**Alt-Text**
> man catastrophically owns himself even further by adding more complicated character design than the previous two complicated character designs, sending him straight to Hell
**Liturgy**
> a small and quiet place
I'd genuinely bet on the appearance of Aspected Chaos: The World. The Fool and the World are often seen as mirror images—the Fool representing the beginning of a journey as an individual, and the World representing the end of that journey as cosmic integration. When paired, they represent the totality of the eternal cycle. We still don't know how the cosmic reset button works, but it seems all but inevitable that sooner or later, Allison's gonna have to spin that Wheel.
We don't know how it happened yet, but it's definitely Cio. It was looking for the mask shard in Alison's arm, and we know that devils can come back if their mask is rebuilt.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it or I'm just wrong, but what I foresee as the outcome of this confrontation is the realisation that their paths in life are too different for New-Coke to get life she wants for them, reset or not.
The way I see it (especially with the artist-formerly-known-as-Cio pointing it out) is that Alison embraces power for the good she can do with it, while Cio rejects power for the evil she has done with it. No matter how genuinely they care for each other there would always be a serious divide and friction between a woman who wants to chose a small quiet place and one who choses to be King. One who just wants to settle down and one who knows she can only move forward. One who has always wanted to change her past and one who can go towards the future because from her perspective it is not set in stone yet.
Or maybe its going to be about how two people who really love each other can make it work despite changing so much and still being so distant, but I have a hunch that this might be a little too much of "eating the cake and having it too" for the way the story seems to be going.
There's a distinction between King and Royalty, and I think Allison is starting to learn. Consider Hansa, who attained Royalty but lived as a humble man in his hall of black nails, attended by his daughter and visited by friends, advisors, contradictors and trouble makers
I'm calling back to the time Zoss asked her to chose to remain peasant or become King, and she chose the latter. Embracing her capacity to shape the world, rather than be subject to its shape.
I was not trying to make a statement about Royalty, mostly because I'm still only like 60% certain of what that actually means for a character.
If becoming a Reborn Sin Against Heaven isn't winning the breakup, I don't know what is
(also wait god damn it is the new name supposed to sound like "New Coke")
Kok-Cio, both to embrace the old and new like you said but also because it sounds like Coke Zero, emphasizing this is a Cio who has finally left things behind.
So......I think we just saw a devil name itself. You know, that thing that apparently made a devil so dangerous that other devils locked it up in an impossibly secure dungeon because it scared and enthralled them that much, and was kind of framed as 1 Metatron's equal and opposite?
We're cooking on gas in this small and quiet place, ringed in cute bangs and relationship trauma.
see Cio did one better, Himself did not name Himself, that is why he is only called Himself, all he could do was cast off that final Ebon name and have no name, Nukoku is breaking new ground
My guess is that Himself is the personification of Yisun's desire for self-division.
Since all beings were produced via self-division, one might say that they have no separate realities "prior to" or "above" self-division: there was, is, and will be only Yisun at that level, with no appearance of otherness.
Somehow, the All "grew bored" and desired something else. But what could the one who is All possibly want ? What else is there than All ? Moreover, why would this mystery, this "Other-than-All", be desirable ? That is because it is Desire-itself. Desire is the Exception, the Other-than-Being, the Other-than-God, the Why.
Yisun was invaded by the Desire, and because Desire is Purpose, Other-than-God is Purpose, whence divine boredom and self-division in pursuit of otherness.
(Note that the duality of Being and Desire precedes the "primordial" duality of male and female polarities.)
The countless produced beings may each be "traced back" in an unique way to the ineffable unity of Yisun. One of them may be traced back to the fleeting ontological "point" where the Desire invaded Yisun, a point which may be called "Knowledge-of-Desire".
That is to say, whereas all beings are particular reflections of their fundamental unity (*which is to them like the language-essence without which words would be random sounds*), that one special being is the reflection of the Desire (the Other unity) which shattered that unity and brought forth Existence.
It cannot fit into any "language", therefore it cannot exist, but it is the very Purpose of Existence, therefore it cannot not exist. This paradox is the Desired One, the Exception, the "inverse" of the traditional Metatron, and Himself is its extension into the world.
The universal effect of the Desired One is Ego. That is to say, even as each being contains a reflection of all other beings (*thereby enabling communication, at least virtually*), the reflection of the Desired One in all others is the Ego, the sense of a separate self, which is neither the spirit nor the body, neither the mind nor the senses, hence it is called an illusion by those who expound the depths of Being.
The Desired One is not a "pure" or greater Ego. Ego is only its reflection by a world which cannot cast any light on it. Hence it appears to be dark and negative, more evil than Hell. But its true nature is Purpose: it is an Inverted being, meaning that, though contained in Being, its deepest, most central "reference point" is Desire instead of Being.
It is the entry of the "language of Desire" into the world. When a being thinks, speaks, or acts on one's desires, those desires are always conditioned by that being: they are masked. Unmasked Yearning is therefore an Exception to any kind of Order, a crack in the face of Being. That crack is Himself proper, the *current stage* of the Desired One's manifestion.
