When I say that the Duel of Champions was the most overhyped, glorified blood sport disguised as a "narrative arc," I mean it with every tired neuron in my head.
It wasn't just some tournament arc slapped into the storyline for fun. This defined the first summer of Masquerade of Dreams: Shattered. Back then, when it was still a game, the Duel of Champions was the Open World Quest everyone prepared for months in advance. Streamers went wild. Fan artists exploded with theories. Players ruined their sleep schedules grinding to get new characters.
Now, there's no "game time" anymore, no real-time conversions or log-in days or respawns. It's all real. You die here, you die for real. So yeah, things hit a little differently now.
The Duel itself used to be split into two major quests. Each one was supposed to last about a month and a half in-game, which translated to three weeks in real-time. It felt long back then. Now, that's just… normal time. It's just the everyday "life or death gladiatorial festival," except the NPCs are breathing, the dust is real, and the sweat on your back actually hurts.
The story originally follows Thales Erdict, golden boy of House Erdict, wielder of the Azure Sword. The weapon was his crowning achievement. With it, his chances of becoming the next heir of House Erdict skyrocketed. His father, the current heir—if you can even call a man like that a father—was basically testing him. And Thales, being Thales, decided that proving himself in a glorified tournament was the best way to gain "points" in daddy's big book of approval.
Classic hero logic.
So, he entered the Duel of Champions, the grand Roman showdown hosted in the Flavian Amphitheatre. The title everyone fought for wasn't something like "Strongest Fighter" or "Best Warrior." No. It was the Solar Fighter, a title that wasn't about raw strength, but something far more vague: determination, skill, and character.
In theory, it was supposed to reflect the "light within one's soul." In practice, it just meant that even if you were a godlike powerhouse but fought like a jerk, you'd still lose.
The Duel ranked only seven champions. You either broke into the top seven or you were just another face in the blood-soaked crowd. And that's when things got dark.
Because while the tournament played out in the Amphitheatre, behind the curtains, the story introduced its real antagonists, The Ceresei.
The Ceresei weren't just a villain group. They were the villain group. They are a vast, enigmatic organization led by eleven beings called the Ecliptarchs. Each one is a walking apocalypse wrapped in philosophy and madness. Their ideology is to turn the entire world into a single, pulsating Fluve Field, a living ecosystem where Fluxers, Humans, and Fluviums could "coexist" in balance and chaos.
Basically, they wanted to rewrite reality to their liking.
They infiltrated the Duel, quietly at first like planting agents among competitors, officials, even spectators. And Rome started to crack at the seams. By the second quest, the amphitheater wasn't just hosting fights. It was a battlefield between the Ceresei and the world's strongest warriors. The blood wasn't for show anymore.
And among those eleven Ecliptarchs was a twelfth addition later on: Xaessiarerich, better known now as my sister, Xaessia.
Yeah. That still messes with my head sometimes.
Back in the original story, her joining them marked one of the darkest turns in the entire game. It was the point when players realized MoDS wasn't just another flashy game.
Now, though… we're living that tragedy.
I scrolled through the Outerchat earlier, watching everyone go crazy about the upcoming Duel. People were forming alliances, flexing power levels, placing bets and sharing footage of mock battles. Some were excited. Some were terrified. And some, like me, were just trying to figure out what part of this story we were supposed to play anymore.
Because if Thales and Verdamona were the main duo and if the Ceresei were about to make their move, then there's no doubt that some of the Outers out there had transmigrated into those roles, maybe even into the Ecliptarchs themselves.
It makes sense. The system rewards Outers who alter the storyline and there's no bigger way to change it than by becoming a key piece of the original script. That means there are Outers right now walking around as the main villains of the arc. Powerful, dangerous, and probably smug about it.
And honestly? I couldn't care less.
My goal isn't to save the world or stop them. It's not to play hero or rewrite destiny. My goal is simple; to make the House of Argemenes known and build our name up so high that no one in Altera Earth can ignore it. That's it.
Oh, and saving my life from that epic ending.
If I can do that, I'll consider this whole insane transmigration experiment a win.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not stupid. I know I'll probably cross paths with the Ceresei eventually, maybe even fight them. But I'm not rushing into some scripted battle just because fate or "narrative balance" says I should.
I'm not Verdamona Alaric. I'm not Thales Erdict. I'm Phaser. And I make my own damn story.
Hinesia isn't the heroic type either. She's strong, ruthless and selfish in all the best ways. Together, we're like the chaotic middle ground between the protagonists and the villains. Still… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't preparing.
Because deep down, I know it's inevitable. The Ceresei will strike. The duels will get bloody. The plot will twist and spiral and drag us all into it. That's how this world works. And when that happens, I want to make sure I can stand on my own two feet not just as someone's brother, or side character, or backup plan.
I've already outgrown my scripted self. That guy died the moment I woke up in his skin.
I'm stronger than him now and I'll keep getting stronger, even if I have to choke down the chaos around me to do it. Because plot armor doesn't work outside the University. And if I die, there's no "Continue?" screen waiting for me.