If Shizuku, who was so popular in elementary school, were to be with Kouki, the girls would certainly not remain silent, and the cruelty unique to children would attack Shizuku.
Painful memories created a gap in Shizuku, and then another wound was added. The pain of that wound awakened another painful memory.
"Oh, oh, oh, a girl who likes Guanghui said something, and I still remember it to this day."
Although she wanted to tell her not to say it, the phantom seemed to be piercing her heart with a nail and said those cruel words:
──So you are a woman?
"You're really shocked, right?"
"Shut up!"
Those words were unforgettable. Her appearance and swordsmanship were irrelevant; Shizuku was a genuine girl at heart. For her, those words were the most painful and devastating.
She was very heartbroken. She clearly wanted to be friends with the girls, but they didn't understand her.
For the first time, Shizuku truly wished someone would protect her.
The reason why Shizuku had such thoughts was because she was forced into a corner.
So she asked for help from the boy who said he would protect her.
However, Guanghui's responses at the time were all fixed: "They must have no ill intentions," "They're all good kids," and "If we talk to them properly, they'll understand." For someone who believed in the goodness of human nature, asking Guanghui to understand and resolve the girls' intrigues was, after all, a stretch.
He showed his sense of justice and went to negotiate with the girls. Needless to say, the girls' bullying of Shizuku became even more severe, and in order to avoid being discovered by Kouki, their methods became more sophisticated.
After that, even if she went to consult Guanghui again, the matter was already resolved for Guanghui, so all she got was a troubled smile. At some point, Shizuku no longer relied on Guanghui.
That life lasted for quite a while, and Shizuku couldn't help but feel terrified at the thought of not being in the same class with Kaori in fourth grade. If Kaori hadn't been there for her, Shizuku might have lost hope and given up on herself.
"You actually hate swordsmanship, but you don't dare stop practicing for fear of betraying your family's expectations. You're tormented by your glory, but you can't push away your childhood friend who has no ill intentions towards you... You're such an indecisive, half-baked person."
“That kind of thing—!?”
By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late; the phantom's white blade cut through gravity.
A moment of levitation and stagnation struck Shizuku, and the phantom grasped the scabbard with its backhand and swung it horizontally. Incidentally, the blade was imbued with the power of "Breakthrough."
White ripples of magic spread, leaving Shizuku's flank exposed. The shock and pain, seemingly shattering her consciousness, sent her flying.
She bounced a few times on the ground, slid on the ground for a while, and finally stopped.
“Ahem, ahem!”
He coughed violently, blood gushing out of his mouth, and a sharp pain shot through his ribs. Two or three ribs must have been broken, and his internal organs were also slightly injured.
Shizuku couldn't hold back her tears and almost fainted, but she tried her best to stay conscious.
Shizuku couldn't stand up immediately, and a footstep came to her side.
It was like a countdown to death. Shizuku's expression showed anxiety, and she struggled desperately to stand up.
Seeing Shizuku in pain, the phantom raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a devilish smile, and whispered softly in Shizuku's ear in a gentle tone:
"It's okay if you don't have to stand up, okay? If you just give up, I'll spare your life. There will definitely be someone else who can solve the problem without you having to work hard. Okay, go to sleep peacefully."
"say what……"
"It's just a simple choice. Do you want to give up and fall asleep, or do you want to hold on and die in pain?"
The phantom was essentially declaring that Shizuku was no match for her, and that if Shizuku didn't give up, she would ruthlessly kill him.
Then, a terrifying smile spread across the phantom's face, and as if to prove her words, she thrust the white knife before Shizuku's eyes. The blade bore the evidence of the slash that had just struck Shizuku, a vibrant crimson of life even more vivid than the blood on the snow.
Her own blood dripped from the tip of the knife, drop by drop, like her life slipping away bit by bit. Shizuku squatted on the ground, her expression gradually turning pale.
But the next moment, Shizuku glared at her own phantom. She began to exert force on her limbs, not caring about the blood gushing from her wounds.
“Ugh, Ughhhhhhh!!”
"...Yeah, I knew it. If it were you, you would definitely stand up."
The phantom nodded, his eyes narrowed, and he swung his white sword. Shizuku screamed, kneeling on the ground and raising the black sword to block the attack. At the same time—
"Fly—"Leave the Sky"!"
She used her ability to push the enemy away to push the phantom away, trying to create distance.
The phantom flipped in the air like a cat and landed gracefully. Shizuku, standing beside her, slowly stood up.
