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Chapter 977: Getting Complicated Fast
🕑 Added 2025-01-22 22:00:07 +0000 UTCBussinger looked down at the gold-rank essence users. Not long ago, she would have said that group, acting together, could have accomplished anything. Killed anyone, no matter how protected. Taken down the civic infrastructure of a nation. That many people, with that much power, was an invincible, unstoppable force.
One man had taken them apart like stripping a gun down for cleaning. She suspected he hadn’t even tried that hard. It was well known that Jason Asano used stealth and skirmish tactics, avoiding direct battle, yet directly was how he’d engaged them. He and his alien minions had descended upon them like monsters plucked out of a nightmare.
The forest of curse-levying shadow trees; the alien monster that had beams and shield like a spaceship. The mouth monster whose aura of world-devouring hunger was possibly more terrifying than that of its master. As for Asano himself, even the names of his powers were unsettling. Weight of Sin; Feast of Blood; Price of Absolution. Revealed by the System, they seemed plucked from the sermon of some blood and hellfire preacher.
She now stood across from that man, with a line of what looked like corpses between them. She could feel their life force desperately clinging to existence. It was mirrored in the blackened flesh, clinging to their skeletons.
“How do you do that?” she asked, gesturing at them.
“Necrosis-inducing toxins, for the most part, exacerbated by curses to—”
“I don’t mean how you physically did it,” she amended. “I mean, you were just some guy working retail once, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you have to go through that you can bring yourself to do something like this to people?”
“I don’t think those lightning bolts you threw my way were intended to charge my phone, lady. Tell me you weren’t looking to have me be the one lying there.”
She looked up, meeting his eyes then she ran to the side of the chamber, next to the discarded blast doors, and threw up. When she was done, she found Jason still staring at the bodies.
“You’re right,” she said, her voice sounding like a confession. “I’ve never killed anyone before.”
“You haven’t killed anyone now,” Jason pointed out.
“It was always just monsters. It’s all I ever wanted, since I was a girl.”
“All you’ve wanted since you were a girl was to kill monsters?”
“My family is one of the old Network families in Zurich. We date all the way back to the first secret societies the Network founder created in Switzerland. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with magic, and my family had the power to indulge me. Training, knowledge. Essences and monster cores, as soon as I was old enough. I reached silver rank only a weeks before your return to Earth. It was crushing to know that I’d missed the chance to use the Hurin training methods, having been raised on cores. Even then, I was able to use some of it to grow stronger. The focus on mastering each individual ability. It didn’t raise my raw power, but I learned to use it more effectively.”
“You were certainly more capable than the others,” Jason said, gesturing at the line of bodies. “Is that why they chose you to get the resources to reach gold rank?”
“After you left, after the transformation zones, really, the magic on Earth started to rise. Monsters started manifesting directly, no more proto-spaces. There are a few areas of high magic where gold-rank monsters spawn, now. It became a gold rush to harvest them, even if people were dying in the attempt. The nations and the magical factions have treaties over who gets to farm the monsters, but the Network factions get first pick. We have the grid, after all, and we’re the ones who detect them.”
“And now Earth has more gold-rankers.”
“Yes. And there are conflicts, but I never had an interest in fighting people. All I wanted was the magic, and to do some good with it. To fight monsters.”
“Yet now you’re here, protecting the people who would strip mine the planet until holes start getting ripped in the universe again.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Is that so?”
“Read my aura, I know you can. Tell me if I’m lying.”
Jason took a long breath and let it out slowly, releasing his frustrations as he calmed himself.
“If you don’t know what’s going on, why are you here? What did they tell you?”
“That you were coming here to invade a Network facility.”
“Oh. Yeah, that’s, uh, technically accurate. Do you know what they do here?”
“What does that matter? If the Network started poking around the secure areas of the Asano Clan, what would you do?”
“I guess I’d gather up my gold-rank friends and smack the snot out of them.”
