Arena Eighteen: Alter Ego I

[Alter Ego. A concept often explored in both fiction and medical science.]

[A secondary personality. Something that contradicts your own entire being... or not.]

[A harmful existence often, and a beautiful existence rarely.]

[But, what if, this Alter Ego was the true self of a person? The embodiment of someone's deepest, darkest desires?]

[Only those who have clashed with their own being would know. Rest, can only speculate.]

...

I walked back to the dorm, tired and tattered.

My mental exhaustion from using the skill still hadn't disappeared.

The road to the dorm was pretty empty. Most of the students were either talking about the incident, or just loitering around the main building. I half-expected to see Roxy, but didn't see her anywhere.

I reached the dorm and opened the door. I had expected it to be locked, but surprisingly it was open.

"Welcome back."

Raymond's voice greeted me as soon as I entered the building. He was sitting in the living room, leaning against the couch, reading something on his tablet.

"Ah... Hey, Raymond."

"Welcome back, Arnold."

"Ah... Yeah... I'm going to my room."

I didn't want to talk with anyone now. I felt extremely tired.

"It was probably a hard day. Grey told me to not let you out of your room for now. And once you are done resting, visit him to Stigma."

"He could have told me that?"

"Well... Ask him the reason for that, perhaps. I will take your lunch to your room."

Raymond shrugged and stood up.

"Alright... Thanks."

I nodded and dragged my feet back to my room.

I jumped on the bed, and closed my eyes.

Almost immediately, sleep came to me.

...

"Wake up, Arnold."

The words forced me out of my sleep.

"Ugh... Grey."

"Good, you're awake. Log in to Stigma."

"Let me... Give me five minutes."

"Log in, now."

"... Fine."

Something about his voice made me agree. Sighing, I uttered the command.

[Enter The Singularity.]

My vision whitened, and I found myself lying on the designated bed.

"Hello, Arnold."

Grey, who was leaning against the wall in front of me, stood up. Then I realized, the location of the bed was different.

I looked around the room. Unlike the general login bay which was full of beds, the current room only had five beds. Not to mention, including my own bed, were very high-grade. To be honest, the room itself was high grade.

"Where am I?"

"In the Phoenix HQ."

"The Phoenix HQ? But wasn't I already there?"

"No, that station was just the reporting HQ. This is the actual HQ, furnished with everything you would need."

"But I set my coordinates..."

"I changed them. We have the authority."

"Alright, but why was I moved here so suddenly? Don't tell me..."

"Because of your confrontation with Jeffery, yes."

"Ugh... That guy."

I didn't like him much, if it wasn't obvious by now.

Just thinking about him made me feel nauseous.

"Well, you dealt with him well enough. And you even awakened your skill. But that's not the point here. Come with me."

Grey walked out of the room. I got down from the pod and looked at my own body. I was already suited, just like I was before logging out.

I walked out of the room and looked around the hallway. While the room was filled with modern technology, the hallway seemed oddly old, much like the academy.

Large windows were lighting the corridor, with curtains fluttering in front of the open ones.

Outside was a lake, with a forest surrounding the building. From what I could see, it was kind of a villa from the 18th century. At least, on the outside.

"This is... Impressive."

I muttered as I took in the view while following Grey.

"True... If only she was at peace here."

He muttered something vague before opening the main large wooden door.

Just as I stepped outside, a refreshing breeze hit my face. Unlike the destroyed city I had spawned in first, this was peaceful.

The outside was just as beautiful as the inside of the villa. However, a shrill sound rattled my ears just as I thought that.

"What is going on?"

The ground shook. Sounds of metals clashing and breaking reached my ears.

"I guess their second round started. Come."

Grey walked me down a stone path. We moved until we were behind the villa, in front of a large open field.

In that field, two Regalia were fighting each other. Every time they clashed, an intense shockwave moved the ground around them.

A silver knight was fighting against a red warrior.

The latter was Helios. Its white head armour was cracked, and its red body was broken here and there.

The main cockpit glass was also broken. Yet, the pilot inside was fighting hard, her eyes focused on the enemy in front of her.

Anastasia's flaxen hair shone as she turned Helios around to attack the white Regalia. The mech's gigantic blade slashed at the opponent, but it parried it using its own sword.

"W-what are they doing?!"

I turned to Grey, who was standing there watching them fight.

"Practice."

"T-that's practice?!"

"Unconventional and risky, but yes. They have been there for seven hours."

"Doesn't that mean..."

"An entire week. Without food or water or a break."

My jaw dropped in shocked. That would mean ever since separating from me back at the academy, she had been practicing. In this dangerous setting.

"Why?! Why are they talking such risk?"

"Because she failed to protect you."

"W-what?"

I asked, my eyes widened in shock.

"She wanted to be the one protecting you, not to be the one being protected."

"That's.."

I didn't have any words to say. She was beating herself up over that?

"Who's the knight?"

