Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

"Now!"

While Ikki was stunned, Byakuya suddenly attacked. He restrained Ikki's mobility with his left hand and raised his right elbow high. "Sorry, it'll just hurt a little."

What the...

Before Ikki could even react to what was happening, his head took a fierce blow, and his consciousness nearly faded.

At that very moment, a faint power fluctuation rippled through, drawing the attention of some beings—it was the power of destiny! Exclusive to the Demon domain!

"Byakuya is heavily injured and requires immediate medical attention."

Bronya flashed onto the competition stage and, within moments, made her diagnosis before taking Byakuya away... Yes, she took him away directly!

Although Ikki was swaying precariously, he was still on the stage, making him the winner of this match.

Once the dust settled, Ikki could no longer stand and collapsed onto the ground.

"This should be enough, right?"

On the other side, after leaving the public's sight, Byakuya landed on the ground as if nothing had happened.

As for the wounds?

With Byakuya's powerful vitality, they were already beginning to heal. That's why Bronya was in such a hurry to take him away.

—Byakuya, being a doctor, knew exactly how to mitigate injuries. And then there was Ikki...

He knew very well which spot could easily cause amnesia, especially with the added power of destiny at that moment. "As long as he forgets about the Demon, then with Ikki's will..."

"He'll definitely be able to overcome it," Bronya finished Byakuya's sentence.

Byakuya knew about the Demon, yet he still managed to overcome it, so he was unaware of certain things:

—Once one knows about the Demon, if their will isn't pure enough, the difficulty will increase by several levels! Because of this, Ikki's progress stalled.

◆ Regarding the Demon's Setting

I saw many comments in previous posts and went to check the settings.

I realized it seems to be like this? After thinking about it, I decided to respect the original work. This chapter's content is a patch from the author.

Although some people will surely object, since Ikki could overcome it himself, I'll just relax the standards a bit~

Alright, that's about it.

69. Demon!

A pure and flawless figure landed not far away.

Even though Xiao Ai was in casual clothes, an unparalleled oppressive aura still repelled the prying eyes.

"Yo, it's Xiao Ai~"

Byakuya turned around and waved at Xiao Ai. However, mindful of his injuries, his movements were relatively small. "Don't worry, I'm fine. A small injury is nothing."

Stare—

"Okay, okay, I won't do it again. I'll be careful and I'll never make you worry again, Xiao Ai." Under that gaze, Byakuya finally relented.

Xiao Ai didn't say anything, and her figure instantly vanished from sight, leaving in a huff.

"...Am I really being that reckless? If I dared to do this, I must have had some confidence."

"Byakuya should prepare some sweets and go apologize to Xiao Ai. Some things aren't that simple."

"Hmm... Maybe Bronya should go instead? After all, Xiao Ai is still angry, isn't she?"

Byakuya rested his hands behind his head, glanced at Bronya, and made this suggestion.

"...Bronya understands."

Bronya nodded and agreed. It was all the same to her, so it didn't matter who went. "Byakuya, take care of yourself. Bronya will leave first."

Without waiting for Byakuya's reply, Bronya walked away. Byakuya, on the other hand, turned around, his deep gaze fixed on the distance. "Really, do you want to probe into something so badly?"

"Then, as you wish."

Boom—

A cold killing intent erupted, mixed with the Demon's power of destiny, sweeping out wildly. Byakuya's words were extremely cold. "Struggle with all your might."

In just a moment, under the pressure of the aura, a large number of hidden forces couldn't bear it and lost consciousness.

"Heh, that's all you've got."

He chuckled indifferently, Byakuya turned around leisurely, and his expression gradually returned to its usual flippant demeanor.

The next day:

It was the final grand finals.

Ikki had only suffered a blow to the head. Such a minor injury wouldn't affect the subsequent matches.

In the entrance tunnel, Ikki rubbed his head. "Byakuya really hit hard. I've never heard of someone being hit hard enough to cause partial amnesia before."

If not for the match records, Ikki wouldn't have known any of this; his memory was stuck at the selection phase.

"Ikki."

As he rounded a corner, a familiar voice called out again. Ikki turned his head slightly. "It's you again, Byakuya. You seem quite fond of these corners?"

"Then give me a better way to make an entrance," Byakuya said leisurely, leaning against the wall.

"No need for that. I think this suits you just fine."

Ikki didn't want to get involved, waving his hand in refusal. "Speaking of which, what brings you here this time? Anything you want to tell me?" (Ikki felt a vague sense of familiarity.)