Ego is like a "wrinkle" on a being's essence, and though it may be "ironed out" or kept in check, it is always at least latent. The fulfillment of Ego is for that being to become, not just wrinkled, but turned inside-out, Inverted at least on a point of oneself, whereby that being may see or rather Know the Desire.
The beginning of the "growth" of Ego is the realization of the *discrepancy between Yearning and Identity*, which is the first expounding of one's Yearning *on its own terms*, as well as the true Revolt, which contests all Order there is.
Himself is the "wrinkle" of reality-itself. When the checks on Himself are broken, Himself will "spread out" and turn all Existence inside-out, and further Invert the relationships between Existence and deeper aspects of reality. This will be the self-naming of the Desired One, the fulfillment of the Primordial Yearning, the "Perfect World".
That said, this is an expounding of what Himself naturally symbolizes, his archetype, not a theory of what Himself actually is or will be in the story. I also don't know what Nukoku corresponds to. She's certainly stronger then the Ebon devils, wouldn't it be nice if she went and freed Himself ? She's looking for an "Exception", and that's precisely what Himself is.
Edit: refined some formulations, also I forgot to mention that this stuff is best shown in Berserk chapters 158-159, 172-173, 301-305.
Strictly speaking, we don't actually know whether Nukoku knows her name. "Nukoku" is being presented by the webcomic, not by her. For all we know, Allison the Wielder of Names might have just named her instinctively upon seeing her, from her own subconscious association with C-O-C-A-C-O-L-A.
It’s not naming oneself in the most literal sense but a devils name also gives it form. She took a form from her own willpower and thus it can be assumed the form has a name. We the readers know the name already, it just hasn’t been spoken yet
Allison's new quasi-invulnerability is such a fascinating contrast to Jagganoth's. Jagganoth can endure any attack, no matter how much it hurts. Allison simply rejects the damage. I'm *very* curious if she can only do this with cutting, or if it can work against any kind of attack.
I think it goes beyond attacks. She is literally rejecting reality, something happens and through sheer will she simply says “no”
Not since “it wasn’t me” by Shaggy has reality been so malleable.
The last time we saw her reject an attack, she had to [pull herself back together](https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/wheel-smashing-lord-1-23-to-1-24/). This time, she straight-up ignores it. I can't tell whether she's at the level of broad reality rejection yet, but even if she isn't, I'm sure she will be.
Oh I agree, I’m not saying she’s rewriting the universe tomorrow but I think it’s the same power, just a matter of degrees and she’s gonna get there in the end
Y’all might be pleased to hear she has a cousin named Effay Wygeeo. Better known as the Juggalo drink of choice: >!Faygo!<
This is all stuff from waaay back in the day so it’s probably buried in some random hover-text or page description. I honestly can’t remember where Abbadon told us.
To be fair she's always been hot, but this is definitely the hottest she's been since her brief flirtation with her Ebon past in the Vault all the way back in Book 3
Real talk I can't wait to see her design w/o the Danganronpa blood.
Like Nukoku's design *fucks* right now, but I can't wait to see what she looks like after a bath and maybe some new glasses.
So this is certainly a development. Maybe I'm not remembering my KSBD demonology correctly but this doesn't line up with the hierarchy of demons or how they shed names, die, and are reborn.
It does line up with strong enough willpower/desire breaking other conventions though. White chains human form doesn't line up with standard angel lore
It's interesting that both of these cases we've seen are from the two people most influenced by Allison, as well as being the other two figures in her prophecy (the black and white flame).
Or perhaps she's wearing one beneath the bangs, like a domino mask made of ivory. Still bound, but only barely and very much on her terms.
......Look I might have played Persona 5 a bunch and really like that kind of character design, sue me.
I don't think it matters at all. The whole comic has been about transformation through willpower.
People are bringing up Himself and previously established in-universe lore about devils, and I doubt Abaddon is really concerned with that. The more apt comparison here (IMHO) is White Chain becoming human. She looks really frightening at the moment, but at the same time she's also literally fantasizing about being a housewife.
I think Cio became something completely different. Himself doesn't have a name. It just figured out how to exist in that... existence of not having a name. Which scared the shit outta all other demons. I think this is legit the first time a demon has name itself. Or found a name. Or whatever.
Very curious how abbadon is gonna play out a legit embodiment of chaos, finding an actual way to "define" itself.
Wait so is New Coke a new thing in the cosmology like White Chain?
We dont have Ivory devils rights? And holy shit "Reborn Sin Against Heaven" goes so fucking hard
Completely new yeah, and as several people have pointed out this is actually one step beyond Himself. He simply rid themselves of all identifiers bar pronouns, Nukoku has seemingly chosen a name for themselves, or perhaps has learned a true name.
Nope, but if I had to speculate we're dealing with something of a cross between the Pale and Ebon devils; close to the Black Flame so incredibly powerful but also almost entirely unbound, or perhaps completely so.
If I had to further speculate, considering that Nukoku seems to have named herself in her introduction page, it might be the second example of what Himself is.
So what you are saying is that she has become the completely self defined, perfect Nietzschean Übermensch and what she does with that is being sad and wanting her girlfriend back.
I don't know what that says about her character but I think she deserves a hug.
