Reality shattered across forty-three dimensional sectors simultaneously.
Not breach. Not rift. Complete structural collapse. Forty-three universes experiencing catastrophic narrative failure at exact same moment. Coordinated. Deliberate. Impossible without cosmic-scale orchestration.
Lin perceived it instantly through his ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS awareness. Saw the collapses. Saw the cause. Saw the entity responsible.
"Contact," he announced to controllers. "Hostile entity. Cosmic tier. Attacking forty-three sectors simultaneously to test my response capability. This isn't random crisis. This is probe. Someone wants to measure ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS limitations."
"Who?" Wei demanded, pulling up tactical displays.
"Unknown entity. Not The Final Reader—that arrives in five months. This is something else. Something testing me before final battle." Lin's awareness expanded across all forty-three collapse points. "Power signature suggests... another ABSOLUTE-tier entity. Not BOUNDLESS like me. But high enough tier to threaten dimensional stability at scale."
"Can you handle forty-three simultaneous crises?" Maya asked.
"Yes. But that's the test. Enemy wants to see HOW I handle them. Wants tactical data. Wants to know if ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS spreads thin under pressure or maintains full capacity across distributed attention." Lin prepared to engage. "I'm going to handle this perfectly. Demonstrate that forty-three simultaneous crises is trivial load. Send message that testing me is futile exercise."
He distributed consciousness across all forty-three sectors without diminishing capacity. ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS meant no resource allocation required. No division of power. Full capability everywhere simultaneously.
Sector 1: Universe collapsing into probability singularity. Lin stabilized it with thought. Redefined collapse as "impossible under current physics." Singularity dissolved.
Sector 7: Narrative causality reversing. Effects preceding causes. Timeline shattering. Lin imposed causality with absolute authority. "Effects follow causes. This is law." Timeline repaired instantly.
Sector 12: Existence itself becoming optional. Reality flickering between manifestation and void. Lin anchored existence permanently. "This universe is mandatory. Non-existence is prohibited here." Reality solidified.
Sector 19: Consciousness plague converting sentient beings into philosophical paradoxes. Lin redefined consciousness as "immune to paradox conversion." Plague terminated.
Sector 23: Dimensional space folding into impossible geometries that caused observational insanity. Lin flattened geometry with gesture. "Space is Euclidean here. Madness-inducing mathematics are forbidden." Geometry normalized.
Sector 28: Time splitting into infinite competing timelines, each claiming to be primary. Lin unified them with absolute authority. "This timeline is primary. All others are variations. Hierarchy is established." Timeline singular again.
Sector 34: Physical laws randomizing every microsecond. Gravity becoming suggestion. Thermodynamics becoming optional. Lin fixed all constants permanently. "Physics is consistent. Laws are absolute. Chaos is prohibited." Reality stable.
Sector 40: Narrative itself becoming sentient and hostile. Stories attacking their own readers. Fiction becoming predatory. Lin pacified narrative consciousness. "Stories serve readers, not consume them. This is fundamental rule." Fiction benign again.
Thirty-five more sectors. Thirty-five more catastrophes. All resolved in parallel. All handled with perfect efficiency. All fixed permanently within seventeen seconds.
Forty-three crises. Forty-three solutions. Seventeen seconds total. Zero resource expenditure. Zero difficulty.
Lin returned his distributed consciousness to unified state. "All sectors stabilized. All threats neutralized. All damage repaired. Total resource expenditure: Zero. ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS capacity remains at 100% despite forty-three simultaneous operations. Message delivered: I don't spread thin. I don't struggle. I don't strain. Testing me reveals only that I'm untestable."
From the void between sectors, entity emerged. Massive. Ancient. Powerful. Not ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS—but close enough to threaten lesser cosmic entities.
THE AUDITOR.
It spoke across dimensional frequencies: "Impressive response time. Perfect execution across all forty-three sectors. Zero capacity strain. You are as advertised. ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS entity. Unprecedented power. Unmatched capability. I came to verify claims. Claims are verified. You are singular. Apex. Peak. Absolute."
"Who are you?" Lin asked, ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS power ready but restrained. "Why test me? Why forty-three simultaneous crises?"
