“We promised to protect Hajime-kun, but we failed. We got jealous of Yue because we felt like we couldn’t match up.”
“How come we weren’t special?”
“How come we were the only weak one?”
“We even threw away our original body to grow stronger, so why did he pick Shea and not us!?”
“We were the one who was meant to be by his side! We’re the one who loves him the most!”
“We don’t want to lose him! Don’t take him away from us!”
The copy’s words had clung to Kaori, dragging her down into a bottomless swamp. She’d wanted to plug her ears, avert her gaze, and shout that she’d never thought any of those things. It was as if the copy knew exactly what to say to rub salt in her mental wounds. The pain was so unbearable Kaori had wanted to scream. To hurl insults at her copy and call her a liar. But instead—
“Haaah!”
“Ngh.”
She’d stepped forward. Unhesitant, unwavering, she’d continued to march forward. Using her frustration to fuel her aggression, she’d slashed down with her twin blades. Every single one of her strokes had been unbelievably accurate. So much so that the copy had been driven back. Kaori hadn’t been striking in a blind rage. She knew that cutting down her copy would mean cutting down her own weakness, and she struck with surgical precision. Her spirit had burned beautifully, clad in the divine body of God’s Apostle. Her silver form had clashed with the pitch-black form of her copy.
The two had danced across the battlefield, their hair splaying out behind them. Their swords clashed endless times, sending a meteor shower of sparks through the air. The battle had been intense. But it also had a mystical beauty to it, like an ancient shinto dance. As time passed, Kaori grew even more adept at coping with her mental scars, which made her power grow in turn.
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Ngh, you’ve gotten even faster!?”
Unable to weather the onslaught, the copy jumped back. It then unleashed a beam of black disintegration at Kaori. Kaori aligned the top of her sword with her copy and unleashed a disintegration blast of her own. The two beams collided, sending out ripples of annihilation. Anything the ripples touched was obliterated instantly.
“Your jealousy, your frustration, your impatience, and your inferiority complex haven’t disappeared! You’re still just as ugly as before, so why are you getting stronger!?”
“Even if my feelings haven’t changed, I can still grow.”
Kaori’s voice was surprisingly gentle. A chill ran down the copy’s spine, and it glanced over its shoulder while maintaining its beam. As it feared, Kaori had managed to create a magic circle in midair behind it using her feathers.
“Thunderburst!”
“You can even cast spells remotely now?”
The copy unfurled its wings and shot into the air. About thirty minutes had passed since the battle began. All throughout, Kaori had been unable to use her feathers to create remote magic circles. But the copy had no time to process this development, as Kaori unfurled her own silver wings and chased it down. She swung down with her blades, and the copy raised its own to block. There was a loud metallic clang as the four swords collided.
“I’m... not getting any stronger?”
Until now, the copy had been steadily growing in strength. With every barbed taunt, Kaori’s heart had been further wounded. But now, that had stopped happening too.
“Seeing you like this shows me just how self-centered I am,” Kaori muttered back. But she was talking more to herself than her copy.
“I was like this back in school, and even when I left Shizuku-chan to join Hajime-kun.”
For two years, Kaori had been completely lacking in self-awareness. All she’d wanted was to talk to the boy she loved, but she hadn’t been able to find ways to make that happen. And so, she’d thrown herself desperately at him, causing trouble for everyone in the process. She knew how big a loss her leaving the party would be for Kouki and the others. But even then, she’d been miraculously reunited with the boy she thought had died. She couldn’t stand other girls being closer to him than her, so she’d prioritized her feelings over the good of the party.
“That’s right. It’s pathetic. We’re so egotistical it’s disgusting.”
With how much the copy had already been strengthened, it was far stronger than Kaori. It knocked her swords aside and launched a barrage of disintegration feathers at her.
Kaori weaved her way in between the onslaught of death and said quietly, “I want to change. I want to be kind like Yue. Strong like Shea. Wise like Tio. And cute like Shizuku-chan.”
