Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 10

by Ryo Shirakome

  Bolstered by his tripled stats, Kouki shot forward in a streak of light. He closed the distance between him and his copy in an instant and swung down his glowing white blade.

  “No thanks, I think I’ll keep talking.”

  Scoffing, the copy blocked Kouki’s Holy Sword with its Demon Sword. The two swords clashed with a thunderous boom, and shockwaves rippled across the ground. However, the copy remained unhurt. Judging by the black aura surrounding it, it too had activated Limit Break.

  Kouki’s Holy Sword, wreathed in divine light, warred with his copy’s Demon Sword, clad in an ominous black aura. He locked eyes with his opponent, and when he saw the disappointment in his copy’s eyes, he flicked his wrist in anger. His downward slash transformed into a horizontal cut, aiming directly for his copy’s neck. But Kouki’s copy blocked even that lightning-fast attack with ease.

  “Going straight for the neck, huh? I thought you were against murder?”

  “You’re not human!”

  Determined to cut down the fake in front of him, Kouki unleashed a flurry of even faster slashes. His sword traveled so fast it left glowing afterimages in its wake. It was easy to see why he was the hero. His fast and accurate swordsmanship was so overwhelming it was like a storm had descended upon the copy. Everyone would agree he was among the top fighters in this world. But the enemy in front of him was even more powerful. Smiling leisurely, the copy blocked all of Kouki’s slashes with ease. It was like it was weaving a barrier with its sword, creating a zone that Kouki couldn’t penetrate no matter how hard he tried. Moreover, whenever Kouki showed the slightest opening, it would hit him with a counter. Before long, Kouki’s body was covered in numerous small cuts.

  “Uwoooooooooooooooooooooh!”

  “What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you tone down the bloodlust a bit, hero?”

  The copy’s teasing infuriated Kouki. And naturally, that made the copy even stronger. Forgetting all about Limit Break’s time limit, Kouki lost himself in anger and started slashing at random. His swordwork became sloppy, leaving him more open than before. Sparks flew as his sword collided with his copy’s again and again. It regarded him with cold eyes, like a hunter ready to finish off its prey. This time it hit Kouki with the words he most feared, and the ones he wanted to hear the least.

  “If this is all you’re capable of, you’re just gonna get more things stolen from you.”

  “What!?”

  “Stop pretending like you haven’t noticed. If I’ve noticed, that means you have too, right?”

  “I don’t wanna hear anymore!”

  Kouki was determined to stop his copy from speaking another word, no matter the cost. Turning his rage into power, Kouki thrust his sword forward.

  “Who do you think Shizuku’s been sizing up these past few days?”

  “Ah...” Kouki’s rage boiled over the tipping point. His mind went blank, and his ears stopped registering sound.

  Moving on instinct, Kouki attempted to cast Light Burst, heedless of the fact that he’d get caught up in the blast as well. His copy deftly dodged out of the way with Flash Step and smirked at him again.

  “You don’t wanna think about it? First Kaori was taken from you, and now Shizuku...”

  “Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

  “Come now, is that something a hero should be saying? Besides, yelling won’t change the fact that Shizuku likes Nagumo more than you. I don’t blame her, either. He’s saved her a bunch of times, and she’s always wanted to be the damsel in distress.”

  “Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

  Kouki swung his sword down, his eyes full of hate.

  This wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible. Kouki denied his copy’s words, trying to cut through reality itself. Its power rose exponentially as a result. The aura surrounding the copy’s sword flared up, making the light covering Kouki’s blade look like a flickering lantern in comparison. It blocked Kouki’s haphazard attack with ease, then hit him with a roundhouse kick to the stomach.

  “Gaaah!?”

  Grunting in pain, Kouki slammed against the wall behind him. Thanks to the mana-absorption ability Hajime had added to Kouki’s armor he could remain in Limit Break for longer, but he was burning mana so recklessly that even then his time limit was approaching.

  “Don’t wanna listen to the truth? Are you going to try and deny Shizuku’s feelings too?”

  Shaking its head in disappointment, the copy glared coldly down at Kouki. Panting, Kouki used his sword as a crutch to struggle to his knees. His venomous glare ruined his otherwise handsome face.

  “That’s impossible... Shizuku would never...”

