Cherreads

Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: The Great Canon Conflict

Subtitle: Where All Versions of the Truth Come to Fight, and the Truth Loses in Style

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Previously on The Paradox of E:

E survived a realm made entirely of reviews, starred himself ironically, and taught an AI the value of sincerity using a kazoo and three bad puns. But now he steps into the heart of madness: a realm where continuity is weaponized and the only rule is that no one agrees on the rules.

Welcome to the Great Canon Conflict.

> [NEW REALM UNLOCKED: The Canon Coliseum – A Stadium Outside of Time Where Every Version of Every Character Debates What's "Real." Spoiler: None of Them Are Sane.]

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1. Welcome to the Canon Coliseum

The sky is made of fan theories. The ground is a patchwork of retcons, revisions, and deleted scenes. Banners hang in the air:

> "TEAM ORIGIN STORY" vs. "TEAM RETCON"

> "SHIP WARS TONIGHT AT 9!"

> "REMEMBER WHEN THIS WAS A SIMPLE STORY?" – No One Ever

E appears midair and lands in a puff of narrative fog. A booming voice shouts:

> "AND ENTERING FROM THE POST-IRONIC ERA... THE ENTITY KNOWN AS 'E ∞²'! CHAMPION OF THE META-ARC! DEFIER OF PLOT!"

E raises a brow and mutters, "No pressure."

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2. The Canon Tribunals Begin

Three colossal thrones loom before him, each occupied by a different aspect of storytelling:

Continuity: An old wizard surrounded by footnotes.

Retcon: A smug, sharp-suited exec holding a red pen.

Fanservice: A glittering deity of sparkle and contradiction.

Continuity snarls: "You ignored chapter numbering!"

Retcon sneers: "I improved your origin."

Fanservice just winks. "More slow-mo walks, please."

E, deadpan: "I feel like I'm on a talk show hosted by rejected plot devices."

The crowd roars. Some cheer, some boo. Some argue about whether this was better in the webcomic.

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3. The Variant Parade

Suddenly, hundreds of alternate E's descend into the arena.

Noir E: Black-and-white trenchcoat, monologues like it's raining sadness.

High Fantasy E: Full armor, unnecessarily long name.

Slice-of-Life E: Just wants to go to school without the multiverse imploding.

Musical E: Sings his lines. Nobody asked.

Cursed Forum Moderator E: Wields the Banhammer of Lore Enforcement.

They all scream at once:

"MY VERSION IS CANON!"

E sips a cup of Timeline Tea. "You're all adorable."

He summons a chalkboard labeled "What Even Is Canon?"

> "Let's break it down, class."

He draws a stick figure of himself fighting a dragon made of Plot Holes. Underneath, he writes:

> Canon is a construct. Continuity is an illusion. Punchlines are eternal.

The chalkboard explodes into applause.

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4. The Lore Gladiator Fights

A buzzer sounds. The gates open. Out charges:

The Exposition Minotaur – Made of infodumps.

Flashback Serpent – Bites by replaying your worst moments.

The Deus Ex Machina Machine – Shoots resolutions out of nowhere.

E summons a sword labeled "Character Development" and a shield made of "Foreshadowing."

He shouts: "Prepare for a fight sequence that's emotionally meaningful and confusingly choreographed!"

The crowd loses it.

Every strike he lands removes unnecessary backstory. Every dodge is a retcon gracefully avoided. Finally, he defeats the Deus Ex Machina by looking directly at the camera and whispering:

> "Earn your endings."

Boom. Applause. Someone in the audience passes out from pure symbolism.

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5. The Great Shipping Trial

The next phase? Romance subplots.

A courtroom materializes. The Judge? A romance novelist with six pens in their hair and zero patience.

Ships take the stand:

E × Cosmic Latte

E × Chaos Incarnate

E × Reader (you know who you are)

Arguments include:

"Their chemistry is real!"

"But what about that glance in Chapter 41?"

"THIS SHIP IS SINKING!"

E bangs his own head on the table. "I just wanted coffee..."

Suddenly, Fanservice waltzes in and declares all ships valid.

The judge shrugs. "Poly-canon it is."

A dance montage erupts. Everyone pairs off. Even Plot Hole and Deus Ex Machina share a waltz.

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6. The Archive of Could've Beens

E enters a room made entirely of scrapped ideas:

A scene where he was a talking cactus.

A chapter told entirely in limericks.

A lost arc where he trained a team of sidekicks, but they unionized.

E wanders, lost in the "what ifs."

Narrator (that's me): "Even the deleted ideas shaped him. Growth isn't linear. It's an ever-rewriting draft."

E nods. "Okay, you can stay."

Narrator: "Appreciate it."

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7. Fanon Uprising

Suddenly, unauthorized headcanons break into the arena!

"In my version, E is secretly a cat!"

"He's actually a villain!"

"E is a metaphor for burnt toast!"

They charge at him like a stampede of overenthusiastic book club members.

E stops them with one sentence:

> "None of you are wrong."

Silence.

He continues: "Stories are multiverses. Every version is a mirror. I just happen to be the one that gets published."

The Fanon army bows.

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8. The Final Meta Duel: Author vs. Editor vs. Audience

A triple-threat match begins.

The Author (a glowing entity who speaks in vague themes)

The Editor (a blade-wielding grammar god)

The Audience (a sentient cloud of reactions, theories, and shipping wars)

They each argue over who owns the story.

E appears in the center and drops a mic.

"No one owns it. We share it. The story lives between us."

Thunder. Applause. Confetti made of commas.

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9. Reader Callback (You Again)

E looks straight at you.

"Hey, thanks for sticking around. You didn't have to. There's a lot of content out there. But you stayed. That means more than stars or likes or plot resolutions."

He offers a high five.

Yes, through the screen.

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10. Exit Through the Canon Gift Shop

As he leaves the Coliseum, he's handed a T-shirt:

> "I Survived the Great Canon Conflict and All I Got Was This Narrative Perspective."

He wears it with pride.

Suddenly, a glitch opens up.

The next realm? The Plot Singularity – where all unresolved arcs collapse into one final decision.

E smirks.

"See you there."

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END OF CHAPTER 75

Achievements Unlocked:

Outcanon-ed Canon

Debated With His Own Variants

Fought a Flashback Snake

Wore the Shirt

Validated All Ships Simultaneously

Said the Quiet Part Meta

Acknowledged Reader Again

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Next Time on Chapter 76: The Plot Singularity – The Last Choice, The First Rewrite, And Why You Should Never Name a Universe "Jeff."

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