Aurivy was shocked when she learned the truth behind the power of memetic effects. On the one hand, it sounded incredibly simple considering the amount of power involved. However, as soon as she thought about that, she recalled another fact. Wielding void energy was anything but simple. Simply tapping into that power required incredibly fine control, as demonstrated by even Tsubaki failing to master the energy completely.
Although Tsubaki could create simple material weapons, these items would not prove useful to her in a real fight. If anything, the time and energy consumed to create the weapon would outweigh any benefit the weapon itself might bring.
Currently, there were only three beings within Dale’s worlds capable of freely controlling the power of the void. The first of these three was obviously Chel, given her previous knowledge and demonstrations. Next was James for similar reasons. Both of them had risen to great heights in the past as part of their own world, where energy types were quantified and harnessed through the power of science.
Finally, there was Leowynn, who was able to harness the power due to her Void domain. No… it could be said that Terra’s Fallen God incarnation was similarly able to handle the power, though in a far more limited fashion.
“Don’t worry.” Chel said with a small smile. “I don’t plan on submitting the skill I have for harnessing the void into the skill system. It’s all too easy for that power to backfire if used without the necessary knowledge. If the Keeper saw the skill, he might be tempted to try it without fully understanding what he was doing.”
“The simulations that I told you about… they have to be continuously maintained while manipulating the void. This is true whether you are creating a memetic effect or a physical object. One misstep could lead to a chain reaction capable of leaving his Sky Citadel in ashes. For now, it’s best that he only has access to the skill at Tsubaki’s level. At least like that, he’d be able to survive the blast if something goes wrong.”
Aurivy hated to admit it, but Chel was right. This was one power that could not be tapped into without the proper training, and she couldn’t help but think about how many people lost their lives in James’ old world in order to find the means to utilize it. “Looks like we’ll need to get Leowynn’s help for this effect.” Aurivy said with a slight sigh.
Chel smiled again, nodding her head. “For Leowynn, it should be easy once she knows the method. Once she’s written the initial meme into the program, you only have to copy the affected text or code. That is the true terror behind a meme. While the effort that goes into creating an idea is vast, it takes almost no effort to copy and share that idea.”
Aurivy gave a small nod, deciding to make a note for Accalia to never let anyone ascend with the Void domain, or a similar power. The second God of Games only scratched the surface of what would be possible, and was prime to become a global threat had he not been removed early.
It took me a full day to write the twenty prologues that I wanted to create for this new book power, before I was finally able to mass produce them. When I had reached this point, I sent a message to Tsubaki, letting her know that I was ready for her to send me the list of abilities she had thought of.
These abilities would undoubtedly become the cornerstone of my fights in the future, so I wanted to get as familiar with them as I could. In the worst case scenario that a critical deity dies and I can’t use one of these abilities in the future, I can turn to the ‘domain embryos’ I created to hopefully complete that trinity.
It did not take long after I sent the message to Tsubaki before she rushed to my side. When she arrived in my room, she was carrying with her a small stack of papers, no doubt the power ideas that she had come up with. “My apologies, my Keeper, but this is all that I was able to accomplish.” She said, before passing the pile of papers over.
When I saw the list, I made a small nod. Each page represented a single ability, some likely occupying multiple pages. This was because Tsubaki went into depth explaining each power and how they connected to the various domains in use. I could understand her doing this for my sake, as divine abilities worked based on the user’s own understanding.
Thus, even though there were around thirty pages, she had presented me with a little less than twenty abilities. Even so, I thought that was enough. “No, you did excellently.” I praised her from the bottom of my heart. This was someone who was resourceful enough to regularly fight enemies far beyond her own power. While that time may have long past, those instincts wouldn’t fade so easily.
Tsubaki’s lips curved into a brilliant smile at my words, her head dipping low. As she stood there, I began reading through the pages that she had given me, looking to find something that I could use as a signature attack. While the books were powerful and could serve as both a prison and execution ground, they were not exactly reliable. With enough power and skill, the trapped individual could escape from any of the books that I had written, even the horror novel.
Thus, those books served as a way to reduce the number of participants in a fight, even if temporarily. If I felt I was outmatched due to a specific ability, I would only need to trap the user of that ability to turn the tables. As such, what I needed next was a true signature move, preferably one that I could turn into my own personal style.