  His voice came out as a low, bestial growl. Meanwhile, his copy sounded nonchalant. Though its words were barbed, its tone was almost pleasant.

  “Haven’t you noticed how much she’s been smiling at him, and how often she lets herself pout around him?”

  “She does that around everyone.”

  “How do you explain the looks she shoots Hajime when he’s flirting with Yue and Shea then?”

  “She’s just annoyed... that Nagumo does such indecent things in public...”

  “Then why does she give Kaori those guilty looks sometimes?”

  “She’s just worried about Kaori...”

  “Man, you are one stubborn guy. Do you really not want to believe the truth that badly?”

  The copy thrust its sword in front of Kouki. Kouki glared daggers at it, but sadly for him, looks couldn’t kill. In fact, his anger only served to amuse his copy. But just as the copy was about to finish Kouki off, it muttered “So he’s already here,” and turned to a section of the wall. Its lips curled up into a wicked grin.

  “What perfect timing.”

  “You think you can look away!?”

  Sensing an opening, Kouki thrust at his copy. However, it blocked without even turning back. As Kouki struggled to overpower it, it glanced back and said, “Now then, will you be able to deny reality when it’s staring you in the face?”

  “What’re you saying!?”

  A second later, a section of the ice wall crumbled away, revealing a new passage. Since Kouki had yet to complete his trial, this could mean only one thing. Of course, Kouki was unaware of how the trial rooms were linked, so he gazed curiously at the new passage.

  “Looks like he’s not done yet...”

  The voice echoing through the room was a familiar one, but also the one Kouki wanted to hear least right now. To make matters worse the scene reflected in his eyes lent credence to his copy’s words. Hajime had just walked out of the passage, carrying Shizuku on his back. His gaze naturally turned to Shizuku, and her expression burned itself into his memory. She was sleeping peacefully with a relaxed smile on her face, her cheek resting against Hajime’s back. Something inside Kouki snapped.

  A torrent of pure white light rained down on Hajime. Standing before him was a familiar face. But he’d never seen that familiar face make such an unfamiliar expression. Kouki looked like a demon as he leaped at Hajime, swinging his sword down at him. Is he so engrossed in his battle that he mistook me for a monster or something? I guess I could just throw Yaegashi in front of me and he’ll come to his senses and stop... No, those eyes don’t look sane. There was a madness in Kouki’s eyes that made it obvious to Hajime that the hero wasn’t in his right mind.

  Sensing that Kouki wouldn’t stop, Hajime leaped back to avoid the blow. A pillar of white light slammed into the ground he’d been standing on a second later. Cracks spread out across the floor. Though they repaired themselves instantly, it was obvious that Kouki had struck Hajime with the intent to kill. Hajime glanced over at Kouki’s copy, who was grinning a short distance away. He then turned back to Shizuku, who mumbled slightly, but remained firmly asleep. He was amazed at her ability to sleep through such a racket. Though her being awake would go a long way to resolving this situation, interrogating Kouki came first. Hajime turned to him and asked, “What the hell do you think you’re do
ing, Amanogawa?”

  Kouki looked down at his sword, which was stuck firmly in the ground. His bangs covered his face, making his expression unreadable.

  “You... It...”

  “What? I can’t hear you, man. Look, we’re not the enemy here, that guy over there is who—”

  “We?”

  Kouki jerked his head up, his eyes gleaming ominously from behind his bangs.

  “What the fuck is with this us and you bullshit? Shizuku doesn’t belong to you.”

  “Stop spouting bullshit and go finish your trial. Your opponent’s over there, not over here.”

  Though Hajime’s voice was calm, he had a bad feeling about Kouki’s current mental state. The hero drew his sword out of the ground and staggered toward Hajime. As expected, Hajime’s words weren’t getting through to him. Mana rose around Kouki as he prepared to strike again.

  “Oh, I’ll finish it alright. I’ll put an end to everything!”

  Kouki’s eyes bulged, his pupils burning with insanity. Brimming with hatred and bloodlust, Kouki charged at Hajime. He swung his light-infused sword horizontally, aiming for Hajime’s neck.

  “Tch. So you’ve already been corrupted? Moron.”

