Mizumori Yukine-senpai is beautiful.
No, it’s not just about her appearance.
It’s true that she’s gorgeous, but when you factor in her attitude, her mastery of the naginata, her way of thinking, and the kindness in her heart, she is truly beautiful.
“Senpai, is something wrong?”
Lately, however, a shadow seemed to linger on Senpai’s face.
She scratched her head, offering an awkward smile.
“Why do you ask?”
She had been distracted recently.
The naginata she swung lacked its usual razor-sharp edge.
“Hmm.
I just feel like your naginata isn’t as beautiful as it always is.”
I knew this because I’d been observing Senpai for a long time.
She just wasn’t acting like her usual self.
“Not as beautiful… Huh?” Senpai murmured, seemingly lost in thought.
“Are you worried about something?”
She hesitated, wondering if she should speak.
She looked at me and let out a soft groan.
Her expression was bitter for a moment, but soon she pointed to a large, flat rock that was easy to sit on.
“A little… There’s just something on my mind.”
We both sat on the rock.
In front of us, the waterfall cascaded down, filling our field of vision.
“Something on your mind?”
I could tell she was conflicted.
Eventually, she exhaled as if giving in, and let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh.
“It’s strange.
I don’t think I should be talking to you about this, Takioto, but for some reason, a part of me wants to.
And I feel like I might find the answer I’m looking for.”
Senpai spoke while I listened in silence.
“I’ve been wondering just how strong I can actually become.”
She continued.
“There was someone I looked up to as my ultimate goal, someone I never thought I could beat.
Well, it was my older sister… She told me, ‘Yukine, you can be number one in the world.
So aim for that in my place.’ I ended up promising her I would.”
“…I think you can be number one in the world, Senpai.
It’s just that I’ll be standing in your way.”
“Haha, listen to the end… You see, even as I grew up and matured, my sister was always steps ahead of me.
Even though she isn’t even in this world anymore.”
Senpai’s older sister was dead.
And she had died in such a tragic way.
“Even so, I came to this academy to train, and I ended up seeing Monika-kaichou and Director Marino… I got to know them.”
Senpai’s voice grew quieter.
“Somehow, I understand that everyone has expectations of me.
Some people, like you, tell me to my face.
But I’ve been wondering if I can actually live up to those expectations.”
I understood her worries.
Senpai lacked confidence.
She was still chained to her sister’s memory.
And if I could just remove those chains…
“Remembering my sister’s words, I grew skeptical, but I was still trying to get stronger…”
“Senpai.
Can I ask you something?”
I understood without needing to ask anything else.
I also knew exactly what I needed to do.
This was probably the time to act.
“This might be my own ego talking.
That’s why I want you to tell me.” I looked her straight in the eyes.
“Do you want to be stronger, Senpai?”
Personally, I wanted Senpai to be the strongest.
The Mizumori Yukine of the Super Trio that I loved so much.
The Mizumori Yukine I was falling for more and more every day.
However, her own free will was what mattered most.
It would be arrogant to force a path she didn’t even want.
That’s why I asked first:
Could I be the one to turn Senpai into the Mizumori Yukine of the Super Trio?
“Can I be?”
“You can.
To the point of surpassing the strongest person you can imagine.
It’s a precious time right before your exams, but… if you don’t mind… no, I want you to come with me right now.”
For Senpai, it was right before her exams, and for me, it was right before my Dungeon raid.
Well, it was Senpai we were talking about.
Her exam prep was probably already flawless.
Unlike me, she was an exemplary honor student.
This was a crucial moment for Senpai, and at the same time, a crucial moment for me.
It was time to produce the results of everything I had accumulated, preparing to be branded an underachiever while aiming for the monumental goals that would shape the future.
Besides, this was also essential for my own growth.
The timing might be a bit tight, but it wasn’t a mistake to go.
I wanted to prioritize Senpai above all else.
I wanted to help her.
“Senpai.
With me… Let’s go to a Dungeon.”
─★✩Yukine’s Point of View✩★─
The question of how he knew about a Dungeon that wasn’t on any map was probably a foolish one to ask.
“Because it’s Takioto.” Takioto was just Takioto; that fact alone made the question lose all meaning.
But what could be said about Takioto was that he possessed something that made me believe in him.
Would he ever do something that would put me at a disadvantage without telling me?
I could declare with absolute certainty that he wouldn’t.
That had been exactly the case so far.
Though I couldn’t say there hadn’t been some embarrassing moments.
Labyrinth of Dawn.
It seemed the Dungeon Takioto had brought me to was called that.
