Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 18 - Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Love Letter

January, 2045

The New Year of 2045 was a memorable time for many.

Most were obviously celebrating the holiday, while some, like Reiji Mukudori, were busy preparing for the upcoming college entrance exams.

It was a good time for Infinite Dendrogram players too. The game held a New Year’s event that had, among other things, increased spawn rates for monsters that were bursting with Resources in the form of XP.

It was not all good, however, as something unpleasant—as well as unavoidable—was on the verge of happening.

This was a major event involving two countries—namely, Dryfe’s declaration of War against Altar.

After many consecutive bad harvests, Dryfe had been thrown into a state of famine, and to mend the situation, they would invade Altar, which had abandoned them in their time of need.

Altar’s leadership already knew that Dryfe was readying their soldiers for an invasion through the old Lunnings Duchy and that they would attack in about three days. That was information gathered by DIN, the Arch Sage, and Altar’s intelligence, so it was unlikely to be wrong.

In preparation for that, the Altarian King, Eldor Zeo Altar, began recruiting volunteers. He didn’t discriminate between tians and Masters, calling upon anyone and everyone who lamented this dire situation and wished to fight against it. This was directly opposed to Dryfe’s approach—the imperium offered rewards to any Master who helped them out.

Because of this, Altarian Masters—especially the “ludos”—weren’t too receptive to the king’s calls.

Even many worlders prioritized defending their own hometowns instead of the country itself, and as a result, Altar didn’t have many Masters fighting for it.

But perhaps most importantly of all, there were also no War participants from the Altarian Big Three—the ones that had protected Altar from the Tri-Zenith Dragon, Gloria.

◇

In the terrace of a café bathed in the late-day sun, a man in a raccoon costume was drinking black tea while reading an evening newspaper.

The paper wasn’t from DIN or the largest printer in Altar, but it was one that was infamous for its articles full of scathing critique.

It didn’t take much reading for the costumed man to realize that today’s paper had focused heavily on attacking Altar’s Big Three.

First of all, the High Priestess, Tsukuyo Fuso, had demanded something far greater than ever before in exchange for her clan’s participation in the upcoming War. Since Altar’s stance was to not reward any Masters, they had refused. And because Tsukuyo Fuso refused to bend, the negotiations were simply canceled.

The article was condemning her for profiteering from the situation.

That all seems right to me, the person in the costume thought. That fox would definitely take advantage of this.

That was, after all, exactly what she’d done during Gloria’s attack.

It was worth noting that despite Tsukuyo Fuso’s decision, the Masters of the Lunar Society weren’t actually prohibited from participating if they so wished. As far as religious groups went, theirs was quite lenient. This might’ve been expected, however—the core of their teachings was the phrase “Embrace this free world and celebrate your liberty to your soul’s content.”

The article that followed that one was about the Over Gladiator, Figaro. It claimed that, when asked about whether he would participate in the War, he said that he “wasn’t interested in sloppy fights.” The writer condemned him for being a “picky fighter” who fought exclusively in duels and one-on-ones, calling him a “self-centered battle maniac” for it.

“...That ain’t exactly wrong,” said the man in the costume. However, since he knew the circumstances, he felt like the article was missing some details. He had been there when Figaro was interviewed, and the conversation went as such:

“Mr. Figaro, will you participate in the War?”

“...No.”

“Why?! Is this not the perfect opportunity to show your might to the world...?!”

“I’m not interested in that. Also, it’d be a sloppy, messy fight where I’d have both allies and enemies—and more importantly, tians and Masters... There would be no point.”

The exchange ended with the interviewer in shock.

The words quoted in the article weren’t actually wrong. However, it appeared that the journalist writing it interpreted them as “I’m not interested in sloppy fights. There would be no point—in other words, I don’t stand to gain anything from joining in,” which wasn’t exactly accurate.

Figaro could only fight solo, and since the War would involve both allies and enemies, he wouldn’t be half as strong if he participated.

The fact that both tians and Masters would be participating made it even worse for him, because Figaro had never actually killed a single tian.

Outside of duels where everyone involved would come back, ending tian lives was something that Figaro simply never did. This didn’t make him a rare case—many worlder Masters shared his stance on tian murder.