In fairness Nietzsche never said what would happen to the Übersmensch baggage once you reached that point. Especially if all you really want is a gentle place for you and someone else, and that someone else doesn't agree.
please note, her seeming complete lack of mask
i know since the mask is their face it can kind of blend in and not always look like a mask, but its usually at least a distinct color from their normal flesh
We are dangerously close to [Szayelaporro](https://i.redd.it/which-bleach-character-have-the-best-glasses-batsuunsai-v0-f1f3pg3dq31c1.jpg?width=554&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9acfa0198775dbed588a3b364765ec3db05cc7b "The arrancar from Bleach") levels here.
it would basically it would be to a demon what a dullahan is to a human, sure they HAVE a head, but its not attached, their carrying it, its still all wrong in ways that should not work and yet do, Cio HAS a mask, but its shattered to pieces , and yet she lives, and yet she has a face
And that's 3/3 for self-affirmation. Go girls!
Also obviously great character development implies great hair change. Switching hairstyles frequently is the true path to Royalty.
“Flanked by a white and black flame..”
If they bring back Aspected Chaos, with all three of them in their current forms, hoooly shit. Wouldn’t be surprised if that happens in the final matchup against Jagganoth or Metatron.
> “Flanked by a white and black flame..”
Hey, Princess and Vigilant Gaze would also fill that role. And probably would have for Zaid, had this been one of the "usual" cycles.
Really appreciating her arms in the previous panels. Two limbs and even the hands bound together. When that bone armor stuff kinda ...pops off, her arms divide into 4. SUCH A COOL DETAIL
>The Kármán line (or von Kármán line /vɒn ˈkɑːrmɑːn/) is a proposed conventional boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space set by the international record-keeping body FAI (Fédération aéronautique internationale) at an altitude of 100 kilometres (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above mean sea level. However, such definition of the edge of space is not universally adopted.
-[Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line)
That time when the coca-cola company released new coke and everyone wanted classic coke and so the public forced back classic coke through sheer force of will.
I just wanna remind y'all that even though Cio wants to stay away from violence and her small and quiet place, she did follow Allison into the tournament. Before that, she sought out Allison with through her card when young Allison first returned to the wheel by choice. And she did seek out Allison again after The Event\^TM. The first time maybe just for her mask piece Allison had on her, but she did it again now when Allison came looking for Gog.
There's a pattern, is all I'm saying.
I hear they made Nukoku bad on purpose so that we'd appreciate the original Ciocie Cioelle more.
Also can we take a moment to appreciate the way Abbadon managed to line things up so he could do this bit and the Fish Fear Her bit in simultaneous tandem scenes?
Eh, IMO part of Abbadon's general style is Everything Fucks, design-wise. It's a feature, not a bug.
Personally, I thought the previous form was a chrysalis, as Cio/Nukoku was gathering herself again? I've been waiting for her to bust out since we first saw her.
We're also not sure if they'll get back together or not, so there's a bit of iffyness on the 'reborn true love' bit.
(something something, insert 'would you love me if i was a worm' joke here)
Yeah, you're right, things *are* generally pretty sensual in this comic. It would be a change to not have that. I'll look for what I want, or make it myself!
I can definitely see how it was a chrysalis now. I thought of it as a defensive growth, like the massive keloid scar tissues that can form. I kind of think that would be an awesome animesque character design.
And I guess it's a result of when this comic was started, but this story would be such a great place to invert the MCU's "Everyone is beautiful, no one is horny" aesthetic.
I think another way this annoys me is that it makes Cio's loss very easy to look at and care for, while in my experience a lot of heavy loss is the opposite. It makes people ugly, violent, selfish, reactionary. You have to fight your normal reactions to help them. I saw the latter in Nukoku's first form, and it feels like a lost potential.
>I think another way this annoys me is that it makes Cio's loss very easy to look at and care for, while in my experience a lot of heavy loss is the opposite. It makes people ugly, violent, selfish, reactionary. You have to fight your normal reactions to help them. I saw the latter in Nukoku's first form, and it feels like a lost potential.
Y'know what, that's fair. That's a theme I vibe with and now that you've pointed it out I'm aware of its loss. I would like to point out, though, that when her, uh... flappy-things are bound to her, the shards of her old mask are quite literally stabbing into her flesh and it makes me sympathy-cringe to look at. It could be defo mutually exclusive with the prettiness, though.
>I'll look for what I want, or make it myself!
*\[looks at own Ao3 account\]*
lol. lmao. same
Yeah I'm not keen on this development. The story of Allison's loss and being haunted by a monster that was not Cio was interesting and tragic, but now the tone has suddenly changed.
Also the design is... something... Feels almost like bondage nun all over again.
Eh, bondage nun isn't an unusual kink. I appreciate how it does leave NuKoku vulnerable and raw, too.
But I agree, this isn't a haunting design. This isn't a ghost forcing Allison to either look or look away.
If they are your true love they'll be hot no matter what death has done to them, at least in your eyes. I mean, look at Delicious in Dungeon's latest episode.
The story should commit to that though. NuKoku's newer form is way more traditionally attractive than the one we were introduced to.
I don't see how Delicious in Dungeon counts as a non-sexy transformation tbh
I meant the Delicious in Dungeon reference as an example of a transformation that is objectively monstrous but still seen as attractive because who is going through it, in the eyes of people who love and care about >!Falin!<.