Though they were in the middle of a fight, Kaori’s quiet voice carried far. For a moment, the copy thought Kaori was being honest about her jealousy, but a moment later it narrowed its eyes. It could feel itself getting weaker.
Kaori turned around in midair, letting a few of the feathers strike her. However, she avoided taking any fatal damage and flapped her wings to accelerate. She moved faster than she ever had before, so fast she left afterimages in her wake.
She didn’t just seem faster to the copy because it was getting weaker. She really was just getting that much faster. There was a single reason for Kaori’s sudden power-up. She was finally learning how to draw out the full potential of the body she inhabited. The long hours of training were finally beginning to pay off. Her growth, as she put it, was more than just mental.
Kaori unleashed a barrage of lightning-fast sword swings. The copy deflected them all, relying on its strengthened reflexes, and said with conviction, “I see... The reason I’m growing weaker even though you haven’t found a way to dissolve your negative feelings is because you’re moving forward despite knowing you hold this darkness in your heart. Even before this trial began, you were already beginning to grow.”
Kaori struck relentlessly, her swords trailing silver arcs through the air. Her peerless swordsmanship was now truly at the level Noint’s had been. Though it was only by a factor of milliseconds, the copy was now slower.
Kaori’s swords began grazing the copy, inflicting numerous superficial wounds. Feeling a sense of accomplishment, she said, “It’s true, I was jealous of Shea. But at the same time, I was happy!”
When Kaori had seen Hajime accept Shea, she’d been jealous, sure. But she’d also been happy that one of her friends had had her wish granted.
“Yue really pisses me off. But at the same time, I want her around!”
Kaori would never again let her feelings of inferiority get in her way. She’d overcome those back in the Sunken Ruins of Melusine.
“I even managed to realize how Shizuku-chan feels!”
Kaori was still as reckless and straightforward as before, but she was at least more aware of her surroundings now. Rather than wallow in jealousy and hate, she had chosen to focus on bettering herself. Kaori had been facing her own negative emotions long before she’d reached this trial. Which was why—
“I’m scared of the ugliness inside of me. But I won’t turn away from it!”
Kaori cast one of her evolution magic spells, Limiter Removal. In doing so, she was able to simulate the Limit Break spell Noint had been capable of using. Clad in silver mana, Kaori shot forward at unprecedented speed. She had in every way become Noint’s equal in terms of strength.
“I’ll never lose to myself! I’m going to protect the people I want to protect, and go back home to Japan with everyone!”
“It seems there’s no need for words anymore. It looks like I won’t be getting any stronger.”
The copy smiled as one of Kaori’s swords sent it flying. Despite transferring bodies, Kaori was still undoubtedly human in the way she’d grown. The copy landed unsteadily on the ground, and Kaori alighted across from it. The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds.
“This is the end. Here I come!”
“Very well. Show me everything you’ve got! Prove you have what it takes to cut down our weakness!”
Two shooting stars shot toward each other, one silver one black. They clashed in the center of the room, right next to the ice tree. Shockwaves spread outwards from their swords, and eddies of mana swirled around them.
The two of them were evenly matched, but only for a moment. Soon enough, Kaori’s swords started pushing the copy back. Like sunlight banishing away darkness, her silver mana began to erode her copy’s black mana. Kaori and her copy looked into each other’s eyes, their faces inches apart.
Kaori’s eyes burned with a fierce determination, while her copy’s were dark and silent, like the sky on a new moon. Smiling faintly, the copy closed its eyes and resigned itself to its fate. It almost looked as though it was bathing in the light of Kaori’s mana. But just before Kaori could deal the finishing blow, a section of the wall crumbled away. There was a thunderous boom, and a familiar blonde girl rolled into the room.
“Wh-What!?”
“Wh-What just happened!?”
Kaori and her copy looked over in confusion. When Kaori realized the blonde girl on the floor was Yue and following in after her was Shea, she initially breathed a sigh of relief. But then she realized that Yue was sweating and her expression strained while Shea looked downright menacing. Confused once more, Kaori tried to puzzle out the situation. Before she could, though—
“Let me remind you what real resolve is supposed to look like, Yue-san! You better not underestimate this bunny girl!”
