Dimensions Collide: Destiny Bond

Chapter 221: Battle Royale

Once again, Prota found herself in the clean and peaceful school grounds of Scholaris. Like before, there were dozens of ships docked in the sparkling blue sea, the sun shining bright overhead.

The princess was here, too. Prota had almost forgotten about her.

It was hard to look at her in the same way, knowing she was a reincarnator, just like Destiny was. Should she say something? Prota didn’t think it would have any sort of butterfly effect, but was it right to out a secret like that?

In the end, she remained silent.

Danjo joined up, and there was an interaction similar to the last time they’d come to this entrance exam. It seemed that as long as Prota didn’t interfere with things directly, they would play out much the same as they did before.

Still, it was good to see some sort of normalcy. Prota was used to [Resets], so this wasn’t too bad. It reminded her that her friends still existed. That, in a sense, these were the same people she’d known before, just in a different life.

Olivia departed as she had before, although she seemed a little more cheerful this time around. Perhaps because she hadn’t been put through nearly as much as before? Prota wasn’t sure, but it was good to see her smiling.

Soon, it began. A small figure stepped out, leaving everyone confused.

Everyone except Prota.

“...master,” she muttered, her chest suddenly feeling tight.

“Would you… smile for me? On this realm, I would like to see my child smile… one last time.”

“We can save her this time,” Anta said quietly. “I hate to raise a death flag, but according to Zero, we’re not able to do that, so it should be safe.”

“Save… her?” Prota thought back.

“John… does not have the ability to steal energy. Well. He could gain the ability by using [DEM]. But it is not one of his innate abilities. She died because she could not control that energy in the past. But if she can remove it…”

Prota’s eyes widened.

That was right.

Sofya Ohrein had been one of the only beings who hadn’t cared for this power. It hadn’t consumed her will; it had taken over her body without her consent. If she could just be convinced once more…

The future could be changed yet again.

“We need to be careful,” Anta said. “But… well, I won’t tempt that person anymore. Let’s just do it. Alright?”

A new flame had been lit in Prota’s heart.

Before, her goal had been distant. Out of reach. Fighting John several years later was comprehensible but not realistic.

This, on the other hand…

Was easily doable.

“Hello, everyone.”

The voice was young. A mother trying her best to remember her child.

Would that voice change once she forgave herself?

“{Please remain silent for now.}”

Once again, the place went silent. Prota, too, could not speak.

“Don’t worry about it,” Anta sighed. “John didn’t resist it because of willpower. He’s just stupid. Also, the more simple the command, the harder it is to resist. I’m sure you’d break out of it if you needed to.”

Prota nodded. She didn’t particularly care.

“I am Sofya Ohrein, headmaster of this school. I formally welcome you to our humble school. In the following week, you will undergo a series of tests and trials to judge your ability to enter this establishment. That is all.”

The doors behind her slowly slid open.

“Then, let the Scholaris entrance exam begin.”

Just like before, the students flooded into the colosseum, and the roof opened up, sunlight streaming in. Once again, the stadium was eerily silent. Prota watched, now that she had the luxury of being a little more confident in herself. So many children. So many eager faces, so many blooming talents.

Had she looked like that as well?

“As you know, there are many classes one can enroll in at Scholaris. Fighting. Casting. Blacksmithing. Alchemy. Magical engineering. Magic Circles. Each of these have their own uses and strengths, and you will be tested accordingly. It would be unfair to judge a blacksmith for their ability to fight. One should not criticize a fish for its inability to fly.”

Right. There were these, too.

“Should you become students, these will be your instructors. Now, most of you may know this, but some do not. So, I ask that starting from this moment, you treat these people with the utmost respect.”

These people of incredible power and ability.

“For the professors at this school… are Mythics.”

But these were no longer godlike figures whose realm could not be reached. These were beings Prota had fought.

And if she wished to defeat John…

These were beings Prota would be capable of defeating.

“May I present to you: your potential mentors.”

One by one, they stepped forward.

Lupin Wolfhound.

Leora Dawn.

Rayne Wavecrasher.

Orson Venomfang.

Yelena Lighthorn. The one Sofya considered a dear friend. The one who had taken over Scholaris after her death. Perhaps Prota should befriend that one… but then again, there was no point in messing with the future.

Rion Mountaincrusher.

And finally…

Hikari Dormier.

Prota eyed that one closely, but not too closely. She remembered how the cat had caught John, even amidst the masses of students. Tipping her knowledge early would be terrible here.

