Chapter 268 : Names

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The laughter that had followed the separation of Two and the “ghost” had faded, and Two eventually regained his composure once the situation was explained to him.

"That’s Ninety-Four... You can call him Ghost now. He has a Supreme Skill that turned him into a ghost, and he marked you as the target of his [Haunt] technique to avoid being detected or attacked. As long as you were alive, he couldn’t be touched during the selection." Newtons explained to those unfamiliar with Ghost’s abilities.

Seeing Two sigh, Sora slowly took flight and made his way toward the nine chosen Alter Egos on the platform.

"Is everyone satisfied with the selection of our little army’s nine representatives?" he asked first.

A few seconds of silence followed, and with a few nods in response, Sora announced what came next.

"Very well... It’s time for us to merge, and to transfer your power to those behind me. The idea of not seeing you for the next few weeks saddens me, but knowing you’ll be safe and alive during that time softens that pain a bit."

The Alter Egos’ reactions varied. Some smiled at Sora’s display of emotion and hesitation. Others struggled to hide their frustration.

But most of them understood and accepted the decision.

"If any of you wish to stay behind, I won’t stop you. But you’ll be given the bare minimum of Soul Power... You’ll have to manage on your own."

After a short pause, he added, "However... We’ll need every 1★ and 2★ Ultimate Skill. I’m sorry."

No one spoke up, which only deepened Sora’s guilt.

"Nobody wants to stay in this world?" he asked, not knowing how his brothers would answer.

Another silence followed...

Behind him, Thirty-Two looked down, uncomfortable under the many eyes turning toward his direction. Two was about to speak up and suggest an alternative, but a hand rested on his shoulder.

Seeing Triple Seven shake his head, a sharp pain struck his chest.

‘Wasn’t this supposed to be just a goodbye? Why does it feel like a farewell?’ he immediately voiced his worry to Triple Seven through telepathy.

‘You saw the level we reached thanks to a World Boss, right? Remember how strong Norj and Abbott were when they showed up minutes after the update? Now imagine what they’ve done with nearly two months of preparation. Once we launch this offensive, there’s no guarantee we’ll survive. We may never again have the luxury of splitting into an army of a thousand Alter Egos.’ Triple Seven explained what most had already understood.

Sora felt the movement behind him but kept his gaze on Newtons and the hundreds of Alter Egos around him.

"Don’t worry about us, we’re ready!" Newtons ended the silence, speaking on behalf of the unchosen Alter Egos.

"In that case, let’s merge." Sora nodded, holding back a sigh. He knew most of his Alter Egos liked seeing him stay strong, and was struggling to appear strong.

In the minutes that followed, Sora absorbed his Alter Egos one after the other. Once the process was complete, he began to absorb their memories, skills, and emotions...

Each of them had gone through a period full of training, experimentation, successes, and failures, and they crashed into his mind like a tsunami.

Though most of their thoughts were positive and kind, some carried disappointment, jealousy, resentment, and even anger...

‘Four is angry... He wanted to avenge his death at the hands of Abbott with his own hands... He doesn’t blame me, but his thirst for vengeance is so intense it almost reminds me of what I felt for Rachel. He’s also disappointed he didn’t get as much time as the other brothers to prepare for today because he waited for a month before coming back.’

'Thirteen was jealous of Twelve’s status and presence within the group, so he started feeling depressed?'

'Many were disappointed that they wouldn’t get to hone their skills for what’s to come, while others were eager to see what we could achieve once our strength was merged.'

Positive and negative emotions clashed inside Sora’s mind, and he was unable to regain control over his emotions for many hours.

He had to take the time to speak with each of his alter egos, slowly building a plan to minimize their frustration and disappointment, before finding peace in his mind.

Once the process was complete, he opened his eyes.

He had absorbed every single one of his alter egos, even the selected ones.

Then, overwhelmed by the mental assault of hundreds of voices speaking at once, he muted them all.

“It’s time to release the chosen ones...” he murmured to himself.

That was something he did many times, and that was usually quite easy and fast. However, this time, something was different.

He created his alter egos, one by one.

