"Brace yourself. I'm going to help you get back home," Asic said softly to Ejin. He gently lifted the weakened boy, whose body felt like a sun-bleached rag. Avid glanced at them before walking out of the room, pretending not to care.
Ejin was conscious the entire time but lacked the strength to speak or move. His body trembled uncontrollably. Fear overwhelmed him as he learned his lifespan had been reduced to less than two years. The shock drained all his will to live.
"My lifespan… my lifespan," Ejin murmured. Asic understood his despair but knew the priority was to get the boy to safety. He still had to hunt down the rampaging Agaret, who had lost his mind under New Order's power. Carrying Ejin on his back, Asic dashed out of the factory.
Using a grappling hook, he swung across buildings until he reached a dark alley. Carefully, he set Ejin down. Just a few hundred meters away, the sounds of destruction were unmistakable. It seemed finding Agaret wouldn't take much effort, as the frenzied man wasn't hiding his actions at all.
A car screeched to a halt at the alley entrance. A woman in a white suit rushed toward Asic with a first-aid kit. It was Susinna, accompanied by Ivy. Ivy stayed in the car, looking at Ejin's condition with a tightness in her chest, as if an old memory was surfacing in her mind.
*Why does his condition remind me of…* Ivy thought. She wanted to run out and see for herself, but the danger outside was too great. Being a fragile and powerless woman, she couldn't afford to take risks. Instead, she watched as Susinna used equipment to measure Ejin's vital signs.
"No visible injuries. His body is deteriorated, but not critically so. Why does he seem so drained of energy?"
"He was forced to sacrifice 50 years of his lifespan."
"Fifty years? What kind of insane power is that?" Susinna couldn't believe such inhumane abilities existed. After administering an injection into Ejin's bloodstream, it was as if water had been poured onto parched soil. Ejin's eyes regained a faint glimmer of life, and his breathing stabilized.
"You… you're Asic, aren't you?" Ejin asked the masked man before him. Though he had only met Asic once and had never seen his face, the man's presence and power left an indelible impression on Ejin's soul. To him, Asic was the ideal he aspired to.
"Yes. Palon asked me to help you."
"Palon… is she safe?"
"She's fine. She's at my sister's house. Don't worry. I'll ensure you're safe and get your ego back."
"Thank you… thank you. I'm sorry," Ejin said through tears. His heart, which had been close to breaking, felt a glimmer of hope. He had been robbed of his future, his hope, and even his life. The solitary time spent locked in a dark room had convinced him he was destined to die alone. But now, with help coming his way, he realized he wasn't alone.
Asic leapt onto the rooftops, moving swiftly with black lightning surging through his body. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Ivy watching him from the car. Their eyes met briefly, as if silently understanding what each had to do.
As Asic jumped from one rooftop to another, two voices clashed in his mind.
[Woohoo! Finally, I get to exist! I can't wait to wreak some havoc!] A wild, maniacal voice echoed in Asic's head, full of chaotic energy and madness, unlike OC's composed, synthesized tone.
[Newcomer, please calm your emotions. You're encroaching on OC's space. OC is uncomfortable,] OC protested. It had been gathering Asic's ego fragments to create the Black Joker. Now, however, it faced a major issue: Black Joker was encroaching on its processing capacity.
OC and Black Joker shared the same host, but Asic's mental and spiritual space was limited. Originally, OC had 100% access to Asic's capacity, but now it had to share half with Black Joker.
[Newcomer? If I'm the newcomer, then you're the intruder! I've been in this body since the beginning. You're the one squatting in my house. This entire space is mine. You should know your place, you fake ego!]
[OC disputes this. When OC arrived, there was no one else here. This makes OC the rightful owner. Black Joker's claim is false. Furthermore, Black Joker has contributed nothing to Master. It has no right to challenge OC's position.]
[Hahaha! Contributed nothing? Let's see who's more useful to this pathetic host. How about a wager, tin can? Whoever's less useful gets out. Care to bet?]
[Request denied. OC sees no value in this wager. Has your brain been infected with rabies? Such thoughts are nonsensical and pitiable,] OC retorted. For the first time, OC found itself arguing with another entity inside Asic's mind.
It felt like finding a worthy rival, but for Asic, the bickering was nothing short of a headache. Having two personalities fighting in his head made him feel on the verge of a breakdown. Previously, OC's minimal dialogue had posed no issue. However, Black Joker's arrival had thrown everything into chaos.