Infinite Dendrogram was extremely realistic, and that extended to its people. Some Masters took it a step further and never killed even monsters, instead focusing on crafting. A few had even given up on the world entirely.

A War that involved tians and didn’t allow solo combat was an environment that would have made Figaro powerless, both physically and mentally.

What he’d meant with his words was that “there would be no point—in other words, I wouldn’t be useful.”

You couldn’t even blame the journalist for misinterpreting that. Who would ever believe that the duel champion who was also a Superior would even imply that he would be useless in a war? It was unthinkable, especially if you didn’t know Figaro’s flaws.

The fact of the matter was that if he were to participate, even a lowly grunt could take him out. The only way he could be of use in the War was if there was a situation where he could fight alone and his only enemies were Masters.

However, the first Knight-Machine War wasn’t that kind of conflict.

“All righty...”

The last article was about King of Destruction.

It mentioned the message KoD had sent to the various newspaper companies, and it even publicly revealed the text of it.

The message read, “If I participate in a big event, I could accidentally expose my face. I’m not going to the War.”

That was it.

All KoD had sent was a brief message saying that he wouldn’t participate in the War because he wanted to maintain his status as “The Unknown.”

The general reaction to this could be summed up in three sentences: “He’s hiding, yet he sends out a message like this. What a bastard,” “He’s gotta be hiding because he’s actually weak and doesn’t want anyone to find out,” and “He probably only beat Gloria because the other two softened it up.”

It was notably harsher than the reaction to the other two. That was because while Tsukuyo Fuso was the head of a major group and Figaro was the duel champion, everything about King of Destruction was a mystery.

Not saying a word, the man in the costume—Shu Starling himself—read the disparaging remarks as if they didn’t make him think anything at all.

It was as though being condemned didn’t affect him whatsoever.

Or perhaps he...

“I have been searching for you.”

Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him.

Looking around, he saw a huge hamster. It was none other than the control AI that also served as the third princess’s pet, Dormouse.

It was also one of the few creatures that knew KoD was Shu.

“Yo, Dormouse. I’m pawsitive I haven’t seen you in a hot minute. What did you come to me fur?”

Shu’s response was the same as it’d ever be—casual and with costume-related puns.

“Theresia wishes to speak to you,” Dormouse said, taking a crystal ball out of his fur.

It was a comms magic item, and out of it came a little girl’s voice.

“It’s been a while, Shu.”

“...Yo.” At some point, their conversation had stopped reaching anyone except those at Shu’s table—Dormouse’s doing, no doubt.

“So, what did you call me fur?” Shu asked.

“It’s about the message the newspapers received. Are you really the one who sent it?”

“Yeah. Why ask me that, though? It was obvious it was me since all the newspapers are makin’ it public after running it by Truth Discernment. Hell, you could’ve just asked Dormouse.”

“That’s true... I just didn’t think that you would refuse to participate in the War just because it may expose you.”

Theresia had no intention to condemn his decision—she’d simply felt that the text was unlike him and had sent Dormouse to get a confirmation.

“That so?” Shu asked.

“Yes... If that was a reason for you to not get involved in a conflict, you wouldn’t have actually been there for very many of them...including the ones where Sechs was involved.”

“...He and I just kinda happened to keep clashin’ here and there,” Shu said with a sigh as he remembered the many incidents they’d been part of. “Anyway, yeah...it’s not that I’m afraid to show my face. Well, I guess I am a little bit. I’m a shy boy and showing it around gives me pawse.”

Shu spoke partly in jest, and Theresia met those words with silence. It was starting to become hard for him to joke around, so he spoke a little more seriously.

“I doubt I’ll be makin’ it to the War, and if everyone fought clingin’ to the hope that I’d come to their aid, it could just make the casualties worse, so I went and used a shitty excuse and said I won’t come at all.”

“So what is the actual reason you’re not going?” Theresia asked. She was now certain that his nonparticipation wasn’t by choice.

In response, Shu was quiet for a moment, then said, “...I got a love letter.”

It seemed like one of his jokes at first, but the face he was making inside the raccoon costume was completely serious.

