OWP-0068 - Chapter Six
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Chapter VI: Weapons of War
After the war began, it became clear that it would rage forever with no way of ending. After all, how can you fight when both sides are functionally immortal and invincible? Since this war was a war of protection, the destroyers would accomplish their goals if left to wage their terrible functions. A solution to the stalemate was discovered relatively quickly however, as various methods of de-escalating or otherwise affecting those of higher tiers of power was discovered, and quickly weaponized. The trick, as it were, was to use the tools of the System against those rogue elements. Pause functionality lead to the development of The Amulet of Sealing, which could lock an Eternal into a mortal state. Cinematic soundtracks lead to the the Song of Finite, a musical accompaniment which would leave an Eternal powerless, as well as others. The most important Artefact created by the Protection Faction was the Terminal Blade, dubbed Kyuukyoku-Yaiba. This weapon stripped an Eternal of it’s elevated protections as it cut, which allowed it to be used like a sword would in any non-Eternal context*.
Never one to be out-done, the Destruction Faction forged itself a weapon to allow themselves to keep up their grim crusade: Mugendai-Yaiba — The Infinity Blade. This weapon, in the hands of an Eternal, has a similar function to the Terminal Blade: it can be used a sword during Eternal vs Eternal conflicts. However, it’s method of reaching these levels of power is quite different: whereas the Terminal Blade brought the target down to the realm of mortals, the Infinity Blade itself was capable of being used at the highest levels of known conceptual space. As such, even an Eternal could not escape it’s edge, as it alone outclassed their defenses. Only the Destruction Faction, with Eternion at the helm, could build or even conceive of such weaponry* due to Eternion’s peculiar domain.
An interesting side effect is that in the hands of finite beings, the weapon was powerful but not exceptionally so: it relied on the constitution** of those who held it. In contrast, the Terminal Blade merely needed an arm to swing it, and it would still fulfill it’s intended function.
* Technically, Maxima Termis could also, but their position precludes such proclivities.
** For the average Playable Character, this would be Hit Points, limiting the damage of a single swing to the cap of nine thousand, nine hundred, and ninety nine.