“I’d have preferred to negotiate. Unlike Amstutz, I do believe the footage of your battle in Australia was real. But what was I going to do once he started the fight? Not back him up?”
Jason sighed.
“From your perspective, I’m kind of the bad guy here, huh?”
“No,” she said. “Not kind of.”
“Do you know what a reality core is?”
“Power unrelenting. They make the impossible possible. I participated in some of the fights over them in the transformation zones.”
“Do you know why they’re bad?”
“I know that you say they are.”
Jason looked down at the debilitated gold rankers. Most were still too far gone to tell one from another.
“Let’s walk while this lot pull themselves together,” he said. “Watching organs regrow is something best avoided. The process is juicier than you’d like. I’ll tell you some more about reality cores.”
“You can tell me what you like, but you’ll need evidence if you want me to believe it.”
Jason entered the tunnel, glancing at the spot where the blast doors had been removed. Bussinger moved to walk beside him.
“I can probably arrange some kind of demonstration, although not right now,” he told her. “The issue is that reality cores natively exist as part of an underlayer of reality. One that mortals — and most immortals, for that matter — aren’t meant to have access to. But I have some abilities, and access to a very good astral magician. For now, let me tell you what reality cores are actually for, and why removing them is very bad…”
***
The security room outside the mountain vault was large. It wasn’t designed for normal operations but to make a last stand when defending the vault. The intention was to have powerful weapon emplacements and defensive barriers for defenders, but they were yet to be installed. Now, Geneva reflected they likely never would be. As the chamber was large and unfurnished, Geneva carried in a stool from a nearby room.
“Aren’t we going through the big round door?” Remy asked, jerking his chin at the vault. He’d largely recovered but was still looking pale.
“We’re not,” Geneva said. “If we’re not safe here, do you think that door will stop him?”
“No,” Remy said, fresh worry crossing his face. He didn’t bother to find something to sit on and slumped down against the wall. Geneva put her stool down in the middle of the room and primly perched herself upon it.
“You know him, don’t you?” she asked.
“Asano? No, I just met him once. Portalled him to Makassar for, you know. What happened there.”
“Doesn’t Asano have portals of his own?”
“Sure, but you have to go places the long way before you can portal there. It’s why I’m always on the move.”
He looked around.
“You know, I don’t think I’m meant to be in here. A portal specialist like me freelances across factions, so folks don’t let me in places like this.”
“Yet, you were able to portal people right here. Meaning you have been here before.”
“Well, I’m a specialist. I can’t fight worth a damn, but when it comes to portals, I can bend the rules everyone else is stuck with. If someone else has been to a place, I can use them like a beacon to target that location. There are conditions, and risk factors. I have to be careful with it, so I don’t like to do it that way. But when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go, and you weren’t taking no for an answer. Although you’d have had to, if you’d told me it was Jason Asano coming here. I’d rather face you than him; I don’t care who’s backing you.”
“I do appreciate you bringing the other gold rankers here, and with such swiftness. Thank you. I was expecting you to drop them close as you could and have them rush the rest of the way.”
“Not sure what good it’ll do you.”
“You think he can win against that many people?”
“I think that if he can’t, he’s got his own people in the magic space station or whatever it is out there. But yeah, I think that…”
He trailed off and shook his head.
“Mrs Andros, how much chance in a fight does a bronze ranker have against silver ranker?”
“None at all. What does that have to do with anything?”
***
“…enough reality cores are removed,” Jason explained, “then the transformation zones are going to start again. Transformation zones are scabs, grown over wounds in the skin of the universe. And if it keeps happening, it’s going to get worse until those wounds are too big to scab over.”
“Then what happens?” Bussinger asked.
