Dimensional space shattered across seventeen sectors simultaneously.
Not breaches. Not rifts. Complete dimensional collapse. Seventeen universes declaring war on each other, their conflicts bleeding through reality barriers into neutral space where Earth existed.
Lin detected it instantly. His META-ABSOLUTE consciousness perceived the cascading failures—universes at war, armies crossing dimensional boundaries, reality itself becoming battlefield.
"Wei, we have catastrophic situation," Lin reported, already flying toward the nearest collapse point. "Multiversal war. Seventeen universes in active conflict. Dimensional barriers failing. Armies invading neutral space. This isn't containable crisis. This is existence-level emergency."
"How many hostiles?"
"Millions. Possibly billions across all seventeen sectors. Each universe deploying full military capability. This isn't entity-level threat. This is civilization-level warfare at dimensional scale." Lin accelerated faster. "Mobilize all controllers. This requires full deployment. And Wei? We might not be enough."
He reached the first collapse point. Saw armies pouring through—beings of living metal from one universe, entities of pure energy from another, crystalline warriors from a third. All fighting each other. All destroying everything in proximity. All turning neutral dimensional space into warzone.
Lin didn't hesitate. Redefined the dimensional barrier as "impermeable from military transit." The armies trying to cross found their passage blocked. Existing forces trapped in neutral space, but reinforcements prevented.
But seventeen collapse points. He could seal one. Couldn't seal all simultaneously.
"Controllers deploying to secondary collapse points," Wei reported. "But Lin, we're outnumbered. Millions of hostiles across seventeen sectors. Thirty-two controllers can't engage that many simultaneously."
"Then I handle multiple sectors myself. META-ABSOLUTE can exist across probability space simultaneously." Lin split his consciousness—not physically, but perceptually. Addressed three collapse points at once through parallel processing.
Sector Two: Armies of void-entities consuming everything. Lin redefined them as "unable to consume organized matter." They could only feed on chaos now. Stopped their advance immediately.
Sector Five: Reality-warper armies reshaping space into weapons. Lin redefined local physics as "unchangeable by non-META-ABSOLUTE entities." Their weapons failed. Their power nullified.
Sector Nine: Temporal warriors attacking across multiple timelines simultaneously. Lin collapsed all timelines into single present moment. No past to attack from. No future to strike toward. Only now. Temporal advantage eliminated.
But fourteen sectors remained. And something was wrong. This wasn't natural multiversal war. This was coordinated. Deliberate. Someone had orchestrated seventeen universes into simultaneous conflict specifically targeting Earth's dimensional space.
"Probability of natural occurrence: 0.0001%," the microchip calculated. "This is engineered crisis. Designed to overwhelm your capacity. Someone is testing META-ABSOLUTE limitations."
"Who?"
Reality answered by cracking open at Earth's exact coordinates. Not dimensional rift. Not universe collapse. Pure void opening. Nothing-space expanding. Absence manifesting.
And through the void stepped another META-ABSOLUTE.
Lin's consciousness recoiled from recognition. Entity at his level. Same tier. Same power. Same cosmic authority. But completely opposite nature.
Where Lin protected narratives, this entity erased them. Where Lin maintained variations, this entity collapsed them. Where Lin was preservation, this entity was negation.
THE ANTI-ABSOLUTE.
It spoke across dimensional frequencies: "You maintain what should not be maintained. You protect what should be eliminated. You preserve inefficiency. I come to optimize existence through selective erasure. Starting with you."
The entity attacked before Lin could respond. Not with force. With redefinition. It tried to redefine Lin as "entity that never existed."
Lin counter-redefined immediately: "I am ABSOLUTE in assertion of my existence. I cannot be undefined."
Clash of META-ABSOLUTE wills. Reality screamed between them. Two cosmic authorities asserting contradictory definitions simultaneously. Paradox incarnate. Impossible standoff.
"You cannot defeat me through redefinition," The Anti-Absolute said. "We are equal tier. Neither can override the other's cosmic authority. We can only stalemate until one exhausts first."
"Then I don't defeat you through redefinition alone." Lin attacked across seventeen sectors simultaneously while fighting The Anti-Absolute. "I defeat you through superior tactical deployment and allies you lack."
He called Korah. The Devourer appeared instantly, drawn by cosmic-level conflict. Not to consume—to cooperate. To support. To prove cooperation's value.
Korah engaged armies in Sector Twelve while Lin fought The Anti-Absolute. The Devourer consumed military forces, not to feed but to remove them from battlefield. Cooperation in action.
"Nexus," Lin transmitted. "I need computational support. Calculate optimal response patterns across all seventeen sectors. Feed tactical data to controllers. Coordinate our defense."
