Chapter 29-9 Upgraded

Chapter 29-9 Upgraded

No, Dawson, you're not thinking of it right.

It's not just a very smart system built into a frame's root data.

It is fundamentally capable of mingling and altering a Heaven's mythology from the inside, on a level of detail that no human can match, because it is perfectly able to merge and simulate every single sacrifice while keeping them aligned in belief and thought.

You have no idea how hard it is to condition all the sacrifices needed to create a fundamentally stable update for even the Sphere One Heaven's canon.

But with the Imitators, anything can be possible.

Anything.

As long as you have the thaums, the Domains, the mythology, it can align anything.

Once it does, we are all stepping forth into a whole new threshold, and the world after that point is beyond my predictions. It’s so utterly scary... Hm. I wonder if it can be even more efficient if we can get the Ori to provide one of their new-patterned Locus-Thinkers... I might need to call in a few favors.

-Agnos Kae Kusanade

29-9

Upgraded

As the mem-data crawled across Draus’ cog-feed, so too did a series of simulations follow in their wake. Time slowed to a near halt, and Draus’ processing speed accelerated as she lived through a series of full immersion vicarities, each crafted specifically for her benefit. The scenes she lived felt clearer than most sims—the entanglement between symmetry and chronology, she assumed. In each one, she found herself facing the Deliverer.

And dying.

Over and over again.

In a matter of seconds, she experienced up to two hours' worth of encounters against a deliverer—two hours, 26,342 deaths resulting from an equal number of engagements. Each unfolding branch was a creation of memory and chronology, and together they injected into her the summation of her potential failures and weaknesses.

INSTANCE 2,452: User Jelene Draus attempted to engage her anathema through overwhelming firepower. The Arsensalist attempted to suppress the Deliverer as she tried to bring her Shattershunt online. This was ineffective. Ordinance failed to affect the anathema. The Deliverer vented her Hell, and the entropy forced the user into a retreat. User attempted to evade, but lacked an absolute speed advantage.

Result: Rupture — User Condition: Cessation

Scene after scene, simulation after simulation, Draus lived through countless iterations of herself facing the Deliverer, and not once did she prevail. Not without Zein’s protective miracles provided by Avo.

GENERATING FOUNDATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS TO CURRENT ONTOLOGICAL BUILDS

SUMMATION REACHED

SIMULACRA RESPLENDENT > PORTER AND BREAKER ROLES EXEMPLIFIED. REQUIRES LARGER HELL. LACKS ABSOLUTE SPEED AND COMBAT INITIATIVE AFFECTING CAPABILITIES

CANON UPGRADE OPTIONS SIMULATED

1. LIMINAL PARACOSMOS -> MANIFOLD PARACOSMOS (REFLECTION/SPACE/CHRONOLOGY) - ALLOWS THE USER TO CREATE NEW LAYERS TO THEIR DEMIPLANE. EACH LAYER CAN HAVE THEIR TEMPORAL PROGRESSION ADJUSTED. WHEN THE CHRONOLOGY IN ONE LAYER SLOWS, ANOTHER ACCELERATES. THE MORE LAYERS CREATED, THE MORE REND GENERATED.

SHATTERSHUNT -> SHATTERFLOW (SPACE/LUMINOSITY/CHRONOLOGY) - INCREASES EFFECT OF SHATTERSHUNT CANON BY CAUSING TIME TO FLOW AT DIFFERENT PACES WITH EACH PIECE OF SHRAPNEL.

ARSENALIST -> BREAKER SPECIALIZATION. LIMITED BEYOND SLIGHT MANEUVERABILITY OPTIONS AND DIRECT DAMAGE. REQUIRES MORE ESOTERIC CAPABILITIES. RECOMMEND ADDING SEER ASPECTS TO HEAVEN.

