KING OF SWORDS 10-137
Chapter: 10
“In that moment, Metia discovered that the weight of a god was slightly less than that of an empty welk shell.
She hurled her opponent ten leagues with the flick of her finger, and that was that.”
-Psalms
“In that moment, Metia discovered that the weight of a god was slightly less than that of an empty welk shell.
She hurled her opponent ten leagues with the flick of her finger, and that was that.”
-Psalms
We are all victims of the systems we are born to. But not all of us take hundreds of years to realize it, nor do all of us become progenitors of new systems to terrorize countless more the way we were terrorized. Death to Solomon David! Rebirth to 82 White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil
May White chain have more courage than me. Alas I dare not let any of the 7 have my keys
On the other hand not all of us are born and victim of a omni-versial war of gods that kill your entire familly and destroy your planet to the point it’s a lifeless, waterless, sunless rock floating into space.
I mean Solomon is a bad guy, but he is also someone who was completly destroyed by the chaos of the Universal War. That he came to believe the only way to prevent such a tragedy again is by the iron-fisted reign of absolute order. Much like White-Chain was marked by the evil absolute order can inflict and became more moderated thank to this experience, Solomon was forever branded with the fear of chaos. And it’s very clear Solomon is still suffering trauma over the loss of his original familly, as shown by his staunch refusal of having daughters ever again, not because he would love them less than sons, but because he would love them more, like he did his first.
That makes him a tragic figure, but not in any way an excusable one.
Indeed. A monster is no less a monster because we know it feels pain.
This is wisdom. All monsters feel pain.
One who imagines that monsters cannot feel pain imagines that those that do feel pain cannot be monsters, and so ignores the monsters around and above them until it is far too late.
If Solomon is a monster, it’s precisely because of this pain. But he is a man, not a monster, a tyranical and evil one, for sure ; but he isn’t a total monster entirely made up of evil. To hate him is a dangerous path, and the same one he followed when he lost everything.
Like some (if not all) the other demiurge, he is consequences of the madness of the Demiurge wars. A wounded beast to be stoped, but if anything he is to be pitied, not hated.
I think he’s kind of funny; he certainly likes to take himself very seriously indeed, (so does White Chain….) where as Alison can still laugh at herself and therefore has already won.
In order to turn the corner it is necessary to remember that power is nothing without control.
What have we seen Solomon do, so far, that is unambiguously evil? True: he killed his Ki Rata master before becoming emperor, but the backstory on that bunch is that they regularly murdered people who’d learned their techniques unauthorized. He became emperor by brokering a peace that ended a war, and has apparently ruled a prosperous and bustling city ever since. Granted, there’s slavery and human-kabobs, but you’re not finding perfecting in a realm chock full of powerful demons, but nothing is perfect. Oh, hey look: there’s slightly fewer demons now, and they brought it on themselves.
It wasn’t six billion, but as they say about lawyers, it’s a good start.
Good show, White Chain! I know you’re about to get no-sold by Salami Dave, but at least you go out with a good speech.
See you in the next shell, you marvellous bastard.
The more of a dumbass white chain acts like, the more likely that she’ll win. That’s how Will works.
Recall the words of Intra, king of swords;
“Ten thousand warriors have failed to defeat my gladiator,” said the king, gaping. “Trained in ten thousand fighting arts from across the Wheel. How could an artless fool have defeated my prize slave?” The young man scratched his chin. “Well, not anyone can use my lack of technique. No ordinary fool could make that blow,” he replied “only one extremely dedicated to foolishness.”
and then recall the title of this book.
If we take that as prophetic, then I’m inclined to believe that Alison would be the one to take a shot at Swoleman D and accidentally her way to victory. I’m VERY okay with this.
It’s gonna get spicy.
White Chain’s speech makes me FEEL the heavy metal guitar riffs thrumming in my brain!
A divine martial art. Impressive, deadly, and beyond its other siblings.
Who stops to ask ‘but who first showed the Monks the secrets of ki rata?’
An angel, perhaps? A devil?
