He Who Fights with Monsters 4 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #4)

by Shirtaloon

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger was not always true, but anyone who could fully recover from soul trauma found themselves enhanced as a result.

He was no longer human, but how much of his humanity had he thrown away?

He had no interest in being someone’s pawn and, if he saw the chance, would rather flip the board over entirely.

“It is good to see you alive again, Mr Asano.” “Good to be seen,” Jason said. “It comes as bit of a surprise.” “Not entirely,” Shade said. “The World-Phoenix token in your possession was always a comfort to me, in regard to your safety.” “Wait,” Jason said. “You knew?” “Of course,” Shade said in his usual dignified tone. “I’m not a scrub.”

“Mr Asano, you just died attempting to have a knife fight with an entity so powerful that it was forced to use a proxy so as to not annihilate the universe by simple virtue of arriving in it.” “Oh, come on, Shade. It was one time.” “Mr Asano, as I do not possess eyebrows, I shall require you to imagine me with a pair in order that I might give you a flat look from beneath them.”

“My own familiars are ganging up on me. What a sad state of affairs.”

The Reaper only cares if you cheat being dead.

“So you’re saying that your dad made sure this power is the good stuff, in return for making sure I stay dead next time?”

“You really Hiro’s dead nephew?” “The trick is to not stay dead.”

“Still a smart-arse, I see.” “Yep. I considered dumb-arse but decided to go the other way.”

Ignorance is an uncomfortable shield, but it may be the best one you have.”

“This is a decidedly indiscreet practice in the middle of the day,” Shade pointed out. “What’s that?” Jason asked. “I couldn’t hear you over the sound of how awesome this is.”

“Mr Asano, I’m not physically capable of giving a weary sigh, but if I were, I would be doing so quite pointedly in response.”

He no longer had to make a foolish imitation of being dangerous; his experiences, attitude, training and transformed body had brought about a deadly transfiguration.

“I see you’re one of those people who don’t listen so much as wait for their turn to speak,”

Your group isn’t a potential enemy, Mrs Tilden; you’re flavour text.

“You’ve certainly made your value clear. Your ambitions have outstripped your abilities at every turn.

“In control is what a vampire should be,

“I have no idea how to respond to that,” Hiro said. “I no longer have any basis for what ridiculous is.”

“Don’t go losing your sceptical outlook just because your nephew turned out to be a wizard.”

A willingness to do what it takes means that if what it takes is eating some humble pie, I have to be willing to do that.”

“Nobody cares if the guy who stabbed them in the back is sorry, Kaito. They care that they got stabbed in the back.”

“The weight of evidence for an extraordinary claim must be proportioned to its strangeness.”

“I found out who I am.” “And who is that?” “Someone who doesn’t get to live a quiet life.”

“Tell the truth as much as you can, and if you have to lie, make it obvious. That makes it easier to slip the important lies past people.”

“It seems pretty unrealistic,” Jason said. “And that’s coming from an interdimensional warlock ninja who came back from the dead. Twice.”

In life, there are things that you want to do, and things that you need to do.

Next time you’re in a position to kill—every time you’re in a position to kill—then you have a choice to make.”

If you get the choice and you realise that you want to kill someone, don’t think about whether to kill them or not. Think about whether you want to be the person that killed them or if you want to be the person who showed mercy. You’re more important than them and what they deserve.

“You’ve heard the saying ‘too sexy to die?’ Not just a saying, as it turns out.”

Your friend Gary is really furry. Does he give good hugs?” “Oh, they’re amazing,” Jason said. “It’s like being wrapped in a blanket made of friendship. But not as weird and creepy as I make it sound.”

“That it’s an arbitrary assignment of negative value to words with no inherent negative value based on outmoded moral strictures,”

“How did you get in here?” “Mysteriously,” he said. “I’m mysterious now.”

“Your soul is who you are, at the core,” Jason said. “Some experiences change you, fundamentally. Standing against an enemy you didn’t think you could survive. Enduring a tribulation you thought would annihilate you. The scars left behind may seem to be from the wounds you suffered, but the reality is that you put them there yourself.”

“I like to think I make a good friend and a bad enemy. I’m otherwise best avoided, since I tend to cause trouble.”

“If your committees want to make themselves feel like they’re in control, I can probably accommodate a stipulation or two. If they want to make me feel that they’re in control, you’ll find me significantly less receptive.”

“I’m a man’s man,” Jason said. “The only thing I fear is a frank discussion about my feelings.”

“It’s not about being good,” Jason said. “It’s about looking good.” “I’m going to regret having to deal with you, aren’t I?” “Very frequently.”

“You could have handled that in a much less provocative manner,” Shade told her. “You seemed to go along with it quite smoothly,” Emi said. “I know a man with similar proclivities. We should go talk to your mother.”

“You can teleport a dessert to Sri Lanka?” “I have the power. Like He-Man, but with desserts instead of startling homo-eroticism.”

“It’s been my experience,” Jason said, eyes once more glued to the aperture, “that much of what people call impossible is an unwillingness to accept the price of moving forward.”

“It is a moment for drastic measures, Mr Asano. I believe that you have the potential to reach the pinnacle of power and throw off the shackles of a mortal lifespan. This is a decision that may follow you for eternity.”

“If I’m going to live with this forever—and I think that’s a much bigger if than you suggest—then I want to be the man who chose to do whatever he could to save his friend.”

“I knew my charisma would shine through.” “I can’t imagine any shapeshifter with so little dignity as to talk that much crap,” she said, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

She stared at the leech in his hand, which rocked back and forth in a way that was somehow merry, despite coming from a tiny blood-sucking monster.

“It’s a time of miracles, big sister. I’ve been focused on the dangers, but I came back to show you wonders. I got distracted and lost track of that somewhere along the way. I want you to trust me, Erika. Life is about to get amazing.”

The choice to be merciful saved my life once and that’s a path I’d like to find my way back to. Maybe one day, you’ll have the chance to make a better choice and help others, instead of hurting them.”

“I was already a fool, Mr Li, so it wasn’t out of my way.”

“Friendship,” Jason continued, “is having people to share the best and the worst days of your life with. Friendship is knowing there will be someone you can rely on, no matter what. Friendship can let you travel back in time.”

“Come, on, Greg. If all your friends are cool, what does that say about you?” “That they need a designated driver.”