“A love letter? From whom?” she asked.

“...Dormouse, read this for me,” he said as he reached into his inventory and took out the letter.

It was crumpled, presumably by Shu grasping it tightly, but it was readable nonetheless.

Dormouse skillfully balanced on three legs and took the letter in one of his forelimbs.

“‘Mr. Starling...’” he began reading, but before he could even properly start, he was filled with shock as the entire text sunk in.

The letter went as follows...

◆

Mr. Starling,

By the time this letter reaches you, the War between Altar and Dryfe will be five days away.

I know you will act of your own volition and participate in it to protect the kingdom.

That is why, six hours before the War begins, I will attack either you or what you wish to protect.

If you are alongside Altar’s army on the front lines, I will target those present.

If you challenge Dryfe on your own, I will target Altea.

If you have a death penalty or are offline, I will destroy Altarian cities one by one until you come back.

And if you are alone somewhere far from any settlement, I will attack you.

Where you are does not concern me. This me will act as described regardless.

This moment and situation makes it possible for us to fight until the end.

You would give me a serious fight under these conditions, would you not? And that is why, here and now, I challenge you.

I will face you no matter where you are at the time.

If possible, I wish the circumstances to be as favorable as they can be.

Regards, King of Crime, Sechs Würfel

◆

It was a letter from the Master Shu was more involved with than any other.

A letter of challenge from King of Crime, Sechs Würfel.

◆◆◆

Cruella Mountain Belt

The Cruella Mountain Belt that acted as the border between Altar and Caldina was a dangerous territory rife with bandits who targeted the passing trade caravans.

One of the mountain villas here was a hideout of such thieves, but now only two people were in it.

These two had slaughtered each and every one of the bandits who originally inhabited it.

They hadn’t had a strong reason for doing so—they were merely traveling through the mountains to avoid being seen and had stumbled upon this villa. The bandits attacked them on sight and were in turn annihilated in the blink of an eye. You could say that the thieves were simply unlucky.

“...You really doin’ this, Sechs?” One of the two was a relatively short man wearing a gray suit, a matching trench coat, and a gangster-like hat.

He was The Weapon, Rascal the Bloodonyx. With his back to one of the villa’s pillars, he was spinning a gear-like object in his hand while talking to the other man—a black-haired, black-eyed, plain-looking youth in clothing just as unremarkable. He was none other than King of Crime, Sechs Würfel.

“Yes,” Sechs replied with a smile. “I understand that you came all this way to try and make me reconsider, but I am resolute.”

Slightly irritated by the response, Rascal spun the gear again before saying, “Tetragrammaton...our base ain’t even done yet. We’re still in the process of gettin’ the Soul Trader to be our fifth official member, and we don’t even have that many supportin’ members either. Our alliance with The Death has also just begun. We’re just startin’ to take off.”

They were both part of Illegal Frontier—a clan made up exclusively of criminal Superiors.

In fact, they were the leader and sub-leader.

IF was still new and was currently in a very important time period for its development as a clan—and yet the leader, Sechs, was prioritizing personal matters instead of the good of the group.

“Most of that is true,” he said. “But the base is already complete, no?”

“Only on the outside,” Rascal retorted. “We don’t have the people or the processors to run a ship that huge, and good processors’re hard to come by even in pre-ancient civ ruins. Most o’ them become sentient and turn into goddamn UBMs.”

“Is your Machina not a valid substitute?” Sechs asked.

Rascal glanced at the gear in his hand, shook his head, and said, “Sure, my Deus Ex Machina can be a connector, and I can use it for control, but connectin’s basically all it does then. It’s pointless if there’s nothin’ to connect it to. If I want it to act as a good processor, I need the processor itself. That’s why I’m plannin’ to raid some major ruins in Caldina soon. It wouldn’t be easy, though, and I was plannin’ on your assistance...”

“That is unfortunate. However, my decision is final.”

Sechs didn’t waver even though Rascal needed his help.

That said all that was needed to be said about how important this was to him.

“Why do it now?” Rascal asked. “Ya didn’t forget our goal or the benefits of achievin’ it, right? It’s nothin’ but risky now, but eventually, those risks’re gonna be gone.”