If asked what kind of place it was, I think I’d have to answer that it was a Dungeon made entirely of stone.
Takioto sometimes introduced us to hidden Dungeons and special floors, and this time was no different.
“Even though it’s called a labyrinth, it doesn’t really look like one, does it?”
Furthermore, there was no sign of monsters appearing.
“No, this is a labyrinth in a certain sense.
Because you have to conquer your own inner labyrinth.”
“…My own labyrinth?”
“Yes.
It might be difficult or easy depending on the person.
In a way, you’ll be fighting the ‘Strongest’.”
I was unsettled by his cryptic words, but he didn’t explain any further.
“It’s interesting, isn’t it?
Even if we enter as a party, each of us will have to fight separately.”
In other words, it could be challenged by multiple people, but it seemed we would be separated and forced to fight monsters alone.
And if you defeated your boss, you’d be able to teleport to your friends who hadn’t cleared theirs yet and cooperate to finish the run.
Furthermore, Takioto had an idea of who he would be fighting.
He said I wouldn’t know who I was going to face.
However, I could tell by the way he spoke that he had a pretty good guess.
Even though I didn’t say anything.
As we continued down a straight path, we encountered a pair of teleportation magic circles.
However, something was written in ancient letters in front of them.
“Looks like we have to go our separate ways from here.”
Takioto looked at the circles and said lightly.
“Ah, Senpai.
There’s one thing I want you to remember.”
“What is it?”
“The enemy that appears from here on out is not invincible by any means.
I’m sure I’ll beat my boss quickly and come to you, but I won’t help you fight.
Because you can win, Senpai.”
“I can definitely win?”
“Yes.
You might get anxious.
Not just you, but depending on the person, anyone would get anxious facing this.”
Then, Takioto took my hand.
“But you can win.
You can definitely win.
Believe in me, please.
If it doesn’t work out and something happens to you, I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life.
So, I don’t mind even if you lose on purpose.
Please, challenge it with all your might.”
Having said that, Takioto stared fixedly at me.
Then, suddenly letting go of my hand, he said, “I’m going,” and stepped into the magic circle on the left.
I watched him disappear, and then I stepped into the magic circle in front of me.
I remembered this place.
It was that waterfall I had been using for training ever since I enrolled in this school.
A flowing stream, the singing of birds, the sound of water crashing down.
The gentle breeze brushing against my skin felt somewhat heavy, carrying a natural, earthy scent.
Not knowing what else to do, I thought I’d head to the back of the waterfall for now.
That’s when I found it on my way.
Something was standing on a large rock, big enough to accommodate several people, right in the middle of the falls.
It was a black shadow.
But if you looked closely, it looked exactly like the person I saw in the mirror every day.
Yes, it looked exactly like me, with my hair let down.
However, there was one decisive difference.
What she held in her hands wasn’t a naginata, but a katana.
The shadow drew the katana and took a stance, pointing it at me without saying a word.
And I realized.
I couldn’t breathe properly.
I couldn’t comprehend it.
Why on earth?
Why?
What is happening?
What does this mean?
Ah, this is a lie, it’s unbelievable.
Seeing that figure, the emotions buried at the very bottom of my heart overflowed.
The shadow wasn’t me.
It wasn’t just someone like me.
I was intimately familiar with that stance.
I had seen it countless times, compared myself to it countless times, grown frustrated by it countless times, until it finally made me give up the katana altogether.
“Suzune… Nee-san?”
————★ MagiEx ★————
The Dungeon Labyrinth of Dawn didn’t require any special DLC patches and could be challenged normally without major prerequisites.
And while it held important events for certain characters, it wasn’t fundamentally a Dungeon required for progression.
Nor was it essential for making the game’s protagonist, Hijiri Iori, the strongest.
However, if you were a fan of Mizumori Yukine, this was a place you absolutely had to visit.
Unless Senpai explicitly told me she didn’t need to go, I had obviously planned to bring her here.
Incidentally, this Dungeon was different from normal ones; only one monster appeared per person.
And you would fight the person you considered the strongest, or the person you harbored a deep trauma of.
It was probably her sister who would appear for Senpai.
I couldn’t think of anyone else.
There was no reason for anyone else to appear.
And of course, for me, it was him.
On the contrary, I couldn’t think of anyone but him.
After passing through the magic circle, I found myself on a path I walked every day.
The cherry blossoms that should have already fallen were in full bloom, filling the branches, and the petals drifted down from the trees at a speed of five centimeters per second.
There was a familiar gate at the end of the cherry blossom tunnel.
It was closed, just like before, and standing in front of it was a shadow mimicking a young man.
