*
There is no need to endure the pain, there is no need to be conservative with magic. She had ascended into a God magical girl, her well's limit was no longer an issue. Then all that's left... Was to dedicate everything to her attacks.
"... Tch, have you managed to get serious?" (Arasovi)
Her opponent in a short black with purple edges and a black one piece dress closes the distance. From a nearer perspective, the black frilly edges of her thigh highs were no longer visible under her skirt, her dark eye circles were more pronounced under the evident disgust of her visage. Stray strands of dark purple flitter through the air, some laying atop her dress, others hanging in the void.
The 4 flaps of her dress expands outwards like the petals of a flower, or 4 overlaying black angel wings laying stop one another. Her collar's texture also became far more visible at this distance, wrapping snuggly around her neck with inner cushioning while connecting to her backless dress. Her thin pale arm looked incredibly frail, yet it rose into the air with an incredible presence as it conjured a purplish black light, gradually the light shaped up together into a club... Then it sharpened and refined into a large blade.
She lifted the great sword without so much as a single drop of sweat, swinging it effortlessly as if there were no longer any laws of inertia to bind down its supposed weight. Well, the weight of weapons were never a problem for magical girls.
With a single swing, the great sword was already swung down. Ledia's torso was bisected for a moment, before she realised she was cut and retreated some distance. Arasovi appears behind her once more, multiple intersecting cuts appear on Ledia's waists, bursting into geisers of blood.
"Tch! She got stronger?! " (Ledia)
***
"Ay, I guess our business is confined here, unless of course... You want to turn your back to me...?" (Kaori)
"... What the hell... Have you been through? We couldn't be anymore different. But I'll still kill you." (Kaori alternative)
White dress and reddish black dress, polar opposites with minor changes such as the shape of their frills... But pretty much the same individuals. Kaori closes the distance, before anyone noticed... They had both materialised their rapiers and were clashing blades. Kaori had infringe into Kaori alternative's personal space, her right arm crushing her rapier against her neck, while Kaori alternative held her rapier at an awkward angle in an attempt to ward off Kaori's.
Sparks fly inbetween the rapier. Kaori couldn't defeat the destroyers for the simple fact that there were initially 10 of them, but now that Ledia had destroyed their numerical superiority... Kaori won't have any problems picking off at least one of them.a rapier materialises in her other arm, barely intercepted by Kaori alternative who did the same in the nick of time. At present, Kaori was invading her personal space and messing with her stance.
Take half a step back, spin with the 2 rapiers. Kaori alternative defends against the spin but suffers a powerful kick to her abdomen that sends her flying. With a single swing at the flying target, Kaori bisects the world in half, her slash carving into Kaori alternative's flesh no matter the distance. She regenerates and closes the distance to normal Kaori, swinging her rapier up... To block a thrust attack. Normal Kaori was fully capable of taking control of the pace of battle, pushing Kaori alternative around into a defensive battle.
A defensive style was awful in a battle between God magical girls, since every stat was infinite, it was simply better to keep attacking until the enemy was beaten into submission. Kaori then raised a rapier into the sky, forcing Kaori alternative to be vigilant against the next attack. But rather than swinging down an overhead attack with her rapier... Kaori sent down the Veil of Determinism. A massive pillar of black falls from the heavens and crushes every cell in Kaori alternative's body, she felt like she was in a pressure cooker.
Kaori alternative throws her own Veil of Determinism, sending the pillar against Kaori's from below instead, she then materialises a new rapier. In a single swing, she cuts Kaori's veil in half and sends a flying slash against her, which was promptly parried by Kaori's own rapier. Normal Kaori then swung overhead, smashing against Kaori alternative's rapier in a brutal competition of strength, their rapiers clatter against one another as they exert their strength into the handles.
Kaori then swings her leg for a high kick which was stopped by Kaori alternative's knee, she then bends her rapier and walks closer to swing her left fist for a powerful cross. Kaori alternative kicks high, smashing into the elbow and deflecting the cross punch. Kaori then drops her rapier with immediate ease... And slams her right fist into Kaori alternative's jaw, before she swung her rapier and separates Kaori from the collar to her waist.
Kaori vanishes and reappears behind her with a completely regenerated body, slicing through the air with her left arm. Kaori alternative turns around and grabs the left arm, pulling it closer with her own left arm. Kaori bends her left arm downwards and punches over it with her right arm. Kaori alternative dodges at the last moment, but the right punch grazed and broke a chunk of flesh off her neck. Wrapping around her right arm, Kaori alternative swung her own right arm to land a devastating strike at Kaori's face.
Without rest, at the same time as Kaori alternative's punch, Kaori slices her leg into Kaori alternative's jaw, pushing each other away for a metre. Kaori throws a left kick which was caught and sliced apart with a rapier, Kaori closes the distance with her remaining leg. Kaori alternative cuts Kaori in half by separating her at the waist while Kaori rests her right arm on her Kaori alternative'shoulder, as if in an embrace... And pierces Kaori alternative's neck with her own rapier that was newly materialised.
Swinging her arm, Kaori alternative blows out a chunk of Kaori's waist and chest, shattering her ribcage and spine into powder and leaving a large chunk of her body missing. Kaori herself did not heed it as she also swung her arm, blowing away Kaori alternative's neck, spine and chest, leaving her arms separated from her body as the top half of her torso was disintegrated.