I suspect solomon had a hidden weakness. He knows not his dead master’s master.
Wasn’t there supposed to have been a god who had created all martial arts?
Rip and tear, until it is done.
Then rip and tear some more.
He is huge, therefore he has huge guts.
What a fucking badass, honestly. Someone dust off her spot in the void
It’s ALL dust down in yonder Void, m’afraid.
Nonetheless, make way, ye aeons, thy sister returns! A nest of softest ash for the one who has flown so far!
Just noticed that her headpiece, helmet, whatever resembles a badass crossbow. She’s shooting him with her bolts of thought.
It seems that Solomon David has demonstrated the power of his art–the purple art of annihilation.
Surely this broken angel cannot win against him? Surely more drink contracts are coming? Right? Even a resurrectionist contract would be good…
I sure hope this stadium sells their drinks with lids, considering what happened last page…
The rookie vendors wondered why there were splash-zone marks starting at the middle row. The more experienced drink vendors are now moving in with fresh drinks and umbrellas.
Press the sixth rune, that Pree White Chain is paid homage. May she soon return again to subdue evil!
F
F
Runes might not be supported – but one shall give it a jolly good go…
ᚳ, cēn, 6th of fūþōrc.
Alternatively… Weapon +9 to Maximum Damage! ?
The Chains of Honor weigh heavily.
Dol. Um. Ber. Ist.
ו
El
Ber
Eth
The true loss comes not when you faced with overwhelming odds to succeed and fail to complete your task, but when you are faced with seemingly insurmountable odds and fail to try
White Chain has yet to lose it seems
Some say that the greatest struggle is against oneself, but they are wrong—it is against those that stand for the very system that we have allowed ourselves to be chained to. In that fight, even defeat is a victory, for it ignites a spark of hope for others.
Die well, sister.
Rogue One comes to mind.
…
you go girl.
Saints and stars!
A hero!
I live your Nyave impression.
In my work, I am oft met with the relations of those I killed – claiming vengeance upon this star of death. Far too often they are woefully unprepared, and as much as I love the killing arts, I am also loathe to slay those not marked by my star. I always offer them a choice, when they realize the gulf between us. They can leave, train for as long as they wish, and then return whenever they like to attempt to claim vengeance again, or they can take one more swing at me. The fate of those who fight is obvious, but the few wise enough to depart always return stronger, and each has given me a scar to call their own.
Woe be to White Chain, who has not realized that Solomon has given her the same offer. Praise be to Allison, who has.
Well, at least we know she’ll Return.
Thats all good and everything but unless you truly understand that and get a enlightened power up your gonna die here and now reincarnate again. Either way go sister go and follow your dreams either you die painfully and forcefully reborn or you destroy the system and bring the start of a new era.
…Well said, Sister. Goodnight, travel well, and may I see you again in brighter days.
White Chain this book is like *is trans* “Hm. Time to fight the nearest fascist.”
Fuck you Cishet furher! 😛
Divine calling, you could say.
I don’t understand how the characters and the audience are all treating Solomon as if he’s this great evil to overcome. So he runs a fairly oppressive regime. If he’s not big on genocide, then what’s the problem? How he runs his empire is his business if he’s not overly cruel.
He’s nothing on that scale compared to the other Demiurges. In comparison, living under him would be paradise. What, people are upset that they’re not allowed to do things he doesn’t want? They’re not allowed to throw him down so they can break his laws for whatever individualistic selfish reason? You’re not supposed to – that is the nature of order. If it’s not being used to stifle and kill mercilessly, then Order is good. You are provided for, provided you aren’t causing undue disruptions selfishly.
The implication is that quite a bit of merciless killing has, in fact, occurred.
Yeah, there was that guy at the start of the tournament who came all this way to attempt to avenge some massacre of his people.
“I’ve come to avenge the Peach Garden Massacre!”
“You’re going to have to be a lot more specific.”