"Stop your rambling. You've been saying all this nonsense. I won't fall for that kind of psychological warfare."
"Psychological warfare? You just won't admit your feelings. At your age, you're still so competitive, using your strength to silence those around you. You're always caring about others, but as a result, you've become unable to detect your own true feelings... Actually, you just want someone to rely on..."
"I told you to stop talking, didn't you hear me?!"
Shizuku charged forward, her usual calm and composure gone. She had no strategy, simply swinging her knife wildly, trying to silence the other man.
The illusions created by the Great Labyrinth are a mirror of the challenger's inner self. If one fails to confront the emotions revealed, the illusion's strength will intensify. Conversely, if one accepts one's feelings, the illusion will gradually weaken... Shizuku is currently in the former state.
So naturally, the Phantom's power was growing stronger by the second. For the Phantom now, the disturbed Shizuku's swordsmanship was child's play.
Not only did the phantom easily dissolve Shizuku's full-strength attack, but it also counterattacked with refined sword skills.
Shizuku's movements became sluggish due to the side wound, internal damage, and blood loss. This caused her to suffer more injuries, which in turn made her more anxious, making her movements even sluggish.
It's a completely vicious cycle.
"It was the same when you came into this world. You were filled with insecurity. Ishtar begged you to defeat the demons, and you were terrified from the bottom of your heart. The night you first killed a demon, you hid and cried alone. The pain of cutting flesh lingered, and the blood on your body wouldn't wash off, so you hid and wiped it away several times, right?"
"drink!!"
Shizuku tried to silence the phantom with shouts and slashes, but this very act represented her refusal to accept it. Precisely because she refused to accept her own heart, the gap in combat power widened even further.
Shizuku's attack was lightly deflected, and was replaced by the sharp blade of words.
"If you hadn't been concentrating on comforting the frantic Kaori when Nanyun fell into the abyss, you would have been the one to collapse under the weight of the fear of death unfolding before your eyes. Ever since that day, when you felt the certainty of death, you've been terrified of death and killing."
“Ugh!?”
The phantom's "Thunder Flower" exploded, and the burst of electricity paralyzed Shizuku's body for a moment.
Taking advantage of this gap, a white flash flashed across Shizuku's neck, and with a "whoosh" sound, blood splattered out.
The wound nearly reached the carotid artery, but Shizuku was able to avoid it by chance. Her body was stiff, and she lost her balance and slipped. Thanks to this, Shizuku barely escaped the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
Shizuku pressed her hand against the neck, blood oozing from the gaps between her fingers. Because the wound was on the neck, even if the carotid artery hadn't been cut, the bleeding would still be considerable.
The clear vision of death emerged before her, and overwhelming fear and despair began to invade Shizuku's heart. The emotions that had been suppressed began to leak out, and the hand holding the black knife trembled continuously.
Seeing Shizuku's reaction, the phantom continued to verbally assault her. Her voice was colder than ice, devoid of even emotion.
No, that is the feeling that Shizuku least wants to be mentioned, and it is Shizuku's Achilles' heel now.
That is a fatal sentence.
"Hey, you were very happy then, right?"
"Eh?"
Being asked this question suddenly, Shizuku pressed her neck with her hands, a dull expression on her face.
"That was when Nagumo-san came to save us. You know what I mean, right? It was the most dramatic moment in my (your) life, and I will never forget it."
"what are you saying……"
"That was an absolutely fatal crisis... No, you truly gave up at that time. You abandoned all resistance and prepared to accept death. That's why, seeing that red light, that broad back, that overwhelming force that was no match for the enemy, your heart drifted to him."
“No, no…”
It felt like what she said was a fatal emotion that she absolutely did not want to admit, and could not admit, and Shizuku immediately wanted to deny it loudly.
But that kind of weak denial can't stop the phantom (one's own heart)...
"It was the same thing when Kaori was killed. If you haven't realized it yet, I'll tell you. That was the first time you asked for help since you came to this world. You asked Nagumo-kun for help, and he told you, 'Believe in me and wait for me.' And he actually answered your request, and just as you believed, he saved your friend and childhood sweetheart, and also saved your heart. Since then, you've desperately tried to avoid this fact... but you can't hide it anymore."
"Stop it, it's not like that. I..."
There was no trace of fighting spirit in Shizuku anymore, and the impression of her being as cold as a knife was gone. All that was left was Shizuku, shaking her head in denial like a child.