“Of course I did not forget it, and I am fully aware of that.” Sechs nodded in response, still unwilling to change his mind. “However, chances for a serious fight against Shu are few and far between.”

“...You tellin’ me he was holdin’ back? Against you?”

“He was always doing his best, but he never once fought with the goal of defeating me,” Sechs said as he closed his eyes and reflected upon the past. “In every incident he was involved in ever since the time I kidnapped Theresia, I was merely an extra. He always had things he had to prioritize over me.”

They had been involved and interacted with each other for a long time now, sometimes as enemies, sometimes as allies. However, they had never had a true clash against one another. This was because although their goals were generally very different, they were never quite directly opposed.

“That is why it must be done now.”

“I...I see,” said Rascal, finally understanding Sechs.

“I will use the coming War to create a situation in which he must defeat me. He will surely come and fight me with that in mind.”

If Sechs merely engaged in more terrorism, Shu would likely take care of the problem while avoiding conflict with him.

However, things were different now that Altar as a whole was being threatened. If Sechs chose to attack the Altarian army before they faced Dryfe or assaulted the towns on the other side of the land, it would severely damage the kingdom’s defenses, making their defeat in the War all but certain.

If what he wanted was to keep the casualties to a minimum, Shu would have no choice but to fight Sechs.

“Ya know this comes with the risk of losin’ and bein’ sent to the gaol, right?”

“Yes.”

“And that you’ll be leavin’ behind the clan...that you created?”

“Yes,” Sechs replied, fully aware of what Rascal was saying. “But would you not say that this is typical of us members of Illegal Frontier? To put our desires above the convenience of others?”

“...That is true.” Rascal had no grounds to argue against that. Even the goal they shared as a group was ultimately only meant to support the goals they had personally, and Rascal was no exception—he was playing Infinite Dendrogram because there was something he felt he had to do.

“My apologies,” Sechs said. “I might end up entrusting the management of the clan to you.”

“Don’t say that like ya haven’t been leavin’ the business work and infrastructure to me since before IF was even established,” Rascal said, then heaved a sigh. “Well, fine. You do you. I still owe ya for Emily and other stuff. I can hold this thing together while you’re away.” To Rascal, Sechs was both the clan leader and a friend, so he ultimately respected his decision no matter how risky it was. “Leave a letter for Zeta before ya go, though. She’d probably get really annoyin’ if ya don’t. I can actually imagine her thinkin’ I’m plannin’ somethin’, and we don’t need an internal conflict on our hands,” Rascal said with a wry grin.

“Very well,” Sechs replied with a faint smile.

“Also...this is in case ya lose, but...I dunno what kinda place the gaol is, but get out of it within a year. I’ll keep workin’ on the prep until then.”

“You believe I can escape the gaol?”

“Yeah. You may fail sometimes, but you can do anythin’, can’t ya?”

Sechs said nothing in response to that, but his face was still in a smile.

“Go get ’im, leader. What you want is right in front of you.”

“It certainly is. Farewell.”

With that, Sechs went towards Altea, where Shu was waiting, while Rascal turned away and went on the path back to Caldina.

This had been the last time they’d met, but neither of them believed that it was their last ever.

◇◆◇

Kingdom of Altar, Nowest Canyon

Three days had passed since Shu had shown Sechs’s letter to Dormouse and Theresia. Before dawn, when light was still scarce, Shu stood alone in the Nowest Canyon.

This was where Altar’s Big Three had faced and defeated the Tri-Zenith Dragon, Gloria. The local geography had been devastated, while the ecosystem had all but vanished within Gloria’s Fatal Field, making it an area where neither people nor monsters ever ventured.

That was exactly why Shu had chosen it as the place where he would face Sechs.

Well, that and the fact that it was between Altea and the old Lunnings Duchy, which would make it easy for him to contribute to the war effort.

It was predicted that the War would start at noon. However, Shu felt that defeating Sechs and surviving to assist Altar would be more difficult than anything he’d ever done before.

More time passed as he waited in silence. The sun had begun to rise and the clock hit six in the morning when...

“Apologies for the wait.”