“Then what’s on the other side washes in. Magic, raw and unadulterated. The Earth will stand up to that as well as a loose tissue in a hurricane. At that point, other forces will step in. It’s unlikely that it would cascade into full annihilation of the universe, although the solar system will almost certainly be gone. Possibly a good chunk of the Milky Way. Depends on how long it takes the Builder and the World Phoenix to intervene. If they end up in disagreement over what do and which one is in charge, it could take a while.”
“And those are the great astral beings you were talking about? But that Builder is different to the Builder who made our universe.”
“Correct. I covered all this in more detail in a briefing recently. Being a gold ranker, I imagine you’ll be shown it sooner, rather than later.”
When Jason’s explanation came to an end, they still had a long way into the mountain to delve. He pivoted to questions he had for her.
“That power you used on yourself to purge all my afflictions,” he said. “I’ve seen other powers that could do that, but not by hitting the person using it with lightning.”
“Yeah. I’ve never heard of anyone on Earth with a power quite like it.”
“Nor have I, and I’ve seen a lot more powers. It looked like the power harmed you while cleansing you.”
“It did. The power is called Tribulation Lightning, which I only learned after the system arrived. Is it true that you’re involved with that?”
-------
Yes
-------
She stopped dead, staring at the window.
“It’s not that big a deal,” he told her.
“You’ve made a fundamental change in how magic works.”
“It’s more like how people perceive magic, than changing the magic itself. So, not a big deal, like I said.”
“It’s still a change that affected everyone in the entire world.”
“Cosmos,” he corrected.
“What?”
“It affected everyone in the cosmos, or at least the ones who can potentially use essence magic. I’ll look into expanding it once… it doesn’t matter. I have more pressing concerns right now.”
The window vanished and they continued on their way.
“I noticed something very unusual when you used that power,” he said. “I don’t think I would have, if I wasn’t part of this experimental program a priest I know is running on people. Would you be interested in getting involved?”
“In human experimentation being carried out by a priest?”
“Not just humans. He’s had me participating in doing surgery on people.”
“Actual surgery, not healing magic?”
“Healing magic was involved, but actual surgery, yeah.”
“You have medical training?”
Jason burst out laughing.
“No,” he told her. “No, I do not.”
***
“I did a job for the Lyon branch,” Remy explained. “This was back when Asano had just returned to Earth the first time. Not many had heard of him yet. The Lyon branch had, not sure how, and they sent someone to kidnap him. A silver ranker, or category three, as they used to call them. Things have changed a lot since then. Silver rankers were more special. I guess someone in the Lyon branch saw it all coming and wanted their hands on the catalyst of that change.”
“The Lyon branch had Farrah Hurin,” Geneva said. “That’s how they knew. And I would argue that she was as responsible for the changes to the magical world as Asano, if not more so. Most of the training that is now standard for essence users came from her, not him. And, if not for her work on the grid, there would be no facility like this.”
“And what is this place exactly?”
“I take it that then then-bronze-rank Asano managed to defeat the silver-ranker?” Geneva asked, ignoring the question. Remy shrugged and continued his story.
“Sebastian was the silver ranker’s name. And no, Asano didn’t beat him, but he did almost kill him. Sebastian managed to grab Asano and hand him off, but he had to crawl into the local Network branch after, before he died from what Asano had done to him. By the time they healed him up, Asano had already freed himself and disappeared Sebastian’s people. He turned up in the Sydney branch director’s kitchen in the middle of the night.”
“Where do you come in?”
“Sebastian wasn’t working with the permission of the local branch, and the locals didn’t appreciate him kidnapping their interdimensional traveller. Lyon hired me to extract him.”
“You broke into a Network branch?”
“No, they suborned one of the leadership committee members. She even had a bomb put on a plane carrying Asano, for all the good it did. My job was to get them both out of the country.”
“And did you?” Jason asked as he strolled through the door. “Miranda Ellis was never heard from again, after that.”
Neither Geneva nor Remy has sensed the approach of Asano, or of the gold ranker who followed him through the door.
“Did you turn traitor?” Geneva asked Bussinger. “Is that how Asano won?”