"Not bad." (Kaori)
"Same to you." (Kaori alternative)
"Did you think that was enough? I've only used [Hollow calamity] so far." (Kaori)
"Did you think I wasn't doing the same...?" (Kaori alternative)
They confront each other's feelings, probing and determining the truth... And the truth was that, they were disgustingly similar. She didn't want to admit it, but their fighting styles were essentially the same. Both Kaoris had full confidence that they would win, they simply thought the other to be more of a nuisance now than ever.
"How's Myuu?" (Kaori alternative)
"She's fine, no thanks to you. How's yours? Dead?" (Kaori)
"..." (Kaori alternative)
Kaori craned her neck to face straight at Kaori alternative, her cheeks stretched to rub in an ugly mug, a vile smile and a mockery of Kaori alternative's entire world. She was just an alternate timeline version of her who gave up and joined the destroyers, that or she destroyed her own world herself out of whatever reason. But the point still stands.
"Did you hate your world?" (Kaori)
A stark contrast, the only sheer difference between the two. A divergence of their fate that lead to a world of a difference, only others would notice their difference, but these 2 are too full of themselves to realise these differences themselves.
Did Kaori alternative's world... Perhaps deserved to go? Was it so detestable that destruction was the only tolerable option?
"It took Myuu..." (Kaori alternative)
"..." (Kaori)
Her smile vanished, leaving behind nothing but a grimace. Her true nature put on display, a self depreciating smug took ahold of Kaori alternative's face as she leers at Kaori's emotions. Knowing the reason, Kaori couldn't help but feel pity for her, which Kaori alternative easily saw true without much effort. But if anything... Kaori alternative would rather their positions be reversed...
That was something normal Kaori fundamentally realised and understood from the start. No matter the reason, would it not be better to have a world that isn't destroyed? Would it not be better to have a world full of unlimited possibilities, culminating into the coincidence and fate of normal life? Like a foreign ballet with no known moves, a show of beauty that cannot be grasp but can be appreciated.
"I don't think I should tell you... Nor do you need a reminder, but....
It is not your place to care." (Kaori alternative)
Kaori alternative showed her true nature as well, both of them can't help but leak their inherent kindness to each other, even behind all the jabs and ridicule. Because if it's anything they learned after their respective journeys... It was to respect and cherish themselves the most. In other words, self preservation... Or even arrogance. An ego that could only be birthed and collided against oneself as alternate versions of one person meet...
It was a competition of the ego, sparing no courtesy they ram up their show of dominance and attempt to put down the other, through even soft power. But while impactful, this sort of show between them would definitely be short lasting. Because their favourite conversation was through their fists. Kaori alternative swings down an overhead swing, and Kaori swings her blade from under and from the side.
Their rapiers clashed once more, birthing flame and incessant sparks like countless earthquakes compressed into one devastating bout of planetary destruction. The shock waves resulting from between their rapiers were just enough to cause a galaxy to roar, but were perfectly suppressed by their magic.
They pull back their rapiers, tearing through the air with their edges with a loud bass sound as their movements leave abrupt vacuums in space, leaving air and space to rush in fill the gaps. Cutting through space and time, the space rushes back to fill the cut first with a bellowing thunderous thud, then air rushes in leaving behind a similarly cacophonous echo. They swing their rapiers once more, black and white intersect, their combat dresses dance similarly like swans of opposite colours crossing feathers.
Their crossing blades result in a flurry, a storm of sharp edges piercing spacetime and shredding through the opposing side's strength. Kaori hops to the side, slamming her rapier down then pulling back to swing towards the right, Kaori alternative meets the swings with her own strength, matching her skill and tenacity at every point. This match really wasn't going to end anytime soon.
Kaori erases the distance between them, forcing a closer confrontation of their blades while using her left fist to supplement her assault. Their blades clashed then their fist, but throwing it earlier and at a better angle, Kaori alternative was sent gliding through the air backwards. Kaori swings her rapier from below, then punches Kaori alternative's belly with her left fist. Kaori alternative pins down and penetrates the left fist with her rapier, then slams Kaori's jaw with a kick.
Kaori tears her left arm out of the rapier and inches closer with her own rapier, forcing Kaori alternative to materialise a new rapier. Kaori thrusts straight and upwards, to which Kaori alternative swings down her rapier and uses the momentum to bounce forward and to the side. Kaori catches her face with her foot by swinging high, then cuts her in half down the middle with her rapier. Kaori alternative splits for a moment then regenerates back to normal after vanishing and reappearing for a moment.
She swings her rapier from the side which is caught by normal Kaori's parry, then throws her knee. Kaori appears behind her, turning around to swing down her rapier. Kaori alternative blocks it with a lateral hold, causing a loud high pitched reverberation akin to glass smashing against one another.
"You're not letting up." (Kaori alternative)
"Neither are you, shall we dance forever?" (Kaori)
Their cold eyes reflect the expression of the other, identical complexions by the texture, as if staring into the perfect unblemished mirror. Neither of their visage could betray anything, full mastery over composure and battle, they test each other's mettle while exhibiting the exact same proficiency. It was like siting on a see saw that would never move, their voice grew cold, more monotonous and less moving. Like synthesised voices, they spoke with an artificial tone that was frigid and devoid of warmth.
There's no need to show any warmth to your own copy, they understand one another without words, rather it was extremely creepy to have your own feelings completely known by the other. That's why... There's no need for any pretense, the only thing that would satisfy the two... Would be taking the neck of the other.
"Die." (Both)