“That one… is going to be a little difficult,” Anta mused. “Even Lupin and Leora couldn’t stop that one…”

“How did John win?” Prota thought.

“That guy? He whipped out [Infinity] to its maximum power,” Anta said with a snort. “Don’t even think of trying to copy that guy unless you wanna… waste some [DEM]...”

Her voice, initially disgusted, slowly shifted to a tone of thoughtfulness.

“Anta?”

“Hm… there might be some interesting changes to this section of our life,” the soul said slowly. “Don’t worry about it too much for now. The first year will be normal. Just have fun for the time being, alright?”

Prota nodded.

Yeah. She was capable of having some fun.

~~~

Interestingly enough, Prota had been placed into her own room. No roommate. No partner. She wasn’t normally one to complain about such a gift, but even she was somewhat confused at this new scenario.

“Just… don’t worry about it,” Anta sighed. “[Author’s] throwing us a bone.”

“Throwing… a bone?”

“Figure of speech. Don’t worry about it. I just meant that we’re getting a freebie for now. Let’s just rest for tomorrow.”

Prota happily laid in her bed. She was doing better, but being surrounded by so many people had taken a toll on her for sure. Although she no longer needed someone by her side in order to deal with the crowd, that didn’t change the fact that she’d been incredibly uncomfortable.

She pulled out the information sheet that detailed the next day’s test. Thankfully, the exam format was exactly the same. A battle royale. Prota still had no clue why John hated it the way he did, but it wasn’t really relevant to her. All that mattered was that it was the same as in her previous life. That was good. It wouldn’t have been very nice for the format to have changed.

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“You’re going to have to hold back. You know that, right?” Anta laughed.

“Nn…”

“Well, not that much. But we know strategy now. And our mana control is far better than it was before. So just don’t use domains or Soul Steal, and we’ll be fine. Use whatever else you want.”

“I don’t wanna drink mana potions…”

Prota shuddered as she remembered the taste. Granted, it wasn’t that bad, but she still would rather avoid drinking it unless it was absolutely necessary. She still remembered how it had seemed so appetizing at first. Such a mistake would never be made again.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, out of nowhere, Anta burst out laughing.

“That was what you were worried about?!”

“Tastes bad,” Prota pouted.

“Come on! You only have to drink, like, one or two! Your mana core is already bigger than it was in our last life, too, so you’ll be fine. Prota, come on!”

“You drink it!” Prota protested.

“Fine, fine,” Anta said, but she was still laughing.

The two sat there, with Prota being especially grateful for the change in mood.

“But… hey. The twins,” Anta said suddenly. “There’s… there’s no guarantee we’ll run into them again.”

“Oh.”

Right.

Ryan and Lilith.

If nothing else, she wanted to meet those two again. They alone had treated her with care, no matter the odds. Even when standing up to Draco, someone who could have easily taken care of them…

“Nn.”

“We can, however, actively look for them.”

Prota lifted her head.

“So? How about it? As a goal for this exam… that sounds fun, right? Not winning. But finding those two before they get eliminated themselves.”

Prota nodded. She let her head drop back down and closed her eyes.

Once again, she wasn’t entirely sure how this section of her life would play out. It had been so much less linear than the Town of Beginnings, and this time, her goal was even less clear. There were so many opportunities for things to suddenly go wrong that predicting the future was effectively impossible.

But that didn’t matter.

In her first year, she could surely just sit back and relax. There were others similar in age surrounding her, here not to wage war or battle but simply to learn. And, if nothing else, Prota loved learning magic. Even though she was now aware that her powers weren’t tied to mana itself, magic was still a thing of beauty.

And in this life, Draco would surely be a non-issue. Even if he threatened her, she was confident she could take him on, or, if that wasn’t good enough, his family. The Wynton household was something she planned on destroying anyway, especially given the things they’d done in her past life.

“Let’s have a little fun,” Anta agreed. “Even if it’s just for a little.”

Living. Right.

That was Prota’s other goal.

To simply live.

~~~

The next day, Prota stood comfortably on the field, looking around her. Most of the candidates seemed quite nervous. Well, that was fair.

After all, this was a test that could potentially change their lives forever.

She did feel a little bad for taking a position from someone who could have used it more, but… well, it was necessary. That one person wouldn’t matter if the world ended, after all.

“Thank you to those who are here. The Caster exam will soon begin.”

Prota looked up to see Sofya standing on the balcony.