I gritted my teeth and asked. I wanted to jump in, but in the battle of two Regalia, I would only be a sitting duck.

Clenching my fists, I suppressed the urge to go stop them.

"That's Arthur, Phillip's Regalia."

"Phillips's?"

"Yeah. Quite impressive, no?"

"Yeah..."

I nodded. The Regalia indeed looked beautiful.

We watched their fight in silence for some moments. Phillips was Anastasia's squad member, so he wouldn't hurt her.

I felt relieved thinking that.

"Are all Regalia named like that?"

I didn't know who Arthur was. Probably a warrior from the past era.

"No, of course not. Only the best ones are named."

"Wait... Then..."

"Phoenix is one of the top squads in the empire. Of course its members would have named Regalia."

"Then Felicia too?"

"Yes. Hers is Amaterasu."

"An unusual name."

"True."

I didn't say much, just stared at the two Regalia fighting.

Phillips was much more skilled than Anastasia in terms of skills and control. He deftly moved around Helios, hitting the blind spots consistently.

"Ugh!"

Anastasia cursed at the sky as she again failed to hit the white menace.

"Why... ! Can't... ! I... !"

She yelled so loud that even I could hear it.

"Why is it always me?!"

She swung her blade around like a mad man. Her previous finesse and beauty were nowhere to be found.

"Why! Father, then him!"

She screamed as she tried to stab the white knight in the chest.

"Weak."

Phillip's cold voice came out through the speaker unit of the white giant. His sword pierced Helios's shoulder guard.

"Pathetic."

He twisted the sword and broke the entire hand apart.

"Coward."

He pulled back the sword and jabbed it inside the head armour's joint.

"Repent."

Phillips hissed as he mercilessly pried open the armour.

Helios staggered backwards, unable to withstand the impact.

Then it wobbled back another few steps before falling down on the ground.

"Ugh..."

Anastasia held herself up somehow using the free hand of Helios.

The mech kneeled in front of the white knight, creating a picturesque scene.

"Fall, and rise again, like the Phoenix."

Arthur pointed its sword at Helios. The tip separated, revealing a beam cannon.

At the same time, I felt a murderous aura aimed at me.

[Caution. The User's contract is at risk.]

A mechanical voice muttered inside my mind.

"Shit... !"

An orb of light formed at the tip of the cannon.

"That bastard!"

I rushed forward, ignoring the yelling Grey.

[Caution. User's mental state is agitated.]

[Caution. User has been granted a one-time use of {Forced Teleportation}.]

[Initiating {Force Teleportation}]

Almost immediately, I found myself in front of Helios, staring at the cannon.

I could hear Anastasia gasp from behind.

At the same time, the cannon exploded. The beam rushed forward towards me.

Time seemed to stop.

Seeing my death rushing at me for the second time today, the name came to me naturally.

"[Aether: Summoning]!"

I muttered the words. The space in front of me warped and revealed a shield made of a black metal.

At the same time, the beam hit the shield. Intense heat burned my skin and dried my sweat and tears.

[Caution. User's Sanity Points are decreasing at an alarming rate.]

"Status!"

I yelled as I desperately remade the burned parts using the skill.

[Name: Arnold Tilgen.

HP : 8000/8000

SP: 5000/8000 (- 1600/second)

DEF: 8000/8000

Damage Reduction: 10%

Synchronisation Rate: 50%(+100%)]

I saw some things that made me curious, but my focus was on the SP.

As I had expected, I couldn't hold it for long.

Three more seconds.

"Ugh!"

The heat had burned my skin and was now burning my flesh.

"Damn it!"

The beam showed no chance of stopping.

"Phillips! You bastard, stop this!"

I yelled, but no response came.

[Warning. User's SP has fallen below 2000.]

[Warning. Due to the intense heat, your HP has fallen below 7000]

[Warning. User's SP has fallen below 1000.]

[Due to User's mental health, User's HP has temporarily fallen below 1000]

"Aaaaaaghhhhh!"

I yelled in pain. My body hurt. My head felt like splitting. My hands were charred black, with my clothes torn.

[Warning. User's SP has fallen below zero.]

[Warning. User's HP has fallen to zero.]

'This is it.'

I thought as I waited for the shield to disappear.

Yet... The next message from the system shocked me. The time around me stopped. Everything turned grey. The only thing I could hear was my heartbeat.

[User has satisfied the condition to unlock the gods' true names.]

[The Goddess of Chaos and Life, Tiamat, has taken a liking to you.]

[The Goddess of Chaos and Life grants you {The Blessing Of The Chaotic Mortal} .]

[You have satisfied (1/2) conditions of activating the hidden skill.]

[The Goddess of Death and Protection, Nephthys, has taken a liking to you.]

[the Goddess of Death and Protection grants you {The Blessing Of The Heroic Soul} . ]

[You have satisfied (2/2) conditions of activating the hidden skill.]

[Hidden skill, {Alter Ego}, has been unlocked.]

[Entering {Alter Ego} mode.]