"T-T-The s-same strength…?"
Many were the surprises and shocks they had received from Alexander, and each one broke their worldview time and again.
However, this one had to take the cake.
"That's right," Alex nodded, taking in their expressions of shock and disbelief. "I can make that possible."
Veilwalkers were the ultimate beings in all of reality, a phenomenon that would not have happened had that monstrosity not stolen a piece from the Omnisoul.
For mere mortals, even if they were now immortals themselves, there was no scenario where any of them would ever surpass the limits set by the Omnisoul, and to a smaller extent, their universe's core.
They had more or less accepted that fact. After all, having the might of a literal universe was mind-blowing as it already was.
Everything they had learned about their universe came from Alexander. They knew they could only reach godhood in their universe, a power level that granted them the right to represent their given gifts.
Even then, their power could not significantly alter the structure of their universe. The extremes of that level would make them overlords of a few galaxies at best.
So yes, what Alex said left them in a state of disbelief for a while.
"J-Just like that?" Lord Basso echoed the sentiments most had arrived at after a bit of thinking.
Understanding the meaning behind that utterance, Alexander nodded once again and explained:
"Our universe is no longer a part of the Onmisoul and its conditions for growth. And while those conditions are still present, I can alter them for anyone I want… I can remove those conditions and push everyone to the allowable peak."
"..."
The room fell silent once more. Alexander had no reason to lie to them. Even so, the vassals had a hard time believing their ears.
Although they heard him say 'allowable peak', that did not matter. There had to be a limit somewhere, right?
Regardless, this was huge.
"But…"
Of course, there had to be a but. It wouldn't make sense otherwise. However, what they heard next was far from their thoughts.
"...it will have to be your choice."
"Our choice?"
"What I'm offering you is the chance to reach the peak without any effort. Your abilities will come to you as easily as breathing, your comprehension rendered useless.
"What I'm offering will take away your ability to learn and grow, your ability to learn from your mistakes, your ability to grasp complex laws and principles…
"There will be no feelings of accomplishment, no feelings of fulfilment, as you would have reached the peak."
The vassals finally understood what Alex meant. Indeed, the offer was extremely good. But there would be self-actualisation on their part… no transcendence.
Alexander looked at their hardened and thoughtful expressions, stopping himself from picking up their flaring thoughts.
As beings who had given everything within themselves to reach their level of power, they were familiar with the state of accomplishment and fulfilment that accompanied their breakthroughs.
Even the Omnisoul didn't simply give the chosens their power; it just opened the channels to make the process seamless.
The vassals exchanged glances with one another, trying to catch a glimpse of their companion's decision on their faces.
"I have a question, Lord Alexander." Lady Elina stated, drawing everyone's attention. "What happens after we agree to accept the power you're offering?"
Many of the vassals furrowed their brows in thought, not quite understanding what the Oracle meant. They could only wait for Alex's response to make sense of what she meant.
"Aside from the tasks I will assign to you, everything will seem bleak and unfulfilling. With absolute strength comes boredom. Almost everything becomes meaningless."
Alexander knew this from how the primordials behaved. And had Veilwalkers nothing to do, they would have been the same.
The only reason Alexander was still the same was because he chose to be; he had the luxury of making that choice as an absolute.
This was something others didn't have the luxury of deciding. His current self had shut down his omniscience and omnipresence to be human.
He had no intention of interfering with the normal flow of events in his cosmos. Everything would be left to chance and the free will of the beings within.
"So we'll be stuck with overwhelming power and nothing to do with it once everything is over, huh?"
Suddenly, the offer didn't sound so enticing. Aside from the loss of self-fulfilment, they would become empty husks doomed to slumber for all of eternity.
Alex had given them a lot to think about. Were they willing to make the sacrifice of self-actualisation and growth for absolute power?
The answer was obvious for most: yes.
However, the prospect of eternity didn't sound so good. Many of them had plans for the future, even if they had just realised those ambitions were fleeting in the face of absolute power.
"W-What if you make your offer a temporary thing?" Lady Irene, the newest member of the former Three Heads of the Empire, proposed nervously.
The woman's words sparked a flicker of interest in the vassals' eyes. However, a few of them frowned — not out of displeasure, but out of concern for the aftermath.
How would you feel if you, at one point, had universe-toppling power only to lose it later on? That would be mentally crippling.
There were many things to consider here, and the vassals could not rush it. But when they saw the smile emerging on the lips of Alexander, they realised he had tested them!
"I'm glad you thought about that. But you don't have to worry about the psychological side effects. And yes, it will be temporary. There's nothing more despairing than living without a drive."
Looks of relief appeared on the faces of the vassals. Alexander had really given them a scare.
Who would have thought absolute power would be scary in and of itself? None of them could imagine themselves surpassing their young lord of their universe.
They had no clue what his current power level was, but that didn't matter. Since he suggested something like this, it meant he had gotten stronger once again.
"That's good to hear, Lord Alexander." Lady Elina smiled sweetly, her gaze catching a glare from Alexander's right. "Though it makes me curious..."
The Oracle glanced at Julia for a moment and then refocused on Alex, "...How are you coping with your power? Surely, what you mentioned applies to you as well, no?"
"You would be right if I wielded all of my powers at all times," Alexander replied, making many tilt their heads in confusion.
Smiling softly, he continued, "My current self is only as strong as a Venerable Master. I can choose to wield more of my powers if I want to."
"So you've sealed your powers?" Mason muttered thoughtfully, not quite making sense of what Alexander said.
"Not exactly." Alex shook his head. "My current self is at a stage where I can be all-powerful and weak at the same time."
"..."
Once again, the vassals had expressions of confusion. Naturally, Alexander knew this would happen.
"Don't bother yourself trying to make sense of what he just said," Ross spoke for the first time since the meeting began.
Drawing the attention of the people in the room, Ross crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. "Alex is a walking paradox. He can be everything he wants and nothing at the same time."
"That's even more confusing." Lord Basso chipped in, his brows raised doubtfully. However, after a moment's thought, he added, "Then again, I can see what you mean."
"You mentioned assigning a few tasks to us." Lord Zol turned to Alex, wanting to get to the other side of Alex's proposal.
Whatever Alexander had become hadn't changed the boy he met all those years ago. Alex was still the same person he was, only more mature with an air of authority.
The renewed and relaxed atmosphere turned serious once more. As the vassals focused their attention on their lord, Alexander drew in a soft breath and replied:
"Yes. It has to do with what those corrupted Enforcers were up to. Their actions had brought death and destruction to all universes. However, their whereabouts weren't always known.
"During those times, I doubt they were resting."
"You want us to investigate what they had been up to." Evelyn, another close friend of Zol, realised.
Alexander nodded before adding, "I'll be giving you everything you will need to carry out this task, so you have nothing to worry about.
"Before the Supreme One… disappeared, he mentioned reality having less than half a century left for that monstrosity and its minions to descend on all universes."
Alex briefly glanced at the Oracle, recalling the conversation he had with her when he first returned from Universe Prime.
"I see…"
Lord Zol was quick to catch on, finally realising where Alexander's downtrodden state had come from at the time he proposed speeding up their cultivation.
"So you're saying those corrupted Enforcers might have been doing something to reduce that duration…" Mason muttered with a thoughtful expression, a hand on his chin.
Looking up, he saw Alex nod.
"That's right. Something tells me we're running out of time."