Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

Seeing Ikki silent, Kirihara's expression shifted. "Really, you're pissing me off!" (Too bad his face-acting was subpar; Teacher Malik would've given it a failing grade.)

"Just a failing knight..."

Kirihara Shiya vanished into the jungle once more, then his voice echoed through the entire grove. "Oh right, this time I'll tell you where I'm aiming beforehand."

"First... the right thigh!"

"Clang--!"

An invisible arrow shot forth, but a flash of the blade cut it cleanly in two.

Emm... how?!

He'd practiced for ages to make even his arrows invisible! How could his debut end with his weapon shattered on the first try?

No... no way, it must be a fluke! Even now, Kirihara Shiya still didn't grasp the severity of the situation. "Again! This time, the right arm!"

"Clang--!"

As the arrow was deflected once more, silence fell over the arena. After a brief calm, Kirihara Shiya unleashed a frantic barrage. "No! No! No!"

"Something's wrong! How can you see me?! It's fake, all of it!"

"Kirihara, I'm coming."

Ikki lowered his stance slightly and said calmly. The arena screen zoomed in for a close-up—he'd even closed his eyes!

"Bakana!"

Gone was any trace of his earlier composure; Kirihara Shiya leaped frantically between branches, firing backward.

But without exception, every shot was blocked by Ikki. With Ikki's A-rank physical ability, he caught up quickly.

"Whoa!!!"

The announcer shot to his feet, narrating with fervor: "What's this? Kurogane is chasing Kirihara with his eyes closed!"

"That's pure perception."

Ning Yin opened her folding fan, half-hiding her smile. "As long as the arrow exists, the air currents it stirs naturally reveal its position."

"By the same logic, Kirihara himself can be locked onto too." But the level of perception required... he actually pulled it off~

"Wait! Wait! Stop!"

"Cut it out--!"

On the other side, Kirihara Shiya had been caught by Ikki, his current display utterly disgraceful. "I get it! I surrender! I surrender!"

"That's a blade! A blade! I'll really die!!! Aaaaaah--!"

But in the end, Yin Iron stopped just short of Kirihara's face. The arena's electronic voice rang out in time:

[Kirihara Shiya, unable to continue fighting!]

[Winner: Kurogane Ikki!]

16. "Life-risking" Training

"As expected, it's over."

Amid the cheers, White Night's calm stood out, but this was something he'd foreseen long ago. "He didn't even need to use 'One Blade Arrogance.'"

"Better to use that instinct-destroying technique sparingly." Bronya didn't look up from her handheld console as she spoke.

"Yeah, overuse might shorten your lifespan."

White Night nodded in agreement, then waited off to the side. "You all go celebrate first. I'll wait for Bronya."

"Alright, but hurry and catch up." Seeing the two getting along so well, the group decided not to intrude.

Player Prep Room:

Since Ikki hadn't used One Blade Arrogance, he was perfectly fine after the fight and didn't need to go to the infirmary.

"Great, Ikki won!"

Stella, blazing with enthusiasm, threw herself into Ikki's arms, her emotions running high. Shizuku was much more reserved. "Congratulations, big brother."

"Ah, I owe it all to everyone's help."

Ikki scratched his head, looking a bit shy. His first official match and his mindset still wasn't fully settled. "By the way, why isn't White Night here?"

"Bronya's gaming, and White Night's waiting for her. You know how some people hate having their game interrupted." Arisugawa explained with a smile.

"I see. They're still so close."

[YOU WIN!]

The audience had mostly cleared out when Bronya's handheld flashed a victory prompt. Only then did she pull her attention away. "White Night was waiting for Bronya?"

"What else~"

White Night extended an index finger and naturally poked Bronya's soft cheek. "Let's go. We can still make it to the celebration."

"Speaking of which, those two are almost ready to confess their feelings, right?" White Night turned and walked ahead, recalling fragments of memory.

"But Bronya remembers... Ikki and Stella confirmed their relationship when they were lying in the infirmary."

"Uh~ well... that shouldn't affect things, right?"

But this kind of thing couldn't be forced either. Whatever the outcome, they'd just let it develop naturally~

Not long after, even though one opportunity was missing, Ikki and Stella still became lovers.

As for the selection tournament, Ikki kept winning one after another. With Kusagabe Kagami's promotion, he gradually shed the title of "Failing Knight." Everything was moving in a good direction.

"Boom--!"

A large section of ground collapsed. White Night turned into a bolt of lightning and escaped by the narrowest margin. "Hey, Nenene-sensei, are you trying to kill me?"

"It's not like you haven't died before." At that, Nenene closed her Crimson Phoenix and pressed it against her lips, speaking carelessly.

[Yaksha Princess] Saikyō Nenene

On the surface, she was just an expired loli, her childish voice sounding quite cute. However...

—There are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. The essence of Saikyō Nenene? This woman, after entering the Demon Realm and achieving Transcendent Awakening... was a demon!