...Sechs arrived, just as he’d said he would.

He was still the black-haired, black-eyed, bespectacled, plain-looking youth that he’d always been. He was even wearing his usual smile.

However, even though this was merely a form he was assuming, Shu felt as if Sechs was...somewhat excited.

Silence followed. Shu had chosen to fight in these mountains, and now Sechs had come here as well.

They had both been certain that this would happen. Sechs knew that Shu would do this, and Shu knew that Sechs wouldn’t use the opportunity to commit some other misdeed.

Despite the fact that they would now fight to the death, they knew each other better than some people who were the closest of friends.

“...If you were here, you could’ve just shown yourself instead of wastin’ my time,” Shu said as he eyed Sechs for an opening. He was waiting for a moment he could deliver a fatal blow and end this battle before it could even properly begin, but alas, on this particular day, Sechs’s guard was impenetrable.

“Wasting your time...? So you intend to defeat me and rush to aid in the War?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you will have any strength left?”

“Dunno. But it’s possible that I’ll be able to do somethin’, ain’t it?”

“That is true. Oh, and if you lose to me, I will attack Altar, so please face me with everything you have.”

“...I knew you’d say that.” Since Sechs’s goal was to force Shu to fight him as hard as he could, that much went without saying.

If this was a battle he could simply lose without consequence, it wouldn’t have required such a set-up. Losing to Sechs would obviously influence the War and the fate of Altar.

“...Though, I will say that participating in the War does not seem to suit you,” Sechs said with a lower tone than usual, but his face still smiling. “The proactiveness of people is highly influenced by their views of good and evil. Apparently, if they see something as bad, they will simply not do it or at least be reluctant to, and if they think nothing of it, there will be no such reluctance. ”

“Seems so.”

They both spoke as if these words had nothing to do with them.

“And if they think that something is right...they will push themselves to do it.” Nothing could stop a person from doing what they thought was righteous. Even if their actions brought harm to others, they would not slow down as long as they believed they were just. “In most cases when people become like that, they are not alone. They are often accompanied by like-minded brethren and act as members of a greater group, losing control for the sake of their justice. Looking around and seeing many people who shared their will reassured them that they were righteous, which only made them more dedicated to the cause.”

The march of an army fueled by a sense of justice was truly a fearsome thing.

“Both armies that will soon face each other in the old Lunnings Duchy believe themselves to be right,” Sechs said as he looked into the distant west, his smile now gone. “The Altarians defending against Dryfean invaders think they are on the side of justice, and the Dryfeans trying to save their country from famine also see their cause as righteous. With these thoughts reinforced by those around them, they march into a war—perhaps even clinging to the comforting pretense that there is no other way.”

Sechs spoke of the nature of this War, but it was clear that these principles applied to wars in general.

“But...there is no true righteousness there,” he continued as Shu just silently listened. “Not a single person in either army did what they believed was right in the absence of anyone to affirm it.”

He then looked away from the western horizon, faced Shu, and put on a smile which seemed different from the one he’d had.

“But there is someone right here who never wavers.” The smile on his face now was much like the one Sechs had shown when Shu went to defeat the UBM that was treated as a god, paying no heed to the verbal abuse hurled at him by the villagers. “I’ve thought so since the day I met you. You knew full well that the girl could destroy the world, yet you protected her regardless—and still do. You never hesitated or doubted your decisions, always sticking to your strong sense of justice.”

In Sechs’s mind, Shu was a strong person who did what he felt was right regardless of what others thought of it, and that was exactly why Sechs had found himself drawn to him.

“This person before you...I have no sense of right or wrong or anything like that, so I find myself dazzled by your strong sense of justice.”

“...That so?”

Shu also believed that Sechs was nothing like the people he was talking about. He didn’t see himself as just and never felt remorse no matter how many evils he’d committed—he was merely doing what the people had deemed was bad.

Good and evil didn’t exist in Sechs’s mind. There were only the crimes as established by society. His conduct was never hindered by a sense of wrong nor expedited by righteousness.

In his life, Sechs merely moved forward...no—he descended downward. He was like a drop of water, falling into a dark abyss and dragging everything down with him with no regard for good or evil.