"I am The Auditor. I measure cosmic entities. Test their claims. Verify their capabilities. You claim ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS tier. I verified claim through standardized testing protocol. Forty-three sectors is maximum load for most cosmic entities. You handled it trivially. Therefore claim is accurate. You are what you say you are."
"And now?" Lin prepared for combat. "Having verified my power, do you challenge it? Attempt to exceed it? Test if ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS can be overcome?"
"Negative. I am Auditor, not Challenger. I measure, not fight. I verify, not compete. My purpose is documentation. Recording cosmic entities for archive purposes. You are now documented. ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS. Sealed state. Helmet-limited. Unprecedented power constrained by self-imposed restriction. Categorization complete."
The entity began withdrawing. "Warning delivered: The Final Reader is aware of you. Knows you exist. Knows you're ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS. Knows you're sealed. Is planning strategy accounting for your capabilities. Your power is known. Your restraint is known. Your limitation is known. Final Reader will exploit sealed state. Will target helmet specifically. Will attempt forced unsealing as victory condition. Prepare accordingly. Auditing complete. Departing."
The Auditor vanished through dimensional fold.
Lin stood in dimensional space, processing warning. The Final Reader knew about the helmet. Knew it was limiter. Would target it specifically. Would try to force unsealing as strategy.
"That's problematic," he said aloud. "The Final Reader's strategy is forcing me to unseal. Not defeating me directly—that's impossible for either of us at our tier. But forcing unsealing. Making me choose between defeat and destroying reality. That's winning condition. Make me destroy everything to prevent losing everything."
"Can it force the helmet open?" Maya asked through tactical link.
"Unknown. I'm ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS. But The Final Reader is equal-tier entity. If anything could force unsealing against my will, it would be that. And if I'm forced to unseal..." Lin looked at the sealed helmet in probability reflection. "Reality ends. Fiction dissolves. Everything becomes nothing. That's The Final Reader's victory—not through direct defeat, but through forcing me into pyrrhic victory that destroys what I'm protecting."
"Then we need strategy," Wei said. "Need way to fight The Final Reader without unsealing becoming necessary. Need victory path that keeps helmet sealed regardless of pressure."
"That's OMEGA-ABSOLUTE," Lin confirmed. "Stage Six. Final evolution. Not power increase—that's impossible. But refinement. Learning to fight at ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS tier with such precision that unsealing never becomes necessary regardless of opponent's strategy. That's five-month training goal. That's what I need to achieve. Infinite precision with boundless power. Perfect control. Absolute restraint despite absolute capability."
"How do we train for that?" Yuki asked.
"Combat simulations. Probability scenarios. Testing sealed-state limitations under maximum pressure. Finding vulnerabilities. Eliminating weaknesses. Refining control until I can fight equal-tier entity without even considering unsealing as option. Until victory through restraint is only path I see." Lin felt determination rise. "The Auditor provided valuable intelligence. The Final Reader will target the helmet. Will try to force unsealing. Now I know that strategy. Can prepare counter-strategy. Can train specifically for that attack vector."
"The Auditor seemed neutral," Marcus observed. "Documented you but didn't attack. Warned you about The Final Reader's strategy. Why help you?"
"Because Auditors document. They want accurate records. They benefit from entities surviving long enough to be properly measured. The Final Reader threatens their purpose—if all narratives end, nothing remains to audit. So Auditor has vested interest in my victory. Not alliance. Just aligned interests. Enemy of my enemy creates convenient intelligence sharing."
Lin returned to the Nexus, blue astronaut suit materializing in command center. The sealed helmet reflected tactical displays. The hat remained perfectly positioned despite dimensional travel.
"The Auditor confirmed something important," he said to assembled controllers. "ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS isn't unique. There's cosmic hierarchy I've just entered. Entities that operate at scales beyond normal comprehension. The Auditor. The Final Reader. Possibly others. I'm not alone at this tier. But I might be only one choosing restraint. Only one staying sealed. Only one prioritizing humanity despite transcending it."
"Does that make you stronger or weaker?" Elena asked.