Back when he'd asked Nenene for private lessons, during their sparring, White Night had genuinely died! And more than once!

"Dying once hurts a lot."

Even so, there was no fear on White Night's face. [Yin-Yang] and [Life Chronicle] maxed out his survivability—he had the capital to train by "risking his life."

"Alright, White Night, it's Bronya's turn now."

A flash of Dark Lightning flickered in, coalescing into a human figure. After a long while, she had switched into the Secondary Silver Wings... an indigo long dress, metallic silver wing pauldrons, and the classic Leg Ring.

"Then I'll leave it to you." White Night panted slightly, high-fiving Bronya as they switched.

"Ah, Xiao Bai's really something, making a girl take the rotation."

"Click-clack--!"

The Blue Flame Silver Falcon transformed. Bronya held the Silver Falcon, looking incredibly sharp. "But Nenene-sensei hasn't gone easy on Bronya either."

"Isn't that because Xiao Niya's too strong~"

( ? ? ? )

Bronya made a classic expression, her tone utterly flat. "... Bronya will take that as a joke."

"This one is serious~"

Nenene danced the Crimson Phoenix, half-covering her face. "Honestly, Xiao Bai and Xiao Niya being this strong really surprised this one too. You'd never guess it normally."

"Would Nenene actually go all out against kids? Alright, enough chit-chat. Fire--!"

With a mechanical sound, Bronya raised her hand and fired. Pale blue magical light gathered at the Silver Falcon's muzzle.

But it was useless. Every shot hit the ground without exception. A gravity-altering technique—Earthbind Array!

"Xiao Niya, don't waste your effort."

Nenene touched her toe to the ground, her movement as if a frame had been skipped, closing in on Bronya in an instant.

"Clang--!"

The Silver Falcon switched to lightsaber mode, precisely blocking the Crimson Phoenix. "Drawn Foot won't work on Bronya. Show Bronya Nenene's real strength."

"Ah, isn't this just warming up~"

Even so, the iron fan, wrapped in terrifying gravity, came smashing down hard at Bronya!

"Boom boom boom!!"

Barely visible, a patch of ground sank slightly... but right behind Nenene, a flash of Dark Lightning flickered. A deep blue lightsaber blade lunged, the edge closing in on Nenene's hair.

"Zing~"

Nenene didn't need to look back. Relying on pure instinct and intuition, she dodged Bronya's ambush, her iron fan snapping open for a counterattack.

"As expected, no matter how many times I see it, the method of Elementalization is still astonishing."

Without any surprise, Nenene's iron fan struck nothing. Bronya turned into a bolt of lightning, evading a strike that was nearly guaranteed to hit.

"But still not as good as Nenene."

Not far away, Bronya materialized. The structure of the Blue Flame Silver Falcon adjusted slightly, shifting into cannon mode.

"But hasn't Xiao Niya not gotten serious either?" Nenene tilted her head in a somewhat cute way. At this moment, a terrifying layer of gravity was still pressing down on Bronya!

"... Bronya doesn't want to write a self-criticism just yet."

"It's fine, Xiao Hei won't care."

Having finally caught someone to fight to the death—even if it wasn't Hei Nai—Nenene didn't want to let this chance slip.

In fact, every lesson went overboard. This training ground had been patched up many times, accompanied by just as many self-criticisms. "Be careful, Xiao Niya~"

Barely visible, a phantom horn emerged on Nenene's forehead. The gravity multiplier suddenly skyrocketed, and the earth itself cracked open.

"Boom--!"

The ground shook as if the very foundations were trembling! The intensity of the battle escalated, inching closer and closer to "slaughter."

"Are you two starting again?"

A figure suddenly materialized beside White Night. Time Element abilities were just like that—impossible to guard against.

White Night was already used to this and greeted him casually, "It's the Chairman. Here to supervise the battlefield again? Don't worry, we know our limits."

"I've already rewound over a dozen times." In response to White Night's words, Hei Nai merely gave him a faint glance, his tone somewhat ethereal.

—This was all their doing, through sheer force!

"Ahaha~ Accidents, all accidents."

White Night scratched his head, trying to bluff his way through, while casting a pleading look toward Nenene on the field... Hey! Teacher Nenene, save me!

"Excellent, Xiao Niya!"

But on the contrary, Nenene hadn't noticed him at all. Instead, she was in high spirits, her Fighting Spirit gradually igniting as mana surged around her. "Behold my Overlord Heaven..."

"..."

Then she froze. An exquisite, ornate flintlock pressed against Nenene Saikyō's forehead. "What were you about to say just now?"

17. Bronya's Turn

"Nenene sure fights hard~"

Back in the dorm, White Night looked exhausted. The moment he reached the sofa, he relaxed and let himself fall onto it with a thud, bouncing a couple of times.

"Teacher Nenene's personality—I can understand that." Bronya walked past White Night and sat down not far away.