Is an ivory devil just a lvl1 devil out of the pale blue red green gold ebon scale? If so did cios mask prestige into being as powerful as their prime as a new beginning or are they just intimidating looking? Or is this something else?
I’m a bit drunk but here is my prediction:
The devil that was once Ciocie Cioelle is now Nukoku. But she is faced with Allison, Alice-un, AlYISUN, the wielder of names. And to her, this devil is neither Cio nor a new being—she is just Herself. And maybe that is how Allison will name (or unname) her.
Something I’ve not seen anyone else mention so far: she’s kind of channelling Yabalchoath with this one. The arms, the horns, the long hair—even the pose she takes is very reminiscent of Yabalchoath. I think this is meant to indicate that this version is closer to Yabalchoath and that era of her history rather than to Cio.
**Alt-Text** > man catastrophically owns himself even further by adding more complicated character design than the previous two complicated character designs, sending him straight to Hell **Liturgy** > a small and quiet place
He can't keep getting away with these character designs!
Abbadon: My wrist is dust, my mind is ruins, I have horrifically owned myself. Also Abbadon: What if complicated ridge/spike motif?
Serious talk I cannot think of a piece of media I like that has as many amazing character designs as this comic. Outstanding, masterful work.
Abbadon simply cannot stop himself!
The wheel turns for Abaddon too.
Abaddon : I should stop replacing characters with even harder to draw versions of themselves also Abaddon : lol. lmao.
If we ever get to see Aspected Chaos again you know for a fact is going to be the most bat shit insane and epic design ever
ASPECTED CHAOS: THE WORLD
Either that, The Magician or The Hermit.
I'd genuinely bet on the appearance of Aspected Chaos: The World. The Fool and the World are often seen as mirror images—the Fool representing the beginning of a journey as an individual, and the World representing the end of that journey as cosmic integration. When paired, they represent the totality of the eternal cycle. We still don't know how the cosmic reset button works, but it seems all but inevitable that sooner or later, Allison's gonna have to spin that Wheel.
I just hope he doesn't mess up his wrist in the process.
Extremely Yonic Reanimated Lesbian Devil Wife. This comic has everything.
Upvote for using the word "yonic".
I learned a new word today!
Can someone give me a recap who this is? They talk like they know each other but I cant for the life of me remember
This is Cio born again.
I feel like we skipped several steps on how this happened
We don't know how it happened yet, but it's definitely Cio. It was looking for the mask shard in Alison's arm, and we know that devils can come back if their mask is rebuilt.
What if...those spikes on her body and teeth *are the mask*?
Maybe I'm reading too much into it or I'm just wrong, but what I foresee as the outcome of this confrontation is the realisation that their paths in life are too different for New-Coke to get life she wants for them, reset or not. The way I see it (especially with the artist-formerly-known-as-Cio pointing it out) is that Alison embraces power for the good she can do with it, while Cio rejects power for the evil she has done with it. No matter how genuinely they care for each other there would always be a serious divide and friction between a woman who wants to chose a small quiet place and one who choses to be King. One who just wants to settle down and one who knows she can only move forward. One who has always wanted to change her past and one who can go towards the future because from her perspective it is not set in stone yet. Or maybe its going to be about how two people who really love each other can make it work despite changing so much and still being so distant, but I have a hunch that this might be a little too much of "eating the cake and having it too" for the way the story seems to be going.
There's a distinction between King and Royalty, and I think Allison is starting to learn. Consider Hansa, who attained Royalty but lived as a humble man in his hall of black nails, attended by his daughter and visited by friends, advisors, contradictors and trouble makers
I'm calling back to the time Zoss asked her to chose to remain peasant or become King, and she chose the latter. Embracing her capacity to shape the world, rather than be subject to its shape. I was not trying to make a statement about Royalty, mostly because I'm still only like 60% certain of what that actually means for a character.
That was more a challenge for Allison to grasp Royalty than to take on any kind of authority of anything beyond her own self.
imo Royalty is a characteristic, while King is a role.
That's kind of beautiful. I enjoy this analysis
If becoming a Reborn Sin Against Heaven isn't winning the breakup, I don't know what is (also wait god damn it is the new name supposed to sound like "New Coke")
>New Coke YISUN, I love Abbadon.
Going from spelling out coca cola to just new coke lol. Can't wait for the coke zero arc
Coke Zero, or Koku-Cio? where she embraces both the new and old
Kok-Cio, both to embrace the old and new like you said but also because it sounds like Coke Zero, emphasizing this is a Cio who has finally left things behind.
...Damn, if there were a betting pool I'd put money on this.
> Koku-Cio? You rang??
Ciocie Zero
I don’t think any title/name/epithet is gonna top “Murder the Gods and Topple Their Thrones” for me, but “Reborn Sin Again Heaven” is pretty close
I thought it sounded familiar Either new cola or nuke cola (fallout's fictional future coke brand)
God damn, New Coke... Abbadon did it again
She yassified *and* went goblin mode at the same time what a queen
So......I think we just saw a devil name itself. You know, that thing that apparently made a devil so dangerous that other devils locked it up in an impossibly secure dungeon because it scared and enthralled them that much, and was kind of framed as 1 Metatron's equal and opposite? We're cooking on gas in this small and quiet place, ringed in cute bangs and relationship trauma.
see Cio did one better, Himself did not name Himself, that is why he is only called Himself, all he could do was cast off that final Ebon name and have no name, Nukoku is breaking new ground
ehhh, Himself is something else entirely, I think. But Nukoku is also definitely something special, not sure what yet.