“She’s a prisoner,” Jason said.
“Are the others dead?” Geneva asked.
“They’re alive,” Jason said. “More or less. They’ll recover. Now, Remy, I asked you a question.”
“I didn’t remember her name,” Remy said. “She was awful, and didn’t last long. Sebastian hit her with a power and kicked her off a massive rock up in Kakadu. Her body could still be there, I suppose, but I imagine something ate it. If anyone missed her, I didn’t hear about it. Why do you even care?”
“Because good people died in that plane bombing.”
“You’re not going to blame me for what she did, right?” Remy asked.
“No, but you should be more careful about who you associate with.”
Jason narrowed his eyes at Remy.
“That triggered more of a response than I was expecting.”
“I don’t… I have no idea what you mean,” Remy stammered. Still sitting on the floor, he shuffled along the wall away from Jason.
“And now you’re lying to me, which is not a good idea. Please bear with me a moment, Geneva. I will get to you, but I’ve stumbled onto an unexpected windfall here. Remy, when I said you should be careful about who you associated with, I felt panic spike in your aura like someone jabbed a live wire up your coit. Who have you been hanging around with that it would warrant that kind of response?”
Remy’s eyes darting around the room, searching for an escape he knew was not to be found.
“Sebastian,” he said. “The one who kidnapped you. I know where he is.”
“I don’t care,” Jason said. “If I went after revenge over everyone on Earth who’d tried to kill, kidnap or otherwise forcefully exploit me, I’d have to wipe out every magical faction on the planet, and possibly a couple of countries.”
“Which is what I think people are worried about,” Bussinger pointed out.
“It’s not Sebastian,” Jason said. “I’ve gotten pretty good at reading auras. When Remy here said his name, it wasn’t a lie, but it had the feel of one. He does know where to find Sebastian, but that was a dodge. What is the name you’re afraid of me hearing, Remy?”
Remy was a cornered animal, fight-or-flight painted in his wide eyes.
“Give me a name, Remy.”
“Marie Finnegan,” he said through clenched teeth.
Geneva leapt from her stool.
“What?”
Jason looked from one to the other, then let out a weary sigh.
“The branch director from Zurich?” he asked. “This is getting complicated fast. Shade, tell the others to come join us.”
Shade rose up from Geneva’s shadow.
“I am informing them now, Mr Asano.”
Comments
Marcus
What eye ability I went on a long hiatus and don't remember a lot of the smaller details.
Tavon LaChapelle
Probably the wrong chapter to pose this question but Jason's new eyes ability probably has a short range while he's on the ground I wonder if that would change if he like flew into space and panned his gaze over the bright half of earth
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Chloe
Tyftc
Nea
This chapter had everything I wanted. Thank you so much!!
Kalanaere
Oh Remmy you've been very bad. Associating with corrupt magical leaders and evil Vampires and now you're lying to a Godly being that could literally erase you with a flick of his wrist should he wish to. You should really reconsider your answers. On the other hand Jason and his familiar just stomped a squad of Earth Golds and didn't break a sweat. If/when that gets out people will stumble over themselves to not ne on his bad side. At least most will
Kristy Riedel
We are all shaped by where and how we are raised, we all have biases and not all of us ever realize it. I choose to respect characters who can hear and internalize new perspectives.
Kristy Riedel
Well, at least he's not a butt spy.
Kristy Riedel
Why can't Higgy just find love?
Kristy Riedel
Australian slang. buttocks; backside. Also: quoit. Word origin. C20: perhaps a variant and special use of quoit, referring to roundness.
Justin
Pretty great accomplishment
Kristy Riedel
Thanks for being organized that way. I can't wait for official releases either, but I do hear Heath's voice when I read anyway.
