presided over the Editorial Department, knew nothing about him.
Something had forced them to deliberately ignore him.
The vast Editorial Department was filled with the rustling sound of pages.
"Universe XXX, major event... standout character is Tony, he defeated an Infinity-wielding Thanos."
"Universe number..."
"Prime Universe, a rising star, Tony. Nothing special. He defeated Steppenwolf, Trigon, Doomsday, Dormammu, and killed Mephisto... There are people like this all over the Multiverse."
Then, the voice abruptly cut off. Everyone looked up, their eyes wide as they stared at each other.
The Editor-in-Chief kicked Number Ninety-Nine to the ground and snatched the comic. On it, Tony's past deeds were clearly depicted. Every panel was thrilling, a true miracle of a great figure's powerful rise.
"Th-th-this..."
The Editor-in-Chief clutched the comic manuscript, his expression completely contorted. "Why? Why have I never known about this person?!!!"
"I don't know, I don't know either! I've looked through this many times, but I never once thought I should pay attention to this person! Only this time!!"
Number Ninety-Nine let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered, his face filled with terror.
"You useless piece of trash!!"
The Editor-in-Chief roared, kicking Number Ninety-Nine in the face. The tremendous force sent the plump Number Ninety-Nine flying several meters.
An immense sense of unease welled up in his heart. The Editor-in-Chief's eyes burned with rage as he tremblingly scanned the comic, feeling as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
He felt like a fool. He had thought he was hiding behind the Fourth Wall, spying on everything, but in reality, he had been seen through long ago.
And the other party possessed a special ability to hide from the Editorial Department and block its perception.
"How did he do it? The Plot Gem? The Heart of the Universe? Or did the Fifth-Dimensional King get tired of living and help him personally? Or was it something else?!" The Editor-in-Chief squeezed out the words one by one, mad with hatred.
After a long time, his suppressed rage slowly subsided a little. The Editor-in-Chief turned his head and looked at the massive beam of light that was spreading towards them, saying nothing.
Then, the comic was thrown to the floor. The Editor-in-Chief's expression returned to one of cold indifference. He grabbed his cape, draped it over his shoulders, and gathered everyone in the Editorial Department.
"There's no other way. Although we can't know the state of the battle there for now, it's absolutely impossible for me to admit defeat!"
The Editor-in-Chief gritted his teeth, looked at everyone, and growled, "I will intervene personally. I can't wait any longer. To admit defeat just like this—I will never accept it!"
"All of you, make full preparations. If anything changes, immediately follow the plan I've left for you!"
"As for me, I will act in the name of the Prime Monitor—Mandrakk!"
(end of chapter)