The shadow wore a school uniform.
A cute, but neutral face with a thoroughly average hairstyle.
He looked exactly like a background character who didn’t stand out, possessing the typical face of an eroge protagonist.
“Alright~, Iori.”
It was Hijiri Iori who stood there.
The shadow of Hijiri Iori didn’t reply.
He just stared fixedly at me.
It wasn’t the smile he made when eating a parfait.
Nor was it the worried face he made when people gossiped about him behind his back.
He held a sword in its scabbard in his left hand, looking at me completely expressionless.
I channeled magic power into my scarf and walked toward Iori.
The shadow in Iori’s form silently drew the sword from its scabbard and let the scabbard drop.
The scabbard fell toward the ground due to gravity, but it made no sound.
The moment it touched the earth, it vanished into tiny black particles.
Next, he turned the tip of the black blade toward me.
I kicked off the ground and extended my scarf.
Seeing this, Iori generated a magic circle in his right hand and fired it at me.
“Haha, you use magic too?”
Well, of course.
The opponent was Iori, a mass of infinite possibilities.
The fireball that materialized flew straight at me.
However, I repelled it with my Third Hand and took a step forward.
It wasn’t just fire.
Water, wind, earth, and even light.
Judging from this situation…
“It’s the Magic Swordsman style Hijiri Iori.”
Hijiri Iori had infinite possibilities.
You could specialize purely in physical combat as a close-range expert, or in magic as a long-range expert.
Although not quite on the level of the former and current Saints, he could use recovery magic and wield various weapons like bows, spears, and whips.
Among them, I thought the Magic Swordsman type was the most balanced.
It was easy to use because it handled both physical attacks and magic.
The only difficulty was that it was easy to hit a wall halfway through the game on a first playthrough.
Even so, it was probably the protagonist’s inherent power that made everything above average.
Indeed, it was strong.
“However, Hijiri Iori isn’t just at this level.”
There’s no way he’s this weak.
If we’re talking purely about possibilities, the only one who could learn enough magic and skills to compete with him is Nanami.
However, I had a power that Iori didn’t.
I had the power to freely manipulate my scarf.
The real Iori was… even stronger.
He would grow stronger and appear before me.
But was it okay to lose to this?
Furthermore, I was going to challenge existences far above him; was it okay to lose here?
There was no way it was okay.
“It’s an overwhelming victory.
I have to win overwhelmingly.”
This was Iori’s shadow.
Not Iori.
The Iori I aimed to surpass was the Iori who would become the absolute strongest.
Right now, Iori was growing slowly but surely.
His foundation was being firmly built.
In the future, I intended to introduce him to more and more Dungeons suited to his growth.
Without a doubt, I was stronger right now.
Yes, I was stronger for the time being.
However, Iori was about to close the gap.
In fact, I’d be in trouble if he didn’t close the gap.
It was necessary to guide all the heroines to a Happy End.
I, too, had to become even stronger.
That was why I intended to conquer the 40th floor of the Tsukuyomi Academy Dungeon in a single week.
“What’s wrong, fake?
Are you still there?”
The shadow’s magic was too thin.
The shadow’s sword was too light.
I had already seen through its blade.
You aren’t Iori.
Don’t imitate Iori.
I used my scarf to defend, and readied my Battoujutsu.
How many times had it attacked?
When the shadow swung its sword at me, I repelled it with the scarf, and using that momentum to execute a full spin, I drew my katana.
The stored magic power exploded, obliterating the shadow.
I didn’t look at the fading shadow again.
I walked toward the newly appeared teleportation magic circle.
There was an item I wanted to get immediately to reach the ridiculously high goal I had set.
I wanted it no matter what.
For that, I would challenge the Tsukuyomi Academy Dungeon.
It was only one week.
But it would be a long, long, and grueling week.
No, that didn’t matter right now.
I had something else to do.
“I have to go to Senpai.”
─★✩Yukine’s Point of View✩★─
The first time I thought I could never beat Suzune-onee-san was when I reached the age where I could understand the world around me.
It was when I was swinging a small wooden stick, imitating my parents who ran a sword and archery dojo.
When I saw my sister, who was two years older, sparring with my father, I wanted to fight too.
I couldn’t win, no matter how many times I tried.
Even as a child, I was impressed, thinking, Onee-chan is amazing.
Maybe it was just because of the age gap.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize it was my sister’s sheer talent, and to know that I could never surpass her for the rest of my life.
And as if to prove that feeling was correct, I never beat my sister even once after that.