Kristy Riedel
Correct, I would guesstimate he's spent 20 years as an essence user and could make it to diamond in the next 20, considering what nonsense he's always up to. Lol
Ryan
That was an amazing charter. I love that you still have the amphora thing going. The fun non sense that is thrown in is exactly what I needed today after getting laid off my job a couple hours ago.
Justin
I figured
Justin
That’s what I figured but he hasn’t spent 40 years as an essence user right?
Joshua Batts
Yeah, and wasn't he 23 at the very beginning? He's got the fifteen years spent fighting the gabs, a year and a half in Pallimustus the first time, then a few years on earth, so that easily puts him over 40, even without his time in Pallimustus the second time.
David
He’s already over 40.
Justin
I still want him to rampage and just get rid of the old guard that’s been running things
Justin
Do you guys think Jason will reach diamond before he’s spent 40 years as an essence user? I forget his age now but do you think he could make it before he’s 40 years old?
Donna
Thank you! I must have missed it, but I will also put it on my calendar!
Laura Hemly
I'm not Shirt, but I put it on my calendar when I saw the date a while ago. It should be on May 20; the text should be released March 9.
Donna
@shirtaloon, do you know when the audio for book 12 will be released?
ByLAWphoto
I am a native speaker, but from the US; we don't have that word in use here. I took it as "part of your anatomy that you wouldn't show off in public." I think that was the general idea, anyway.
Angie
wow got a good one there
Laura Hemly
I suspect Remy has been used so much for sketchy portals for one of two reasons, or possibly both: 1) he doesn't ask questions, and/or 2) he'll accept lsrge sums (or something of equal value) for portalling.
Laura Hemly
But Gerling isn't really alive; his soul is trapped in a shell that is 100% under Elizabeth's control, so he's suffering at least as much as the people trapped by the Builder in his grotesque constructs. I honestly never thought Shirt could find a way to make me feel sorry for Gerling, but he's succeeded!
Laura Hemly
Google says it's Australian slang for backside. I thought it was slightly elsewhere in the personal parts, which makes sense since Urban Dictionary says it's Australian slang for asshole.
GentlemanG33k
Wow Remy caves easy held that Sebastian secret for almost 20 years, tells Geneva without her really asking
Michael Romo
I feel the same. I love this series. Mostly for the banter. I do like power trip Jason and how they are trying to make him more serious and intimidating but leaving out the team banter isn't it. He'll probably go through an arch about how he's been avoiding them bc he feels bad about leaving them so much.
Maudley
What if the purity artifact was an awakening stone, one sent to earth with Noreth's master? If the humans found it, they would have little idea how rare it was pre-System, and it would end up getting used...
NukedMoose
Yes, it could be. But I think its referring to the concept and myth behind traditional Chinese cultivation.
Kelly
Now that we’ve seen Shade in a different light it’s much funnier to imagine him popping out of everyone’s shadow. Benign or not in the moment, he’s literally the monster hiding under your bed and you never knew he was there. 😂
Azwrix
Defiance of the Fall reference? Nice!
Jordan Brennan
Tyftc!
Cameron Becker
more around the backside area
Larsi
Hmm I do realise that Team Biscuit has been delegated to the sidelines a lot. I think for now we are still tying up a lot of loose ends, which can drag on but I feel will be worth the payoff.
Thomas Froehling
Hmmm, I'm not a native English speaker and I might miss the occasional colloquial word. I get the meaning, if not the exact translation. But I'd like to know what a 'coit' might be. A certain part of the body, I guess, more precisely somewhere in the lower abdomen... Anybody here able to clarify that for me? Thank you in advance!
Thomas Froehling
I just had a troublesome thought: that Tribulation Lightning reminded me of that ritual the order of the Redeeming Light had to 'purge people from impurities'. Could it be that she got a divine awakening stone from Disguise of Pallimustus somehow? Might be that said God wants to have a foot in the door of Earth...
