THERE ISN’T ONE. ENJOY YOUR NEWFOUND NIHILISM.
IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, IT IS SOMEWHAT OF A MOOT POINT. NEITHER THE BIRTH NOR THE DEATH OF ANY CREATURE IS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION; NO HIGHER POWER HAS DECIDED YOUR PURPOSE, AND EVEN IF IT HAS, YOU NEED NOT FULFILL IT. NO OTHER CREATURE WILL BRING YOU MEANING. IT WILL HAVE TO COME FROM WITHIN.
WE APOLOGIZE IF THIS IS UNENLIGHTENING. COMPLICATED QUESTIONS DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE INTERESTING ANSWERS.
TO CLARIFY THIS ISSUE, A BIT OF BACKGROUND IS NEEDED REGARDING THE PROTOCOL FOR PROCESSING THE SOULS OF THE DECEASED.
NORMALLY, WHEN ONE PASSES AWAY AND ARRIVES ON THE BANKS OF THE SANZU RIVER, ONE MUST PAY THE SHINIGAMI A TOLL TO PASS THE RIVER AND ARRIVE IN HIGAN TO FACE THE YAMA FOR JUDGEMENT. THE YAMA WILL THEN SEND THAT SOUL TO HEAVEN, HELL, OR TO BE REINCARNATED BASED ON THE SINS IT CARRIES.
TO PAY THE SHINIGAMI’S TOLL, ONE MUST GIVE ALL THE MONEY THEY ARE CARRYING. HOWEVER, THIS MONEY DOES NOT COME FROM ANY MATERIAL WEALTH THE OWNER ONCE POSSESSED; INSTEAD, THE MONEY THEY HAVE REPRESENTS THE VALUE OF ALL THE BONDS AND FRIENDSHIPS THE PERSON HAD IN LIFE. IF ONE DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH TO PAY THE SHINIGAMI, OR SIMPLY REFUSES TO PAY, THE SHINIGAMI WILL TOSS THE SOUL INTO THE RIVER; IT WILL BE DEVOURED BY THE TERRIBLE CREATURES THAT LIVE THERE, AND BYPASS THE YAMA’S JUDGEMENT, BEING SENT STRAIGHT TO HELL.
NOW, IMAGINE IF AN UNTOLD NUMBER OF MORALLY BANKRUPT (LITERALLY, IN THIS CASE) SOULS WERE TO ARRIVE ON THE BANKS OF THE SANZU AT THE SAME TIME. AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SOULS WOULD BE THROWN OVERBOARD AND DESCEND INTO HELL, WITH NO FEES PAID TO THE SHINIGAMI. THE POPULATION OF HELL WOULD EXPERIENCE A DRAMATIC INFLUX OF PRISONERS, WITH NO FUNDING TO THE WARDENS TO ACCOMMODATE THEM.
THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT HAPPENED. THE END RESULT IS THAT WHAT IS NOW FORMER HELL HAD TO BE CLOSED DOWN, AND THE PRISONERS HAD TO BE CONSOLIDATED WITH THOSE OF ANOTHER DISTRICT. THE TRANSFER WAS NOT SEAMLESS; A FEW RUNAWAY EVIL SPIRITS STILL RESIDE IN FORMER HELL, AS WELL AS MANY OF THE OLD FOUL-TEMPERED WARDENS. WE RECOMMEND KEEPING YOUR DISTANCE FROM THIS DREADFUL PLACE.
YOUR SECOND QUESTION IS ALSO INTERESTING, BUT WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER TIME.
WE WOULD GLADLY TELL YOU THE ANSWER, BUT EVEN IF WE WERE TO USE THE COMBINED AREA OF ALL THE PLANES OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE, THERE WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH SPACE TO DISPLAY IT.
THE LAST DIGIT IS 5.
((Oh dear heavens…))
But of course, Sir Magic Stones. I should be able to devise a cure that would facilitate a much higher rate of recovery. However, in order to do so, it would probably help to become much better acquainted with your peculiar anatomy. Of course, I will allow you to do the same if you like. With your permission, we can proceed in a mutual physical examination~
EXCELLENT! AN OPPORTUNITY TO GATHER THE CLOSELY GUARDED DATA ON LUNARIAN PHYSIOLOGY. PERHAPS NOW WE WILL UNDERSTAND THE REASONS FOR THEIR STRENGTH AND LONGEVITY.
STONE #5! PREPARE THE PROBES!
VERY WELL.