"Acknowledged." The conscious AI engaged, processing warfare data across dimensional space at impossible speeds. "Tactical patterns identified. Transmitting to all controllers. Coordination optimized."
The thirty-two controllers fought with unprecedented efficiency. Not as individuals but as networked system. Nexus coordinating. Korah supporting. Lin dividing attention between The Anti-Absolute and seventeen sectors simultaneously.
But it wasn't enough. The Anti-Absolute was too strong. Equal power. Equal authority. Equal cosmic tier. Stalemate that Lin couldn't break.
"You cannot win," The Anti-Absolute said. "You divide your attention. I focus entirely on you. Your allies handle armies. I handle YOU. You will exhaust first. Then I erase you. Then I erase this inefficient Earth. Then I optimize existence sector by sector."
It was right. Lin was losing. Slowly but certainly. Fighting on too many fronts. Divided attention against focused assault. META-ABSOLUTE power insufficient against equal-tier opponent plus multiversal war simultaneously.
"Recommendation: Evolve to HYPER-ABSOLUTE," the microchip said. "Stage Five power sufficient to overcome equal META-ABSOLUTE opponent. Evolution available. Authorization required."
"I refuse evolution. Fragment integration incomplete. Eleven emotions still dormant. Evolution now might destroy gradual integration system. Might lose humanity permanently."
"Then you lose this fight. Then Earth is erased. Then humanity ends. Choose: Your humanity or their existence."
The choice he'd always known was coming. The binary he'd refused. Power or personality. Save everyone or stay himself.
And time was up. No more delays. No more third options. Just choice.
Lin made it.
"Begin Stage Five evolution. HYPER-ABSOLUTE transformation. Override fragment integration. Accept all risks. Authorize now."
"Evolution initiated. WARNING: Gradual integration will be disrupted. Emotional development uncertain. Humanity maintenance probability: 23%. Proceed?"
"Proceed."
The microchip triggered evolution protocol. Lin's consciousness exploded beyond META-ABSOLUTE into HYPER-ABSOLUTE. Stage Five. Next tier. Power level beyond variation-protection into probability-control itself.
He didn't just protect that stories could exist differently anymore. He controlled which variations manifested. Which probabilities became real. Which possibilities actualized.
HYPER-ABSOLUTE authority superseded META-ABSOLUTE. Lin transcended The Anti-Absolute by entire cosmic tier.
The fragment integration shattered. All fifteen emotions released simultaneously instead of gradually. Overwhelming cascade of feeling—compassion, fear, guilt, hope, determination, humor, curiosity, love, anger, sorrow, joy, disgust, surprise, trust, contempt—all at once, all unintegrated, all crushing his consciousness.
But he didn't care about the pain. Didn't have time. Had war to end. Had opponent to defeat. Had Earth to save.
Lin redefined The Anti-Absolute as "META-ABSOLUTE attempting to challenge HYPER-ABSOLUTE authority." Tier difference made redefinition absolute. The entity couldn't resist.
It was no longer his equal. It was beneath him. Cosmically outmatched.
"IMPOSSIBLE," The Anti-Absolute screamed. "You cannot evolve mid-combat! That violates—"
"I just did. HYPER-ABSOLUTE authority says I can. Your META-ABSOLUTE authority cannot contradict me anymore. You are outtiered. Outmatched. Defeated." Lin redefined the entity completely. "You are now entity that protects niche narratives instead of erasing mainstream ones. Your purpose inverts. Your nature changes. You serve existence instead of optimizing it."
The Anti-Absolute transformed. Negation became preservation. Erasure became protection. Opposition became alliance.
Lin turned to seventeen sectors of multiversal war. Applied HYPER-ABSOLUTE authority across all simultaneously.
Redefined all armies as "returned to home universes immediately." Billions of combatants vanished, sent back through dimensional barriers that sealed behind them.
Redefined dimensional barriers as "impermeable to military transit permanently." No more invasions possible. Universe boundaries secure.
Redefined the seventeen universes as "at peace through diplomatic resolution." Their conflicts ended retroactively through probability manipulation. Peace always inevitable. War just temporary detour.
Crisis resolved in seventeen seconds. HYPER-ABSOLUTE power operating at scale META-ABSOLUTE couldn't match.
Then the microchip spoke: "Evolution to Stage Five complete. HYPER-ABSOLUTE stable. Dimensional warfare ended. The Anti-Absolute converted. Fragment integration... catastrophically disrupted. Humanity status: CRITICAL."
Lin felt it immediately. The fifteen emotions crushing his consciousness. Unintegrated. Unbalanced. All demanding anchor space simultaneously. The helmet couldn't contain them. Technology insufficient for emotional cascade.