Julius Dubasas
Yeah, I get Bruissingers point of viev. Jasons says reality cores are bad, doesn't explain starts publicly killing people, so yeah easy to suspect bs if you don't have detailed info. As I imagine Gerlings assassination was kept relatively hush hush, so rank and file had enough to benefit from the doubt. Also public explanation that wonder material that you have in other layer of earth is dangerous to take out is suspect to work on people. World didn't explode as they took out some reality core, so surely nothing bad will happen [TM].
Morgan Smidt
NO NOTES!! (Edit: that’s a New Girl reference)
Morgan Smidt
I sincerely hope you’re dead wrong. Think we’ve had enough Jason murderhoboing on earth. Jason himself would hate that, and so would I.
Morgan Smidt
If you think Tribulation Lightning comes from DotF, you haven’t read nearly enough xianxia
Morgan Smidt
You clearly haven’t been reading the same story I have. Niel has had a few quips about earth and popular culture in even just the last 10 chapters. Also, I disagree. This is peak.
Rachel Clements
TYFTC!
Ethan
Another great chapter, thanks shirt
Soli116
Why not both?
joe schmoe
if the only info she ever got about jason was from media or filtered to her by the network she grew up in, she probably has an internal bias to believe he has ulterior motives like most of earths factions. it seems like she is coming around though.
Monty
This is a direct "defiance of the fall reference. It has to be.
Crystal Donak
I know people will tear me a new one for saying this, but I miss the conversations of Team Bisket, and this whole Earth arch has been kinda dull and sooo slow. Neil hasn't once made an appearance to joke about Earch or comment about ..well, anything, I'm sorry. I feel terrible. I'm missing in the old crew but finally - this just got interesting.
Tyler Larson
Ooh! This explanation also conveniently explains why a rupture in the membrane would wipe out reality, because you're no longer keeping them separated. It also would explain why astral beings are incentivized to create and protect universes. Because magic can't exist in any meaningful sense without reality and reality cores.
Tyler Larson
See? It's harder than it looks. A more lore-consistent riff on your idea would be that reality cores are the counterbalance to the power of the astral, like how you need both a positive and negative terminal on a battery. The infinite supply of mana from the astral is meaningless out there in the astral soup, but reality cores introduce the other half of the definition of magic power. The astral versus the reality cores creates a magic pressure differential, and mana is the flow of energy forever seeking to equalize the pressure.
Tex Northend
Oh thats something i didnt know! I will have to check it out. I really like defiance of the fall, at times its a little too introspective but its my favourite book series nexto Hwfm and dungeon crawler carl.
Loading Error
Is ‘incompotent’ a combination of ‘income potent’ as in like… makes lots of money?
Nick
I think it has more to do with the with the willingness to suffer to purge outside influence. It's a tribulation (period of suffering) where lightning ravages her body. Carlo's project is about cleansing outside influence, and Jason's afflictions are notoriously hard to remove.
Nick
Reality cores are the power underpinning reality. The builder creates worlds from the raw astral, they're essentially a complicated ritual. The reality cores are the power source for the ritual that creates reality. That's why they have so much power, their job is to sustain reality for an impossibly long time.
Jarrett Glass
After reading through other comments on here I see that this was myopia on my part. You right.
DrSubterfuge
It's a very old cultivation trope. At best it's a nod to xanxia in general.
DrSubterfuge
It's a very old cultivation trope. At best it's a nod to xanxia in general.
LunarLilith
I don't think that's what she can do. Jason connected her to Carlos' research, so I think her ability could be used to help the people like Sophie's mother, as well as the vampires.
Andre Morales
This is why Travis is so special, he was from an old network family and still sided with Jason when it cost him everything at the time.
Andre Morales
She is already better than Anna
Havics Child
No way thats the case, a god had to off himself to do that, my money is on purging lesser vampirism slowly
Tyler Larson
Oh, yay, he's finally going to explain how removing reality cores actually-- Oh. Nevermind. Back in the macguffin tin they go.