“I will briefly explain the process. We will cast a certain magic that will transport your consciousness into an artificial world. Any harm that may befall you will not effect you physically in any way. That being said, should you feel the need to leave, you will be given a tool that, once used, will wake you up.”

None of that really mattered, though. Prota closed her eyes, sensing the mana around her. It was definitely special, but it wasn’t mind blowing. Just an incredibly complicated weaving of magic that she didn’t quite care to replicate. To begin with, it seemed like multiple mages were involved in its casting, and she sensed several magic circles in place as well. No matter how skilled she was, unless she used [Deus Ex Machina], such a thing wasn’t a spell she could replicate.

“Best of luck to all of you. The Caster exam will now begin.”

Prota remained calm as her vision went dark. When her eyes opened again, she found herself in a grassy field, the same as last time. Immediately, she scanned her surroundings, trying to identify where all the blue beacons of light were positioned.

Mana potions. She needed as many as possible. Keeping mana reinforcement and mana recovery up were vital to her plan, and without Soul Steal, she would need other ways to refill her mana.

“Hey, Prota,” Anta said suddenly. “Try… hm.”

“...what?”

Prota was confused. Saying to try something, only to not finish her sentence… what was Anta doing?

“Just for a moment, try fighting like a traditional caster.”

Prota frowned.

“I don’t know if you could tell, but this is just some really strong illusory magic. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got it from the Ninetails clan- well, that’s besides the point. Look. I just want to know what would happen if you were forced to ‘act,’ ok?”

“...act?”

“In our past life, John was there to pull the attention off of you, because, if we’re being honest, he was doing a lot of things he really shouldn’t have been doing. The only reason he got away with his nonsense was because of his weight in the [Story]. Without that, though, who do you think they’re going to focus on?”

“Isn’t… isn’t that good?”

“It is. To some degree. But to be too skilled is also dangerous. Think about Destiny. He didn’t really reveal his talents as a battle mage until necessary. So for you, who’s a hell of a lot more than a battle mage… it might be good to ‘act’ a little. Just in case. You can still use chantless magic, but otherwise, I don’t want you doing anything special.”

“...Hikari.”

“Right. We’re not in a position to challenge that guy yet. There’s a few ways we could win. Especially since John isn’t here to tilt things in Hikari’s favour. But if that cat comes to find us first, we’re in trouble.”

“Ok.”

“And don’t worry too much about losing. In our past life, mana consumption was tricky. But this time around, it’s a lot easier. The opponents you faced were a little unique. But if we’re going to see this world as real, keep this in mind.”

Prota nodded, the wind whistling in her ears as she ran.

“People are not used to combat. You are unique in that regard. You were used to pain. Most aren’t. It doesn’t take much to get someone to flee.”

“But Lilith and Ryan-”

“Were special, alright? I don’t know why. [Story] nonsense, probably. But until these kids get some training, you have nothing to worry about. So just focus on acting ‘normal,’ at least until we can connect ourselves to Sofya, alright?”

~~~

The Mythics milled around on the balcony, staring at the examinees with mild interest.

“Are there any interesting prospects?”

“Hm… for the time being, nothing of too much interest,” Orson Venomfang mused. “I was disappointed, however, to hear that the Wynton household would not send their son this year.”

“Not send- what happened?”

“Their household underwent… some issues. Understaffing, I believe.”

“Understaffing? How is that possible?”

“They were attacked,” Hikari said, butting in. “A strange attack, to be sure. The human kingdom is still investigating it, but it seems to have been the work of a single individual.”

“A single individual?”

“Indeed,” Hikari sighed. “Which is why it warrants such investigation.”

“But there are few mortals who could accomplish this feat to begin with!” Yelena exclaimed. “What… was it not a mortal?”

“We do not know,” Hikari said, rather grim for their usual mood. “However, the circumstances surrounding the situation were rather strange.”

Sofya’s ears perked up. “Strange? In what manner, may I ask?”

“Many of the positions meant to be filled by stronger warriors were simply empty. There were no records of those positions having ever been filled. No interviews, no scouting, nothing. The head of the household remembers an attempt to find such individuals, but does not remember ever accepting one.”

“Arrogance?”

“No. It is more as if… there were people in those spots, and they were simply erased from reality.”

“That is impossible!” Leora cried out. “It is possible to obliterate someone, but one cannot remove matter from existence! That is only-”

“Possible with the goddess’s power? Perhaps,” Hikari mused. “The son, however, seemed somewhat pleased.”

At that, Hikari’s tone was somewhat annoyed, but nobody paid attention. After all, it wasn’t like anyone was trying to pay attention to their state of mind. The news was far more interesting.

“The son, hm? Perhaps seeking to chase the inheritance?” Rion laughed. “Mortals are the same no matter where you go, it seems.”

“Of course,” Hikari smiled.

“Everyone,” Sofya said, clearing her throat. “There is an exam for us to observe, is there not? We may discuss matters of the mortal world later. For the time being, I ask that you come back.”

“Of course. Let us continue.”