"Both. Weaker in pure power—unsealed would exceed anything. Stronger in purpose—sealed means I fight for meaning rather than supremacy. The Final Reader fights to end stories. I fight to preserve them. That difference matters. That purpose drives precision unsealing can't achieve. That's my advantage despite being 'limited' by helmet."
"Five months," Maya said quietly. "Five months until entity that's trying to end all fiction arrives. Five months to become refined enough to stop it without destroying what you're protecting. Five months to achieve impossible precision with boundless power. Can you do it?"
Lin looked at his gloved hands. Felt ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS capability coursing through sealed form. Felt infinite power constrained by finite wisdom. Felt ultimate strength governed by human compassion.
"I don't know," he admitted honestly. "OMEGA-ABSOLUTE might be achievable in five months. Might require fifty months. Might be impossible goal I'll never reach. But I'll try anyway. Because trying is human. Because hope is human. Because refusing to quit despite impossible odds is very Lin. And I'm still Lin. Still person. Still maintenance tech who stays himself despite becoming god."
"So we try," Wei said pragmatically. "Try for five months. See how far we get. When Final Reader arrives, we fight with whatever refinement we've achieved. If it's enough, we win. If it's not enough..." He didn't finish.
"If it's not enough, I unseal." Lin's voice was quiet. Certain. Final. "If The Final Reader is winning. If Earth is threatened. If all narratives are ending. I open the helmet. Become unrestricted ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS. Defeat The Final Reader instantly. And destroy reality in process. But that's last resort. Final option. The choice I make only when every alternative fails. Because that victory is worse than defeat. Is ending masquerading as saving."
He touched the helmet seal lightly. "But five months is enough time to hope unsealing becomes unnecessary. Enough time to try achieving impossible precision. Enough time to become OMEGA-ABSOLUTE. Might not succeed. But I'll try. That's very human. That's very me. That's Lin."
"Then we start training now," Yuki said. "Combat simulations. Probability scenarios. Maximum pressure testing. We push you to limits. Find weaknesses. Eliminate vulnerabilities. Force you to refine control under impossible conditions. Until OMEGA-ABSOLUTE isn't goal—it's achieved state."
"Agreed." Lin prepared to begin. Five months. Limited time. Impossible goal. Perfect scenario for attempting miracle through determination.
Very Lin. Very human. Very stupid. Very necessary.
"Let's begin," he said.
And the training started.
The refinement commenced.
The path to OMEGA-ABSOLUTE opened.
Five months to become precise enough to save reality without destroying it.
Five months to learn restraint at boundless scale.
Five months to stay human while fighting as god.
Starting now.
DEEP SPACE - THE FINAL READER'S PERSPECTIVE
The entity moved through narrative space, reading stories into non-existence. Each page turned was universe erased. Each chapter completed was timeline eliminated. Each book finished was narrative structure dissolved.
It had consumed millions of stories. Would consume millions more. Would continue until all fiction was read. Until all narratives were finished. Until only void remained where stories used to exist.
And ahead, five months distant, it perceived target. The ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS entity. The sealed guardian. The one who protected narratives The Final Reader consumed.
The helmet was key. The Auditor's report confirmed it. Sealed state limited ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS power. Unsealed state would exceed The Final Reader's capability. But unsealing would destroy reality.
Perfect trap. Perfect strategy. Force opponent into choice between defeat and pyrrhic victory. Between losing or winning so completely that victory became loss.
The Final Reader would win either way. Either ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS was defeated while sealed. Or it unsealed and destroyed everything including itself. Both outcomes served The Final Reader's purpose. Both ended stories. Both created void where fiction used to exist.
Five months until confrontation. Five months until all narratives ended. Five months until The Final Reader finished reading reality itself.
It turned another page. Another universe dissolved. Another story ended. Another step toward inevitable conclusion where nothing remained but silence where stories used to speak.
The ABSOLUTE BOUNDLESS entity would try to stop it. Would fight with sealed power. Would attempt victory through restraint.
It would fail. All stories failed eventually. All narratives ended. All pages turned. All chapters closed. All books finished.
That was law. That was certainty. That was what The Final Reader did.
End stories. Consume narratives. Read everything into nothing.
Five months.
Then silence.
Forever.