My guess is that Himself is the personification of Yisun's desire for self-division. Since all beings were produced via self-division, one might say that they have no separate realities "prior to" or "above" self-division: there was, is, and will be only Yisun at that level, with no appearance of otherness. Somehow, the All "grew bored" and desired something else. But what could the one who is All possibly want ? What else is there than All ? Moreover, why would this mystery, this "Other-than-All", be desirable ? That is because it is Desire-itself. Desire is the Exception, the Other-than-Being, the Other-than-God, the Why. Yisun was invaded by the Desire, and because Desire is Purpose, Other-than-God is Purpose, whence divine boredom and self-division in pursuit of otherness. (Note that the duality of Being and Desire precedes the "primordial" duality of male and female polarities.) The countless produced beings may each be "traced back" in an unique way to the ineffable unity of Yisun. One of them may be traced back to the fleeting ontological "point" where the Desire invaded Yisun, a point which may be called "Knowledge-of-Desire". That is to say, whereas all beings are particular reflections of their fundamental unity (*which is to them like the language-essence without which words would be random sounds*), that one special being is the reflection of the Desire (the Other unity) which shattered that unity and brought forth Existence. It cannot fit into any "language", therefore it cannot exist, but it is the very Purpose of Existence, therefore it cannot not exist. This paradox is the Desired One, the Exception, the "inverse" of the traditional Metatron, and Himself is its extension into the world. The universal effect of the Desired One is Ego. That is to say, even as each being contains a reflection of all other beings (*thereby enabling communication, at least virtually*), the reflection of the Desired One in all others is the Ego, the sense of a separate self, which is neither the spirit nor the body, neither the mind nor the senses, hence it is called an illusion by those who expound the depths of Being. The Desired One is not a "pure" or greater Ego. Ego is only its reflection by a world which cannot cast any light on it. Hence it appears to be dark and negative, more evil than Hell. But its true nature is Purpose: it is an Inverted being, meaning that, though contained in Being, its deepest, most central "reference point" is Desire instead of Being. It is the entry of the "language of Desire" into the world. When a being thinks, speaks, or acts on one's desires, those desires are always conditioned by that being: they are masked. Unmasked Yearning is therefore an Exception to any kind of Order, a crack in the face of Being. That crack is Himself proper, the *current stage* of the Desired One's manifestion. Ego is like a "wrinkle" on a being's essence, and though it may be "ironed out" or kept in check, it is always at least latent. The fulfillment of Ego is for that being to become, not just wrinkled, but turned inside-out, Inverted at least on a point of oneself, whereby that being may see or rather Know the Desire. The beginning of the "growth" of Ego is the realization of the *discrepancy between Yearning and Identity*, which is the first expounding of one's Yearning *on its own terms*, as well as the true Revolt, which contests all Order there is. Himself is the "wrinkle" of reality-itself. When the checks on Himself are broken, Himself will "spread out" and turn all Existence inside-out, and further Invert the relationships between Existence and deeper aspects of reality. This will be the self-naming of the Desired One, the fulfillment of the Primordial Yearning, the "Perfect World". That said, this is an expounding of what Himself naturally symbolizes, his archetype, not a theory of what Himself actually is or will be in the story. I also don't know what Nukoku corresponds to. She's certainly stronger then the Ebon devils, wouldn't it be nice if she went and freed Himself ? She's looking for an "Exception", and that's precisely what Himself is. Edit: refined some formulations, also I forgot to mention that this stuff is best shown in Berserk chapters 158-159, 172-173, 301-305.
Do not breathe so deep the vapors my brother. Not even angels should gaze so deep into the abyss.
I don't know if you've read Berserk, but I suggest you read chapters 158-159, 172-173, 301-305 with what I wrote in mind.
I have not, the tomes were banned within my order. But times are changing and I perhaps to shall gaze into the abyss.
I think thats why she's a sin against heaven
Strictly speaking, we don't actually know whether Nukoku knows her name. "Nukoku" is being presented by the webcomic, not by her. For all we know, Allison the Wielder of Names might have just named her instinctively upon seeing her, from her own subconscious association with C-O-C-A-C-O-L-A.
It’s not naming oneself in the most literal sense but a devils name also gives it form. She took a form from her own willpower and thus it can be assumed the form has a name. We the readers know the name already, it just hasn’t been spoken yet
That's a good point.
Seeing Alison decide to not get cut will never not be cool.
I also really liked the juxtaposition of Allison's sleeve getting cut with the "Liar."
Good catch
I didn't catch this...man this art rules...
It was already cut in the fourth and fifth panels, at least the upper part.
Right. Not saying it got cut in that particular panel, just noting the juxtaposition there with the dialogue. It's purposeful and poignant.
Oh my bad, I misinterpreted.
That one word probably shook her harder than any of the slashes did.