"Quiet, all of you. I need to concentrate. OC, what can you find in the database?"
[Data detected on egos New Order and Super Hand Gene. Displaying information,] OC reported, projecting details directly into Asic's mind. Super Hand Gene was the ego of a notorious genetic engineer known as the Demon Gene Merchant. His dream was to create the ultimate, invincible species, leading to the creation of the Super Hand Gene ego. This power caused rapid genetic mutations, which the merchant used to conduct inhumane experiments on humans.
Humans infused with excessive monster genetics ultimately lost their sanity and succumbed to madness. Wealthy patrons seeking high-efficiency war weapons invested heavily in the project, but it ended in failure after the merchant was captured 22 years ago. The bio-weapons were never deployed because they were uncontrollable.
New Order belonged to a Russian general who pioneered settlement efforts in the New World 41 years ago. Driven by a strong vision to claim part of the New World for Russia, he created a military force that followed orders without fear of death using the New Order ego.
New Order's power embedded commands into asra cards, compelling their holders to obey the programmed orders unconditionally. Combined with Super Hand Gene's ability to enhance combat capabilities at the cost of autonomy, they formed an immortal, unyielding army. However, these bio-weapons were too dangerous and were never fully realized.
With New Order's parasitic control and Super Hand Gene's genetic enhancements, Agaret had become an unstoppable force. Armed with the Rapid Regeneration asra card, he could heal from any damage but suffered excruciating pain in return.
"Black, what's your power?" Asic asked.
[Oh, my power? It's totally overpowered! But I'm not telling. You'll see when things get desperate, heeheehee,] Black Joker replied with a psychotic laugh.
[OC objects. As an ego, you should disclose your abilities to Master. Your lack of transparency is unacceptable,] OC argued.
[Oh, spare me. I want to see this host struggle. What are you going to do about it, tin can? If you don't like it, come fight me. Let's see what you've got!] Provoked by Black Joker, OC attempted to use its system privileges to analyze its rival but failed.
Black Joker's power exceeded the Fluction system's capabilities. OC was left stunned, thinking it might be a bug. Despite numerous attempts to resolve the issue, it couldn't access Black Joker's abilities.
[You are an uncontrollable ego. Master, after thorough consideration, OC advises avoiding the use of Black Joker. The risks are too great,] OC warned. Although Black Joker had saved Asic from the prince of crime, it was deemed too dangerous to rely on.
Asic paid little attention to the ongoing feud. From atop a 20-story building, he surveyed the chaos below. Agaret, now over three meters tall, rampaged with his eight mechanical spider arms, destroying everything in sight. Cars were smashed, and a green-skinned man was dragged out of a vehicle and strangled in midair.
"GRAHHHH!" Agaret's monstrous voice roared.
"Help me! AAAHHHH!" the man screamed for help before being slammed into the ground and punched in the face. His skull caved in from the force of Agaret's metal fist.
"Somebody call security! We didn't pay membership fees to be killed by monsters!" a man shouted from a nearby bar. In this city, residents paid hefty annual fees for security services to protect against monster attacks. Yet, no help had arrived.
Agaret's frenzy grew worse, fueled by a command in his mind.
"Door Thirteenth!" he bellowed, summoning his ego. A massive door materialized, unleashing countless shadow monsters into the city, turning it into a living hell.
[Master! Agaret cannot control interdimensional creatures. They will act on instinct and turn this city into a nightmare,] OC alerted. What had been a localized incident now had the potential to escalate into widespread devastation.
The neon lights of the city energized the shadow monsters, who turned their bodies into weapons, slaughtering anyone in their path. Screams filled the air as citizens armed themselves to fight back. However, ordinary bullets were insufficient against these creatures, whose numbers seemed endless.
For two or three seconds, Asic watched the chaos below in silence, questioning the motive behind it all.
*Why drive Agaret into madness? Why command him to summon these creatures in the middle of the city? Don't they realize how many will die?* The Joker's actions seemed pointless, achieving nothing but increased casualties.
Asic drew his violet blade, black lightning crackling around him. His murderous intent radiated outward as he leapt from the rooftop, using his grappling hook to propel himself toward Agaret's location.
*One day, I'll make sure your name is on the wanted list, Joker.*