Kaori’s jaw dropped open in shock as she watched Shea point Drucken toward Yue. She had never seen Shea this angry before, and she had no clue what was going on. Moments ago, she’d been about to finish the epic showdown between her and her copy, completing her somewhat traditional, but nevertheless significant personal growth arc. But now Yue and Shea had butt in with a showdown of their own, and Kaori suddenly felt left out.
The copy, being a product of the labyrinth, already knew that Shea and Yue had cleared their trials. However, it still had no idea why two allies were fighting amongst each other. To it, it seemed as though Yue and Shea were in a battle to the death. Their swords still locked, Kaori and her copy stared at each other. They came to some kind of understanding and nodded to each other. Kaori then turned to her two friends, steeling herself.
“U-Umm, Yue? Shea? What are you—”
“Shea... Listen. My memories aren’t—”
“Shut the fuck up! I don’t care what reason you have! The Yue-san I know and love would never act so timid! She’d never give up her position as the only person special to Hajime-san! What do you mean, ‘You have to prepare for the worst!?’ You damn coward!”
Yue’s expression stiffened. She’d never expected to hear venomous insults from Shea, the one member of the party who treated everyone with kindness. Meanwhile, Kaori was beginning to tear up. Yue and Shea were ignoring her completely. Her copy drew its swords back and gently patted her on the shoulder. Though it was a product of the labyrinth, even it couldn’t help but sympathize with her plight.
“The reason I was sealed away wasn’t what I thought it was...”
However, Yue didn’t know what that reason was anymore, which was why she wanted to be ready, just in case. And the only one she could count on was Shea, the person she trusted most.
Why can’t you understand how I feel!? No matter how earnest Yue’s pleas were, though, Shea wasn’t going to listen.
“Like I care!” Shea rejected Yue’s explanation without hesitation. She didn’t care what kind of shocking truths Yue had discovered. She would never accept a future without Yue in it. Nor would she accept anything Yue had to say so long as Yue didn’t believe she had a future.
Why can’t you understand how I feel!? Shea’s sadness and frustration at Yue’s stubbornness turned into anger.
“If someone stands in our way, we slaughter them and keep going forward! That’s been our motto this whole time, hasn’t it!? So what the hell is this preparing for the worst crap!? You stupid midget vampire!” Shea was so worked up she was just hurling insults at random now.
“M-M-M-Midget? Fufufufu, now you’ve done it...”
This time, it was Yue’s turn to snap. Any sympathy she might have had for Shea’s feelings vanished. Her eyes glinted with a fierce light. She’d tried playing nice, and it had just made Shea cocky. Shea saw the anger in Yue’s eyes and scoffed. She puffed her chest out, showing off the difference between her and Yue’s assets. She was clearly trying to provoke Yue.
Thunder rumbled as Yue started the process of summoning her lighting dragon. She looked absolutely murderous. The battlefield suddenly got a lot more dangerous. Kaori and her copy both brought their hands to their mouths and watched on in trepidation.
Lightning struck the ground behind Yue as she muttered, “This is your last chance to take that back, you worthless rabbit.”
Shea calmly replied, “That’s my line, you old midget.”
There was no turning back now. Yue and Shea glared at each other, their lips twitching. Both of them were furious.
Kaori timidly butt in, “U-Umm, you two? Could you calm down for a second? I don’t know what happened, but—”
“Looks like you need to be reminded just which of us is stronger. I’ll turn you into roasted rabbit!”
“Hmph, I’m not worried about a cowardly midget like you! I’ll beat you for sure this time!”
Yue and Shea ignored Kaori’s attempts to mediate. This was going to be their first serious battle since they’d met. Yue’s thunder dragon shot forward with a roar, signaling the start of the fight. It bore down on Shea, intent on frying her to a crisp. Shea responded by shooting forward with explosive force. She swung Drucken sideways, the shockwaves from the blow powerful enough to interfere with the dragon’s gravity field. Without the gravity to hold it together, its lightning shot out randomly. Hair billowing behind her, Kaori watched the two of them fight with glazed eyes.