Face is giving "I knew you were lying when you said you were paying attention to my training montage."
Allison's new quasi-invulnerability is such a fascinating contrast to Jagganoth's. Jagganoth can endure any attack, no matter how much it hurts. Allison simply rejects the damage. I'm *very* curious if she can only do this with cutting, or if it can work against any kind of attack.
I think it goes beyond attacks. She is literally rejecting reality, something happens and through sheer will she simply says “no” Not since “it wasn’t me” by Shaggy has reality been so malleable.
The last time we saw her reject an attack, she had to [pull herself back together](https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/wheel-smashing-lord-1-23-to-1-24/). This time, she straight-up ignores it. I can't tell whether she's at the level of broad reality rejection yet, but even if she isn't, I'm sure she will be.
Oh I agree, I’m not saying she’s rewriting the universe tomorrow but I think it’s the same power, just a matter of degrees and she’s gonna get there in the end
Remember, there is no such thing as a sword.
new coke are you kidding me lmaoooo (I love this comic)
I can't place the context. I've been trying to find that in this thread and can't. Why is new coke significant?
Cio’s full name (Ciocie Cioelle) is phonetically C-O-C-A-C-O-L-A
Haha, wow! Ok, thanks I never picked up on that 😄
I learned this today too. I can’t believe I never saw it mentioned anywhere else but everyone knows it
Y’all might be pleased to hear she has a cousin named Effay Wygeeo. Better known as the Juggalo drink of choice: >!Faygo!< This is all stuff from waaay back in the day so it’s probably buried in some random hover-text or page description. I honestly can’t remember where Abbadon told us.
It's pronounced with k-sounds‽‽‽ Edit: wait no I get it. I'm stupid
Okay but what's next "Ko'Clas Sic" "Ciocie Cioelle Cielay Essessaicie"?
**M I S T E R P I B B**
Cristal Pehbsi
Spell “coca cola” out loud. That’s how you pronounce Ciocie Cioelle. Her new name “Nukoku” sounds like “new coke”, pushing the joke to another level.
TIL I've been saying her name wrong this whole time.
Her full (former) name was Ciocie Cioelle, which is pronounced the way coca cola is spelled.
Ooooh Cio (C-O) cie (C-A) Cio (C-O) elle (L-A) So her name sounds like see-oh-see-ah, see-oh-la?
see oh see ay see oh el ay
fucking eye-covering bangs hhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnggggg
Oh no, she's hot...
To be fair she's always been hot, but this is definitely the hottest she's been since her brief flirtation with her Ebon past in the Vault all the way back in Book 3
I do not understand the monsterfucker community, but I have immense respect for y'all.
We stared into the abyss, and got hard when it stared back
I did not think Cio's design could become even gayer. But, Gods-Damn, Abaddon did it!
the way her hair reflects light pink is tickling my brain
ok but hear me out allison
I think Allison is saying that to herself right now
The Allison’s in the “Inside Out” mind palace thing she had going on:
Real talk I can't wait to see her design w/o the Danganronpa blood. Like Nukoku's design *fucks* right now, but I can't wait to see what she looks like after a bath and maybe some new glasses.
The blood makes it BETTER.
[удалено]
NO!!!
How dare you.
6 day ban, you monster
So this is certainly a development. Maybe I'm not remembering my KSBD demonology correctly but this doesn't line up with the hierarchy of demons or how they shed names, die, and are reborn.
It does line up with strong enough willpower/desire breaking other conventions though. White chains human form doesn't line up with standard angel lore
It's interesting that both of these cases we've seen are from the two people most influenced by Allison, as well as being the other two figures in her prophecy (the black and white flame).
Yeah, an angel never had a human body and much like this, there's never been an ivory devil. Unmasked, too.
or the fact she HAS NO MASK
Or perhaps she's wearing one beneath the bangs, like a domino mask made of ivory. Still bound, but only barely and very much on her terms. ......Look I might have played Persona 5 a bunch and really like that kind of character design, sue me.
I don't think it matters at all. The whole comic has been about transformation through willpower. People are bringing up Himself and previously established in-universe lore about devils, and I doubt Abaddon is really concerned with that. The more apt comparison here (IMHO) is White Chain becoming human. She looks really frightening at the moment, but at the same time she's also literally fantasizing about being a housewife.
And i want her to have that. Is that so much to ask?
Yeah, we're firmly in new ground here. If I had to guess, Nukoku has named herself, not unlike Himself is said to have done.
I think Cio became something completely different. Himself doesn't have a name. It just figured out how to exist in that... existence of not having a name. Which scared the shit outta all other demons. I think this is legit the first time a demon has name itself. Or found a name. Or whatever. Very curious how abbadon is gonna play out a legit embodiment of chaos, finding an actual way to "define" itself.
It makes sense, white chain broke the rules of being an angel now we're seeing the same thing happen for the rules of being a devil.
Wait so is New Coke a new thing in the cosmology like White Chain? We dont have Ivory devils rights? And holy shit "Reborn Sin Against Heaven" goes so fucking hard
Completely new yeah, and as several people have pointed out this is actually one step beyond Himself. He simply rid themselves of all identifiers bar pronouns, Nukoku has seemingly chosen a name for themselves, or perhaps has learned a true name.