  “Shut up! If you just disappear, everything’ll go back to normal! Dieeeeeeeeeee!”

  Hajime’s premonition had been right on the money. Kouki had lost to his copy, and had thereby lost to himself. Hajime swayed to the side, avoiding Kouki’s blade. He watched calmly as the sword flew inches past his face. Judging by Kouki’s earlier words, and the way that he’d looked at Shizuku, Hajime surmised that his appearance had been the final nail in the coffin to cement Kouki’s defeat. Tch, I came at the worst possible time.

  “Celestial Flash - Eightfold Wings!”

  “Whoa.”

  Using the least amount of movement possible, Hajime dodged the barrage of light slashes.

  “Calm down, Amanogawa. If you’re not careful you’ll kill Yaegashi.”

  The way Hajime phrased that made it sound like he was holding Shizuku hostage, but what he was saying was just the truth. However, Kouki was incapable of rational thought right now.

  “You coward! Release Shizuku at once!”

  As expected, Kouki interpreted Hajime’s words the wrong way, even though he was the one attacking Shizuku. Enraged, he unleashed another flurry of blows. It was then that the sleeping princess finally awoke. Though she had been exhausted after her trial, it was still impressive how she’d managed to sleep through all of this.

  “Mmmmmm... What’s going onnn? Let me sleep for a bit longer...”

  “I can’t believe you can sleep in a situation like this. You better get up or I’ll throw you like a human cannonball.”

  At this point, even Hajime was a little annoyed by how Shizuku was still half-asleep. He reached back and pinched Shizuku’s thigh. If that wasn’t enough to wake her up, he’d really throw her. Hopefully, that’d be shocking enough to bring Kouki back to his senses too. However, Hajime was unable to have his fun, as his pinch, fortunately, woke Shizuku up. He brought out his Cross Bits and deployed a cube-shaped barrier. Kouki’s sword flashed as his attack dispersed around the invisible spatial barrier. The thunderous roar that accompanied it alerted Shizuku to the fact that they were in battle, and she hurriedly dropped off of Hajime’s back.

  “Man, you’re one hell of a heavy sleeper.”

  “I-I am not! It’s just that your back was so comfortable that I...”

  “Well, whatever. We can debate your sleeping habits later. More importantly, do something about that guy.”

  Hajime fired two explosive slugs from his Cross Bits to counter Kouki’s next spell. The slugs crossed trajectories right in front of Kouki, exploding and sending shockwaves hurtling toward him.

  “Wh-What do you mean, ‘more importantly’? Wait, what on earth’s going on!?”

  Tearing up at Hajime’s callous treatment of her, Shizuku’s expression went from hurt to shocked as she saw what was going on. She couldn’t believe it. The person attacking them was Kouki of all people. Her surprise was understandable. After all, she hadn’t expected one of her best friends to be trying to kill her.

  “It looks like the trial managed to corrupt him. He thinks I’m the root of all evil or something.”

  “No...”

  Shizuku followed Hajime’s gaze and saw he was staring at Kouki’s copy. The copy was grinning as it watched Hajime defend Kouki’s attacks. That was all it took for Shizuku to piece together the situation. Her expression turned grim, and she turned to Kouki.

  “Kouki! Don’t lose to your copy! You’re doing exactly what it wants! Come back to your senses and overcome yourself!”

  She watched Kouki with concern in her eyes. Though he was far from perfect he was still a good guy and Shizuku’s longtime friend. Furthermore, he was a disciple of the Yaegashi style, and thus part of the Yaegashi family.

  This was the first time Shizuku had seen such hatred in Kouki’s eyes. She couldn’t bear to see him like this. Raising her voice, she did her best to get through to Kouki. However Kouki just smiled, his eyes still full of hate and bloodlust.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll save you, Shizuku.”

  “Kouki? What are you saying?”

  “You’ve been brainwashed by Nagumo, right? It’s fine, you’ll go back to normal once I kill him.”

  Kouki turned from the stunned Shizuku back to Hajime.

  “Nagumo, even if you’re a former classmate, don’t think you can get away with hurting my friends. I’m gonna kill you and free Kaori and the other girls from your brainwashing! Then I’ll save the world together with them!”