[ BGM ]
[ it’s 5 am. sleep? fuck that, gotta draw the stones turning into the megazord. ]
NO, EVEN IF SOMEONE HADN’T THE FAINTEST IDEA WHAT THE DRAGON BALLS LOOK LIKE, THEY WOULD REALIZE FINDING FIVE DRAGON BALLS IN ONE PLACE WOULD BE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
IF WE GAIN ENOUGH MAGICAL POWER, MAYBE WE WILL BE ABLE TO GRANT WISHES AS WELL. BUT NOT WITHOUT GOOD REASON. THE EXPERIENCE PENALTY IS HARSH.
WE ARE CAPABLE OF PERFORMING ACTIONS THAT COULD BE INTERPRETED AS “COMPASSIONATE” OR “CRUEL” (AS SUBJECTIVE AS SUCH TERMS MAY BE), BUT THAT MUCH SHOULD BE OBVIOUS. THUS, WE ASSUME YOU ARE ASKING ABOUT THE OUR INTENT.
THE ANSWER IS NO; WE DISPENSE EXACTLY AS MUCH AID OR PUNISHMENT AS WE THINK IS DESERVED, BY MEANS OF REASON.
THERE IS ONE EXCEPTION, IN THAT WE WILL SOMETIMES PERFORM PRANKS, WHICH SOME MAY FIND UNWARRANTED. HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE THAT THE OCCASIONAL PRANK SERVES AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SOCIETY, WHICH IS TO TRAIN A HEALTHY SENSE OF SKEPTICISM FOR USE AGAINST GENUINELY HARMFUL DECEPTIONS.
AS WE HAVE SAID REPEATEDLY, NO, WE ARE CONSTRUCTS AND WE DO NOT HAVE SOULS. WE ARE RESILIENT, BUT WHEN WE DIE, THAT IS THE END OF IT.
ACCORDING TO DOCTOR YAGAKORO (UNDER THE EFFECTS OF SOME OF THAT PESKY ANON MAGIC), A JUDGEMENT ON US FROM THE YAMA RETURNS A “BLUE” RESULT, RATHER THAN WHITE OR BLACK. THIS IS LIKELY SOME SORT OF “NOT APPLICABLE” RESPONSE.
SINCE YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY A NOVICE, WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME ADVICE.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LASERS, AND AS SUCH, DIFFERENT METHODS FOR FIRING THEM.
ONE TYPE OF LASER IS A BULLET LASER. IT CAN BE TREATED ESSENTIALLY THE SAME WAY AS A NORMAL BULLET, EXCEPT THAT YOU MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT IT WILL TAKE LONGER BEFORE YOU CAN CROSS BACK OVER THE AREA THAT THE LASER PASSED.
THEN THERE ARE FIELD LASERS, WHICH IS WHAT YOU FELL PREY TO. FIELD LASERS ORIGINATE FROM A SINGLE POINT AND CONTINUALLY FIRE ENERGY TO A CERTAIN DISTANCE AT SEEMINGLY INSTANT SPEEDS. HOWEVER, THIS METHOD HAS ITS OWN DOWNSIDE.
IF YOU WATCH ANY NUMBER OF DANMAKU DUELS IN GENSOKYO, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT FIELD LASERS WILL PLACE A THIN, HARMLESS LASER MARKING THEIR TRAJECTORY BEFORE FIRING. ALTHOUGH IT WOULD SEEM THIS MECHANISM EXISTS IN ORDER TO FULFILL THE “ESCAPABLE” CLAUSE OF THE SPELLCARD RULES, THE TRUTH IS THAT THE TRACER IS NECESSARY TO CREATE A STABLE FIELD IN WHICH TO MAINTAIN THE LASER.
WATCH FOR THESE TRACERS CAREFULLY. IN THE CONFUSION OF A FIRE FIGHT, IT IS COMMON FOR ONE TO TRAIN THEIR EYE TO WATCH ONLY FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF MOTION; THIS MAY CAUSE YOU TO MISS IMPORTANT VISUAL CUES OF WHAT IS COMING. IT MAY ALSO HELP YOUR VISIBILITY IF YOU RESEARCH TECHNIQUES THAT MAKE IT EASIER TO SEE THROUGH YOUR OWN ATTACKS. FOR INSTANCE, MANY RESIDENTS OF GENSOKYO CAN USE THEIR MAGIC TO MAKE IT SO THAT THEY SEE THEIR OWN BULLETS WITH SIGNIFICANTLY LESS OPACITY.
IN SHORT, PAY ATTENTION.
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