When the shadow took her stance, she kicked off the ground and closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
I swallowed my breath as I received the swinging blade with my naginata.
Just as I thought, it was Onee-san’s swordsmanship.
The swung katana, the approaching blade, was exactly like my sister’s in my memories.
The only difference was that this blade was faster and sharper.
Furious Tempest.
Suzune-onee-san’s continuous assault was exactly as the name implied.
I did everything I could to withstand the high-speed approaching blade.
Even when I tried to escape the effective range of the katana, the shadow immediately closed the distance, leaving no gaps.
When I received an attack using the shaft of my naginata, I pushed her back forcefully, and as she lost her balance, I leaped backward.
Then, while gripping my naginata, I prepared to use water magic—a water sphere.
Seeing this, the shadow grew cautious, stopped her advance, and backed away.
“It’s just like fighting Monika-kaichou.”
Just shooting it like this probably wouldn’t hit.
But even knowing that, I fired the water sphere at her.
The shadow didn’t even dodge.
She looked at the water sphere and swung her katana.
With just that single motion, the water sphere was cleaved in two and burst instantly.
Next, she repositioned her katana as if nothing had happened and slowly approached me.
She walked slowly for the first half of the distance, but it didn’t last.
The shadow suddenly exploded in speed, rushing in to cut me down.
She wanted to make it difficult for me to react by suddenly accelerating after making me accustomed to her slow pace.
I blocked the attack.
But it was a feint.
The shadow kicked my stomach.
In the blink of an eye, a magic circle materialized in front of her, and a spear of ice flew at me from it.
I immediately swung my naginata, shattering the spear.
I dodged the shadow’s follow-up strike, seizing the opening to aim for her arm.
There was a solid response; I genuinely thought I had managed to cut her.
However…
“Why are you completely intact…?”
The shadow I thought I had slashed wasn’t cut at all.
Calm down.
I had to cut her again.
Yes.
The shadow’s attacks were close to the movements of the sister I knew.
So I had to repel, dodge, and find an opening.
“Again, huh?”
I should have been able to cut her.
Yet, the shadow remained unharmed.
I slashed at the shadow several more times, but the result was the same.
It felt like I was fighting a phantom that couldn’t be cut even when struck. This story is hosted at g.com.
I couldn’t think of a single countermeasure.
No matter how many times I thought I had sliced her, the shadow never fell.
Perhaps my distress was transmitted to the shadow.
As if seeing a perfect opportunity, she closed in and bathed me in a torrent of strikes.
At the same time, a stone she kicked up grazed my cheek, and her blade scraped against my clothes.
Before I realized it, I was at a massive disadvantage.
Against the overwhelming rain of attacks, the absolute most I could do was defend.
Oh, it’s always like this, after all.
No matter how hard I tried, Onee-san was always in front of me.
And Monika-kaichou.
And even further ahead of them was Director Marino.
Shion and Fran were beside me.
Takioto and Ludi were chasing right behind me.
Everyone possessed an irreplaceable, monstrous talent.
Why did my sister tell me to be number one?
I couldn’t understand it.
Oh, was the naginata always this heavy?
Was the shadow always this massive?
The shadow looked at me and, for some reason, lowered her katana.
Was I deemed an opponent no longer worth fighting?
Certainly, I had no such value right now…
“Senpai!”
Before I realized it, Takioto was standing at the spot where I had teleported in.
Takioto shouted.
But he didn’t say anything else.
He didn’t even try to move from his spot.
However, his eyes seemed to scream something.
No, he didn’t need to say anything; I already knew what it was.
He believed in me.
Where on earth did that foundation of belief come from?
Looking at Takioto’s face, I remembered the words he had said.
‘Believe in me, please.
If it doesn’t work out and something happens to you, I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life.
So I don’t mind even if you lose on purpose.
Please, challenge it with all your might.’
“Hahaha!”
Even standing in front of my Onee-san, I involuntarily laughed.
The words slipped out.
“Damn idiot, saying something so embarrassing like it’s straight out of a romance novel.”
But why was it?
Why did I feel so much power overflowing from within me?
I glared at the shadow.
This shadow was my sister.
My insurmountable sister.
However, she was only insurmountable to me.
I was being watched.
Right beside Takioto, who continued to challenge the world while completely ignoring the evaluations of others.
I was at a disadvantage until just a moment ago.
But for some reason, I didn’t feel like I was going to lose.
Instead, I thought: What am I doing, losing in a place like this?
Takioto had said it.
It’s difficult for some people and easy for others.
Wasn’t that a hint for this battle?
Suddenly, I realized.
