Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

Byakuya didn't retreat, still meeting the challenge head-on. Carrying the Life Chronicle, he feared no one when it came to physical strength.

"BOOM—!"

A massive roar.

This was no longer the sound swords could make. The force from both sides was absurd; a single collision sent violent physical shockwaves rippling outwards.

"Heavenly Thunder Descent."

At this moment, Byakuya casually uttered a move name. Thunderclouds gathered in the sky, accompanied by a rumble, and lightning fell from the heavens… yes, it fell along with him.

"RUMBLE—!"

As the two were locked in a struggle, Ou-ma didn't retreat either. With his thoroughly tempered physique, he had no fear of this lightning.

Shrouded in a flash of lightning, Byakuya and Ou-ma furiously exchanged blows, countless sword energies erupting and tearing apart the ground beneath them.

"Boom, boom boom—!!!"

The earth trembled, and the arena was already a mess. And at this very moment…

A figure was blasted out of the lightning—it was Ou-ma! He had endured the lightning strike, but ultimately couldn't withstand Byakuya's immense strength and was thrown off in their grapple.

Large chunks of debris flew, and Ou-ma was almost embedded in the surrounding wall, accompanied by a vast network of spiderweb-like cracks.

"Can you still stand, Ou-ma?"

"Ah, of course."

Ou-ma rose from the pile of rubble, his kimono tattered. He took a few steps, feeling his clothes were in the way, and tore them off.

His torso was covered in injuries, a testament to his sweat. A storm erupted—Heavenly Dragon Armor, released!

"...Looking at you, you seem to know about this." Ou-ma started to say something, but saw the look in Byakuya's eyes…

"Tyrant, right?"

Byakuya nodded, speaking the name Ou-ma held dear. "In fact, you've been gradually moving past it. One day, you'll choose to challenge him again."

"But before that, I'll give you a lesson. Bet on your resolve and overcome it here for me!"

The glow of Magic Power gradually ignited, a terrifying aura seeming to awaken bit by bit.

—Imitation: One Blade Arrogance!

Immediately after, Byakuya took a step forward, his entire body appearing before Ou-ma almost instantly.

A flash of sword light so fast it was almost invisible. When Ou-ma came to his senses, he had already smashed through the surrounding wall and fallen heavily outside the arena: What was that just now?

No, he must have seen it before! Where was it? Hmm… Ou-ma remembered.

Although there were some changes, that swordsmanship was undeniably the Winged Sword!

"You've actually fought with that person?"

Outside the arena, Ou-ma slowly stood up. After a moment of astonishment, what ignited in his heart was the purest fighting spirit: It's just the Winged Sword, I'll show you I can overcome it!

A fierce wind howled, and Ou-ma passed through the damaged wall, once again facing Byakuya.

"Byakuya!!!"

Ou-ma clenched his Dragon Claws, his fighting spirit soaring as he shouted loudly. Although he didn't have skills like One Blade Arrogance, it didn't stop Ou-ma from pouring his entire being into his power.

He wanted to surpass everything at this moment and reach that realm! This strike, he bet his all!

—Rising Sun One Heart Style: Swift Extreme: Amaterasu!

"I can't lose either."

Facing Ou-ma's divine speed sword, Byakuya slowly drew his fingers across the blade with his left hand—Hundred Paces Flying Sword!

A streak of light flashed and vanished, and Byakuya appeared behind Ou-ma. He lowered his head slightly, a tear appearing in his black outer robe. "You did it, Ou-ma…"

Without looking back at the other person, Byakuya strode towards the exit tunnel.

—Behind him, Ou-ma had lost consciousness. Even though he was still standing, the match was over.

[Winner, Byakuya!]

65. Semifinals

Although the arena was severely damaged by hurricanes, lightning, and the like during the quarterfinals, with Shinguji Kuroko present, it wasn't a major issue.

The next day, the arena was almost completely renovated, and Bronya and Stella were the first to begin their match.

After a passionate introduction and the enthusiastic cheers from the audience, Bronya and Stella stepped onto the stage.

"Stella, feel free to use your full power. Bronya trained with Teacher Ning Yin before."

A gun with a metallic, high-tech appearance appeared, and Bronya switched her Divine Key to the Blue Flame Silver Falcon form. "This time, Bronya won't hold back."

Azure light particles gathered, and the Magic Power was fully charged. Bronya held the gun with one arm and opened fire on Stella.

"Dragon Sinner Sword!"

At the same time, intense heat spread outwards.

Amidst a sea of crimson flames, Stella drew a golden-red greatsword and swung it down with absolute power.

"Boom—"

A large patch of flames ignited, colliding with the azure magic bullets, causing a terrifying explosion.

Immediately after, fiery orbs rose behind Stella. The Dragon Sinner Sword was swung down like a command saber, "Burn the enemy to ashes, Scorched Earth Assault!"

Accompanying this incantation, the fiery orbs moved, launching a carpet bombing towards Bronya's position.

"Lightsaber mode."

The Blue Flame Silver Falcon transformed, and an azure blade extended from the muzzle of the firearm.

Bronya did not choose to retreat. Instead, she advanced with a brisk stride, meeting the barrage head-on.

