Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

On the spectator stands, Shinguji Kuroko was quite concerned about the abilities White Night had falsely reported, and confirmed once more, "So, who do you think will win?"

"Is this a test?" White Night crossed his arms on the railing and slowly uttered a single word: "One Blade Arrogance."

"...It seems what you said isn't entirely false—at least part of it is true."

"Is that so? Maybe I just did some research?"

White Night replied with a meaningful smile, then turned his gaze to the training ground. "Alright, Chairman, at least for now, let's focus on this match..."

"Mimicry Swordplay, I'm quite curious about it. Kurogane seems to have many secret swords left—I wonder if we'll get to see them?"

Hearing this, Shinguji Kuroko gave White Night a deep look. Foreseeing the future? That's quite... Kurogane Ikki's secrets were nearly all laid bare.

On the training ground, the clash of blades continued. Surrounded by blazing flames, Kurogane Ikki held a tight defense, blocking all of Stella's attacks.

"Oh, Xiao Hei really is something..."

Just then, a voice tinged with childishness sounded beside White Night and Bronya—the Yaksha Princess, Nenene Saikyō!

Nenene Saikyō leaned against the railing, her oversized, loose kimono hanging off her small frame, leaving her shoulders completely exposed.

Paired with her youthful face and childlike voice, she gave off the impression of a "slacker" little girl.

"How could you not tell me about something like this?"

"Nene, you'd have found out on your own anyway, wouldn't you?" Shinguji Kuroko knew who it was without turning around.

"True. But don't you find it a bit surprising? That genius knight, Stella Vermillion, she..."

The match continued.

Kurogane Ikki barely managed to fend off the assault, gradually mastering Stella's techniques through "Mimicry Swordplay." And now, it was his turn to counterattack!

In Stella's eyes, it almost seemed like her own shadow appeared in Kurogane Ikki's movements? His swordplay was steadily drawing closer to hers.

"My sword techniques... why can you use that move?"

Another clash, and Stella blocked Ikki's Yin Iron, her tone laced with uncertainty.

"At the root, once I comprehend and integrate everything, I can understand all techniques. That's my 'Mimicry Swordplay'!"

Blade after blade collided, and Kurogane Ikki seized an opportunity, his Yin Iron breaking through Stella's defense. However... a thick layer of Magic Power covered her, blocking the blade.

Seeing this, Kurogane Ikki quickly retreated, creating distance. Stella slowly rose to her feet...

"Winning like this isn't honorable. I wanted to beat you with swordsmanship alone, to show you I'm not just someone with talent. But now... I'll have to use Magic Power."

"Here it comes?" (White Night)

On the field, Kurogane Ikki declared his conviction as a terrifying storm of Magic Power erupted from him: "One Blade Arrogance!"

--With my weakest, defeat your strongest!

Unsurprisingly, after using this technique, his speed, strength, Magic Power... all aspects were fully supplemented, and Kurogane Ikki won the match with it.

The F-Rank Knight's burst was astonishing. But afterward, he collapsed powerlessly.

"That's it! Winner: Kurogane Ikki!"

As Shinguji Kuroko announced the result, the dust settled, and the spectator stands erupted in uproar.

"How is that possible? Is that really Kurogane Ikki?"

"That Failed Knight actually..."

"Hey, is there anyone who was in his class last year?"

"You've got to be kidding me?"

"..."

Amid the noise, medical staff rushed onto the training ground and quickly carried the two unconscious people away.

"Oh my, this year's Representative Selection Tournament is going to be interesting." Nenene Saikyō waved her fan and was about to leave, but something caught her eye.

Beside her, White Night extended his right index finger, a cluster of pure white Magic Power slowly burning at the tip. "One Blade Arrogance, it's still quite different from the real deal."

One Blade Arrogance was almost a hallmark of the Chivalry of a Failed Knight world. And its principle was practically laid bare—White Night had naturally studied it.

◆One Blade Arrogance

A ultimate skill that consumes all energy within one minute and can only be used once a day. At its core, it lies in "consumption," or rather, "burning."

Across infinite worlds, "burning" is a very common technique. And the peak of the burning style is naturally the Life-Burning Style of the Saint Seiya world—"Burn, my Cosmo!"

White Night couldn't reach that level, but that didn't stop him from borrowing its essence to develop a replica of "One Blade Arrogance."

By burning Magic Power, he could unleash greater strength. Though the boost wasn't too outrageous, it was at least controllable, and even came with almost no damage.

"Oh my oh my~ That's a bit like what just happened~" Nenene Saikyō appeared beside White Night in an instant.

Unfortunately, a slender arm reached out and blocked her. Bronya's tone was flat. "If Bronya remembers correctly, you should be Nenene, the teacher?"

"Was that 'Drawn Foot' just now?"

White Night extinguished his Magic Power and looked over. "A technique that taps into subconscious footwork—pretty interesting, indeed."

"Eh? You noticed that too?"

"Bioelectricity."

At White Night's fingertip, a flash of pure white Yang Lightning flickered and vanished. Even without relying on that, the battles of the Qin Shi World had been enough to hone him.

"This Concubine is starting to take an interest in you~"

"As Bronya understands it, whenever Nenene uses 'This Concubine,' it's almost always deliberate—specifically to tease young men who don't know better."

"Nene, what are you up to now?" At that moment, Shinguji Kuroko had also finished wrapping things up and walked over.

