After performing a feat not short of a magic trick, Quinlan watched as Benno moved to fire his two machineguns straight at him. The bullets were subsonic, but their firing rate was beyond what a single laser sword could handle.
Having no choice, Quinlan had to run around, tracing unpredictable, randomized patterns and avoiding the bullet spray completely.
{Stop jumping around, you trash!} Benno roared in anger. {You have no chance of winning; lie down there obediently so I can stomp on your thick face!}
'You're the one with the thick face,' Quinlan thought, but didn't voice out. To be more specific, he couldn't.
Making his mech move at such a rapid pace was eating up most of his concentration. Furthermore, another problem he couldn't ignore arose.
'Core numbers 3 and 4 aren't following the throttling commands and keep on increasing their output!'
Right then, he could still make do with slowly reducing the output of the other two cores, but in a few seconds, cores 3 and 4 would reach their critical point. If that happened, he would have no choice but to terminate the two cores, even if it would halve his power output.
"...!"
As he expected, about ten seconds later, while his Doppel was performing complicated acrobatics and dancing around the field, the two cores reached over 110% output. Seeing that their temperatures were rising beyond tolerable levels, he could only send the termination command.
"... What?!"
However, the command didn't work. No, it did work, but the device that should be triggered by the command was missing! 'Someone tampered with my Doppel?!'
It was already too late when he noticed this, and he didn't even have time to guess who the culprit was.
"I need to minimize the damage, at least!"
Although reluctant, Quinlan sent the frequency for the white flag, signaling his surrender. The hologram above the stadium quickly showed his surrender, declaring Benno as the victor.
Without bothering to look at the announcement, Quinlan used the Doppel's hands to pierce through the thick back armor and forcefully extract the two overheating cores. As they were using nuclear fission reactors as the core, letting it overheat was nothing to laugh at.
The Doppels were made tough, so even if the cores exploded inside them, the pilots would be spared from the heat and radiation coming from the blast. That means that even if an accident happened and their cores exploded, the pilots should still be safe.
The problem is that, for some reason, the anti-radiation shield of Quinlan's Doppel wasn't working. He had no choice but to rush to the side of the stadium and hide the cores in a blast shield prepared beforehand for such occasions.
Quinlan ran at his top speed, approaching the closest blast shield. With his mech's speed, he reached it instantly, with time to spare. Just as he was about to chuck the cores inside it, something flew by and hit the cores in his hand. A bullet.
"BENNO!"
Quinlan's roar was drowned out by the following explosion. The intensity was like two atomic bombs exploding simultaneously. Even the shield that was protecting the spectator stands showed cracks from the resulting shockwaves alone.
Radiation was quickly leaking out of the cracks, triggering the emergency protocol of the stadium and sealing the entire battlefield with a triple-layered barrier that would prevent anyone from entering or leaving the battlefield.
To eliminate the flames resulting from the explosion, the entire field was rapidly drained of air until it was a complete vacuum. After the smoke faded and the dust settled, the two mechs stuck in the middle of the stadium were revealed.
Benno's golden mech was melted in some parts but was practically still in good condition. However, Quinlan's Doppel was virtually shattered to pieces, a gruesome sight that would make any onlooker doubt if the pilot survived.
"QUINLAN! NO!!!"
Everyone had worried expressions as they feared for their own safety. From the audience stands, a single woman smashed her hands against the barrier while watching the unmoving and half-melted mech inside.
It was an hour later before the emergency shutoff was lifted, allowing them to finally extract the two students stuck inside. Benno was unharmed, but Quinlan, on the other hand, was in a critical condition.
Not only was he exposed to intense radiation for an extended period, but his entire body suffered sixth-degree burns all over. It was such a miracle that his heart was even beating.
Due to such an "accident," where a life was almost lost, the remaining mock battles were postponed. At least until Quinlan regains consciousness.
---
"Ugh... What happened?"
Quinlan opened his eyes, staring at the all-white space spreading before him. His mind was quickly cycling through his latest memory, analyzing the situation he was in. "Did I... die? Is this heaven?"
Examining his body, he was still wearing the gray Thermoreactive Armor that clung tight to his body. Before he could wonder if heaven allowed such attire in, a blue screen suddenly appeared before him.
"Woah?!" Quinlan, surprised, took a step back while being wary of the thing that suddenly appeared. After having a good look, a wry smile appeared on his face. "What the hell? I was surprised for nothing. Is this a hologram?"
He tried touching the blue screen, but his hand passed right through it. After a short examination, he decided that it really was a hologram and focused on the content written on it instead. Though he had no idea where the hologram projector was located.
[Due to a certain student tampering with your machine's safety mechanisms, you have died. If given the chance, would you like to return and take revenge against the one who wronged you?]
Below the long question, two buttons were present: Yes or No.
"So I DID die... Well, that's it for me, I guess." Quinlan sighed, pressing the No button without hesitation. "Just bring me to heaven, hell, or the reincarnation cycle or something. Come on."
Quinlan was completely indifferent, even after he died. He was living life just because he was alive, after all. If not for his love for Doppels, or rather technology in general, he might've dropped dead in a random alley somewhere a long time ago.
Now that he's really dead, he feels relieved more than anything else. At least now, he wouldn't be pressured by the expectations of those around him or the judging eyes of his peers.
"The one that the hologram was referencing, that student who tampered with my Doppel, must be Benno. Well, he'll probably earn his karma sooner or later," he muttered.
The blue holographic screen disappeared after he pressed the button. Having nothing to do, Quinlan simply sat down cross-legged as he waited for something to appear. There's nothing worth seeing around him, after all, as the entire space was filled with nothing but the color white.
About a minute later, the screen reappeared. However, the contents inside were completely outside of Quinlan's expectations.
[Congratulations! You have been selected as the Second host of the Revenger's System. You have lived an isolated life, not accepting other's goodwill, and you didn't dare fight back against your oppressors.]
[You weren't a pacifist but rather a spineless bastard. To fix your bugged soul, you will be sent to a world where not fighting back means death—the world of the First host. Please enjoy.]
"... What?"
Before he could digest the information presented before him, his vision faded to black once more...