While Solomon’s empire seems by far the best of the seven, when the standard to beat is ‘not genocidal hellhole’ that is relatively easy. My understanding is Solomon does still commit genocide as he still adds new worlds to his empire with a “join me and obey my laws or does” attitude. I think the issue people have with his empire is how cold and pointless it is. Brutal laws are enforced and followed not for the people’s sake but for the sake of the law itself. Solomon isn’t a good man. He has been repeatedly shown to be a terrible human being. He isn’t in charge because he’s a good ruler but because he murdered a bunch of demigods. He doesn’t keep an orderly empire because he wants people to live happy lives but because he’s too proud to allow his words to be messy. Not wanting to obey him does not necessarily equate having selfish reasons for doing so.
I’m not sure if it matters why he keeps his worlds safe and prosperous – he still does it. “This doctor is just doing doing their job for prestige!” Okay? If they’re still saving lives, who gives a damn?
Consider thus –
We know the emperor’s sin is pride. And despite how much closer to godhood he is than you or I, he is not perfect.
So he makes mistakes. What does an overly prideful person do when they make mistakes?
They do not, for example, admit it and work to overcome it.
Do not confuse the facade for the truth.
This. This is pretty much this Solomon.
I don’t think the audience or most of the characters view him as particularly evil though (with the exception of chracters from other nations perhaps), sure there are some with personal gripes but most who attack him only do so out of foolish hope of recieving the golden ticket to the top. As for the audience which should be mostly locals since he does adress them as “citizens” sure they might not be 100% satisfied but I’m sure there is enough knowledge of other realms (and plenty of propaganda) that lets them know they are living in relative comfort all things considered. If anything the audience cheers for the underdog out of principle safe in the knowledge that their home team will still win the end. Withnessing this tournament is surely one of the most important moments for many of these peoples lives and who doeesn’t like a good show. Sure the law is iron and enforced to it’s letter and it just so happens Solomons words are the law but at the same time it does offer stability and comfort which is what most people desire even if it is bit sterile so to say.
It really is only our hero group and other demiurges and similar characters that view Solomon as some kind of evil entity and even then mostly not because of his direct actions are particularly evil compared to what could be considered the norm but rather because he still is fundamentally a black emperor who rules absolutely with threat of violence. It still boils down to “do as I say or die” which even if people find the things they must do palatable doesn’t mean it’s true bliss.
He’s a slow burn. Solomon’s empire is not evil like the third reich was evil, or mottom’s empire was evil it’s simply empty and without hope. There is no scope along lines of excellence. People toil at their stations in life and go nowhere, like drones in a hive. Anybody who tries rising to the top is crushed and pounded down until they comply or they’re eradicated. Nobody can beat him and he’s very very smug in holding a contest simply to reinforce that point.
That’s a pretty anemic criticism. It’s not even wholly accurate. His empire has been portrayed as bureaucratic and stuffy, but there’s no real implication that people can’t improve their station. People may not be able to rise up to god-emperor, but he went and promoted everyone who bowed out of the fight. We’ve been given no reason to believe he wouldn’t reward hard work and talent as long as it was tempered by being civil or loyal.
But *anyone* could become God-Emperor; That’s the point of the tournament. A fight to first blood with Solomon’s key as the prize.
Said another way: you can improve your station if you obey completely. If you do not obey, you die.
Solomon, like so many other dictators, wants you to think that the chance to fulfill your personal ambition and improve your personal station is freedom.
He didn’t hold the contest just to prove hus superiority, he already has complete faith in it and doesn’t give a damn if people believe it or not because he can crush any rebellion.
He ran the contest to bait out Allison.
It was Gog that baited Allison to the contest..
Solomon was already runnjng this every year.
The first few scenes we witnessed from Solomon’s empire made it clear that the people were happy, prosperous and well behaved. Compare that to the many scenes of Throne, which were all nightmarish. I bet the vast majority of people under Solomon’s rule are quite satisfied with their lives.
Or know better than to appear unhappy in his presence.
One must see this moment in context. In many respects, this is about White Chain throwing off the oppressive order she has forced upon herself for these great many eons. Fair or not, Solomon David has come to represent those shackles for her in this moment.