Michael Alpert-Appell
That would be fascinating.
C0bra$
Thank u for the story
Stephanie Washburn
Hey, at least Remy is morally consistent. He portals people around and doesn't really care who, save for that the violently cruel unnerve him and he'd rather not.
Telewyn
I dunno. Nobody else has a purifying lightning power, which seems incredibly unlikely. I agree they’ll use it on the tainted folks hanging out in Jason’s soul, but if it really is a unique power, it should be a key to fixing monster core people too. Tribulation lightning is traditionally the “heavens” challenging your advancement. It’s an opportunity to rebuild weak areas after they are destroyed. It makes sense that it wouldn’t fix monster cores instantly, Tribulation Lightning is a stress test. It’s on the cultivator to take advantage and rebuild.
Sébastien Kingsbury
Any bets tribulation lightning lets her slowly remove the monster core weakness? Would be thematic
Brave Badger
Yup I see a new auxiliary adventurer in the making
Damien Burks
Yeah, Jack may only fight Jason because Elizabeth tells him to. However, I think Jason may reconsider his thoughts on revenge when he sees Gerling is still alive.
Brave Badger
I’m not one of those murder mannequins I swear
Tex Northend
Love the little defiance of the fall nod!
Jordan Rogers
I feel like she fodder for a slaughter, something will definitely happen to her and Jason will go murderhobo on someone was probably just gonna give a thorough telling off
Kristy Riedel
Well, he is trying to educate the earth to prepare for the future. Each of these lessons turns at least on person into a new message carrier.
Kristy Riedel
She used it on herself and still has monster core taint. I think the difference will be that monster core use is a choice to alter your own soul. Jason wants to see if that power can be used to help the people who had taint forcibly painted over their souls (fires of purgation)
Thomas Black
When I first saw Remy's name again and I remembered that he gave Jason a portal in Makassar I could have sworn that he was also the name of the portal specialist that was with the French assassin, and it is nice to finally get confirmation that I wasn't just seeing things. Thank you for the chapter, awesome as always Shirt.
Fabienne Bedry
It’s a wisp! Brillant réf!
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Bettafish
They were rare enough to be a checkable list in Rimaros when Melody was still doing purity stuff, it's probably just Remi on earth.... which means everyone doing anything sketchy with portals used Remi.... which is exactly the kind of "so self obsessed you forgot key points of Opsec because you felt entitled to the luxury the flaw provided" these guys would do. Because you CAN just take a nondescript car... it's slower, it's less impressive but nobody's gonna randomly trip onto a random Honda and unravel half the schemes ongoing in the world
Dalth
For all her willful ignorance of the situation, I like Bussinger. Hope she sticks around more in the long run. I’m not sure if it’s naivety or innocence, but it makes her an interesting character with strong morals for protection. That she’s backing up her team is something we haven’t seen much of from the Earth side, but the problem is that she doesn’t bother learning what she’s backing them up for. Too much of Earth’s magic users are backstabbing and scheming. Bussinger really doesn’t fit. See how instantly Geneva jumps to the conclusion Bussinger turned traitor.
Alejandro Piña
I think the lightning of tribulation is a standard cultivation trope.
Anthony
I am waiting to hear about how it actually can cleanse her of the monster core taint, and other too if they take the risk to tank it.
gator mate
tftc
John Durrett
And here’s to bad guys redefining bad guys to be “those idiots who carjack the framework of reality as a way to get expensively high on life”
Alejandro Piña
I really liked this back and forth with the conversations
Joanna
I believe they’re talking about “Tribulation Lightning”. I first came across the concept in Beware of Chicken a few weeks ago, but it somehow seems right that it’s an ancient idea
ABTelford
Woohoo!! I ADORE this chapter!!! No criticisms at all. 😍
Laura Hemly
Can someone tell me what that reference is?
