Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

Black and white lightning fell, transforming into two figures. White Night flicked the blade with his index finger. "Oh my, Stella, you're looking a bit rough~"

On the other side, Bronya's palm erupted with pitch-black Dark Lightning, forming an electric field that enveloped the terrorists present.

Though he used the technique of Yang Lightning, the nature of Dark Lightning—corroding bone and dissolving marrow—remained unchanged. The gun-wielding terrorists all collapsed limp.

"They're under control, White Night." Bronya approached from behind, back-to-back with him.

"Mm."

White Night nodded, then wiped his blade like Decade as he walked toward Smile. "Now it's just you left. What, not going to put up a fight?"

"..."

Smile backed up a few steps, but quickly realized—there was nowhere left to run! His cowardice twisted into rage, and he lunged at White Night. "You bastard!!!"

"Clang—!"

A cold flash of blade light flickered. Yet... when Smile snapped out of that dazzling gleam, "Hahaha!!! You idiot, you actually came right at me!"

White Night's slash struck the "Sin" on Smile's left hand—not going around it, but meeting it head-on.

"Then feel your own attack!" As he spoke, Smile swung his right fist.

But it was useless! White Night twisted his wrist, Myriad Phenomena gleaming with blade light as it met Smile's Spirit Armor once more... He still won! A severed arm sprayed blood as it arced into the air.

"No, impossible! How, how could this be?!!" Smile clutched his stump, face full of disbelief.

Under Bronya's helpless gaze, White Night swept his sword with flair, blood splattering in an arc. "A sword becomes my weapon only because I alone can break it with my own hands."

"The same goes for power."

With that, he was thoroughly satisfied. Indeed, quoting Ancestor Kevin's lines had such high style!

The incident settled, Ikki and Arisugawa, who had been hiding in the shadows, came over. But...

"Ah!!!"

Just then, a woman among the hostages stood up, pressing a gun to a middle-aged woman's temple. "Nobody move! If anyone tries anything..."

"I'll kill this woman!"

Everyone's attention snapped to her. Smile, who had been writhing on the ground, flashed a villainous grin. "Didn't expect this, brats—hiding in the crowd..."

But before he could finish, a flash of pitch-black Dark Lightning... When they came to, Bronya was already beside the woman, gripping her wrist.

Under the crushing pressure, the woman could no longer hold the gun and let it clatter to the ground.

Emmm... White Night turned his gaze to Smile. "So, what were you about to say?"

"And that one over there—still not coming out? Or are you planning to slink away without a chance to appear?"

"..."

A moment of silence. Finally, where White Night's gaze fell, a transparent figure gradually revealed itself—Kirihara Shiya.

Red hair, an outfit resembling Yagami Iori's... but lacking the aura to pull it off.

"Long time no see..."

After appearing, Kirihara Shiya wisely avoided looking at White Night and instead aimed his words at Kurogane Ikki. "Kurogane Ikki-kun, you still haven't left school?"

White Night didn't bother with that dispute; at most, he'd find time to strengthen Ikki somehow. He couldn't have intervened only to leave things worse than the original, right?

Soon, the police arrived and took all the terrorists away. With that, the attack incident came to a close.

"What's with you all?"

After finishing the statement, he saw everyone looking troubled. White Night knew perfectly well, but he had to give a reason. "Ikki, you explain!"

(So and so, thus and thus~)

After getting the gist, White Night put on a thoughtful expression. "I see... Hunter's Forest really counters you, huh~"

Blade Skill "Hunter's Forest"—it could hide not only one's form but even their presence completely, a full-spectrum invisibility camouflage.

"That's right. Ikki has no wide-area attacks; just finding the opponent's location is already hard enough."

"..."

This was a complete matchup disadvantage! For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent. Until...

"Hey, Ikki!"

White Night reached out and pressed a hand firmly on Ikki's shoulder, eyes blazing at him. "Is this all the resolve you've got? If that's the case, just keep getting stronger, right?"

On the other side, Bronya gave Stella a push... White Night had jumped in too early, stealing the heroine's spotlight.

"That's right!"

Finally, with Bronya's nudge, Stella stepped forward. "Ikki is the knight who beat me! So I fully believe in your strength, and the effort behind that strength."

"You absolutely can't give up like this!"

"Stella..."

Ikki looked at the girl earnestly encouraging him, feeling something different stir within. "Thank you, Stella."

"You're right. I was worrying too much before. Don't worry—I'll definitely pass the selection and become the representative! After all, I still want to fight you again."

Seeing the other person rally, everyone present couldn't help but smile.

"While I appreciate you cheering up my brother, don't you think you're standing a bit too close?" With that, Shizuku separated the two.

Only then did Ikki and Stella realize how close they had been—from a distance, it even looked like they were kissing.