I think this battle was influenced by the will to win.
I was bad at dealing with my sister, so I had subconsciously wondered if I could ever beat her.
I’d never heard of a monster like this.
Did this monster actually exist?
Or maybe they just do.
The Dungeon is mysterious.
No matter what happened, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
What should I do, then?
I had to believe I could win.
But could I beat my sister?
Suddenly, I remembered what Onee-san used to say.
‘Yukine.
Everyone calls me a genius, but I’m human.
Yukine, you are too…’
That’s it.
That’s exactly it.
Onee-san, even though she was a genius, was human.
And…
“I am human, too.”
We were equally human.
There was no reason for her to be insurmountable.
I was going to show her my total power.
If it didn’t work, I’d just have to make Takioto take care of me.
Oh, that sounded quite fun in its own way.
“Hey, Suzune-onee-san.
I’ve been training even after you died.
I’ve been honing my skills.”
I was going to show my sister.
I was going to show Takioto.
This was the path I had walked.
This was my technique.
Please watch.
This is me right now.
Mizumori Yukine.
————★ MagiEx ★————
After Senpai, who had seemed at a disadvantage, saw me, she switched to the offensive.
It looked dramatic, almost one-sided.
To some, it might have even looked like they were fighting on equal footing.
Mizumori Suzune was attacking more often.
However, Senpai dodged the attacks effortlessly.
She had already seen through the pattern.
No matter how much the shadow attacked, it would never hit Senpai.
That’s what I thought.
“Ha!”
This time, Senpai swung her naginata.
She certainly managed to cut the shadow.
However, the shadow immediately reconnected its severed body and swung its weapon.
Unlike me, who was surprised, Senpai saw this and laughed as if she had found a worthy rival.
A flash of a slash accompanied by feints.
I thought the shadow had been split in two, but its body fused back together.
Even when hit by Senpai’s magic, the shadow didn’t seem to take any damage.
Yet, Senpai was laughing.
Even if she couldn’t see the limit of her opponent’s regeneration, she didn’t seem shaken by it at all.
And then, Senpai swung her naginata.
For some reason, it was different from her conventional attacks.
It felt like something had fundamentally changed; every single strike seemed to possess a solid core.
The power was entirely different, too.
Senpai’s attack wouldn’t leave my mind.
That strike didn’t just look like a mere attack to me.
That strike could be called art.
Slashing down, cutting up, thrusting.
Dodging, repelling, blocking.
Some people might think Senpai was dancing after seeing her movements.
But I didn’t think she was dancing.
I felt it was as if Senpai, with her naginata, was painting a masterpiece with her entire body.
Every movement was beautiful.
If you were to freeze the moments like taking a photograph, each frame would be as breathtaking as a master’s painting.
When Senpai slashed upward, repelling Mizumori Suzune’s weapon, I suddenly remembered what Senpai had once told me.
‘Just like swords, katanas, and naginatas, the flash of a blade has a “heart”.’
Ah, perhaps this was it.
That sword flash had a heart within it.
Senpai’s beautiful “heart”, that incredibly honest and straightforward “heart”, had birthed this strike.
Although it was simple, it was somehow violent, yet it possessed a transparent beauty, leaving lingering afterimages in the air long after the swing.
That powerful, violent, and beautiful naginata flash almost looked like a…
“Dragon.
In that attack… a dragon dwells.”
I was completely captivated.
I wanted to swing my katana as beautifully as Senpai.
But could I ever brandish my blade like that?
I could no longer imagine Senpai losing this battle.
And during the clash, Senpai averted her gaze for a fraction of a second to look at me.
It was just a moment.
But I knew exactly what she meant.
‘Watch.’
When Senpai looked back at the shadow before her with a fierce expression, she coated her entire body in magic power.
And the moment the shadow closed in, bringing her katana down toward Senpai, it was unleashed.
The sight was breathtaking.
Thump, thump.
I could hear my own heart beating violently.
Hot tears pricked the corners of my eyes.
If she was going to show me this kind of art, how could I possibly hold them back?
It was a flurry of strikes so fast the eyes couldn’t follow.
Yet, in every single one of those attacks, I saw a dragon.
It contained a dragon within it.
Aah, Senpai had finally learned it.
In this exact moment, she had finally mastered that technique.
It was her.
This was the Super Trio’s Water Dragon Princess who had utterly fascinated me.
Mizumori Yukine’s “Technique”.
And this technique, which would eventually lead to the creation of her Ultimate Art, making Mizumori Yukine one of the three strongest in MagiEx—
—Kuzuryuu (Nine-Headed Dragon)—