If he does have a flaw himself… let’s see, how to put it… he may see to the material needs of his people. But he does not listen to them. I think that’s his flaw.
Yeah, the problem is that Solomon has lived through a world without a system. A world where everyone was free to pursue what they wanted through the strength of their own Will and no higher authority to rein them in. That world was hell and as rigid as his empire is, he still thinks this better than what he went through. When White Chain says the order is born of fear, that could very well be true. Solomon’s Pride keeps him from ever relinquishing his empire to the rule of others, even though his stated goal is to unchain himself and go off to pursue further enlightenment, because he is too afraid to trust anyone else to look after the citizens and protect them from the other Demiurges. And yes, you can use that fear to justify many smaller cruelties in the name of staving off the apocalypse for all, but you always run the risk of it becoming too easy an excuse.
Ultimately though, Solomon has my sympathy. He has successfully managed to keep this little slice of the universe semi-well run despite the 6 other rulers of the universe who are roughly in his power range being supposed monsters. Machiavelli made a good point in his book that if you are a good person and really want to look after your subjects, you’re going to have to do some cruel things to stay in power. If you refuse, you may die feeling morally superior, but then someone evil will be in charge of your people and is your ego worth their suffering?
No way I meant THIS analysis
“his business”
As if one can own reality. As if one can own a nation or a people.
Dude’s a sicko. Fuck ‘im.
A wandering master once came across a man burning another alive. The master inquired to the purpose of the immolation, hoping that it would be senseless enough to warrant retribution. The man who was doing the burning said he caught the other trying to sell his youngest into slavery, and that such a crime would not be tolerated.
The burner, a traveler himself, was not aware that it was common practice in the area to sell children to the local lord in the hope that they may learn a trade in their service and lead a better life than their parents before them.
The wandering master came back to this area many years later to find a fiercely loyal infantry of orphans serving a now-ancient lord, for the burner was too busy fighting the smaller evils in front of him to go after the local lord who perpetrated the myth that slavery would be a path to freedom.
Cut not the tree at the branches, but at the trunk from which they stem.
Still, one does not wish to see the destruction caused by chopping down a tree so massive as Solomon’s empire. White Chain’s actions may not be grounded in wisdom, but they have solid footing in a more ancient and more sacrosanct philosophical arena: what is and is not rad as hell. It is a spectacle before it is a tournament, after all, and we can not have our final fight without a face against a heel.
> White Chain’s actions may not be grounded in wisdom, but they have solid footing in a more ancient and more sacrosanct philosophical arena: what is and is not rad as hell.
@Last-of-Pen: you speak wisdom.
Someone once told me that when a fool speaks wisdom, either there is no wisdom or there is no fool.
Since that day, I have been a fool, for there is no wisdom.
I love this analysis of Solomon.
Well, there’s mention of at least one Peach Garden Massacre which requires vengeance. He’s clearly shown to be the best of the seven, but we also know there’s a twist coming because narrative structure and that’s how it’s been so far every single time Allison meets a demiurge. Too squeaky clean, right? Especially for someone who rules 1/7th of existence alongside the rest of them bastards.
I got a case of the anticipations.
Only in heaven is there enough room for hell to spread it’s wings.
…I’m, like, 45% sure that you’re deliberately baiting people with this comment, but even if that’s case I can’t bloody well resist. So, I hope some people enjoy my analysis of the most, ah, “interesting” quotes that we can take away from your comment.
“If he’s not big on genocide, what the problem?” – I’m sorry, but any sane person who heard this sentence spoken out loud & with sincerity would be very, very, worried about the person who spoke it. Like, you’re not even ruling out committing genocide, as long as Solomon isn’t “big on it”. That’s…yeah.
“How he runs his empire is his business” – No? It’s really not, practically by definition? The way an emperor runs his empire is EVERYONE’S business, at the very least everyone in the empire he’s ruling. The more people are relying on you, the more you should be held accountable for your actions. If you actually think the other way around, I’m not sure how you’ve managed to survive this long.
