The moment the Black Joker appeared, it captivated everyone in the room. Even the Joker, despite his concealed face, betrayed his shock through the clenched fists at his sides. For someone who knew egos better than anyone and sought power in all its forms, he had never encountered an ego like this.
"Impossible," the Joker muttered, his voice trembling. The White Joker locked eyes with the Black Joker. The only difference between them was their colors and eyes. While the White Joker wore white and had blood-red eyes, the Black Joker donned black with icy blue eyes.
"That clown… is your ego?" Avid thought. He had seen Asic use his ego powers before but never its physical manifestation. His instincts screamed that this wasn't the ego Asic had been using until now.
"That monster has more than one ego," Avid concluded. If the Joker could wield multiple egos, it made sense for Asic to wield two. What stood out was the uncanny resemblance between the White and Black Jokers—identical except for their colors and eyes.
The White Joker exuded composure and sophistication, while the Black Joker radiated madness and chaos. Avid, an outsider, couldn't grasp the emotions coursing through both Asic and the Joker. Yet a peculiar bond seemed to tether them together.
"It seems your ego and mine are of the same type," the Joker remarked to Asic. His instincts as an ego user screamed at him to kill Asic and seize the Black Joker. The urge was nearly unbearable.
Asic said nothing. He didn't understand how he had summoned the Black Joker, but the moment it appeared, half his bloodlust and icy resolve dissipated, replaced by an insatiable hunger to devour the White Joker of the man in white before him.
The White and Black Jokers were destined to consume and battle each other.
[Master, warning: Your opponent has asura energy exceeding 999 units. They can stop time for five seconds and possess ice-element asura properties. They also wield more than three egos, potentially far more. Your chance of victory is less than 0.000048%.]
"So I have no chance at all?"
[Correct. The probability of victory is effectively zero. However, he will not kill you,] Overclock Miner reassured Asic. At least for now, the Joker wouldn't end his life. Asic's sharp mind pieced together the implication.
"Five seconds of stopped time. Something happened that I'm not aware of," Asic reasoned. Fixing his gaze on the Joker—the murderer of his brother—he realized he lacked the power to inflict even a scratch.
"Hehe… hehe… hahaha!" A strange, eerie laugh broke the tension. Asic turned to see the Black Joker cackling maniacally. Even Avid, a hardened assassin, stared at it as if seeing a ghost.
"This is incredible! Beyond my wildest dreams! I owe that bastard for giving me life," the Black Joker said, grinning so widely it almost split its face. It wrapped an arm around Asic's neck, startling its master.
"Hey, you lousy host! Your incompetence kept me locked away. But don't worry; I'll help you conquer this new world," it declared.
"You…" Asic's eye twitched. His ego could talk—and it was as sentient and rude as OC. Its brash demeanor and disrespectful attitude left Asic speechless. Meanwhile, the Joker and White Joker seemed unfazed by the Black Joker's independent personality.
"White," the Joker called.
"Yes. I want him," the White Joker responded. Avid turned sharply, bewildered.
"What's going on? Why do these egos all have personalities? Is mine the only one that can't talk?" Avid wondered, glancing between Asic and the Joker. The atmosphere should have been one of death and violence, yet no one moved, as if an invisible truce held them back.
Asic wanted to kill the Joker but couldn't. The Joker wanted to destroy Asic but wouldn't.
"Hey, White. You feel it too, right?" the Black Joker addressed its counterpart.
"Yes. This world can only have one Joker. Either you or me," the White Joker replied.
"My host can't take you down. But if your host kills mine now, I'll vanish forever. And your goals will never come true," the Black Joker taunted, its wide eyes seemingly piercing through the Fluxion system's defenses.
Beneath his mask, the Joker clenched his fists at the challenge. White asura energy flared from him, but he restrained his murderous intent.
"You're right. I can't afford to take that risk. Killing your host now would be a loss for me," the Joker admitted, stepping back from the fight. For all his power, the Joker knew killing Asic would bring regret.
Neither Asic nor Avid fully grasped the unspoken conflict between the two Jokers, but one thing was clear: the Black Joker was too valuable for the Joker to let go. If he killed Asic, the Black Joker would disappear.
"So you're letting me go?" Asic asked.
"It seems I must. As much as it irritates me, I have no other choice. When you've grown stronger, I'll deal with you. Consider yourself lucky for awakening the Black Joker. Otherwise, you'd already be dead," the Joker said, his voice cold.
"You can leave, but the boy's ego stays," Asic countered, glancing at Ejin. Though uncertain of the White Joker's conditions, he reasoned that if it could steal egos, it might be able to return them.
The Joker froze momentarily.
"You're insatiable. I spared your life, and now you want me to return what I've taken? Why should I?"
"If you don't, I'll destroy the Black Joker. Even if it kills me," Asic threatened, shocking everyone in the room.
"Hey! Are you insane? You just brought me into existence, and now you're ready to toss me away? Do you have any sense of morality?" the Black Joker protested, its voice dripping with indignation.
"You're terrible at negotiating. If I agree to your terms, you'll keep demanding more. Why should I let you leech off me?" the Joker snapped.