PHANTOM ROUND (GUNS/CHRONOLOGY) - ALLOWS THE USER TO SKIP THEIR PROJECTILES ACROSS TIME. THE PROJECTILE WILL CONTINUE MOVING ACROSS ITS TRAJECTORY UNTIL RETURNING TO STABLE CHRONOLOGY. THE LONGER THE SKIP, THE HIGHER THE REND. PERPETUAL ACCELERATOR (GUNS/SPEED/WAR) - ALLOWS THE USER TO FIRE PERPETUAL ACCELERATION ROUNDS. THIS ROUND WILL ONLY CONTINUE TO GROW FASTER UPON ENCOUNTERING RESISTANCE WILL IN PURSUIT OF A MARKED TARGET. THIS ROUND WILL ETERNALLY CHASE THE MARKED TARGET UNTIL IMPACT OR UPON BEING DISMISSED BY THE USER. WILL ALWAYS BE MOVING FASTER IN COMPARISON TO MARKED TARGET. GENERATES REND BASED ON TIME AND NUMBER OF ROUNDS.

RECOMMENDED HEAVEN CANONS GENERATED

Draus looked through the suite of choices they had prepared for her and let out a little whistle. Now this was more like it. She didn’t see any thaums or extra details otherwise. She guessed Ignorance was handling the logistical end of things.

It will only take effect after you resurrect, Ignorance said.

"At least that part’s still consistent," Draus muttered. "Notice there's a hell of a lot of Chronology Canons you're offering," Drouse said. "Don't reckon that's a bit of Veylis leaking over."

Correct Ignorance replied. But it is also an Internalized Domain. Why I have integrated so well with her paths. You need time. Time gives you options. Will allow you to better disengage as well. Hard to counter absolute time advantages.

"Yeah, I don't doubt that at all. So. I’m picking from one of each set of options?”

Yes. Don’t need to overcomplicate things. Keeps the pattern simple. Chronology allows me to nullify your hubris as well.

“Nifty.”

Ignorance grunted. Choose. Upgrades will push you closer to Fifth Sphere when done. Extreme vulgar. But necessary. Hell will grant you more Rend Capacity.

“Synced.”

The Regular read through the choices offered to both her Heavens and thought back to her most recent engagement. The Chronoframes were easier adversaries to overcome compared to the Deliverer. If she had these improvements during her initial engagement, she doubted the Sanctians would even have the chance to fight back. The Deliverer, meanwhile, was an overwhelming adversary—one at a higher Spherage and also sporting cannons that allowed it to pull the crushing reflex advantage over Draus.

Looking over her Simulacra options, the first Liminal Paracosmos upgrade stood out to her compared to the direct upgrade made to her Shattershunt. Damage appealed to her. She liked watching things blow up. Such was why she became the designated Breacher of her kill-team while operating among the Regulars. But she already had plenty of destructive options. What she needed right now were layers. Layers for survivability. Layers to give her breathing room and shape the battlefield.

It was more than Manifold Paracosmos’ time-slowing capabilities that made her pick it. Being able to accelerate an adversary or an ally using her demiplane offered endless potential when properly applied in combat. She selected the first option without hesitation and watched as Shatterflow dissolved a moment after. Being able to damage time itself, displace someone using Chronology was appealing, but you could only see that being useful if Shatterflow could reliably strike her enemy. And that was a big if considering all the foes she was fighting. It was already a Rend-intensive canon. Against the Deliverer, its efficiency had been more than wanting.

CANON SELECTION COMPLETE

UPGRADE PENDING NEXT RESURRECTION

"No sense in waiting anymore, then," Draus said. Time jolted back to normal. Vator, Mercy, and the Portrait were still there, arguing with each other. But all of them turned to face her as she shed her Simulacra with her projectile launcher activated.

The young instrument looked on in anticipation, unsure of what she was about to do. “Oh? Have you decided to help me or shoot me?”

“I ain’t even gonna talk to any of you until I get done with myself,” Draus grunted.

Vator blinked. “But didn’t you just—”

That was as far as the Greatling got before Draus tucked her beneath her chin and shot herself. The world jerked hard as she felt parts of her skull rattle. The Regular let out an involuntary wheeze as her equilibrium was lost — but she failed to die. Damn voidtech augments were really proving their worth. Mustering herself, she shoved the barrel of her transplanted gun into the wound parting her pulped jaw and fired once—twice more.