~~~

Prota walked around, carrying a good number of mana potions along with her. She was humming a tone, visibly taking things easy as she navigated the fields.

She was on her way to the snowy mountains. Of course, she had no plans of dying. The only way she’d be getting killed would be if she did so intentionally. A single icicle was typically more than enough to take out a single opponent, meaning her mana reserves were still quite full. Even when she was forced to block, with her current skill in magic, an ice wall was barely a dent in her mana core.

The reason for the mountains was simple.

“It’s just more likely,” Anta had explained. “Since you met there in your past life, and there hasn’t been too much that change in Scholaris this time around… it shouldn’t be too bad this time, either.”

So off to the snowy tops she went. It was a little difficult, but she had mobility based magic on her side now, so scaling the rocky cliffs wasn’t too hard. Eventually, she found herself back in this familiar place.

She’d died to get here last time.

This time, she’d come of her own volition.

Even if it was a small achievement… it was an achievement nonetheless.

Prota looked around, this time taking in the scenery of the artificial battlefield. It was pretty. She hadn’t had the time to appreciate it the last time she’d been here, but now that she was confident in her skills, she could afford to look around.

It was the sound of crunching snow that snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Here. This is a good place,” a boy’s voice said, out of breath.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” a girl’s voice replied.

“Please. No one would be sane enough to get up here alone.”

“Really?”

The boy snorted in amusement. “Unless they can also fly using wind magic, no. C’mon, trust me a little bit more, won’t you?”

“It’s just… dying isn’t super fun…”

There was a pause.

“...I suppose that’s what death is really like. Well, at least we’re not actually dead, right?”

This time, Prota had no need to hide. Right. She was here for this purpose, wasn’t she?

To find these two once more.

“Phew… we can just wait up here for a bit. As more and more people get out, the more our advantage will grow.”

“I can’t believe we got ambushed twice. Twice! Why do people like hiding in bushes so much?”

“It’s just how things work, sis. If you’re weaker, you can’t win in a battle of pure strength, so you have to do what you can. In these cases, getting the jump on someone is enough, right? It worked on us.”

“That’s true…”

“How are we getting back down?” Lilith wondered.

Prota prepared herself. They knew she was here.

“Same way we came up. Easy, right?” Ryan answered.

She wouldn’t let them get the jump on her this time.

Stepping forward, she revealed herself. Her white cloak camouflaged with the surroundings to a degree, but there was no mistaking her figure.

“Ryan,” Lilith said cautiously.

“Right. Let’s get started.”

Prota didn’t move. She planted her feet in the ground, carefully gathering mana before her. Since Anta had given her the restriction of staying still, she had to make sure she could defend herself with defense magic only.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Ryan dashed forward, throwing a fireball. Just like before, its trajectory was somewhat weak, and it missed Prota entirely, even with her refusing to dodge. Lilith threw an icicle next, and this was something Prota did block. She summoned an ice barrier, making it as small as possible, not quite blocking the attack, but merely changing its trajectory to be harmless.

“...what the? What’s going on?” Lilith frowned.

“Sis. I don’t think… this is going to be easy. Expect to lose here.”

“I don’t want to-”

“We’re going to lose, ok? It’s just a fact. So we’d better show everything we can, here.”

Prota didn’t make a move during the entirety of their conversation. She waited for them to finish.

Defeating them was not the goal here. If she wanted to, she could have easily wiped them out of the exam before they’d even realized it.

But there was a favour she had yet to repay.

For teaching her the Dragon of Fire and Ice…

She would teach them something just as interesting in return. She wasn’t sure if she could do it. After all, she was no teacher.

But then again, John hadn’t been the best of tutors, either, and Prota had come out alright.

So maybe she could do the same.

She raised her staff, inviting the twins to attack once more.

“Ok.”

Her eyes narrowed. She would take this fight seriously, not because she needed to, but because she wanted to.

Because the two before her, no matter how unimportant they might seem, mattered.

“One more time.”