"Just this once. No more after this. I'll even sign a contract," Asic offered.
"Fine. I'll return the Crimson Demon Dragon to Ejin Sommas in exchange for you keeping the Black Joker out of negotiations. And in two years, when I call, you'll come to me. Until then, I won't contact you," the Joker said.
"Generous of you," Asic remarked. Two years—it was ample time for him to grow stronger, but for the prince of crime to offer him this period for self-improvement, it felt almost surreal. Was this akin to a final boss sparing the hero just so they could settle the score later?
The Joker's actions seemed unpredictable, but the reality was simpler than it appeared. The existence of the Black Joker was profoundly significant to him.
"In two years, no, even sooner than that… I'll make sure you understand how prison food tastes," Asic thought with resolve.
"Agreed, White," the Joker said calmly.
"No problem. Two years is just the right amount of time. Black, let's see who the real Joker will be," the White Joker replied.
"Hehe! In two years, I'll have developed my power to a level you won't be able to match, White," the Black Joker sneered, grinning widely. The Joker pulled out an ego card, summoning the Loan Shark once again to draft a contract. The deal was simple: the Joker would return the Crimson Demon Dragon to Ejin Sommas in exchange for Asic promising not to use the Black Joker as leverage in future negotiations. Additionally, the Joker would refrain from contacting Asic for the next two years.
"This is a game. The challenge is to grow stronger than the Joker in two years. If I fail, I'll be consumed. If I succeed, I'll avenge my brother, Legis," Asic resolved. He wasn't in a rush; he now knew for certain that the Joker was the one who had killed his brother. The murderer stood right in front of him, yet showed no signs of fleeing. Asic didn't worry about losing this opportunity.
In fact, Asic feared the opposite—that he wouldn't encounter the Joker again. The prince of crime was notoriously elusive, making any meeting a grueling effort. But now, the Joker himself was extending an invitation. Why wouldn't Asic accept?
BANG!
The sound of a door being thrown open echoed through the room as a man with a bowl-cut hairstyle barged in. Agaret froze at the sight of the Joker facing Asic. His face turned pale; failing his gang's mission meant dire consequences. If the Joker was displeased, the best-case scenario would be losing his future in the gang. The worst? His life.
"Joker! Please, give me another chance! I didn't mean to let him interfere," Agaret begged desperately. The Joker glanced at the bowl-cut man, then turned his attention back to Asic and Ejin.
"Fine. I'll grant you one more chance. Consider it a reward for consistently delivering quality goods. As for you… I find it too dull to simply return the Crimson Demon Dragon. Let's play a game instead," the Joker proposed.
"A game?" Asic asked, suspicious.
"A game where you must defeat the boss to claim the loot," the Joker said with a sly grin. White Joker surged forward, closing the distance between himself and Agaret in an instant. The pale clown, known for stealing the egos of others, swung a powerful fist at Agaret.
"AAAAHHH!" Agaret screamed as the Fluxion system displayed his installed asura cards. Each punch from the White Joker forced a card to eject until only Dorsertein remained. Then, White Joker retrieved four additional cards and implanted them into Agaret's body without consent.
[Muscle Expansion] [Nemesis Virus] [Rapid Regeneration] [New Order]
The four cards, along with the ego implants, were forcibly merged into Agaret's system. His glare of hatred bore down on the Joker.
"Why? Why are you doing this? Joker… Joker!!" Agaret shouted.
"This is your way out. If you survive tonight, I'll remove the cards and restore everything to normal. I'll even speak to the Onizuka Tiger gang leader on your behalf. But for now…" the Joker pulled out the Crimson Demon Dragon card. The White Joker seized it and embedded it into Agaret's body. The sudden influx of power drove Agaret into a frenzy.
A human could only equip five asura cards at most, but the Joker had just added a sixth. The Crimson Demon Dragon wasn't even installed yet, leaving Agaret's body on the brink of collapse.
"You said you'd give me a good card," Agaret growled, writhing in pain.
"I promised to give you a card. I never said I'd do it kindly," the Joker retorted, summoning another ego.
**Super Hand Gene (Queen of Clubs)**
A green humanoid figure appeared beside the Joker, reaching out to touch Agaret. Instantly, his blood boiled, and his body began to mutate. Strange fur grew over his skin, which darkened to near-black. His mechanical spider arms twitched uncontrollably.
Agaret's tarantula genes had undergone extreme development. Normally, humans only modified their genetics slightly; the higher the mutation, the stronger the body—but at the cost of losing humanity entirely.
Super Hand Gene's power controlled genetic mutations. Agaret's body was breaking apart, and the rapid pace of his evolution inflicted unbearable pain. Only the Rapid Regeneration card kept him from disintegrating, but at twice the agony.
"New Order, execute: Destroy everything, including this city," the Joker commanded. Agaret's eyes turned blood-red as he obeyed. Without a word, he summoned Dorsertein and disappeared into the shadow dimension, his destination unknown.
Asic scanned the room, unable to locate Agaret. When he turned back, the Joker was already gone.