A beautiful straight right punch hit Gulide—no, hit Phantom's face. Phantom's body spun out and then hit the ground, bouncing several times before finally coming to a stop.

"Wow, there really isn't any room!"

Memories are memories. Even when forced to recall the past by the Great Labyrinth, Shia's consciousness always remained in reality and she never lost sight of the enemy in front of her.

On the contrary──

"It's all because of you giving birth──!?"

The phantom tried to shake Shia's spirit with words, but she suddenly felt a chill, her rabbit ears erected involuntarily, and she jumped sideways without thinking. In an instant, where she had been a moment ago—

"I'll beat you!"

A shockwave, far removed from the lovely cry, descended straight down, the hammer striking the ground in pieces.

Then, the phantom regained its composure and looked towards the hole in the ground—

"!?"

The phantom sensed a presence behind him, and soon discovered a shadowy figure holding a warhammer, ready to swing, looming above him.

That’s right, the person who lost the other person’s figure was not Xia, but Phantom himself.

"That's too fast!"

"You're too slow!"

Phantom's voice was filled with trepidation. A thud, like the sound of air breaking, echoed, a testament to the hammer's speed exceeding the speed of sound. In a desperate situation, Phantom could only forcibly block the blow with his Black Drukken.

After a powerful impact, the phantom was sent flying. This strike seemed to determine the outcome.

The phantom crashed into the ice mirror wall, and without even taking the time to adjust its breath, it immediately activated the Black Drukken and used the impact to jump sideways.

“Watch this~!”

Contrary to the cute sound, it was just an ordinary flying kick, but the wall collapsed, giving people the illusion of an explosion.

"It's all because you gave birth to me!"

Despite mentally complaining, "This guy is exaggerating!", Phantom still fulfilled his duties.

She made full use of all the tactics Shia possessed and her own abilities as a trial player, and continued to fight.

"My family was forced to live in hiding!"

I saw many iron balls flying towards me in a disorderly manner. They were just ordinary throws, but they sounded like artillery fire.

Phantom barely dodged the iron balls and knocked several of them back, while firing back with words, trying to dig out the dark side of Xia's heart.

"Even fellow Bunnymen roll their eyes at me!"

Xia's existence makes the people of the Haolia tribe unable to take it lightly when facing the rabbit people of different tribes.

The other Bunnymen found the isolation of the Hauliyas strange and kept away from them, preventing them from bartering and making their lives even more difficult. Unable to seek help when needed, the Hauliyas had to be self-sufficient, leading a harder life than other tribes.

All this was because of the birth of the heretic son Xia.

From the moment she was born, the Hauriya tribe became an excluded tribe in the sea of ​​trees.

The one who bore the most pressure from this matter was Cam, and he had to endure countless hardships for this.

I saw Phantom using Black Drukken to bombard Shia continuously.

Shia used Deluken as a shield to block the onslaught of explosive shrapnel.

At the same time, memory was awakened again.

That was when other rabbit people suddenly came to the Hauliya settlement. Their purpose was to inform the Hauliya people of the consensus of the other rabbit people, hoping that the Hauliya people would improve their closed way of life.

──Chief of the Hauriya clan! Don't insist!

──The Bunnymen were originally looked down upon as the weakest race. Shouldn't we at least communicate more with our own race?

Why don't you understand this? You, Hauriya, have destroyed the unity of our Bunnymen.

Young Xia quickly hid behind a wooden box and watched her father talking with them.

Because the other party's reasons were so reasonable, Cam could only endure it.

──Sorry, if you need help, we are happy to help. But there is no need for communication, because the Haolia people are just like this.

Kam's expression was stiff, yet his words were firm, inevitably drawing condemnation from the crowd. After the gathering, his fellow tribesmen, who were supposedly his own, stormed out. Seeing her father repeatedly bowing his head and apologizing to them, young Shia felt a surge of guilt.

At the same time, she also deeply realized that she had to be so carefully hidden...

"In this vast sea of ​​trees, I am the only one who exists! Even my family is different from me!"

That's it.

"If only I had escaped alone! If only I had left my family, they wouldn't have died like that! It's all because I was too weak! Both physically and mentally, I was weak, so—"

"Stop being so sentimental—!"

Sia kicked, but the ground cracked and bulged as she stepped on it, and the phantom's explosive shrapnel was blocked by the quick-made shield. Then, Sia's fist shattered the shield, and the shattered ice immediately transformed into quick-made projectiles, slightly deflecting the explosive shrapnel.

Shia used an overly forceful method to create a gap in the barrage, instantly reducing the distance between her and the phantom by half. Then, Shia threw the Drukken, taking advantage of the phantom's retreat, further reducing the distance by half.

The phantom seemed to panic and launched another concentrated barrage of explosive shrapnel at Shia.

"Shiaryu's Secret Technique—'Hold On'!"

"That's not the secret!"

Although the phantom is correct, the reality is cruel.

Shia crossed her arms in defense and advanced without hesitation. Through sublimation magic, Shia enhanced her already exceptional physical strength. This way, even a direct hit from the explosive shrapnel would only cause a light bounce on her skin, effectively allowing her to survive.

