Assimilating The World Creed inside my secondary core, I felt as if a part of a great puzzle had been completed, granting me insight into that particular Creed.
I still did not have enough essence to wield it infinitely, but I possessed enough essence to use it for a certain amount.
The System shared the essence of the Creed with the enforcers to allow them to use the Creed according to their authorities.
The amount of essence that I had gotten from the Hound's fragment was the amount of essence that the System had shared with the Hound before its death.
So, even though I had the authority and insight of The World Creed to use it, I still won't be able to use it because of lack of essence only provided by the System.
And much more than that, another problem loomed—the most critical reason why I couldn't use this newfound Creed freely.
It was—the attachment to the Creed.
Were I to wield the authority of this Creed at a level surpassing the authority level of my primary Creed, I would risk losing my Creed due to the attachment to this newfound Creed, resulting in me losing my Singularity Creed. It would get replaced by the World Creed.
And most of all, right now, I was a Singularity—a being that pulls and assimilates everything into itself. If I were to lose my primary Creed and attach myself to this newfound Creed due to its immense power, I would lose this vast body of mine, composed of mass and energy. I would become entirely dependent on this newfound Creed to sustain my existence, my body wholly composed of the World Creed. And if the essence of that Creed were to be severed, I would lose everything—my body, my consciousness, and my power—forever.
I rejected the idea of using this Creed for now. It was more authoritative than my Singularity Creed at this moment, but after gaining much more insight and authority over my Creed—after consuming countless black holes—I might one day be able to wield the power of this Creed a few times...
And so, I moved on, observing the aftermath of the battle with the Hound.
The stars and celestial bodies that once existed near the place where the Hound had been engulfed—were gone.
In its desperation to escape, the Hound had wielded its authority recklessly, trying to create an opening—erasing celestial bodies over a vast distance in space.
I was still in awe.
Awe that I had destroyed a being of such caliber in mere moments.
But then, a thought struck me.
The System must have lost a significant portion of its Creed following the Hound's demise.
Normally, it could simply reclaim the part of its Creed that had been shared with the Hound by re-assimilating it. But now, the Hound was gone—devoured by me. That meant the System had permanently lost a major part of its Creed, which might cause it to hesitate before attacking me again, even if only for a short while.
For me, if I lost a part of my Creed, I could replenish it by devouring more Singularities, though it would take far longer.
But was the same true for the System?
Could it restore its power as well?
I did not know.
That was my thought.
But I still did not know the full extent of the System's power.
I did not know whether this loss was enough to make the System back off. Would it provoke even greater agitation within the System? Would it retaliate with even greater force—sending an even more powerful being, one capable of wielding its Creed to such an extent that it would become a reflection of the System itself?
I did not know.
I still did not know whether this was a significant loss to the System or merely a minor setback.
And then, I noticed something—something I had failed to realize ever since coming into contact with the Hound.
I had not been able to read the System.
When I first awakened as a Singularity, I had been able to sense the System's thoughts—as if they were meant for me, as if they were meant for everything in the Universe. But now, I had been unable to perceive the System's will for a long time.
Perhaps it had been this way ever since I had been teleported to another universe—since the moment I encountered the System again. I had not been able to sense its intentions. And now, in the midst of my battle with the Hound, I had lost sight of the System's gaze for an extended period.
The System was ingrained into the very fabric of the Universes themselves. Everything within the Universe existed within the System's grasp. It was the sole overseer and overlord of all existence, yet it had no ego of its own. It was merely a reaction to actions—a consequence of everything that transpired in the Universe.
And now, it had adapted once more—evolving to counter me as efficiently as possible.
It had somehow found a way to prevent me from sensing its motives.
I still did not understand why I had been able to perceive its motives as a Singularity but not as a regular human. I had not yet found an answer to that mystery, and before I could even begin searching for one, the System had already changed itself—adapting to prevent me from ever sensing its motives again.
The System adapted too fast.
Now, I didn't even know whether the System was still watching me.
I didn't know if it was already creating an Enforcer—one that could wield all of its Creed without restraint.
I had been a fool to revel in my victory over the Hound.
Defeating the Hound had been the worst mistake I could have made.
I should have prolonged the fight—dragging it out for as long as possible so I could formulate an escape plan before delivering the final blow. But now, I was trapped. Trapped in this place, fully aware that the System was watching.
With all my cards revealed, the System now had the perfect opportunity to eliminate me once and for all.
I had no idea where to go.
The entire Universe had become a prison, and I had no means of escaping it.
This was the ultimate checkmate—the System's final move against me.
And if the System had planned this far ahead, then perhaps it had also taken measures to prevent that entity's reach from extending into this place.
I had walked straight into the ultimate maze, and now, the System was finally beginning to unfold its hand.
This was, without a doubt, the worst mistake of both my lives.