She leaped into the air, skillfully weaving through the gaps in the bombardment. Azure sword lights erupted, tearing apart some of the fiery orbs.

Upon passing through the bombing zone, Bronya lightly touched down, her wing-like shoulder cape unfurling. She glided forward, closing the distance to Stella in an instant.

"Clang—!"

A crisp sound rang out.

She was a "Dragon"! As a member of the Dragon Kind, she should be proud and confident in herself. Only then would her heart and her talent respond to her!

Facing Bronya's attack, Stella showed no intention of retreating, swinging the Dragon Sinner Sword to meet it head-on.

A tremendous force was transmitted to the ground, and the area where they stood caved in, forming a massive crater.

The earth shattered, dirt and rocks flew, and pure physical shockwaves surged towards the spectators.

"It's my turn now."

On the other side, Byakuya, drawing on Bronya's experience, constructed an electromagnetic barrier in a similar fashion, blocking the aftermath of the battle. "However..."

—He knew very well that this was just a warm-up. Stella hadn't used Dragon God Possession yet, and Bronya wasn't going all out either.

Byakuya turned his head to look at Kurono. "Chairman, please have the spectators retreat a bit further. This position is still too close."

"..."

Kurono remained silent, merely smoking her cigarette and gazing intently at the shattered arena.

After a long while, she extinguished her cigarette butt and slowly began to act. After all, she was the "World Clock," and her words carried weight. The spectators retreated a distance backward.

Returning to the arena:

A brief exchange of blows. As expected, Bronya held the upper hand.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, Stella couldn't even come close. However... in the world of Chivalry of a Failed Knight, Magic Power was the mainstream! Of course, the domain of Demons was an exception.

A layer of fiery, feathered armor covered Stella's body, absorbing most of the damage—the Dragon Robe.

But even so, the lightsaber still cut through the armor, leaving streaks of blood on Stella.

What sharp swordsmanship... Feeling the stinging pain, Stella knew that this wouldn't do. She swung her greatsword. "Dragon's Breath!"

Terrifying flames erupted, with a temperature close to three thousand degrees, forcing Bronya back.

Although she could withstand it, there was no need to. Bronya created a slight distance, retracted her lightsaber, and switched to artillery. "Fire—!"

A fierce explosion obscured their vision.

Immediately after, a light blue stream of light pierced through the dust and smoke, plummeting directly towards Stella—Lance of Truth, Bronya's thrown spear.

"Clang—!"

The spearhead struck the greatsword. Stella held her greatsword horizontally, blocking it with its broad surface.

"Northern Abyss."

A patch of pitch-black Dark Lightning silently spread, and at some point, it climbed onto Stella's leg. Magic Power, stamina... all were eroded, and her strength involuntarily weakened.

"Switch, Heavy Rabbit."

At that moment, the Lance of Truth transformed, revealing a deep blue mechanical body. A massive mechanical arm smashed down fiercely.

A tremendous force was transmitted, and Stella slid uncontrollably backward on the ground for dozens of meters.

From within the flames, a brisk figure rushed out. The Heavy Rabbit quickly transformed into a silver-white motorcycle.

"Rumble—"

With the roar of an engine, Bronya pushed the throttle to the limit, the numbers on the dashboard soaring. A silver-white stream of light, with a tail-whip, swept Stella away.

Then, Bronya leaped from the motorcycle, which also transformed into a katana, appearing in Bronya's hand at the right moment—Slash!

"Ughhhh!!!"

With no point of leverage in mid-air, Stella took the full brunt of the damage and was sent flying heavily.

Then, the recently repaired outer wall shattered again... A figure flew out of the arena, landing on the ground with a large amount of rubble, even tumbling several times in her disarray.

"Th-that was astonishing!!!"

The commentator was stunned for a moment before announcing the match's progress. "Player Stella has been blasted out of the arena! Will she be able to return to the arena within the allotted time?!"

(Writing this commentator during the battle feels a bit awkward)

emmm...

Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, Byakuya glanced at the damaged arena a few times before turning to look at the scowling Kurono beside him… Unconsciously, he shifted a few steps to the side.

Outside the arena, Stella struggled to sit up. A knife wound, nearly deep enough to expose bone, marred her body. "You really went for the kill, didn't you? Did you already know all my trump cards?"

A phantom dragon shadow began to materialize behind Stella, bit by bit…

Her stamina was recovering, her wounds were healing, and all her injuries seemed like an illusion, completely erased.

The concept of "Dragon Kind" was now upon her, and Stella's vitality completely surpassed human limits, truly reaching a "non-human" level. If an explanation were needed: it should be "Fantasy Species."

"ROOOOAR—!!!"

A terrifying roar echoed.

In the venue, almost everyone felt a pressure originating from a fundamental life-force level.

A figure radiating light and heat, like a falling star, heavily impacted the competition grounds.

Stella raised her head, her dragon-like eyes emanating a ferocious aura, and stared directly at Bronya. "You were waiting for this moment, weren't you, Bronya?" "Now, I've arrived."

## Dragon God Possession

"Didn't you stab yourself with a sword?"

On the opposite side of the arena, Bronya glanced at Stella, noticing the wound on her chest was gone. "It seems Teacher Ning Yin really helped quite a bit."

"You even know that?"