Godclads

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

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.

2. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.

Moving on to her Arsenalist, the option to fire rounds across the surface of time, though interesting, seemed a little less than useful to Draus. Phantom Rounds was good for an ambush and could help her set up an absolutely devastating alpha strike. But ultimately, it was also something that Sanctus used on the regular, and there were ways to counter it. If she wasn’t acquired, if she had a firepower advantage, if she engaged from superior range, if she had enough durability—all these things would see her at an advantage regardless of their time-skipping munitions. Perhaps if it was paired with another canon, one capable of damaging all patterns of reality… But that would bloat her Arsensalist as well. Make it an impossibly wide sea.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Considered that option, Ignorance said. Being able to directly attack any Heaven. Symmetry to Symmetry. Might be useful, but also leaves you susceptible to countless forms of paradox.

“And we don't want none of that,” Draus replied dryly.

Her Perpetual Accelerator, meanwhile, was practically a cannon gift-wrapped, personally for her. One round, accelerating to hit one specific target, regardless of resistance, always getting faster, always inching closer to its designated prey. Yeah, Draus could see herself getting a lot of mileage out of this one. She might even need to watch her firing rate. She could see herself spiking on Ren after getting a little too enthusiastic.

Selecting this option, her Heaven upgrades vanished, and a few rings of mem-data filled along her perception as her Metamind processed the updates.

CHOICES RECEIVED

HELL CANONS UPDATING

SIMULACRA RESPLENDENT

>REFLECTION OF OBLIVION (ENTROPY/SPACE/MATTER) - ALLOWS THE USER TO ENTRAP A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MASS WITHIN THEIR DEMIPLANE BEFORE UTTERLY UNMAKING ALL THAT IS WITHIN ITS EXPANSE. ATTENTION. CANNONS THAT POSSESS ABSOLUTES IN TERMS OF INTANGIBILITY, INDESTRUCTIBILITY. OTHER IMMUTABLE PROPERTIES WILL TRIGGER PARADOX WITHIN THE SURROUNDING SUBSTANCE.

Draus paused at that. “Surrounding substance? Ain't I supposed to see something about a paradox or an anathema developing within my own Heaven?”

Rules change. I am part of this place, and I am now a part of you. I have taken on some of the burden. And then offloaded it over to the rest of me. Congratulations.

“Well, that's nice,” Draus said, forming a genuine smile. She loved breaking shit on someone else’s tab. “That anything else? In terms of Simulacra’s Hells?”

Best option for you right now. Highly devastating. Good for brute force application. You like brute force application.

“You know me so well. I expected something related to Chronology, though.”

Look at your Arsenalist’s option.

Draus did just that

“Synced on that too, consang,” Draus said, noting the information. Her Arsenalists’ hell loaded thereafter, and two options materialized before her.

ARSENALIST

>REDACTION BULLET (ENTROPY/CHRONOLOGY/GUNS) - USES ALL THE USER'S REND CAPACITY TO CREATE A ROUND THAT EXISTS FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. THE ROUND, UPON IMPACTING A DESIRED TARGET, WILL ENTRAP THEM IN THE PRESENT, ALLOWING THE PAST TO DEVOUR THEM. ALL REND WILL BE VENTED THEREAFTER. FAILURE TO IMPACT YOUR DESIRED TARGET WILL TRIGGER MAJOR TEMPORAL BACKLASH TO THE SUBSTANCE.

“Well. Ain’t that something.”

Use the temporal backlash to your advantage as well.

“What? Won’t that fuck you up something bad.”

Might. But it can also give you an opening. Destabilize environment. Affects Veylis too when she takes over.

Draus wasn’t too comfortable about that. “Don’t like the idea of breaking you more, consang.”

Might, but I’m already broken, already putting myself back together. Need to do what’s right for you. Survive.

The Regular just snorted.

What? Ignorance asked.

“If I had known that you’d get real selfless after actually dying for the first time, I would have really killed you.”

A low, hissing laugh escaped from the Definement. “You would have tried.”

“I would have found a way,” Draus insisted.

Eat you. Eat your eyes when I return.

“Yeah? I’ll hold you to that. Now. We got any other choices, or—”

Most optimal options I could come up for you. Will take suggestions.

“Nah. You got me mapped down to the marrow. I can work with this. I can work with this real good. ‘Sides. I always did want to shoot someone so good they go back in time. Alright, then. Let’s get this going. See you in the flames, Avo.”

And as Ignorance disappeared again, some of Draus’ memories went with him, but not her task at hand.

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%