Only then did she die. Only then did she plunge into that subreality of eldritch fire. But something was different this time. Her Soul—and her Frame by extension—had always been more of a solid state compared to the rippling radiance that was the stillborn. No longer was that the case, though. Around her, Soulfire danced. Soulfire rose in ebbing waves, rising, cresting, falling, and rising again. And through it all, her radiance swept through both her Heavens, immolating their forms and reforging them ontologically.

Upgrade in progress, Ignorance intoned.

Next to Draus’ soul, an incendiary manifestation of Avo materialized. But it wasn't him, not fully. It resembled him by outlining traces of his ephemeral form, superimposed by the Strix. Yet there was no substance within their contours. It was like looking at a crude sketch of a person and their Heaven, their cores hollow.

“So you managed to follow me down here too, huh?” Draus greeted.

Part of you. And the Nether has collapsed. Heavens of Mind, Memory, and more all possible now.

“Shit. Might want to get one of those.”

Yes. But you’ll need a third cycler. Something to look forward to. Will be able to upgrade you on the fly now. Will be more efficient than before.

“Than with Kae, you mean?”

Only efficient because parts of her still linger inside me. She’s still here too. Still here. But tattered. Fragmented. Like the Gatekeeper. Like so many. Hard to... hard to piece them together. Can barely fix myself—

“Do the last thing first. Ain’t no use to anyone if you’re broken.”

A spot of bitter silence intruded between them. I was supposed to save her. Protect her. She was mine. Ours.

“Casualties. They happen. We don’t ask for them. But our enemy gets a vote to. Don’t fixate on it. Do what you can. We’ll figure this out. One fight at a time.”

One fight at a time...

As Ignorance’s voice trailed off, a surge of fire consumed both of Draus’ Heaven, and at once they began their transformation.

“Light,” the Simulacra cheered.

“New munitions,” the Arsenalist muttered.

The latter shifted, developing what looked like a massive barrel made of a series of inversely revolving rings at its core. The other guns spread out around this centerpiece like asteroid belts in orbit, and a hum of power sang from the Heaven of Guns as a line of energy extended across the newest, biggest gun.

In contrast, the Simulacra turned from pure knight to a quadrupedal centaur—becoming a steed unto itself. Its blade extended even longer, and its wings multiplied, with each layer expanding horizontally as well, like a series of glass-shaped fans.

“Complexity,” the Simulacra cheered. “I am manifold. I am multiples. I am moments facing moments facing moments.” Slowly, as the surrounding flames dimmed, it faced Draus. “Thank you user. This has been most appreciated.”

The Regular wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Hadn’t known how to act with either of Heavens, really. The Arsenalist was a simple one, but the Heaven of Reflection? That one had personality. The kind that threw Draus off by a bit. “Right. Well. Makes us better.”

“It makes us more,” the Simulacra sang. “I will find a way to capture something for you. Something that matters. I will learn your joys. As you have learned mine. And someday, we will face each other, and face ourselves, and see no difference.”

This one will only get stranger, Ignorance said. Brace yourself.

Well. Ain’t that creepy as fucking shit. Draus decided to drop the topic there. The last thing she needed was any contention between her and her Heavens. She already saw how messy things could get from how the Portrait handled Vator.

“How about you, guns?” Draus asked the Arsenalist. “You feeling good?”

“No,” the Arsenalist said simply. “I am not being fired. Please fire me at something. Uninterested in other factors. The new gun has been noted. More is preferable.”

Now, there was a personality she could get. “Well, Avo, you heard ‘em. Let’s get me resurrected so I can do whatever the fuck it is that I need doing with this sanctuary and start snuffin’ some Massists and Saintists.”

You just want to test out your new canons.

“Fuck yeah, I do. Now. Tell me who we gotta snuff and what I gotta do in detail again. Let’s get this squared for good."

RESURRECTION - 3%