First came Two, the stacking specialist known for his skills, [Attract] and [Outbid]. He now stood over two meters tall, his skin tanned and his body sculpted like a bodybuilder carved from stone. His hair was completely gone, replaced by a smooth, shiny scalp. Even his facial features had changed.

He no longer looked Japanese, his new appearance was that of a tall, Black man..

The name above his head had changed as well:

[Onyx – Level 300]

Sora watched him finish taking shape and smiled. “Welcome back to the world, Onyx... Happy with your new appearance?”

Though fully aware of what he looked like thanks to his near-divine senses, Onyx created a mirror out of thin air and examined himself from every angle.

“Just like I imagined… Not bad at all!” he said, flexing his arms. “But didn’t I ask for a scar under my eye? And why am I level 300?!”

“I hit level 300 after absorbing Thousand…” Sora ignored his brother’s other remarks — Onyx hadn’t gotten any smarter overnight — and continued recreating the others, following their requests.

Next was Thirty-Two. He specialized in long-range fighting, crowd control, and void manipulation. He was also one of the quieter alter egos in the group.

His new body matched Sora’s in height, but looked very different. Brown hair, fair skin — he had taken the form of a Caucasian man.

Sora gave a faint smile when glasses materialized over his brother’s blue eyes. Then he looked at the name hovering above him.

[Absoluty – Level 300]

Onyx immediately complained, “You gave him nerd glasses, but not even a damn scar for me? That’s favoritism, I’m telling you... And what kind of name is that? Does it even mean anything?”

Once again, Sora ignored the killjoy and resumed his telepathic exchange with the next alter ego.

Ninety-Four, known by the nickname Ghost, now wished to officially adopt that name. And unlike the previous two, he had no special requests.

He simply accepted whatever appearance Sora chose for him.

A few moments later, he materialized — then vanished just as quickly...

Sora barely had time to see his face. A young man with features that reminded him of Salim, his Tunisian friend.

“...” Sora remained silent, disappointed in his brother’s lack of enthusiasm.

Though he said nothing, Sora complained inwardly. ‘Ever since he got that Supreme Skill, he’s always in ghost mode. Doesn’t even joke around with us anymore!’

A voice in his head snapped him out of his thoughts. “C’mon, stop brooding. It's my turn! You know what skin I want!”

Sora sighed and replied telepathically, “A skin? What do you think this is, a video game?”

Ninety-Five burst out laughing. “You’re literally redesigning my avatar. Sure feels like a game to me! The hair needs to be longer.”

As Sora sculpted the ideal appearance for Ninety-Five, the latter wouldn’t stop commenting.

“Longer. Longer still.”
“Make it blond and smooth, please.”
“Pointy ears!”
“Pointier… even pointier.”
“It's not good enough! Can't you make it pointier? I want to look like an Elf! ”

Sora’s level of exasperation skyrocketed, but he forced himself to stay calm.

“For the name, I want Lego—” Ninety-Five began without an ounce of shame.

“Shut up. There are limits to your lack of imagination.”

After some back and forth, negotiating, pleading, and blackmailing, they finally agreed on a name.

He would be Sylvan, the human who looked like an elf.

[Sylvan - Level 300]

When it came time for One Hundred-One, Sora joked, “Don’t tell me you want green hair and to be called Zorro…”

One Hundred-One didn’t respond, leaving Sora slightly awkward.

“Uhm... Any preferences for your appearance?” Sora followed up, hoping to break the silence.

One Hundred-One began describing his ideal form, and soon, an avatar began taking shape before them.

As the silhouette solidified in front of the few chosen Alter Egos in the [Soul Palace], Sora was left speechless. A lump formed in his throat, and for a few seconds, he couldn’t speak.

“…That’s a beautiful tribute, Brother Sword. Thank you,” Shade said, unusually direct for once.

Sora nodded.

When Onyx and Sylvan, tired of waiting, asked about One Hundred-One’s new look and name, Sora finally materialized him.

A man with auburn hair appeared before them, brown eyes, his body radiating vitality and sword intent.

[Karl – Level 300]

Though his name and appearance were new, the four brothers saw an uncanny resemblance.

“…Kara?"

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