"Xiao Hei, Xiao Hei, where did you find such a little monster? Introduce me, won't you~"

Unfortunately, Kuroko paid her no mind. Instead, she looked at White Night. "With that look in your eye, is there something you want to say to me?"

"Chairman, if there's a chance, I'd like to have a solo match against Kurogane Ikki."

In White Night's hand, a Tang Saber gleamed with cold light... Myriad Phenomena manifested here. "A rare school of technique—I'm quite interested in that guy."

"..."

A moment of silence. Kuroko stared at White Night for a long time, roughly able to confirm he was serious. "So it's the truth, huh? I thought you'd look down on an F-Rank like everyone else."

"Chairman, you forgot~"

With that, White Night closed one eye, then tapped his eyelid lightly with his index finger. "These eyes of mine can see some things. That wasn't a lie, you know~"

6. The Lightning's Challenge

"So what did you see this time?"

"Just a possibility. Not very accurate."

"...Fine. I'll ask Kurogane Ikki about his intentions later. If he agrees, your duel should be set."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Chairman."

White Night and Shinguji Kuroko continued chatting, leaving Bronya and Nenene Saikyō set aside.

Emmm... With that, Nenene Saikyō ignored them and turned her gaze to Bronya beside her. "Hey, you're Bronya, right?"

"Yes, Nenene."

"Let's talk~ Since Xiao Hei won't play with me, let them chat among themselves, and we'll chat among ourselves." In an instant, Nenene circled behind Bronya, yet...

Bronya dodged it! A dark, pitch-black Yin Lightning flickered at her delicate fingertip. "Nenene, Drawn Foot is useless against Bronya."

"How do you know that move too?" Foiled in another sneak attack, Nenene couldn't help but pout. But paired with her youthful figure, it only made her look cute.

It was obviously an act. Bronya ignored it and brought up another topic herself. "Speaking of which... 'Xiao Hei' refers to the Chairman, right?"

"And White Night is also called 'Xiao Bai'~"

"Xiao Bai, huh. Simple and clear."

"By the way, Nenene, your Supernatural Ability is gravity manipulation, right? Then theoretically, you should be able to form a gravity field. Could you give us private training?"

"...Hey, Bronya, do you really understand what gravity training means? Without using Magic Power, a human in motion can only withstand about four times normal gravity at most."

"Exceed that, and the body will instantly suffer massive, crushing damage!"

"Even if you stay completely still, the maximum the human body can endure only increases to about nine times. That's the human limit—a bottleneck from biological structure."

"Gravity is no joke. If even a single mistake occurs during training, your body will be torn to shreds in an instant by this force of the world."

"Nene's right. Even so, do you still insist on doing this?" Shinguji Kuroko also looked over.

"If you're thinking, 'Let's try it, the worst that can happen is getting hurt,' then I'd advise you to give up."

"You'll die."

Nenene added that final line. In her childlike body, a chilling aura suddenly erupted.

White Night and Bronya exchanged a glance. "Chairman, what do you think... our usual training is like?"

Was it because of Yakushi Kiriko?

But White Night's next words dispelled that notion. "Word must have spread outside, right?"

Then Bronya picked up the thread. "The Twin Fangs of Lightning—Dark Lightning Bronya, and White Lightning White Night."

"Everyone understands 'Lightning,' but only 'Twin Fangs'..."

"It's not just about being inseparable on the surface. White Night and Bronya are true twins."

"As long as one exists, the other won't truly die. So when we fight each other, it's always... drawn blood!"

White Night spoke lightly, but his words carried a bloody edge. "Only through inhuman tempering can one forge the strongest."

"...Fine. Let's drop this topic for now. We'll discuss it after you submit a formal request in your student handbook."

Seeing them reveal even the secret of the "twins," Kuroko understood their resolve and backed down for now.

But she still needed to think it over carefully. As a teacher, she and Nenene were responsible for every student's safety.

With that, the matter was put to rest for now. As for Shinguji Kuroko... she still had to check on the two who'd been carried to the infirmary, so she left first.

"Then Bronya, Xiao Bai, This Concubine takes her leave too." Nenene opened the folding fan in her hand, half-covering her face as she withdrew.

"Time to go, Bronya."

Pestering too much could cost him points, so White Night called for Bronya to leave. Since they were essentially the same person, there was no need for further explanation—Bronya understood immediately.

"Are you planning to see Kurogane tomorrow, White Night?"

"Of course. A Regeneration Pod is pretty handy in some ways. By tomorrow, I should be bouncing around again~"

"So, White Night intends to send him back in?"

"What makes you think that? I know my limits. Besides, the gears of fate have already started turning..."

Though he didn't finish, Bronya could roughly grasp his meaning—he naturally planned to get involved too.

Back in the dorm, Bronya pulled out her phone and made a call, following Yakushi Kiriko's earlier instructions.

"Good afternoon, Kiriko-nee."

"Oh, it's Bronya~"

On the video call, Yakushi Kiriko was dressed in a white lab coat over a black T-shirt, accentuating her striking figure. Her jade-green eyes held that gentle, doctorly warmth.

But... when facing White Night or Bronya, that gentle gaze shifted subtly. "I was just tending to a patient, so I'm a bit delayed."

"That's fine, Kiriko-nee. You're the best doctor, so of course the patient comes first. Bronya understands."

"As expected, my Bronya is the best~"

Kiriko leaned against her desk, her mature voice tinged with a playful, coaxing tone. "Alright, why are you calling so early today? Did something happen?"