“He’s nothing on that scale compared to the other Demiurges” -I have basically the same objection to this as I did the genocide one. From what we’ve seen, the other Demiurges are, um, kind of a low bar.
“They’re not allowed to throw him down so they can break his laws for whatever individualistic selfish reason” – I’m STILL not sure who exactly you’re talking about here, but regardless this seems like you’re implying some weird things. I mean, what about people who want to break his laws for non-selfish reasons? Are you saying those don’t exist? I can think of like 10 non-selfish reasons an person could have for breaking a law, if the person can be anyone and the law any law.
“If it’s not being used to stifle and kill mercilessly” – he says as Solomon is literally standing in the sea of gore from people he just killed mercilessly.
That’s about it! Five quotes that I will always remember when I want to laugh at an example of truly dark foolishness.
One believes 82 White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil can do this.
‘Tis a slim hope, of course, given that the tyrant possesses unfathomable power. But it is hope, nonetheless.
There is no question that the Angel’s mastery of the 47 Empty Palms is a mighty asset. Their precision is truly noteworthy. Moreover, it is my belief that the force of righteousness is with them as well. I fear, however, that even righteousness will tear apart like paper against the juggernaut that is Ki Rata
White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil
yes she does
Everybody else is cheering for White Chain, understandably, but not a word about SALAMI DAVE AIMING THE BLOOD SPLATTER TO MISS THE ONES TOO WISE TO DIE?!?!?!?
I noticed that too, somehow the blood spatter was controlled so as to miss the ones wise enough not to fight, including the apparent coward blue lizard. I suppose it shouldn’t be too surprising, Solomon is probably an expert in blood splatter by now.
Can anybody identify the body in between them? Also, from the presence of a pretty large void off the edge, they aren’t the only ones surviving.
Salami: *slaughters an entire ring of people epically*
White Chain: *Does a soliloquy and completely steals his thunder*
Salami: …you going down, bitch. *cracks knuckles*
MONOLOGUE. IT’S A MONOLOGUE YOU INCORRECT BASTARD. SOLILOQUIES ARE WHEN IT’S NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE, BUT ALLISON AND CIO ARE RIGHT THERE AND SHE’S TALKING TO THEM. GET IT RIGHT! *swats at you weakly with a 7th-grade English textbook*
Who is the fool? One who ruses in or one who runs away?
“Wise men say, ‘only fools rush in.'”
Elvis Presley was very clear on this subject.
Well cited, friend. However, at least one of the angels present shows no fear to tread here, so I am not sure the proverb applies.
“Who’s the more foolish ? The Fool, or the Fool that follows her ?”
~ Geas Knight in a Galaxy Far, Far, Away. ~
Not a drop of blood on the ones who do not fight. And while they yet survive, they will never truly rise from their seats, no matter how far they might go from there. Solomon David has beaten them as surely the dead in that arena.
Salami Dave looks more like Solomon Dwarf in that sixth panel. It’s almost adorable.
Aww the little Mantis is fine! It doesn’t even seem upset. That makes me happy.
little mantis just got all the wealth, power, and presitge she ever wanted. gonna get her a hot mantis hubby, eat his head, and raise a whole lotta mantis babies in the lap of luxury.
They only do that in captivity, when starving, or when highly stressed.
They tend to eat their mates more often in the wild, simply for the fact that in the wild mantises are far more likely to be malnourished and stressed. In captivity it’s rare to lose a male mantis (if a keeper is in any way informed about breeding them).
One way to safeguard against cannibalism is to give the female a feeder insect and put the male behind her while she’s already eating. They tend to take it from here fairly well.
To attack another with the might you might use to attack yourself, to attack with all your good and your bad, that is a piece of what it means to be royalty. Now that White Chain knows that Solomon David is that terrible, Terrible thing called “I”, a reflection of a piece of who she is, She shall strike Him down with the great and terrible might, that is the Want of something better
Well spoken dear Scholar/Warrior. She will cut Solomon David from herself. What also happens in this tournament is of lesser importance.
I have been gone a short while but I am happy for my sister. I feel her new convictions will give her the ability to find her true power.