Of the moves that Tsubaki listed, I first looked for those that incorporated at least one of my own domains. While it was true that I was able to use any domain possessed by my world’s inhabitants, I had a slight bias towards fighting with my own. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.
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Technique name: Evened Scales Suggested domains: Mirrors, Monsters, Balance The basic premise of this technique is to summon a monster that serves as a counterbalance against one or more targets. First, you activate the Mirror domain in order to create a mirror capturing the image of your target. This mirror will be infused with the power of all three domains, achieving a synergistic effect. Due to the presence of both Mirror and Balance, the summoned entity will possess both a power and personality directly contrasting that of the opponent while remaining on the same level. For instance, if the targeted opponent were a holy knight, the summoned entity may be a lich driven to corrupt the living. The Monsters domain in this trinity is to help give a physical form to the summoned entity. Of the three domains listed, this is the one most easily replaced. The most suitable replacement in this case would be the Analysis domain, in order to gather more detailed information about the target. It should be noted that replacing the Monsters domain will cause the summoned entity to only be a temporary construct. This may be preferable in the event where you would otherwise summon creatures that could prove harmful to yourself and your surroundings. Through the use of this ability, you will be able to create a being capable of matching the opponent. If you add in your own combat power, it will be enough to tip the scales in your favor, even if the fight appears to be going poorly from the onset. |
The thought of a summoning-type ability with the use of my Mirrors domain had occurred to me in the past, but it had always seemed like it would be rather wasteful. Presumably, having a trinity focused for this ability would increase its effectiveness, which alleviated some of my concerns.
Another technique she listed for the Mirrors domain was utilizing Mirrors, Tracking, and Archery. The premise for this one was to designate a target to track, and then fire an arrow through a mirror. With the combination of Mirrors and Tracking acting as a portal, the arrow would strike the target from impossible angles.
For that technique, Tsubaki suggested studying archery-related techniques that could add special effects to an arrow, or simply asking them to craft a large number of high-power arrows to use for the technique. Personally, I felt that both avenues had merit. If I combined high-level techniques with powerful items, the results would only increase further.
Looking through the rest of the list, I found that all of them were quite impressive. In fact, there was a technique similar to one that I had used in the past. With the trinity of Ki, Life, and Illusions, the goal was to extinguish a target’s life while simultaneously presenting the illusion that they were still alive. This illusion would thus fool even the person that it was used against, leaving them utterly unaware that they were already dead.
Originally, I had used this technique by overlapping the illusion with my Ki of Beginning, removing the traces of them dying as I killed them. This trinity took that a step further. With the dual powers of Ki and Life, a creature could be snuffed out without warning. If the Illusion domain is added to the mix, then they continue to believe that they are alive even after dying. They would even be able to access all of their abilities, as they still possessed the illusion of ki and a soul.
Out of the abilities that Tsubaki presented to me, I had to say that I most liked the sounds of these three. The others were still incredibly impressive, but these in particular jumped out at me the most. “Tsubaki.” I called out to the kitsune maid, who was still standing near the door of my room.
“Yes, my Keeper?” She responded immediately, lifting her head to look at me.
“I’d like you to prepare me a variety of high-level arrows, as well as a spatial compression tool to store them in.” Spatial compression tools were the new ‘storage spaces’, an upgraded form that had been developed over many years. Well… not particularly upgraded. However, they no longer have a direct connection to the void, making them at least moderately more secure in that regard.
“Of course, my Keeper!” She nodded her head enthusiastically. “Is there anything else that I can get you?”
I shook my head at that. While there were several other abilities that required the use of specialized tools, those did not appeal to me as much as the ones I had selected. “Not for now. Though, if you think of any other interesting combinations, please be sure to let me know.” I told her with a small smile.
“Of course, my Keeper!” She repeated again, turning and leaving the room immediately. I could tell that she was headed for Dana’s workshop, no doubt to ask the little spirit to work on this together with her.
Now I just need to find a good archery trainer. Though… if I wanted to do that, I could meet up with Thessa? Surely the Goddess of Archery would have something to teach me. Then again, what would it look like for the Keeper to seek training from an outside? It might be better to ask Accalia for this. She would most likely know just as much in regards to archery as Thessa herself.
Giving a small nod, I resolved myself to return to the Admin Room after I had finished training these new abilities. Perhaps I could get Accalia to bring her incarnation over to train me in person.
