Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

"Alright, Kiko, Xiao Ai."

Bronya broke the current atmosphere. She sat down by pressing Kiko's shoulder, making space for them. "Let's play together. You have plenty of time to get to know each other."

At the same time, Heavy Rabbit appeared at the kitchen door, perfectly coordinating to take the tray from Byakuya.

A tray of tea and snacks was passed to Bronya, who then presented it to Kiko and Xiao Ai.

With Bronya mediating, the only common topic they had was Byakuya. After spending some time together, the atmosphere between Kiko and Xiao Ai gradually became more harmonious:

"Did you know, Xiao Ai? When Little White first started learning to make desserts, I specifically asked him about it."

Bringing up this topic, Kiko felt a bit jealous. "He didn't learn it for me! I'm her older sister, who could be more important than me?"

"..."

Xiao Ai couldn't say anything.

By now, they both knew who "that person" was. But precisely because of that, Xiao Ai found it difficult to say anything.

"Kiko!"

Beside them, Bronya also raised her voice slightly, her silver-pink eyes staring intently at Kiko.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." Kiko waved her hand and began enjoying the desserts with Xiao Ai.

However, Kiko's willingness to complain to Xiao Ai had genuinely brought them closer.

"Kiko, Xiao Ai, it's time to eat."

With a table full of delicious-looking dishes, Byakuya's culinary skills were as reliable as ever.

And then...

A rather heartwarming mealtime. At this point, Xiao Ai had truly joined the family.

"Alright, Xiao Ai, leave the rest to me."

In the kitchen, Byakuya, as usual, took over the dishwashing. It had been like this for years, and he was used to it. "You should go take a bath now."

"The bathroom at home is quite spacious; three people won't be a problem. Bronya is already waiting for you."

But this time, Xiao Ai refused to agree, stubbornly choosing to stay and help Byakuya.

And in the bathroom...

Bronya leaned against the edge of the bathtub, arms crossed, looking relaxed. Her ample chest pressed slightly, highlighting her fair skin. "Xiao Ai won't be coming for now."

"Speaking of which, doesn't Kiko mind?" Bronya tilted her head slightly, her silver hair swaying in the water.

Beside Bronya, Kiko dipped a hand into the water and gently lifted a strand of silver hair. "How could I?~"

"As an older sister, how could I let Little White be in a difficult position? Besides, Little White will take responsibility, won't he?"

After all, having known each other for fifteen years, Kiko had long understood Byakuya's personality. "Even if something really happens, at worst, I'll just suffer a little and not ask for a title~"

As she spoke, Kiko leaned closer to Bronya, her slender, fair hand gently caressing Bronya's cheek.

"Don't joke like that, Kiko. Byakuya... no, I will definitely handle it."

"Is that so? Then I'll be looking forward to it~" Kiko affectionately nuzzled Bronya's cheek, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

And that night, Xiao Ai was assigned to share a room with Byakuya. Her delicate, fair neck couldn't help but blush.

"Alright, Xiao Ai, let's sleep."

At night, Byakuya held Xiao Ai from behind, but that was all. He didn't do anything else...

—True "love" wasn't just about that. It was also about daily respect and considerate care.

"...Mm."

Sensing Byakuya's care for her, Xiao Ai softly agreed, her heart warming with a sense of comfort.

Gradually, Xiao Ai closed her eyes and fell asleep in Byakuya's arms.

68. Sorry, it'll just hurt a little

Working overtime to catch up. Finally, around the third day, the competition venue was ready for use!

On the day of the competition, the enthusiastic cheers remained, and the tragic events of that day did not affect the spectators' passion for watching.

—In fact, a large number of Blade Dancers had been urgently dispatched specifically to ensure the safety of the spectators.

"Ikki, it's our turn."

On the competition stage, Byakuya wiped his sword with his left hand and walked towards Ikki with almost no defense, appearing very casual.

"Ah, yes."

Ikki said nothing. Beneath his outwardly calm demeanor, his fighting spirit surged. He manifested Yin Iron in his hand and was the first to attack Byakuya.

—Seventh Secret Sword: Lightning!

In an instant, Ikki pushed his speed to the extreme, incorporating his understanding of Winged Sword.

This strike was silent, without a trace of wasted power or unnecessary movement, completely focused on the slash.

"Not bad. Looks like you've been putting in the work."

Byakuya swung his blade, meeting this attack head-on. With a clash of metal, a physical shockwave violently reverberated.

"You've been practicing for a long time, haven't you?"

As he spoke, Byakuya applied force to his wrist, and the blade of Myriad Phenomena gradually pushed back Ikki's Yin Iron. "But if you want to surpass me here, you'll need to work even harder."

"Clang—"

A surge of immense power erupted, knocking the Yin Iron aside. Byakuya quickly adjusted his stance, his wrist applying force once more... a fleeting flash of blade light.

Yet, Ikki's right arm trembled slightly, his tiger's mouth even split—he had blocked Byakuya's strike using the hilt of his sword.

Immediately after, Ikki slightly angled the hilt, redirecting Byakuya's offensive to the side, and seized this opportunity to counterattack.

