Mystic Code Deployment: Bonus Chapters ✨
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This place was once a small forest.Edelweiss's control over her body was nearly perfect. At the beginning of her battle with Okita Souji, she managed to suppress her opponent without causing injury—not even to the surrounding trees. Her sharp sword energy remained tightly focused along the blade, with no leakage whatsoever.
After all, Okita Souji was her most cherished younger sister. Even if this sister was often a source of worry and rarely listened to her, Edelweiss could never bring herself to hurt her. From start to finish, she merely whittled away Okita's stamina and spirit.
What did surprise her, however, was Okita Souji's determination, which far exceeded her expectations.
Every time Edelweiss thought Okita was about to collapse, the girl would rise again. It was a struggle, but she still managed to raise her sword.
"Souji... has grown stronger."
But it wasn't enough.
No matter how many times Okita stood back up, Edelweiss only needed a single swing to knock her down again.
A vision unsupported by strength was nothing but an empty dream.
While Okita Souji had indeed grown stronger, it wasn't enough to satisfy Edelweiss or prove that she deserved to leave her sister's protection and soar freely in a broader sky.
Until... Edelweiss saw Okita adopt the Hira Seigan stance.
This would be the final strike.
Just as Okita Souji understood Edelweiss, Edelweiss also understood her sister.
Edelweiss recognized this technique as Okita's ultimate sword—the culmination of her life's training.
Their first encounter had begun with this very strike.
So, if she broke it with the same overwhelming strength as before... Souji would return to her side, wouldn't she?
With that thought, Edelweiss instinctively tightened her grip on her sword.
Okita advanced, step by step.
The third step would bring the ultimate slash—a fleeting instant that transcended time and space.
But as the sword finally descended, Edelweiss's expression changed.
Something was wrong!
Her instincts as a swordsman compelled her to abandon all restraint. The demonic power that manipulated the threads of fate surged to its peak.
The pinnacle of swordsmanship and the force of causality erupted simultaneously, a surge so powerful it reverberated across the world, causing all Demons to take notice.
But Edelweiss had no time to care about any of that.
In the moment Okita Souji's blade fell, Edelweiss saw a pure, unblemished world.
A white so vast it encompassed all things, yet seemed to contain nothing.
At the center of this void stood a single figure.
"Sou... ji?"
The person looked exactly like Okita Souji but with slight differences.
Her skin was slightly darker, her hair wasn't the bright cherry blossom pink Edelweiss knew but a flawless silver-white, as pure as the world surrounding her.
And her hair... it was incredibly long, cascading down to her ankles.
Edelweiss stared in a daze as this other Souji raised her impossibly long sword and carved a mark that seemed to contain all the truths of the universe.
That mark slowly overlapped with the sword strike Okita Souji was delivering.
By the time Edelweiss regained consciousness, she was lying on the ground.
The once lush forest had been completely flattened, reduced to nothing but bare earth—a result of Edelweiss unleashing her full power in response to Okita Souji's final attack.
Even the surrounding space and fate bore traces of her sword, lingering marks that were slowly repairing themselves.
She stared blankly at the sky, unfazed even by the bright sun overhead.
Okita Souji was no longer there—probably off to make it to the competition on time.
Honestly, just leaving your big sister lying here like this...
"What a disobedient little sister..."
Her eyes gazed upward, but her mind lingered on that pure white world and the figure within it.
"A sword cutting through time from a distant future... How extraordinary."
For a moment, Edelweiss felt lost.
At a time like this... what expression should she wear?
Well... she should smile, shouldn't she?
After all... that was her proud little sister.
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When Ikki Kurogane arrived, he already looked incredibly battered.
But Okita Souji's entrance managed to outdo him in terms of misery.
Like Ikki, she was covered in dust. Her once-lustrous cherry blossom hair was a tangled mess, and if one looked closely, there was still blood at the corner of her mouth.
She walked in with her sword in hand, each step slow and labored. It was as if every three seconds, she had to summon the strength to take another step. She hobbled across the arena, her unsteady gait making the spectators worry she might collapse at any moment.
Her arms, thighs, and clothes bore alarming traces of blood.
And yet, she came.
Just as Ikki had believed, she would.
Though her figure swayed, her steps on the stage were firm.
It was almost absurd—how could someone in such a tattered state hope to fight?
Yet no one in the audience laughed.
What drove her forward? Something so beautiful, so awe-inspiring, so unyielding.
Having witnessed it firsthand, the only emotion that remained was reverence.
Finally, the two equally exhausted fighters stood face to face on the battlefield and exchanged smiles.
"Why do you look so terrible, Ikki?"
"And you're one to talk?"
Both of them, battered and weak, couldn't help but laugh at the sight of each other.
Would they wonder how the other ended up like this? Perhaps. But that had nothing to do with the battle they were about to fight.
"To be honest, I'm a little disappointed," Okita said, straightening her back as she glanced at the helicopters overhead and the enormous screens displaying the arena.
The originally enclosed stadium now provided a clear view of the sky.
Ikki remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"We finally get to have a proper duel, and all this unnecessary stuff is in the way."
"And on top of that, we're both in this sorry state."
"Yeah, in this miserable state."
"Ha."
The two of them didn't look like opponents about to clash swords; an air of camaraderie hung between them.
"Hey, Ikki, how much strength do you have left?"
"Enough for one swing, at most."
"Funny. Same here. I might not even manage one."
"That's... not ideal."
"Right? It's really bad. I'm struggling just to hold this sword up..."
To prove her point, Okita gripped her sword with both hands, aiming its tip at Ikki with great effort.
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T/N: I love the arc but please end soon...I'm getting tired fact checking and correcting names and stuff
If you notice anything that feels off, just let me know—I don't mind fixing things up.
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