Then, as long as you can hold on for this brief moment, you will be within Xia's attack range.

“Hahhhhhhh!! Watch out!!”

After shouting "Watch this" superfluously, he threw a full-strength right straight punch.

A resounding clang echoed, a sound unlike the clash of fists and hammers. The phantom, standing firmly on its feet, was no match for Shia's blow and launched into the air once more.

Then there was the clanging sound of chains...

"Oh no—"

When the phantom realized something was wrong, Shia's left arm had already begun to twist vigorously. In her hand, Shia was holding the handle of the Deluken hammer, which had been separated and then connected by a chain.

Drucken accelerated due to centrifugal force and drew an arc with the ice tree as the fulcrum. The phantom could only watch as Drucken flew straight towards him and hit him accurately.

The phantom was hit and changed its direction, flying sideways at an incredible speed. She had no power to resist and crashed directly into the ice mirror wall.

Broken ice cubes flew in the air, reflecting the light and creating a magical scene.

Mixed in with the shimmering scenery are other sparkling particles.

"Ahahaha...I lost."

The phantom's tone was tinged with a wry smile. She pressed her left shoulder, shattered the ice wall, and climbed out. At the same time, her body seemed to crumble, scattering particles of light.

"You've finally reached your limit."

"You seem to be still far from your limit."

The wounds caused by the exploding shrapnel have also been healed by regeneration magic.

Phantom could only shake his head helplessly.

"You really haven't wavered at all. I must be the darkness in your heart..."

Not even the slightest wavering. On the contrary, the more he exposed her dark side, the weaker he became. Phantom couldn't help but sigh, this trial wasn't even a trial. Shia, with a look of "What the hell are you talking about?", responded to Phantom's dumbfounded expression.

"The past cannot be changed, it can only be carried. Even so, I have vowed to work hard for the future, right?"

It was on that day that Xia made the vow, the day she saw the future.

Hunted, lost, and then hunted again, she saw the future in despair and sorrow.

The hopes of just two people—Hajime and Yue.

In order to reach a future with two people, she urged herself not to stop and must reach out to pursue.

"—Didn't I swear to myself that I would become someone who could fight against all enemies who tried to take away those important to me, and protect all those important to me?"

This was her mother Mona's wish in the past, and it is also the wish that Shia inherited.

So Xia worked hard to become stronger. She didn't want to be weak anymore, she wanted to become stronger.

Therefore──

"I've already experienced that kind of distress and enlightenment."

With a whoosh, Xia swung the hammer, raised it to her shoulder and struck it.

She looks like a big tree, strong and firm.

"...Even if you're prepared, the darkness within you can still plunge you into an abyss, you know?"

It is not so easy to let go of the negative emotions that dwell in your heart.

but……

"You may be me, but you're not all of me. I can see your will is still mingled with the Great Labyrinth's intentions. Otherwise, you would have understood from the beginning. I wouldn't be swayed by words like that now."

There is a pain in Xia's heart that will never go away, and she will never forget the day when she lost so many of her family members.

No matter what others say or how she defends herself, she will not deny the fact that she is the culprit.

But she had decided not to just cry anymore. She had decided to give up her weakness and not just hide or escape.

Xia decided to move towards the best future and never stop.

Why? It goes without saying.

Because this life was saved by the family with all their efforts.

Although they are the weakest race, they are not afraid of anyone's pressure and raise Xia.

Her life was an important life that was preserved by her father's endurance and her mother's expectations.

Moreover, she now has many new "important people".

The lover who truly accepts you, the sister and best friend who understands you better than anyone, and many other people.

This time, it's my turn to protect the "important person".

"The darkness in my heart? The misfortunes I've experienced? Ha! I don't want to be a tragic heroine."

There are so many people protecting me, and there are so many people I want to protect.

Shia can confidently say—

──I am very lucky.

Therefore, Shia, more than anyone else, does not allow herself to "fall" without permission.

There was no way she could give in to her mood.

"I hereby declare."

Xia smiled triumphantly, swung her warhammer, and pointed at the phantom.

She stood with her back straight, her posture dignified and full of confidence, so beautiful that even Phantom couldn't help but be fascinated by her.

Shia held her head high and said loudly to the phantom that was stunned in place:

"I'm invincible right now. No matter who the enemy is, I don't think I'll lose!"

That's already a kotorei (literally, a word spirit). (Editor's note: Derived from Japanese, it refers to the magical power of words, such as oaths or curses.)

As if to prove the truth of what she said, Phantom felt the strength within him ebb away again.

It felt like one's negative words were being countered with positive words by the other party.

Whether it was a challenge of strength or spirit, Xia faced it head-on in an upright manner.

Phantom had to admit, had to acknowledge the strength of this challenger.

A hint of tenderness appeared in the phantom's expression.

"I see, this test of 'surpassing oneself', I (you) have already passed it."

"That's what's going on. My loved ones are waiting for me, so—I'm going to force my way through!"

"Haha, very good! For the final blow, use all your strength!"

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