In a bright and tidy inn, a guest was sitting in her room, writing up her notes and reflections on the day.
Of course, in most cases, we’d simply call it a diary… though she probably hadn’t noticed that she’d already developed the habit of writing in one every single day.
“Mmm~ hmm, that’s enough writing for today. Another really fulfilling day…”
With the scratching sound of her pen, she filled nearly an entire page. It must have been quite an undertaking—after all, she was so tired she had to wipe beads of sweat from her forehead.
As it happened, she was a young woman, so pure and beautiful that words can hardly do her justice. Even though she wore a seemingly unremarkable thick sweater and brown fur boots, she was still strikingly eye-catching… actually, it was precisely because they were so unremarkable that she stood out. Could this be what they call “survivorship bias”?
The long hair resting quietly by her side was a flawless blue, like the pure sky or the deep azure sea. The golden light that dotted her pupils seemed capable of seeing through all things in existence…
Oh, she closed her diary and stood up. She was a young woman, after all, and her mannerisms were no different from any other girl her age.
“Well then, I asked around everywhere today, but everyone said nothing special has happened. Sigh… Yesterday, I escaped from that guy’s cage and met a kind person who gave me a ride here. I thought my luck had finally turned, but today brought absolutely nothing…”
Just then, not far from her window, spheres of fire began to rise into the sky. She noticed them and pressed closer to the window to get a better look. In the end, she saw blossom after blossom of sparks unfolding in the churning, dark currents of the sky, illuminating the entire city.
“Is that… fireworks? Speaking of which, everyone was saying that today is a special day, and that tonight they’d set off these things called fireworks… They’re so beautiful.”
She murmured a few words of admiration, then spotted wave after wave of people surging in that direction from the first floor. It stirred up quite a bit of curiosity in her.
“Over there… that must be the central Quadrangle Plaza. I want to go check out the excitement.”
After locking her room door, she opened the window, climbed onto the eaves, scrambled up onto the roof, crouched low, and then sprang forward in an instant.
Her smile… it would forever adorn her face. She would keep that smiling expression on display for all time.
Wonderful. Truly wonderful—”you.”
…
This beam of light, this magical energy… I see now. It seems I’ll soon understand exactly how Elph and the others felt this morning.
Constantly shifting my body, I dodged one cold, merciless ray after another. As for why I call them cold and merciless, only I myself can truly grasp just how terrifying they are.
If an ordinary person were hit by this, they’d probably never live a complete life again.
The destructive power of Yellow · Justice is rather average, but its light rays can penetrate any living thing that has a physical concept. I once used it to deal with several out-of-control wild wolves, and after realizing the irreversible damage it inflicts on living creatures, I became very reluctant to use it casually ever again.
Even my blood cannot heal the damage it causes. Any flesh, organ, tissue, cell, or even molecule that comes into contact with it completely vanishes from a physical concept standpoint, to the point where even my blood seems unable to recognize whether it ever even existed.
My blood is, fundamentally, a product of fantasy, so it should follow some kind of rule. For example, perhaps when it seeps into a wound, it continuously replicates into the corresponding cells and tissues based on my own or the recipient’s DNA blueprint to carry out repairs?
Well, I don’t fully understand it myself. The one directly involved is confused, and so are the onlookers.
Anyway, unless I can figure out whether I myself can be hurt by that light, and whether my blood can heal my own injuries, I can’t afford to be too careless.
Speaking of which, what exactly happened to Kei? Why would she freeze in place for no reason at all—?! There’s no one in sight? Where did Kei go?
And there’s something even stranger.
Even though the entire plaza is immersed in a festive atmosphere, surely people wouldn’t be so utterly lost in it that they fail to notice an attack happening right nearby… Is it a barrier? An illusion? Or perhaps some even more advanced magic or something completely beyond my ability to perceive?
“Hell yeah! No sleep tonight!!”
“Everyone! Tonight our Tael Guild is covering all food and drink!”
“Our Chedamuk Guild will open up all of its entertainment facilities!”
“OOOOOHHHH!!!”
Several players with floating name tags above their heads stood on the stage, and after they had spoken a few words, the audience below responded by raising their arms and roaring with cheers… So they really are completely spellbound?
Just how boring is everyday life in this city, that the residents can’t afford to miss a single major event?
“Speaking of which, have you hit me enough yet?”
I had already dodged into the corner of the wall, and I didn’t have a single scratch on me. I’m not sure if it’s because my agility stat is exceptionally high or if the other party’s accuracy is just terrible.
Everything has been so abrupt… I feel a bit at a loss—why would I be at a loss? Clearly, everything that has happened has a reasonable explanation and cause.
Specifically, it’s nothing more than laying the groundwork to hunt me down—a plot device I’ve seen played out thoroughly in all the crossover anime I’ve watched before.
I steadied my feet, but the rays of light continued unabated, and there was no sign of the attacker revealing themselves.