“Oh yeah... Those two are best friends. Of course they’d ignore me. Well... I guess I really am useless after all...”
“H-Huh!? My power’s returning!? Get ahold of yourself, you stupid woman!”
“See, I knew it... I’m just a stupid failure...”
“Wait, no, I didn’t mean that! You’re not stupid at all! Those two are just so into their fight that they’re not paying attention to you! It’s not because you’re easily ignorable or anything!”
“I knew it... It’s like I don’t exist to them...”
“Ah, I’m getting stronger again!?”
Kaori was so pitiful that the copy, a part of the labyrinth’s trial, was trying to console her. A sight like this had never been seen before, and likely would never be seen again. Yue and Shea’s fight grew even more vicious, their concentration focused solely on each other.
“I’m gonna make you eat your words, you fucking perverted vampire!”
“Like you’re one to talk, you exhibitionist rabbit!”
“Who’re you calling an exhibitionist!? You’re the one who keeps jumping Hajime-san in public!”
“Are you saying I’m just like Tio!? I’m gonna make you piss your pants again, you leaky rabbit!”
“What!? That was ages ago! I should’ve known you’d get petty in your old age, you hag!”
“Fuck you! I’m gonna kill you, Shea! I’m gonna flatten those stupid bags of fat of yours with gravity magic!”
“H-How could you!? I’m going to protect Hajime-san’s favorite boobs with my life!”
Or rather, Yue and Shea’s fight was growing even more petty, not vicious.
Of course, all the while they were battling at a level mere mortals could barely even comprehend. Yue would fire off thousands of bolts of magic, which Shea would reflect back or destroy outright with a single swing of her hammer. And yet, the pettier the insults became, the less tense the fight got.
“Sorry, but Hajime isn’t interested in big blobs of fat! He’s an ass man! More specifically, he likes my ass!”
“You’re delusional. Hajime-san loves
my boobs! He was playing with them all night last time! It’s proof I’m better at you at fighting and sex! Pah!”
They’d devolved into discussing Hajime’s fetishes. Had Hajime been present for this, he probably would have been weeping in the corner with Kaori. Furthermore, Shea seemed to be channeling her inner Miledi. Her taunts were both annoying and on-point, making Yue angrier and angrier.
“I’m the one who taught you everything there is to know about sex. I’m responsible for your growth. I know everything you do! I’ll prove that no disciple of mine can surpass me!”
“Bring it on! Disciples always overcome their masters one day! I’ll beat you both at fighting and fucking right here, right now!”
A veil of pale blue light surrounded Drucken. Shea swung it faster than the speed of sound, crashing the hammer face into Yue’s lightning dragon. It blew apart in a burst of sparks, but then a second one appeared on her flank. It sped forward at tremendous speed, maw wide open.
Yue had chosen the perfect timing to strike. Shea had just finished a huge swing, meaning she inevitably had to show a momentary opening. However, Shea reacted instantly, dropping to the ground even as she was turning a full 180 degrees. The thunder dragon’s jaws closed on empty air, inches above Shea’s bunny ears. Shea then used the recoil from firing Drucken to slide underneath the dragon and used a single finger to flip herself up into the air. She landed feet-first onto the ground and launched herself at Yue.
“I’ll beat you to a pulp!”
“Weak! Just like your love for Hajime!”
Yue blocked Shea’s supersonic hammer smash with a spatial magic barrier. Shockwaves spread out in every direction, pulverizing the surrounding ice. A moment later, Yue dexterously counterattacked. She hit Shea with a space-severing strike that would turn normal humans into mincemeat.
The air creaked as it was ripped apart, and the nearby walls and ceiling disintegrated. However, Shea just—
“Secret technique— Grin and bear it!”
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 10 Page 6