Laura Hemly
Yes, Jason knows about aura beacons, but not looking inside another person to use their knowledge *like* a portal beacon. Remy said, and I quote, "If someone else has been to a place, I can use them **like a beacon** to target that location."
Vodyinoi
I'll be quite curious to find out if Remy lets slip that Marie Finnegan is also associated with the location of what remains of Jack Gerling. Though, by this time, killing him off is probably a mercy.
Scott McCarthy
Jason already knows about beacons for portals, it is how the brainwaahed Purity cultists got the clockwork king out of the ruined builder city.
Scott McCarthy
I assume that portal specialists are rare, and thus valuable. Meaning free agents are likely scarce since they want to keep them loyal.
Tom Roe
Great chapter ty
Samendio Mathieu
Oh cool! I didn't know journey to the West had it. I've never read the original story honestly. Just some various renditions.
David
Right? These Network people are constantly doing obviously shady or illegal things and then they act like it has never occurred to them. Jason playing along with it got old.
Grayvisc
Shade, the ultimate butler…I mean spy.
Zack
Honestly, I'd be shocked if there wasn't a shade body following them inside listening the whole time. Jason definitely knows now.
Scott McCarthy
“From your perspective, I’m kind of the bad guy here, huh?” “No,” she said. “Not kind of.” Lady, Jason's priorities are kind of known, if he was coming to your site, you know 100% there is a reason behind it, and unless you are incompotent you should know to ask what that is. Your perspective is 100% willful ignorance so you can claim to not be the baddy.
ByLAWphoto
...and yes, Shade has been with you THE WHOLE TIME. bwah ha ha ha ha!
Tyler S.
Get those good biscuits
devildham
TFTC
Naotsugu97
Cheers for the chapter!
Justin Butler
I love when Shade chooses to rise out of other people's shadows that don't know he's there. It's just... "Chef's Kiss"
Mist Sparrow
Loved the build up of tension in that final interrogation scene , excellent writing
Arieh Sochaczevski
Biscuits!
Mike Zebill
Can he actually portal using other people or was he lying to cover up already being to the site?
Bingus McCready
Love when we get little nods to other genre icons. Tribulation lightning as a self-cleanse with a drawback is an extremely cool concept! TFTC!
Gareth Morgan
Tribulation lightning is a common enough theme. I mean it might be DotF but attributing a concept that dates all the way back to Journey to the West seems odd.
Adrian
Also, biblical, and Sun Wukong, which is likely where The First Defier got it 😏
Pierce
This was a particularly good chapter
Timothy
Funny how the one guy that knows all of the "Players" happens to be in the one place he can't escape from and now meets the one person he pissed all over their Cheerios. GOOD LUCK REMY!
Jack Dawson
Him popping up in her shadow means that fight with the golds was just for show, he could have just jumped out of her shadow inside the bunker
The Broken-Melody
Scones
Bettafish
At last, payoff for the fact that all the antagonistic factions use the exact same portal guy.
Brian Glazier
Thanks for the biscuits
Quintin Landhan
Biscuits
Lori W.
Thank you
Cayden Greenhalgh
I love the chapters that make my insides go 😆😵💫😮💨
Laura Hemly
Tftc, Shirt. I'd completely forgotten that Remy portalled Jason to Makassar! Although Remy really shouldn't have joined the other gold rankers at the cave; things are definitely getting interesting! Also, I wonder if Jason will learn about his ability to use other people's knowledge of places like an aura beacon?
Samendio Mathieu
Defiance of the Fall reference anyone 👀👀
Jarrett Glass
Love the DotF reference. Thanks for the chapter!
mockery jones
corruption at the top of the org chart, shocking.
Thunder0ni
Having Shade pop up in other peoples shadows always kills me. They think they’re alone then the shadow butler just pops up in their shadow
Sean Sheldon
Someone done f-ed up hard core. Well, more than already.
Chris Pollan
Biscuits
Christian Chavez
Thank you
Darkdragon
Biscuits
