"Hah~~ hah~~ hah~~"
In a small alley in Misaki City, Ayaka was running frantically.
Behind her, another Ayaka floated in the air, leisurely chasing her. Several magical orbs hovering around her occasionally shot beams of light, forcing Ayaka to dodge desperately.
"It's not good to keep running, Ayaka."
As if lecturing her younger sister, Manaka smiled faintly and said, "It's been years, and you still haven't become an independent Magus? It seems letting you leave Tokyo was a mistake. You still need my protection."
(If that's the case, then don't attack me with Magecraft, Sister!)
Ayaka retorted in her mind, but her movements didn't slow. Thanks to her two years working for Zelretch, she had grown accustomed to combat. While her fighting strength wasn't exceptional, it was more than enough to protect herself.
With agile movements, she dodged the relentless beams. She seized an opportunity to hide behind the nearest corner, crouching and catching her breath. "Hah~~ hah~~ seriously, what's going on? Why is Sister…?"
Her sister, Manaka, was supposed to have died six years ago.
Back then, her sister had done many extraordinary things to create a world where Ayaka could be happy, nearly causing the world's destruction. Fortunately, with the help of many people, Ayaka had managed to stop her.
Since then, she hadn't seen Manaka again. Though Naoki had said she might still be alive, after all these years, Ayaka had given up on the idea of reuniting with her sister.
She never expected to meet her again in Misaki City.
But this sister was clearly not right!
(This feeling isn't my real sister—it's more like… her earliest state.)
If that was the case, with Ayaka's abilities, she could never defeat her. That's why she had been running until now.
She had wanted to prove she could be an independent individual without her sister's help, but six years later, she still couldn't do anything in front of her.
(You're truly incredible, Sister.)
Ayaka's heart didn't feel despair or inferiority because of this. She had felt those emotions countless times as a child. Her sister was a genius in the truest sense—after entering the Clock Tower and learning more about the world of magecraft, Ayaka became even more convinced of this.
Someone like Manaka was one of a kind, from ancient times to the present.
Thus, Ayaka didn't think she could ever reach her sister's level. All she could do was try her hardest to get closer, at least to catch a glimpse of her back.
Of course, it wasn't just Manaka—she was also her target.
After two years, she could finally see him again. If she couldn't meet him because her sister intercepted her, Ayaka wouldn't be able to accept it.
(So… Sister, let me show you how much I've grown in these six years.)
Not just to meet him, but also to prove to her deceased sister that she was no longer someone who needed protection.
Slowly approaching the corner where Ayaka was hiding, Manaka smiled and said, "Ayaka, stop playing hide-and-seek with your sister. Come out obediently, and I'll protect you, just like before."
"No way I'd ever agree to that!"
Standing up from the corner, Ayaka firmly rejected the offer. "Sister, I'm no longer the little sister who needs protection… Now, I don't need your protection."
"Oh, what are you saying, Ayaka?" Manaka smiled and furrowed her brow. "You want to fight me? Being disobedient isn't good."
"I stopped being obedient to you a long time ago. And the current me, in some ways, is a rebellious child."
The air in the small alley suddenly flowed unnaturally. The gentle night breeze quietly grew stronger.
Manaka looked at her sister meaningfully. "The element of wind, Ayaka—you learned that Magecraft… Alright, let me see what you've become after changing."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*
On the quiet riverbank, a fierce sword dance was unfolding.
Brandishing the Holy Sword relentlessly, the fake Arthur, using Arthur's shell, launched ferocious attacks at Naoki. The sword slashed at every vital point on Naoki's body with lightning speed. Sword shadows relentlessly assaulted him.
Yet, facing these ferocious attacks, Naoki remained calm. He parried each slash with his steel sword with pinpoint accuracy, as if he already knew where the fake Arthur would strike.
"I don't understand."
After another slash was blocked by Naoki, the fake Arthur suddenly stopped. He stepped back a few paces and looked at Naoki with a puzzled expression. "Why can you do this? Based on the environmental data I've gathered, you shouldn't have the ability to foresee the future. And the weapon in my hand is the Holy Sword of the Stars. Even if it's just a replica, it's not an attack you should be able to block so easily."
"What are you doing?"
He couldn't comprehend why this person could counter the shell he was using.
Naoki's face remained cold. "I have no reason to tell you, and you have no right to know. More importantly, is this all you've got? Besides swinging your sword and slashing at me, you can't do anything else?"
"That sword in your hand—it's not used like that."
His grip on the sword tightened slightly. The steel shell of the sword slowly shattered. As the fragments fell away, the golden sword within was revealed.
It was the true Holy Sword, identical to the one the fake Arthur held, but clearly far more real.
*BOOM!*
Raising the Holy Sword horizontally, he channeled Mana. The overflowing Mana poured from the sword, forming a massive golden blade of light.
This is how you use this sword—as if declaring that, Naoki swung the Holy Sword in his hand. The golden blade of light, stretching dozens of meters, swept across half the riverbank as it swung!
*CRACK!*
The fake Arthur tried to raise his sword to block. But upon contact, the replica in his hand shattered instantly, and he was cleaved in two.
(The light of the Holy Sword of the Stars. Infusing Mana and slashing with just a fraction of it already holds such power… This is indeed something I can't do. It's merely the tip of the iceberg of the true Holy Sword's usage.)
Feeling his body slowly disintegrating, the fake Arthur accepted the fact that he was destroyed in an instant.
(Enough for tonight. Tomorrow night, I should be able to manifest a more real version of myself. As long as the full moon arrives…)
His thoughts stopped with a cracking sound. Before the path carved by the blade of light, Naoki saw the fake Arthur's body slowly vanishing. Simultaneously, a strange scene appeared, like a shattered mirror.
Then, from the broken gap, a human figure suddenly emerged, instantly appearing in front of Naoki.
"Huh?"
"Ah?"
As their eyes met, both froze.
"Natsukawa?!"
"Ayaka?!"
Instinctively, Naoki wrapped his arms around the person's waist, catching her. He stared at Ayaka in his embrace, momentarily stunned.
(Why did she suddenly appear?)