"Nothing much, just wanted to observe your condition. You seem fine now, so give it your all and win."

Byakuya clapped Ikki on the shoulder, walked past him, and waved goodbye with his back to him. "Don't give up, Ikki."

???

Several question marks popped up above Ikki's head. Byakuya's actions were completely baffling. "This is supposed to be encouragement, right? Ah, whatever, I won't think about it. Time to get on stage."

As for Stella... Bronya had considered going but ultimately decided against it. It was a matter between the couple, and she felt it wasn't necessary to interfere.

Besides, in the original timeline, wasn't Ikki the one who broke through to become a Demon under Stella's pressure?

Compared to that, the audience was far more significant.

A kind old man, leaning on his cane, stood smiling in the southern part of the spectator stands— God of Combat Nangong Torajiro!

Beside the old man stood a pure white figure in casual clothes, exuding a sharp sword aura.

—Biyoku Edelweiss!

Then there was Bronya, dressed in Secondary Silver Wings, who had come along with Xiao Ai.

She leaned casually against the railing and greeted Nangong Torajiro, "Long time no see, Senior Nangong."

"Hahaha~ It's Bronya. Where's that Byakuya kid? Why isn't he here?"

"Are you looking for me, Senior Nangong?"

A bolt of lightning struck down, and Byakuya's figure materialized. True to his nature, Byakuya's greeting was casual, and he then looked in other directions. "Speaking of which..."

"The people who came this time are quite formidable~ If a conflict were to erupt... it would be quite a spectacle."

On the far west side of the spectator stands, a figure stood at the highest point, clad in jet-black armor that gleamed with metallic luster.

—The Union's fourth-ranked Black Knight, Askariid!

Although always covered in armor, Byakuya knew... she was a white-haired older sister. Of course, she also had another identity: Or-Gull's sister!

Sensing Byakuya's gaze, she looked over, and her heavy black armor gave a slight nod.

Then, on the east side...

A young man with distinctly Western features. He looked no older than twenty, with a stern expression.

He was tall and slender, wearing a short, straight-cut black trench coat and sunglasses.

—The White Eagle's Superman, Abraham Carter, hailed as the strongest Blade Dancer in the Alliance.

In fact, The Alliance's Superman, The Union's White-Bearded Man, And Rebellion's Biyoku—

These three individuals, each representing one of the three major organizations, were all hailed as "the strongest in the world." Of course, this was when those reclusive powerhouses remained hidden.

And these were just the ones Byakuya recognized. Among the crowd were many other special existences that put him under pressure. "Didn't they say there were very few Demons?"

"This world is vast, little brother Byakuya," Nangong Torajiro said, looking at Byakuya with a gaze that held unspoken meaning.

—In the East, the Dragon God Temple housed the "Four Immortals," and above them, the Great Elder, who was truly unfathomable! Even he had been taught a lesson by them.

Amidst this casual chat, the signal sounded, and the highly anticipated Grand Finals began.

(I'll keep this part brief.)

At first, Stella maintained her usual stance, engaging Ikki with flames and sword techniques.

Naturally, Stella was suppressed by Ikki. But then... she unleashed Dragon God Possession, and the very ground began to melt, transforming into a world of fire.

This was where Ikki struggled. He was utterly crushed by Stella and could only flee.

"One Blade Arrogance!"

The power disparity was too immense, forcing Ikki to use One Blade Arrogance to fight back. However...

—That was a "Dragon"!

Even so, Ikki was still no match for Stella. He poured all his effort, exhausted his potential, and evolved continuously during the battle... but he was still far too outmatched.

[I must become faster!]

[Become stronger!]

Blade after blade swung, surpassing himself time and time again.

Finally, Ikki had reached his limit—there was no room for further evolution.

How could this be... am I going to stop here?

[Not yet!]

Numerous images flashed through Ikki's mind. He gripped the Yin Iron tightly, his tenacious will igniting once more.

"RUMBLE—!"

In a daze, a colossal stone gate appeared before him... The gate bore no carvings, only an ancient, unknown simplicity, and a heaviness like that of the stars.

[That is...]

"Clank, clank, clank—"

Chains surged from all directions, firmly locking Ikki's limbs, rendering him immobile.

—Destiny was preventing him from moving forward.

[...]

[Move!]

[Move, damn it!!!]

Ikki strained with all his might, trying to reach the stone gate. But the chains wrapped around him remained unyielding. "How can this be..."

If this continued, he would surely be defeated once the duration of One Blade Arrogance ended.