KING OF SWORDS 10-140
Chapter: 10
“Remember, oh student, this above all other laws: the grip of a sword is suffused with a deep and powerful poison that rots to the bone. It can never be rid of once touched, no matter how much you wish otherwise.
The sword does not kill. The hand kills. The hand is the most beautiful part of a human being, and is capable of nearly infinitely other things than parting men from their ghosts. Once you touch the sword, a terrible tragedy will occur, and your hand will slowly lose this ability. Over time, it will cease to be a hand, and become a sword.”
Ryo-ten-Ryam
(On the other hand, I’m not sure that “Relinquish your foolish delusions of control” is the kind of wisdom that Allison needs right now)
That relinquishing could be “stop thinking that you’re not in control, and take control”.
I rather think it means the exact opposite: “stop thinking you can control everything”.
Incubus is correct: violence is the only way to win and keep winning, the only way to control everything.
The strength to let go of violence is the strength to let things not go your way. Sometimes you eat dirt and die. Happens to the best of us.
I mean, it happened to the Ruler of the Multiverse and it didn’t stop him.
82 bottles of ash on the wall
82 bottles of ash
Take one down and cast it aground
83 bottles of ash…
Marvelously tactless yet apropos.
Zoss doesnt waste time in petty word plays and frail hopes it seems. Time for a change in tactics
True royalty knows that a game only has power because we give it power, because we play along. “Victory” in a game is meaningless, because it is still obeying someone else’s rules.
Allison must dispense with thoughts of winning. She must stop playing by the rules set by Solomon David.
So by that you mean to say … (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Relinquish control, and embrace ‘thoughtlessness’. Such is the way to defeat the mighty – for there is a reason the hero of the tarot is declared the Fool, and it isn’t for his fashion sense.
“Zoss! How can I be the biggest downer in the room?”
Rule Heaven through peace.
I offer a warm and sisterly embrace.
Yes.
If you reach Heaven through violence, you will be cast away at its gate. If you reach Heaven through Love, then Peace will grant you rule.
>how I can help white chain?
This is a question, so inversion is necessary. Should be “How can I help…”.
Relinquish your foolish delusions of control. You cling too much to grammar.
It is you who is the fool. Royalty is a continuous grammar correcting motion.
KING OF WORDS 10-140
Well fucking done.
Language is an art, a craft and a tool all at once. One would do well to afford it the proper respect.
Many generations of healthy lack of respect are the very reason we have this language in its current form, and are able to use it to tell people to respect it.
And yet, the opposite claim is true as well. If no one ever followed the rules, no communication or understanding whatsoever would be possible. You need some level of order, otherwise there is no point.
And yet, there is a difference between a healthy lack of respect, allowing for mistakes, misuse and humour, and taking a total lack of respect to the nth degree and having no-one ever following any rules ever and being mutually unintelligible. Despite what we presume to be a mistake, we still understood it. There is a difference between saying ‘some level of order’, and ‘one would do well to afford it the proper respect’.
Tho one could say that Zoss, The Conquering King, Defeater of the Primes, First Master of the Universe did afford exactly the proper respect.
If victory is impossible, disregard possibility and win anyways. The act of winning is to cheat anyways, so why care for rules? Why tell the truth and lose, when you could lie and be victorious?
Victory is a lie, and thus the easiest thing to achieve.
Only two things are certain, they say.
But Zoss has never paid a tax in his existence.
Zoss did, in fact, die. Therefore, I find it likely he has also paid his taxes at some point, which is only just, of course. However, he also happens to be far too powerful for either of those things to mean diddly-squat to him.
Death and taxes are certain, it’s true, but I’ve often reflected on how often people overestimate the inherent significance of both.
I am reminded of the Twelve Mantra of Guru Dana Ram, for the reception of The Sixth Aspect of Enlightenment- The Unexpected Revelation.
“OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIIT!!!”
It’s reach heaven through Violence. Not reach heaven through murder.
Ha! This entire time I’ve been assuming that Zoss was an imprint left in her head from the key. His appearances have always been so dream like. Well played.
Of course, is Incubus physically here himself? Or in her head? Is he seeing him because she’s seeing him?
Yes, exactly. Notice how Cio disappears the moment Incubus shows up. This is playing out in her head.
Yeah I spotted that too, and came to the same conclusion.
Remember that Incubus has been in her head since the heist.
Yes, and Zoss has been there too, just before Allison entered the inner vault in Yre. One might conclude that Incubus only visits her occasionally and doesn’t see what she sees between times.
Physical Incubus is now having a panic attack and it serves the bastard right.
I wonder if Incubus will tell Jagganoth and what J. might think of this.
Incubus could certainly use the lesson Zoss is about to teach. But he won’t, and that’s why he will never achieve something greater than he is.
It seems dangerous to assume that Zoss is talking to Alison in the last panel. Think about how it could just as well apply to Incubus.
Advice to one is advice to all.
Curious be those who
Reach heaven through violence
And find it empty
Nice to see that confident persona completely fall apart in front of a true threat lol
You are strong, Incubus. But I am beyond strength.
Nice.
Never, ever tell Al-Yisun what she can and cannot do.
Or, rather, tell her she can’t do something so you can watch her do it out of spite.
Even death goes. Oh hell I’m not dealing with that guy!
Allison can’t save her, but someone else can.
Theory: Zoss is going to teach Ally that real strength is the friends we made along the way.
It’s funny, you’re not WRONG, but for some reason I just felt an IMMENSE distaste for the way that you phrased that. Can’t imagine why.
I love Incubus’s mind BREAKING in panel 6.
You cannot, but the Master Key can. Start parcelling out some of that Infinite Power already Allisson. What do you think those shiney objects in a demiurge foreheads are? Only a seventh of the name that is all that is and all that is not
Supposedly angels can’t have keys–which is odd, and probably wrong, because the keys were made from something taken from Metatron’s head.
Angels were created before keys were, so I’m not sure I trust the idea that they’re not supposed to have keys, unless Koss saw the future and forged that into them. I suspect it’s some belief that the angels who said it incorrectly believe (and thus make into truth, because they BELIEVE it to be so.)
Personally I’d love to see White Chain with a key.
The rising king bequeathing small portions of her key to Chain and Cio would certainly make sense, though it may take time before either would be willing to accept such a fire of the gods.
Am officially in love with Zoss’s aesthetic. Digging the elbow guard.
Silly Incubus, every fool knows dreams cannot die. The quickest path to immortality is through dreams. I have dreamed eternities while sleeping on the floor beside the fire. I have been gods, and generals, and kings. And when my flesh is not but dust, trod on by the thousands of millions who shall come after me, I will have awakened from the greatest dream and live in the dreams of others. This is easy, any dog can do it.