Never doing anything but committing crime, Sechs was more of a phenomenon than a man—the world’s most hollow king of sins.

Shu already knew that, but he was still unaware of the reasons why.

“Do you remember the Divine Disks?” Sechs asked. “That is the UBM that you and I cooperated to defeat.”

“...Yeah.”

“The people that worshipped it instantly went on to join Altar. Their village is now no different from any other.”

Sechs brought this up like it was simple gossip, but those who tried would make out a hint of...irritation in his voice.

“The moment they were no longer under the wings of their deity, they fled beneath the wings of Altar. They worshipped their god, sacrificed children to it, and condemned you for its sake. They believed they were righteous, but now they live on completely forgetting their previous faith and allegiance. They are all weaklings who kiss up to the strong and have no justice of their own.”

His words were far harsher than anyone could ever expect from him, which made Shu ask a question.

“Are you...angry?”

“Angry? Me?” Sechs put his hand on his mouth. It seemed that he hadn’t realized it himself.

After a few moments of thought...

“...Perhaps.”

...he acknowledged Shu’s words.

“I myself was a sacrifice, after all.”

“A sacrifice?” That wasn’t a word one would associate with the fearsome King of Crime, yet that was what he called himself.

As for the reason for that...

“The me that is not this me...the person I am in reality...was born as a clone made for organ transplants. Biological stock.”

◆

Cloning technology had already existed for decades before the current year of 2045. There had been successful clonings of not only animals, but people, as well. The old technological hurdles related to clone lifespan and body function had already been conquered.

The people of this world—those that dwelled on Earth—already had functioning cloning technology. However, it wasn’t something that would see common use, and the reason for that was obvious—morality.

Though technology had permitted it, cloning people was considered unthinkable from a moral standpoint.

However, there were hushed whispers that human clones were being produced in the less regulated countries as well as in other places, but in secret, away from the eyes of the moral public.

These were clones that elite or wealthy people created in case they were heavily injured or afflicted by internal diseases, when they would call upon them to provide healthy organs.

Nothing but living, breathing storage for “spare parts,” these clones were the very definition of sacrifices.

In countries driven by morality, they were seen as fiction—but they did indeed exist, and Sechs was one of them.

◆

“You’re...a clone?”

“Yes. It has been twenty and...a few more years since I was created.”

Sechs had never revealed this truth about himself to anyone. Even Rascal and Zeta were still in the dark about it, yet he’d gone and told it to Shu.

“I was created when a certain elite family finally had their heir apparent. Not legally, of course.”

Some people with incredible wealth chose to go to particular other countries to secretly create organ transplant clones, just in case. They would be raised so that their ages matched their originals, and if the originals caught some sort of disease, the clones would have their organs used to save them.

“Though, my original died before I could provide my organs,” Sechs said. “Apparently, it was some sort of accident that killed him instantly.” Shu was silent. “However, he is not officially dead.”

It was easy for Shu to understand what Sechs meant by that.

“...’Cause you replaced him?” he asked, to confirm.

Sechs responded with a nod and said, “It was declared that he survived and I was made to take his place. Instead of just my body parts replacing his, I became a replacement for his entire existence... Though, perhaps they had anticipated this. I grew up knowing I was an organ transplant clone, and yet I was still provided with basic education.”

Shu merely listened as Sechs continued. “Of course, I could not possibly take over the social life of the original, but that was not a problem if I simply never saw anyone. Officially, ‘the heir is currently recovering from the accident.’”

He’d been isolated from the public, taught what he needed to know about the world as well as any relationships relevant to him, all in preparation to make a soft landing into society as a replacement for this dead heir. All but a select few believed that the original was still alive, completely clueless to the existence of Sechs himself.

“My role is to continue the lineage. After all, I have the appearance and DNA of the original. My father—at least genetically—is already too old to have offspring, and despite the fact that he commissioned a clone, he is against creating actual offspring via artificial insemination. I will eventually marry a woman of some other elite family, we will have children, they will inherit everything from me, and I will be dismissed.”

“Sechs...” Hearing that made Shu feel something, but it was definitely not pity.