It was still a silent slash. It was clear he had fully integrated the Winged Sword.

A sharp blade light tore through the air, ripping through the atmosphere, but it was still dodged.

"Not fast enough. Don't forget where you learned this." Byakuya leaned back slightly, his blade grazing his hair as it passed. His entire movement exuded a sense of composure.

He didn't even counterattack, stepping back with each evasion of the blade, and precisely offered his critique:

"The angle was off."

"This slash lacked sharpness."

"The power..."

"Clang—!"

A Tang Saber blocked the blade. Byakuya's gaze was piercing as he looked directly into Ikki's eyes, "This won't do, Ikki. Your physique is too far behind."

"You should use that technique too. Even though it's only for one minute, it's enough for us, isn't it?"

After saying this, Byakuya used one arm to push Ikki back, and then a brilliant glow of Magic Power ignited around him. "Let's finish this quickly, Ikki. I don't want to be accused of throwing the match."

"One Blade Arrogance!"

In response, Ikki decisively met the challenge, a terrifying aura of Magic Power erupting from his body.

With the one-minute time limit, Ikki dared not delay. He stomped down, shattering the ground beneath him, and charged at Byakuya like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Leveraging his extraordinary control over his body, Ikki gathered all his strength to the tip of his blade, concentrating the greatest destructive power into a single point—First Secret Sword: Rhino Strike!

Ikki didn't worry about missing this attack. He knew very well: Byakuya saying those words meant he would absolutely not retreat and would definitely choose to clash head-on.

As expected, Byakuya adopted a starting stance, boundless sword energy beginning to rage, transforming into a swimming dragon that swooped down towards Ikki, "Pierce in All Directions!"

"BOOM—!!!"

The earth-shattering collision caused the recently repaired arena to crack again, the ground even sinking slightly.

Ikki's strength was still no match for Byakuya's. With no other option, he had to channel the impact into the ground, thereby reducing his own burden—Third Secret Sword: Circle!

A technique for dissipating force, huh...

Seeing this, a thought flashed through Byakuya's mind: Should I try comparing it with the Sitting Forgetfulness Heart Method?

But considering Ikki's limited burst time, he abandoned the idea and instead unleashed a more ferocious slash, suppressing Ikki. "It's not enough, Ikki! It's nowhere near enough!"

"Clang, clang—"

A series of metallic clashes, continuous slashes, giving the opponent no chance to counter.

During this time, Ikki could only barely parry. With every step back he took, the cracks on the arena spread further... A large portion of the force was being channeled into the ground.

But even so, Ikki's arm trembled slightly. The gap was too vast!

If this continued, he would surely lose! Ikki parried with difficulty, recalling past promises in his heart...

The vow made before his father, the blessings entrusted by Shizuku, and then Arisugawa, Byakuya... the hopes of many, and finally Stella appeared:

—Let's advance together! To the very peak of the Knight's Path!

"Aaaargh!!!"

Faintly, he seemed to hear the "clack—" of chains, and a surge of power erupted from Ikki, forcefully pushing Byakuya back, "Fourth Secret Sword: Mirage Wolf!"

A technique that creates afterimages through footwork variations. And when combined with the Winged Sword and Drawn Foot, this move was even more potent than before.

"It's still just an afterimage."

Byakuya was unconcerned, the blade in his hand swung down in one direction like a cornered antelope...

"Clang—!"

Ikki used the Seventh Secret Sword again. But regrettably, the divine speed sword was still blocked.

In less than ten seconds, the two had put on a spectacular high-speed offensive and defensive battle, drawing cheers. But in reality... Ikki was almost at his limit.

—The "Complete Mastery" he relied on was completely ineffective against Byakuya. To master someone, one should at least understand them, but Byakuya hid too much.

Lacking the necessary information, this move was essentially useless. And his swordsmanship was also suppressed...

"Hey, Ikki, remember that match from back then? The one where you shattered Raikiri with all your might."

At this moment, Byakuya didn't rush to attack. Instead, he twirled his blade leisurely from a distance and reminded him in a relaxed tone.

That fight from back then…

Ikki recalled the feeling of burning everything he had. Although it was only a single strike, Byakuya's strength made it easy to dodge. But his intuition told him:

—Byakuya would never retreat!

"Then come at me."

Ikki's eyes turned crimson as he charged at Byakuya. His skin, his tendons... tore apart bit by bit, blood staining his clothes.

"This strike, I'm betting everything on it!"

—Seventh Secret Sword: Lightning!

Even though he had spent over ten seconds before, with Drawn Foot and Winged Sword as supplements, this strike was no weaker than before.

"I've been waiting for this."

Byakuya lowered his stance slightly, then his legs exerted force, and the ground shattered.

Using the recoil, Byakuya shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, directly meeting Ikki's Seventh Secret Sword...

"Clang—"

A blade flew high into the air – it was Byakuya's Myriad Phenomena! The moment they collided, Byakuya deliberately relaxed his strength... that's right, he did it on purpose!

Ikki seemed to sense something, but he had already given his all and couldn't stop his attack! And so...

—Yin Iron tore through Byakuya's chest, a large amount of blood splattering, dyeing the arena a scarlet hue.