"Wha—?!"

In an instant, Stella felt blood rush to her head, her entire face flushing crimson. "N-no, it's not like that."

"I, I was just..." Stella stammered, spouting a long-winded explanation for her actions.

With the heavy burden temporarily lifted from their hearts, the group's dynamic returned to its usual state.

"As expected, cheering someone up really is a girl's job~ Don't you think so, Bronya?"

"Bronya has no interest in that."

Her tone remained flat. Yet, faintly, the corner of her lips could be seen curving upward.

By the time they returned to the academy, the sky had already darkened. The group ate dinner together in the cafeteria, then walked along the path back to the dormitories.

"A lot happened today, but all in all, it was a pretty good weekend, right?"

"Right."

"Indeed."

"Agreed."

White Night didn't join in... This transition from animation to reality, no matter how long it went on, still felt surreal. "Speaking of which, Ikki, isn't your match scheduled for the day after tomorrow?"

"Yeah, what's up, White Night?"

Patting Ikki on the shoulder, White Night stated his purpose: "Since we still have tomorrow, come train with me! Let's see what else you can improve."

"You're aiming for the Seven Star Sword Martial Festival, so you can't afford to lose in the qualifiers. Give it your all~"

14. Special Training

The next day, the qualifiers had officially begun. At the training ground, Stella, Shizuku, and the others hadn't shown up.

"Not going to watch the matches?"

"No need. Stella and the others will definitely win." Ikki stood opposite White Night, holding the Yin Iron.

"That's true."

White Night nodded, casually summoning Myriad Phenomena. "Ikki, back then, you must have noticed it too, right? I precisely pinpointed Kirihara Shiya's location."

"Do you know why?"

"...Bioelectricity?"

"That's somewhat related. But more importantly—it's perception! Ikki, you rely too much on your eyes." White Night pointed out the other's shortcoming.

As he spoke, without even looking at Ikki, he lightly traced his finger along the blade. "Maybe it's Mimicry Swordplay, or maybe it's your unique trait? Your dependence on your eyes far outweighs your other senses."

Hmm...

Ikki fell into deep thought. Seeing this, White Night paused, waiting for him to arrive at an answer. "Is it through sound?"

"Think again."

White Night shook his head, casually swinging his blade. It still produced the Weasel Slash Phenomenon, carving gashes into the earth.

Sword Qi, sword scars...

Ikki suddenly realized. "It's airflow! As long as something has a physical form, its movement will inevitably create airflow!"

"Correct. Unless someone specializes in wind techniques."

If one could control airflow, it would indeed compensate for that weakness. But Kirihara Shiya couldn't—he wasn't capable of it.

However, White Night wasn't just saying that. He intended to take it further:

"Earlier, you experienced the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. I learned that from an ancient text."

At the right moment, White Night put on a regretful expression. "Unfortunately, it was too fragmented. A lot of things were missing. In that same book, I also saw a realm described..."

—"The World of Insight!"

A method to elevate perception to the highest domain! To the point of seeing through living bodies, including nerves and tendons.

"Honestly, I think the description is a bit too absurd. Besides, the training method is completely missing, so there's no way to even start."

White Night merely introduced the concept, giving Ikki a conscious direction to explore. As for whether he'd succeed in the end? Hah~ That depends on fate.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's start the special training."

White Night took out a specially made blindfold. "Close your eyes. Use your hearing, your sense of touch... everything. Perceive this world from a new angle."

"Wait! Who am I going to spar with—"

"That's right. Me, of course."

With that, he tossed the blindfold to Ikki, lightly stroking his blade. "Don't worry. I'll be using the flat of the blade. Do your best, Ikki. I believe in your potential."

"..."

A moment of silence. Easy for him to say—he wasn't the one getting hit. But in the end, Ikki still chose to put on the blindfold, gripped the Yin Iron tightly with both hands, and settled into a stance.

"It seems you're ready."

Since they were just starting, White Night closed in on Ikki in an instant, striking straight at his neck with the flat of the blade.

This direction!

Though Ikki sensed it, he was still a beat too slow. Without his eyes to rely on, he found himself momentarily out of sync.

"Ikki, a little slow." White Night commented, then swiftly pulled back to create distance, preparing for his next attack.

Hmm...

When White Night wasn't attacking, Ikki's perception was utterly pitch-black, as if there was nothing at all.

"It seems we need to take it step by step."

This time, White Night deliberately announced his approach, clearly indicating which direction he was attacking from.

Ikki swung his blade to block... but he was still too slow, the edge missing by a hair's breadth!

"Progress is good. Again."

The attack frequency increased. But this time... in that pitch-black world, was there some kind of echo? Like ripples spreading across a calm lake.

Hmm... Over here!

"Clang--!"