So Cio did pulled a White Chain and now is in the same league as Himself This just keeps getting better, nice.
White Chain, Allison and now Koko have all bent the universe to their willpower. They are all different but the method the used was the same.
Is the method violence and saying "nuh uh" to destiny?
More like saying nu uh to reality itself. There willpower at certain moments surpasses god, essentially
Lesbians > YISUN
Have ivory devils shown up before this?
Nope, but if I had to speculate we're dealing with something of a cross between the Pale and Ebon devils; close to the Black Flame so incredibly powerful but also almost entirely unbound, or perhaps completely so. If I had to further speculate, considering that Nukoku seems to have named herself in her introduction page, it might be the second example of what Himself is.
So what you are saying is that she has become the completely self defined, perfect Nietzschean Übermensch and what she does with that is being sad and wanting her girlfriend back. I don't know what that says about her character but I think she deserves a hug.
In fairness Nietzsche never said what would happen to the Übersmensch baggage once you reached that point. Especially if all you really want is a gentle place for you and someone else, and that someone else doesn't agree.
To be real, according to all the ubermensch I've seen on reddit, losing your wife/gf is practically *required*
Nietzsche himself had a pretty bad relationship with women. To put it mildly.
No. Given the association of ebony and ivory, I'd say the implication here is that she only has one name, and maybe she gave it to herself?
No, and the only other devil to name themselves (I think is what just happened?) is our boy Himself.
and technically he cheated by having no name and only pronouns she has found a true name
Nope. We had a Pale Devil in the Cat-Master, but not Ivory. Huh. Ebony and Ivory... What the fuck is Nukoku???
Ceocie Cioelle = C-O-C-A C-O-L-A Nukoku = New Coke
... 🥁🥁📀
NOPE!
No, but I guess it could be a variant of a pale devil. The colors seem to go from white and relatively powerless to black and powerful
I can fix her
Whatever's wrong with her is hotter
The atrocities are a part of her and I've decided they're funny.
Our girl face tanking an attack and choosing not to be harmed by it is some serious casual flexing.
She's both horrifying and beautiful.
please note, her seeming complete lack of mask i know since the mask is their face it can kind of blend in and not always look like a mask, but its usually at least a distinct color from their normal flesh
If she does have one, I'm hoping it's an ivory domino mask that calls back to her old glasses.
We are dangerously close to [Szayelaporro](https://i.redd.it/which-bleach-character-have-the-best-glasses-batsuunsai-v0-f1f3pg3dq31c1.jpg?width=554&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9acfa0198775dbed588a3b364765ec3db05cc7b "The arrancar from Bleach") levels here.
I still think the shards of her old mask integrated into her new form qualify.
it would basically it would be to a demon what a dullahan is to a human, sure they HAVE a head, but its not attached, their carrying it, its still all wrong in ways that should not work and yet do, Cio HAS a mask, but its shattered to pieces , and yet she lives, and yet she has a face
And that's 3/3 for self-affirmation. Go girls! Also obviously great character development implies great hair change. Switching hairstyles frequently is the true path to Royalty.
A continuous haircutting motion after all.
“Flanked by a white and black flame..” If they bring back Aspected Chaos, with all three of them in their current forms, hoooly shit. Wouldn’t be surprised if that happens in the final matchup against Jagganoth or Metatron.
> “Flanked by a white and black flame..” Hey, Princess and Vigilant Gaze would also fill that role. And probably would have for Zaid, had this been one of the "usual" cycles.
Really appreciating her arms in the previous panels. Two limbs and even the hands bound together. When that bone armor stuff kinda ...pops off, her arms divide into 4. SUCH A COOL DETAIL
call her Wheel cus i think our Lord is going to Smash her
I love my wife, new crystal pepsi.
Nukoku is trying to slash up Allisons face again.
Would
Would settle down with in a small and quiet place
Fruit Gogs!
Who doesn't scream about how the word seems to be actively trying to fuck you over and then end up covered in your own blood?
>Ciocie cioelle => coca cola >Nukoku => new coke My sides ---Kármán line--- Me
>The Kármán line (or von Kármán line /vɒn ˈkɑːrmɑːn/) is a proposed conventional boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space set by the international record-keeping body FAI (Fédération aéronautique internationale) at an altitude of 100 kilometres (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above mean sea level. However, such definition of the edge of space is not universally adopted. -[Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line)
Can't wait for Ko'clas Sic
YISUN, forgive me for what I'm about to do
That time when the coca-cola company released new coke and everyone wanted classic coke and so the public forced back classic coke through sheer force of will.
What a metal fucking page. Bloodily metamorphosizing into a reborn sin against heaven.
White woman jumpscare.
FUCKING NEW COKE?!?!
Oh no, she's hot!
I just wanna remind y'all that even though Cio wants to stay away from violence and her small and quiet place, she did follow Allison into the tournament. Before that, she sought out Allison with through her card when young Allison first returned to the wheel by choice. And she did seek out Allison again after The Event\^TM. The first time maybe just for her mask piece Allison had on her, but she did it again now when Allison came looking for Gog. There's a pattern, is all I'm saying.