She couldn't even pretend to be anything, let alone hide it. The wall covering her heart had shattered like an eggshell. Shizuku's heart was exposed, the softest part of her heart mercilessly liberated.
"I (you) like Nanyun-san."
"what……"
Shizuku was speechless. Although she continued to shake her head in denial, she no longer had the energy to care about the bleeding from the knife wound on her neck.
Because that is a feeling that cannot be acknowledged.
Because it is an unacceptable mood.
It is proof of betrayal that cannot exist.
Shizuku was so mentally driven that she didn't even have the energy to deny it. Then, the phantom whispered its fatal words to her, like funeral flowers.
"You're such a jerk! You actually fell in love with your best friend's beloved...you betrayer."
"..."
Shizuku fell to her knees, her heart surrendering. The gleam of determination was gone from her eyes.
This also represents how powerful these words are that go straight to my heart.
The human heart is extremely difficult to control. Those who can completely control their hearts are considered abnormal. The same applies to falling in love with someone, as there's no rationale for it.
So even if Shizuku and Kaori both fell in love with Hajime, it was just that kind of feeling, and it would be an exaggeration to call it betrayal.
However, the illusion is Shizuku's negative emotion, which also means that deep down in her heart, Shizuku believes that her feelings are "betrayal."
The reason may be due to Shizuku's innate seriousness and her unending gratitude and friendship for her most cherished friend who accompanied her in the most difficult times.
Because she cherishes her friendship with Kaori so much, she won't allow even a small affection for Hajime. Furthermore, Shizuku, unable to suppress her feelings, lets Hajime see all her expressions.
There are genuine smiles, expressions of begging, expressions of fascination, expressions of irritation, and even expressions of extreme peace of mind in sleep...
All of this was done behind Kaori's back, which probably deepened her sense of guilt.
"And you attacked Shia, right? Why? Why Shia instead of Yue or Kaori?"
"I……"
"The answer is simple, because you envy Shia. You knew from the start that you couldn't compete with Yue, and attacking her would only highlight your own misery. You didn't want to be jealous of Kaori, so you chose Shia, the one he had just recognized as his lover and was most prone to jealousy, as your target... You're truly despicable."
"..."
Shizuku couldn't face her inner self because the enemy in front of her (herself) wouldn't allow her to.
Every time the arrows of words pierced his heart, any words of rebuttal were shattered along with them, and his strength seemed to drain from his hands and feet. On the other hand, the phantom was filled with strength.
The phantom used "No Beat" to step forward, and Shizuku couldn't react. Even if she still had the will to fight, she wouldn't be able to react at that speed. The phantom quickly attacked, kicking Shizuku.
“Ugh!?”
Shizuku cried out in pain, her body arcing in the air.
At this moment, the phantom showed no mercy, unleashing countless swords like a rain of light. Although Shizuku unconsciously raised her black sword as a shield, it was simply not enough to block all the attacks...
“Aaaaaaaaaa!!”
Shizuku's whole body was slashed by the phantom wantonly.
Shizuku cried out loudly, and then the phantom took advantage of the situation and hit Shizuku with its white sheath.
Shizuku was thrown as if struck by a dump truck. Her back slammed into the ice wall. The massive impact shattered the ice into radial shapes.
All the air in her lungs was forced out, and she felt as if her entire body was about to be shattered. Her body was covered in wounds, and she couldn't tell where the pain was. Her body declared that it had reached its limit.
Shizuku slid down the wall, resting her back against the ice and sitting on the ground. Blood clung to the ice, forming a pool on the ground. Shizuku's limbs were limp, her strength exhausted, as if she were dead.
Shizuku watched her other self approach through blurry vision, but her body couldn't move. Repeated mental blows had weakened her will to move.
"Your foolish life, always filled with bad luck, is finally coming to an end. This ending is because you suppressed yourself too much, what a foolish woman."
Shizuku didn't answer, she didn't have the energy to. She just stared up at the phantom, her eyes filled with fear.
"Do you have any final words? I'll carve them on the ice wall for you. Since this connects your respective dimensions, if someone is lucky enough to break through their own trials and reach here, they might find your last words, okay?"
"..."
Shizuku still didn't answer. Instead, tears streamed down her cheeks. The glistening tears silently slid down her cheeks, dripping onto her knees, gradually soaking her clothes.
Shizuku herself didn't understand why her tears were overflowing.
Is it because of the fear of realizing that your own death is approaching?
Despair about losing your future?
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