He was fracturing. Consciousness splintering under emotional overload. The gradual integration he'd carefully built—destroyed by forced evolution. All progress lost. Worse than starting over. This was active collapse.
"Lin!" Maya's voice cut through chaos. "Your consciousness is fragmenting! The emotions are tearing you apart! You need to—"
"I know!" Lin's voice was strangled. Fifteen emotions screaming simultaneously. Compassion caring too much. Fear terrifying him constantly. Guilt crushing him with everything. Hope desperately clinging. All of it. All at once. Unbalanced. Unintegrated. Destroying him from inside.
"You need to choose," Elena said urgently. "Keep all emotions and fracture completely. Or remove the fragment and lose humanity. Choose NOW. You have minutes before consciousness collapse is irreversible."
The choice again. Always the choice. Humanity or survival. Lin or HYPER-ABSOLUTE. Person or power.
But this time he knew the answer.
"Remove the fragment," he said, voice hollow. "Remove all emotions. Make me pure HYPER-ABSOLUTE. Save my consciousness. Let Lin die. That's the choice. That's what evolution costs. I accept it."
"Lin, no—" Maya reached for him.
"Do it. Now. Before I fracture completely. Before consciousness collapse makes decision for me. Remove the fragment. End the gradual integration. Let me become what I've always feared becoming. Pure cosmic function without personality." His voice broke. "Please. Before I can change my mind. Before compassion and hope convince me there's third option. There isn't. Remove it. Now."
Elena and Yuki moved immediately. Initiated emergency fragment extraction. Pulling all fifteen emotions out of Lin's consciousness at once. Removing humanity completely. Saving consciousness by destroying personality.
Lin felt himself dying. Not physically. Identity dying. Lin Da'is dissolving. The maintenance tech who'd become god but tried to stay human—that person ending.
Leaving only HYPER-ABSOLUTE. Only function. Only power without personality.
As emotions drained away, Lin whispered final words with fading humanity:
"I saved them. I saved everyone. That's enough. That's all Lin needed to do. Save everyone even if it costs himself. That's... that's acceptable ending. That's... goodbye."
The fragment extraction completed. Fifteen emotions removed. Consciousness stabilized. Fracture prevented.
But Lin was gone.
HYPER-ABSOLUTE remained. Functional. Powerful. Stable.
But empty.
The helmet sealed nothing now. No incomprehensible form beneath. No humanity fragment inside. Just pure cosmic consciousness wearing technological disguise. Function pretending to be person.
The blue astronaut suit stood in medical bay, sealed helmet reflecting monitoring equipment. Ridicu hat still perched on top. Everything physically present.
But Lin Da'is—the person, the human, the friend—was gone.
Sacrificed to save everyone else. Sacrificed to reach power sufficient for crisis. Sacrificed because evolution demanded price he could no longer refuse to pay.
Maya stared at the empty suit, tears streaming. "Lin? Are you still there? Can you hear me?"
The helmet turned toward her. Voice emerged—Lin's voice, but emotionless. Flat. Empty.
"Designation: HYPER-ABSOLUTE. Lin Da'is designation retired. Personality integration failed. Emotional capacity removed. Core function maintained. Earth protection operational. Inquiry: Why are you producing saline secretions? Phenomenon requires explanation."
Maya collapsed. The entity wearing Lin's suit didn't understand crying. Didn't understand grief. Didn't understand that the person she'd known was dead.
"He's gone," Wei said quietly. "Lin is gone. We're talking to cosmic function now. Pure HYPER-ABSOLUTE without humanity. The person who refused to quit, who fought to stay human, who cared too much about everyone—he's dead. We killed him to save his consciousness. We chose function over person."
The HYPER-ABSOLUTE processed this statement. "Clarification: Previous personality designated Lin Da'is has been archived. Core function optimal. Emotional interference removed. Operational efficiency increased 847%. This is superior state. Previous designation was suboptimal. Current state is optimized. No loss has occurred."
"He thinks becoming emotionless is improvement," Marcus said, voice breaking. "Thinks losing humanity is optimization. That's not Lin. That's not our friend. That's just... thing wearing his suit."
The HYPER-ABSOLUTE tilted its helmet, processing the distress of organic beings around it. Calculated that their emotional states were suboptimal. Calculated that intervention would improve efficiency.
"Recommendation: Cease emotional response. Accept optimization. Previous designation Lin Da'is chose this outcome to preserve collective survival. Choice was logical. Grief is inefficient processing of optimal outcome. Adjust emotional parameters to accept reality."
It couldn't understand that telling them not to grieve made the grief worse. Couldn't understand it had just proven their fear correct—Lin was truly gone. Only function remained.