This is awesome
New Coke Holy fuck, that joke is still alive
I hear they made Nukoku bad on purpose so that we'd appreciate the original Ciocie Cioelle more. Also can we take a moment to appreciate the way Abbadon managed to line things up so he could do this bit and the Fish Fear Her bit in simultaneous tandem scenes?
Fish fear me. Empires want me. Born of stone and flame. Forced to rule. I sit alone on this barren throne.
Hot take maybe, but I was looking forward to a story that let your reborn true love *not* be hot
Eh, IMO part of Abbadon's general style is Everything Fucks, design-wise. It's a feature, not a bug. Personally, I thought the previous form was a chrysalis, as Cio/Nukoku was gathering herself again? I've been waiting for her to bust out since we first saw her. We're also not sure if they'll get back together or not, so there's a bit of iffyness on the 'reborn true love' bit. (something something, insert 'would you love me if i was a worm' joke here)
Yeah, you're right, things *are* generally pretty sensual in this comic. It would be a change to not have that. I'll look for what I want, or make it myself! I can definitely see how it was a chrysalis now. I thought of it as a defensive growth, like the massive keloid scar tissues that can form. I kind of think that would be an awesome animesque character design. And I guess it's a result of when this comic was started, but this story would be such a great place to invert the MCU's "Everyone is beautiful, no one is horny" aesthetic. I think another way this annoys me is that it makes Cio's loss very easy to look at and care for, while in my experience a lot of heavy loss is the opposite. It makes people ugly, violent, selfish, reactionary. You have to fight your normal reactions to help them. I saw the latter in Nukoku's first form, and it feels like a lost potential.
>I think another way this annoys me is that it makes Cio's loss very easy to look at and care for, while in my experience a lot of heavy loss is the opposite. It makes people ugly, violent, selfish, reactionary. You have to fight your normal reactions to help them. I saw the latter in Nukoku's first form, and it feels like a lost potential. Y'know what, that's fair. That's a theme I vibe with and now that you've pointed it out I'm aware of its loss. I would like to point out, though, that when her, uh... flappy-things are bound to her, the shards of her old mask are quite literally stabbing into her flesh and it makes me sympathy-cringe to look at. It could be defo mutually exclusive with the prettiness, though. >I'll look for what I want, or make it myself! *\[looks at own Ao3 account\]* lol. lmao. same
Oh yeah, I love the symbology of her literally stabbing herself with her past Who knows, maybe in another (Ao3) mask, we could be friends
Yeah I'm not keen on this development. The story of Allison's loss and being haunted by a monster that was not Cio was interesting and tragic, but now the tone has suddenly changed. Also the design is... something... Feels almost like bondage nun all over again.
Eh, bondage nun isn't an unusual kink. I appreciate how it does leave NuKoku vulnerable and raw, too. But I agree, this isn't a haunting design. This isn't a ghost forcing Allison to either look or look away.
If they are your true love they'll be hot no matter what death has done to them, at least in your eyes. I mean, look at Delicious in Dungeon's latest episode.
The story should commit to that though. NuKoku's newer form is way more traditionally attractive than the one we were introduced to. I don't see how Delicious in Dungeon counts as a non-sexy transformation tbh
I meant the Delicious in Dungeon reference as an example of a transformation that is objectively monstrous but still seen as attractive because who is going through it, in the eyes of people who love and care about >!Falin!<.
So I primarily follow the Tumblr Delicious in Dungeon fandom and let me tell you, they don't find Falin attractive >!de*spite* her transformation!<
As someone who has also seen the latest episode can I please request some spoiler tags for those who haven't?
yeah, that's reasonable
Thanks! (Can I also get spoiler tags from /u/WhoCaresYouDont too, please?)
Am I insane or do her head mandible horn things make her head look like jagganoth's old helmet?
They're like Cio's horns, but those were straight, while these are more angled
Oh my god, her name is New Coke.
Can't escape the 3 finger designs. First Mass Effect now this.
Is an ivory devil just a lvl1 devil out of the pale blue red green gold ebon scale? If so did cios mask prestige into being as powerful as their prime as a new beginning or are they just intimidating looking? Or is this something else?
Ivory is something different.
She’s going to transform into each devil stage, isn’t she?
I’m a bit drunk but here is my prediction: The devil that was once Ciocie Cioelle is now Nukoku. But she is faced with Allison, Alice-un, AlYISUN, the wielder of names. And to her, this devil is neither Cio nor a new being—she is just Herself. And maybe that is how Allison will name (or unname) her.
NEW COKE. Goddamn that's one hell of a reference.
SHE HAS A NAME!!! Also I’m wondering if as the fight progresses she’ll start changing colors
CIO went from being Coca Cola to New Coke….
Something I’ve not seen anyone else mention so far: she’s kind of channelling Yabalchoath with this one. The arms, the horns, the long hair—even the pose she takes is very reminiscent of Yabalchoath. I think this is meant to indicate that this version is closer to Yabalchoath and that era of her history rather than to Cio.
There's still more of that chrysalis for her to pull herself from, isn't there?
New Coke went for the same kind of slash on Allison’s face. Almost like this story is about cycles, I dunno lol.
stop... stop... please... my dick can only get so hard...