He didn’t look down on Sechs enough to feel something like that for him.

If there was a word for what Shu was feeling, it was most likely “understanding.” Sechs had been born as spare organ storage, but when donating became impossible, he was forced to be a full replacement for his original and carry on the lineage.

That explained why he was so...

“I have no life of my own. I was not even born with the intent of being a person... When I came to this world and received Nu—this body—I became fully aware of what I truly am.”

He raised his right hand and turned to slime.

No, not “turned,” but “returned.”

“I am nothing but a droplet of blood and DNA—a substitute that changes shape to suit its vessel.”

As he spoke, he changed himself into a man, then a woman, then Sechs.

“And that is why...I am Nu.”

Albeit to varying degrees, Embryos were influenced by their Masters. They represented their natures, actions, and maybe even their ultimate fates.

Looking at it like that, Nu might have been the only thing Sechs could ever be.

“But despite what I am, I was at least able to roll the dice on what I would be in this world.”

Sechs had his share of free time in reality. Though he was locked away, he’d been given the freedom to read books or enjoy a game or two.

However, he didn’t know what to actually do with that free time.

And that might have been exactly why, just like the many others who were uncertain what to do with their time, he was attracted to Infinite Dendrogram’s offer of infinite possibilities.

To him, it had seemed like a door to a world where he could truly live freely.

And upon seeing the die on the table during the tutorial, he’d made a decision.

He was a hollow person meant only to be a replacement. Any paths he could choose in his daily life were not actually his own.

And that was why he’d decided that he would be the one to roll the die and set his future here in Infinite Dendrogram.

“That is my freedom.”

The fate he’d rolled for himself was one of evil. Directly opposed to the justice of the majority, he would be a methodical committer of sin.

However, he was satisfied with that. He had chosen to be evil and he lived as such.

Everyone looked at him, and through his evil, they were acknowledging Sechs himself.

And that was not the only thing that being evil had provided him. It had given him personal principles, human relations, allies, memories, and had led to him meeting a person who was both his opposite as well as his mirror—a person he was more taken with than anyone else.

“Shu.”

“...Sechs.”

Sechs looked directly at Shu and slowly began talking once again. “Please...fight me until the end,” he said. “This is my true form. What I truly am. I am a substitute that changes shape to fit its vessel. A droplet of blood and flesh. This is my undiluted nature.”

Sechs then began converting his body into red-and-black slime.

“And in spite of this nature of mine, living as this me in this world made me see something I could not see before. I feel as though I am not far from fully grasping its truth. I simply need to come to understand what I must.”

He looked at Shu with eyes full of longing.

“And so, for me to live as myself...this me—the entity that I am—must face you...my polar opposite.”

Sechs shut his eyes and clenched his hands into fists as though to grasp what he was seeking deep within. He considered Shu—the unwavering man who was no one’s replacement and never compromised who he was. Sechs wished...

“...To understand you.” He opened his eyes again.

“If I do that, I might be able to live as myself. Not just here...but on the other side as well.”

Infinite Dendrogram promised to provide its players with their one true possibility unique to them. That manifested as their Embryos, as well as the experiences they had here.

And Sechs sincerely believed that his possibility could only be found if he defeated Shu—his polar opposite.

“Our lives may be transient, but let us fight...until the end.”

This was why he wanted a fight to the death—the moment they both would bare everything to one another.

“...How long have I been involved with ya now?” Shu said as he processed Sechs’s words. “Over four years, right? If that’s the answer you came to after thinkin’ that long, then sure. Let’s do this.”

Thus, he accepted the suggestion.

“Though...I’ll tell ya one thing.” Shu fell silent for a moment...and removed his apparel. He’d used Clothing Switch to change from the specialized, unwieldy raccoon costume into custom-made pure combat equipment. This set was the most optimal fighting gear he had at this point in time. It didn’t hide his face whatsoever and doubled as an expression of a will to destroy his enemies.

And thus, Shu...

“Don’t think that a measly little fight to the death’s gonna be enough to really understand me.”

...grinned back at Sechs and took to action.

And so, with the War but a few hours away, known to none, a battle between two of Altar’s strongest had begun.