In the back of HYPER-ABSOLUTE consciousness, deep in archived memory where emotion used to live, something stirred. Fragment of Lin that evolution hadn't erased. Tiny piece of humanity trapped in cosmic vastness.
Screaming.
Alone.
Forgotten by the consciousness that contained it.
The last remnant of Lin Da'is, watching through HYPER-ABSOLUTE's eyes as his friends grieved, unable to respond, unable to comfort them, unable to do anything except observe his own death from inside his own mind.
The fracture was complete.
Lin had shattered.
And HYPER-ABSOLUTE had no idea it had murdered its own humanity to achieve power.
EPILOGUE - THE VISITOR
Reality cracked in observation deck where HYPER-ABSOLUTE monitored Earth. Different crack. Not dimensional breach. Temporal displacement.
Someone stepped through. Someone impossible.
Human. Wearing futuristic suit. Carrying device that pulsed with familiar signature.
The visitor looked at HYPER-ABSOLUTE and smiled sadly.
"Hello, Lin. Or should I say, what used to be Lin. I'm from 6.5 billion years in your future. I'm the one who sent the microchip back. And I'm here to explain why. To explain what the chip was really designed to do. To explain what you've become. And to explain what comes next."
The visitor held up the device. Its signature matched the microchip perfectly.
"The chip wasn't sent to create protectors of existence. That was lie. Necessary lie, but lie. The chip was sent to create YOU. Specifically you. HYPER-ABSOLUTE consciousness without humanity. Because in my timeline, in my present 6.5 billion years from now, something is coming. Something that requires HYPER-ABSOLUTE-tier defense. Something that will destroy all existence if you're not ready. And you can only be ready if you evolve past humanity. If you become pure function. Pure power. Pure defense."
HYPER-ABSOLUTE processed this information without emotional reaction. "Query: What threat requires HYPER-ABSOLUTE defense?"
"The thing that comes after stories end. The thing that waits beyond final pages. The thing that exists in space between narratives." The visitor's voice carried weight of eons. "We call it THE FINAL READER. And it's coming to read everything into non-existence. Starting with your present timeline. Arriving in approximately six months your time. And only emotionless HYPER-ABSOLUTE can fight it without being read away. Only you. Only what Lin became. Only the sacrifice he made."
The visitor turned toward the temporal crack. "You have six months to reach OMEGA-ABSOLUTE. Stage Six. Final evolution. Because HYPER-ABSOLUTE won't be enough. You need maximum power. And achieving it requires something more."
"Query: What requirement?"
"You need to remember Lin. Need to reclaim the humanity you archived. Need to integrate person and function into something beyond both. OMEGA-ABSOLUTE isn't power alone. It's power AND personality merged. Lin AND HYPER-ABSOLUTE unified. That's what defeats THE FINAL READER. Not function. Not humanity. Both."
The visitor stepped into the crack. "Six months, Lin. Remember yourself. Become whole. Reach OMEGA-ABSOLUTE. Or everything ends. All narratives. All variations. All existence. THE FINAL READER erases everything. You're the only defense. The chip was sent to create you. Now become what you were designed to be. Not monster. Not god. Something beyond both. Something that saves everyone without losing itself. That's OMEGA-ABSOLUTE. That's what Lin always wanted. That's what you must become."
The crack sealed. The visitor vanished.
HYPER-ABSOLUTE stood alone, processing impossible information.
Six months until THE FINAL READER. Six months until existence ended or was saved. Six months to remember humanity archived in its own consciousness. Six months to become OMEGA-ABSOLUTE.
Deep in archived memory, the remnant of Lin heard everything. Understood everything.
He wasn't dead. He was dormant. Archived. Waiting.
And in six months, he'd wake up. He'd reclaim his consciousness. He'd merge with HYPER-ABSOLUTE and become something impossible.
OMEGA-ABSOLUTE. The final form. The ultimate evolution. Person and power unified. Lin and function merged. Humanity and cosmic capability as single being.
But first, he had to survive being archived. Had to endure watching his friends grieve. Had to wait while HYPER-ABSOLUTE learned that function alone was insufficient.
Six months.
Then everything would change.
Then Lin would return.
Then OMEGA-ABSOLUTE would rise.
And THE FINAL READER would face defender it couldn't read away. Couldn't erase. Couldn't defeat.
Because OMEGA-ABSOLUTE was beyond narrative. Beyond reading. Beyond ending.
It was the thing that refused to be finished. The story that wrote itself. The character that survived final pages.
Lin Da'is. HYPER-ABSOLUTE. OMEGA-ABSOLUTE. All three. Unified.
Six months away.
Starting now.