It seems they’re refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit… courting disaster all on their own.
I rolled my neck, stretching out the tension that had been building up for a while, and let out a long sigh of relief.
“What a pity… truly a pity…”
Then I quietly leaned against the wall, waiting for the light beam to approach. Perhaps seeing that I seemed unwilling to retaliate, the attacker abruptly halted their oppressive assault and moved to attack me directly—well, there lies the opening. Carelessly attacking your opponent… how typical of you.
Did you really think your opponent was defenseless? Oh, surely not, right?
In any case, it’s impossible for me to lower my guard. Everyone else can do whatever they want.
The beam of light that extended horizontally towards me instantly dissipated the moment it touched the invisible barrier in front of me, and the scene from the day before yesterday at the prison replayed itself in this very moment.
Simultaneously, a violet-black beam of light turned around and extended back in the very direction the original light ray had come from.
“Ugh!”
Did you hear that? Oh, that’s the sound of my opponent getting hit. Hmph, this is what comes of carelessly underestimating your adversary.
I waved my hand dismissively, unable to suppress the corners of my mouth from curling up, and then slowly stepped forward.
Just moments ago, I couldn’t see any trace of this person. It seems they cast some kind of invisibility spell… A somewhat familiar technique. Is it the Universal Invisibility Spell I learned from Rauston?
Well, actually seeing my own clone in the flesh is still a bit surprising and bewildering. After all, to witness another version of myself, vivid and lifelike right before my eyes…
How uncanny. Truly uncanny.
The same face, the same golden eyes, the same seemingly delicate yet profoundly different physique, the same fragile yet utterly incomparable personality.
“Tch, no wonder they call it Cloning Technique from Another World, alchemy.”
Ultimately, alchemy is merely a special kind of potion-making technique—a skill that distinguishes itself from ordinary pharmaceutical arts. That’s because it can solve problems that common potion-making cannot, crossing over to shores that ordinary techniques can never reach…
Well, at the end of the day, all of this is still just my subjective speculation. So whether this clone of mine was truly created by alchemy, I can’t be certain yet.
But one thing is absolutely certain: the individual in front of me is my clone.
And Hazuki Tomitsu—there can only be one of me in this world.
“Speaking of which, if you’re going to imitate me, at least do it properly. This sweater, these boots, this skirt? It’s far too fake. Though I must admit, the human imitation itself isn’t bad.”
“…Y-you?!” She was astonished, probably because another “self” was standing right before her, whereas she herself had always believed she was unique.
Although telling the truth at a time like this might wound her heart… well, I don’t really care.
It’s an unchanging law of this world: survival of the fittest, kill or be killed.
“…Understood. Commencing operation.”
She instantly reined in her shocked expression, and after lowering the finger that had been pressed against her ear, she launched herself up in a single motion, her entire body shielded in azure magical energy.
Ahh, now I finally understand what Elph and the others must have felt when they first saw me use Blue · Honesty.
“Saying that the creature standing before me is a monster would be quite fitting.”
I deliberately raised an eyebrow at her, intending to mock her. But to my surprise, she paid it no mind at all. She simply spun around and thrust at me, wielding a blade of azure blue.
Heh, how amusing.
I arched my hand and then spread my fingers wide, letting a pure yellow radiance bloom outward with myself as its center—like a momentary force field. As expected, it successfully blasted her back.
How should I put this… I still really don’t want to kill anyone… ugh.
If I’d wanted to, she would have been dead several minutes ago. But it seems that’s not what I want, and even I myself don’t know what I should do.
Should I kill her?
“May I have the honor of hearing your esteemed name?” I threw out the question while suddenly charging forward and seizing both her arms before she had time to lower them.
“…It’s useless to you, and brings me no profit.”
She spoke mechanically, then forcefully stomped her foot, as if she was brewing up something.
Of course, I knew exactly what she was up to, but faced with that, I could only manage a bitter smile.
None of this is so simple… but there’s no need for me to wade into these murky waters. To me, this is nothing but poison—the kind of filth that, even if touched just once, will inevitably become an addiction afterward.
Looking at her, standing a head taller than me, I felt as if I could perfectly picture the expression I myself show to others, the struggle I put up when cornered, the helpless regret I feel in utter despair.
I could indeed sense a magical power beneath the ground—no doubt it was the copied Blue · Honesty. But it seemed to me that she still wasn’t very familiar with how to control this magical energy. After all, compared to the genuine article, a knockoff imitation is ultimately just not as easy to use, is it?
While chuckling softly to myself, I released my grip, took one step back to create distance between us, then made my fingers form a menacing claw-like shape, unleashing a blaze of orange-yellow radiance…
Let this farce be settled once and for all, shrouded beneath the smoke and dust.
In the very next instant, a series of lethal grids composed of particles materialized before my eyes, trapping her within their confines.
An opportunity. This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate her—