  Shizuku was at a complete loss for words. It was quite possible Kouki would have ended up like this much sooner had Shizuku not talked to him the night Kaori left to join Hajime’s party. The weight of her words had kept him from going berserk. However, she hadn’t been able to truly change Kouki’s mind, and he’d still harbored some resentment toward Hajime. That was the reason why he’d always argued with Hajime when they were traveling together. Still, Shizuku had kept him from completely cutting ties with Hajime, or trying to take Kaori back by force. At the same time though, that meant it was only because Shizuku had been by his side that he’d remained sane.

  Kouki’s thought processes and worldview were very childlike. It was understandable, since he’d run into no obstacles he couldn’t overcome with his juvenile ideals until now. So it was also natural that he’d be furious that his last female childhood friend had been “NTR’d” from him. He’d barely been able to retain his sanity by continually denying the truths his copy had battered him with, but in the end, he’d been forced to accept reality when he’d seen Shizuku sleeping happily on Hajime’s back. Even Kouki wasn’t so delusional that he could deny what he was seeing. And once he’d accepted reality, his downward spiral had begun.

  Kouki, already overflowing with emotion, had decided to substitute reality with a convenient fantasy. That was the only way he could protect his fragile heart. He’d convinced himself that Hajime Nagumo was a monster who’d brainwashed Kaori and the others, and was a devil who was trying to stop him from saving the world. Shocked by Kouki’s wild assertions, Shizuku ground her teeth and tried her best to make him see reason.

  “Kouki! Get a hold of yourself! Don’t let your copy deceive you!”

  “Shizuku...”

  Shizuku carefully chose her next words. She spoke softly and kindly, as if she were trying to calm a child throwing a tantrum. She knew that if she messed up, Kouki would end up going past the point of no return.

  “Listen, Kouki. I know it’s hard to face the ugliest parts of yourself. I almost died myself, so I understand. But if you don’t accept your negative emotions and overcome them, you won’t be able to advance. If you truly want to save this world, you can’t allow yourself to cling to your delusions. Your real enemy is yourself. That grinning, black version of you! Open your eyes, Kouki!”

  Shizuku’s wo
rds echoed through the chamber. The copy didn’t move. It seemed interference from comrades was considered a valid part of the trial. But its sneer didn’t fade as it looked down at the original it was created from. Hajime silently watched the scene play out from behind Shizuku. The reason he hadn’t instantly fought back when attacked was out of consideration for her. Under the watchful gaze of Shizuku, Hajime, and his copy, Kouki smiled. Though it resembled the charming smile he’d often give girls back in Japan, there was something warped about it.

  “Thank you, Shizuku. Thank you for always worrying about me.”

  “Kouki...”

  Hope and sorrow warred within Shizuku.

  “I’m truly happy. Even though you’ve been brainwashed, you’re still thinking of me.”

  “Kouki?”

  “It’s fine. I’ll beat my fake, and save you from Nagumo. You won’t have to spend any more time with a guy you don’t even like. I’ll bring you back where you belong, Shizuku.”

  “......”

  Shizuku balled her hands into fists.

  Her expression turned flat, and she asked quietly, “Where I belong? What do you mean by that?”

  “I see, so you’ve forgotten even that. Poor thing. Nagumo truly is a monster.”

  “Answer me, Kouki.”

  “By my side, of course. That’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it always should be.”

  Shizuku looked up in exasperation. Dark clouds gathered in her heart, and she breathed out a pained sigh.

  “Kouki, do you remember what we talked about on the bridge, that night Kaori left?”

  “Yeah, of course I do. You said something about how I can’t always assume I’m right, didn’t you? Don’t worry, I always thought Nagumo was a scoundrel, but thanks to your words I stuck around with him to make sure. And now I know for a fact that he’s a filthy traitor.”

  “No! Kouki, what I was trying to say was—”

  “Don’t waste your breath, Shizuku. You’re brainwashed so you don’t realize it, but I’m doing the right thing.”

  Kouki interrupted Shizuku, disregarding her words. By telling himself everyone was being brainwashed, he had an excuse to fight for his ideal future. Kouki turned to Hajime, his eyes gleaming with dark insanity. His Limit Break, which he’d purposely toned down while talking, came back in full force, and white light erupted all around him.