Chapter 19: The Progenitor’s Rise

Time had slipped by without me noticing. The multiverse felt endless, an ever-expanding labyrinth with secrets hidden in every corner. But I had changed. No longer did I see time as finite and pressing. Now, every moment felt stretched, every second filled with purpose. My mind, having absorbed the collective intelligence of the dinosaurs, was working faster than ever, running calculations and forming strategies that would have once been incomprehensible to me.

I stood in my completed lab, built in the forgotten reaches of Dimension QZ-819, a barren world long ignored by the Citadel. The base hummed with energy, its sleek metal walls reflecting the faint glow of the lights overhead. My creations, my plans, all of it was unfolding here, safe from prying eyes.

But there had been obstacles along the way. The multiverse had tested me, throwing challenges I hadn't anticipated. I had dealt with aliens in black markets, bartering for rare materials. I had fought off monsters and beasts whose organs and blood I needed for my enhancements. In some dimensions, diplomacy had been my tool. In others, force had been necessary.

I glanced down at the new portal gun in my hand, the polished alloy cool and heavy in my grip. This was no ordinary portal gun. It was a marvel of engineering, far beyond what Rick had originally designed. The sleek metal was infused with Zenthalium Alloy, harvested from the core of a collapsing star in Dimension Z-674. Its unique properties allowed the gun to become impossibly heavy and untouchable to anyone but me. If someone else even tried to lift it, they'd find it rooted to the ground, immovable.

But the true genius of this portal gun wasn't just its defensive properties. It had been transformed into a tool of pure elegance and power. No longer did the gun rely on fuel or outdated mechanisms. The internal Celestium Core provided limitless energy, drawn from the very fabric of reality itself. The soft, almost hypnotic glow from within the gun matched the color of the Crystal Sea, a light blue so beautiful that it seemed to ripple like water when activated.

But there was more. The portals it created were no longer just windows to other dimensions, they were refined, flexible, adaptable. I had crafted the gun to produce invisible portals, portals that couldn't be detected by any standard equipment. To the naked eye, they simply weren't there, allowing me to move undetected through dimensions without leaving a trace. These invisible portals would let me sneak into places no one could expect.

Then there was the other upgrade: transparency. The portals, when set to this mode, became like panes of glass, allowing me to see the other side before stepping through. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing what awaited me on the other side. No longer would I step into an ambush or the unknown. I could study my surroundings, plan my moves with perfect precision. The sight of the shimmering, transparent portal was a sight to behold, a window into another world, glowing faintly as if the boundary between dimensions was made of liquid light.

I raised the gun, testing its new features. I pressed the trigger, and in front of me, the air shimmered, bending like heat rising from the ground. The portal was invisible, undetectable, yet I could feel it, like a whisper of energy. I pressed the switch, and the invisible barrier turned translucent, showing me the other side: a barren landscape of Dimension QZ-819, with its jagged rocks and eerie purple sky. It was as if the dimension beyond was painted on glass, waiting for me to step through.

With a flick of my wrist, the portal snapped shut, leaving no trace of its existence. This was more than just a tool for escape or travel. This was power. With these portals, I could be anywhere, unseen, unfound, and unstoppable. My enemies wouldn't even know I was there until it was too late.

But the gun's portals weren't its only new feature. I had integrated a new weapon system into the portal gun: Celestial Rays, beams of concentrated energy capable of cutting through nearly any material in the multiverse. These beams were as beautiful as they were deadly, elegant streams of light that could vaporize anything in their path. They weren't just weapons; they were an extension of my control over reality.

The gun hummed with energy, the light blue glow of the Celestium Core pulsing softly. This was no longer just a tool for dimension-hopping. It was a symbol of what I had become.

But before I could think of using this on the Citadel or anyone else, I needed to complete my work. I had outgrown this body of mine. Sure, my intelligence had reached unprecedented levels, but my physical form? It was still the same slow, weak vessel that had always held me back. If I was to rise above Ricks, I needed more than just a brilliant mind, I needed a body that matched it. One of pure biological strength, intelligence, and durability, not weighed down by crude cybernetics or inorganic implants.

I wanted to become something more, a perfect human, the Progenitor of a new kind of existence.

But first, I had to finish my preparations.

I had scoured the multiverse, collecting rare materials, each one with a specific purpose. Some were for my body's biological enhancements, others for the upgrades I'd made to the lab and the portal gun. I recalled the journey to gather the Mycelium Synthite from Dimension XR-45, a near-impossible task. The plant-like creature that guarded the Synthite had nearly killed me, its spore clouds alone were enough to dissolve organic matter in seconds. But I had been patient, using my intellect to turn the environment against it, eventually harvesting the Synthite for my neural upgrades.

Then there was the hunt for Orginum Crystals in Dimension P-243. Those were difficult to extract without triggering the crystalline beasts that protected them. I had used stealth, evading the beasts and setting traps that would slow them down just long enough for me to grab the crystals and escape.

I remember the most dangerous task yet: Dimension Z-674. The Zenthalium Alloy, necessary for reinforcing my bones and body structure, was located in the core of a collapsing star. I had to create a specialized suit for that mission, one that would protect me from the extreme temperatures and gravitational forces. Navigating the collapsing star had been a feat of precision, but in the end, I had harvested the Zenthalium, and now I was stronger for it.

Each of these rare materials had gone into perfecting my plan. The lab was built from the strongest alloys the multiverse had to offer, not a single organic piece in sight. This place wasn't just a hideout, it was my fortress. I had constructed holding cells, each one specially designed to keep Ricks and Mortys locked away. The multidimensional tethers that held the cells in place were unbreakable, ensuring no escape.

The neural isolation fields would stop the Ricks from even thinking clearly, preventing them from accessing any of their gadgets or coming up with a plan. They would be trapped in their own minds, unable to do anything but wait for me to extract what I needed. This wasn't just about imprisoning them. It was about dissecting their intellect, improving my own by studying their neural patterns.

I moved through the lab, inspecting the various traps and defenses I had set up. Neural disruptors, EMP mines, and even some new creations I had developed, Graviton Snares, designed to trap any Rick in a localized gravity field, rendering them completely immobile. I wasn't going to let any of them outsmart me. This time, I was prepared.

I paused at the central terminal, reviewing my list of targets. Each one was a Rick or a Morty who had developed their intelligence in unique ways. The first was a Rick known for his experimental AI systems, systems even the Citadel hadn't fully understood. His brain would be valuable, the perfect starting point.

Then there were the Mortys, the few scattered across the multiverse who had somehow evolved into beings just as smart as their Ricks. Their neural pathways were different, and I needed to study them to understand how. If I could combine the intelligence of both Ricks and Mortys, I could push my own mind to levels even I couldn't yet imagine.

I was ready. The gun was ready. The base was complete, fortified, and hidden.

The time had come.

I stood in front of the control panel, activating the portal gun. The beautiful, light-blue shimmer of the portal opened in front of me, invisible to anyone who wasn't looking for it. My fingers tightened around the gun's grip, feeling the weight of what I was about to do.

This wasn't about revenge anymore. This wasn't even about survival.

I was becoming something new, something unstoppable.

"Let's begin," I muttered, stepping into the portal. The hunt had officially begun.

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This has been a rollercoaster for me to write, my brain was never used more than this, maybe i should become a writer full time.

Heh, maybe i already am, since i have a team behind me.

So if you want to support us.. you know what to do.

Note:

If you want, i can write some OVA chapters about what he did in his adventures for the materials.

Let me know.