Jayr POV - Tortus, Frost Caverns of See - 2013

  After dealing with the whispers, the only annoyance left in this long mirror-house-like passage is the frost ogres ing after us sporadically, along with the annoying traps that were clearly meant to make us drop our tration and signifitly increased the danger, but of course, all these little trick are destio fail in front of our overwhelming strength.

  And after walking for another hour, we finally discover a rge room at the end of the passage, indig the end of this long and annoying passage.

  Ihe room, there are gigantic gates that have a design a lot simir to the previously sealed doors we saw, but because the gates have where something be ied, uhe previously sealed doors of the maze, it seems that we won't o gh the trouble of doing something like colleg gems one more time.

  I check the pass, and it seems there was no mistake about this pce being oal.

  Seeing that, Tio lets out a sigh of relief and ents, "Fuu, looks like we finally made it. These gates are the goal. However…" Eri nods and cludes, "Un… it's obviously suspicious."

  I carefully look around and add, "At times like this. You would normally expect to be attacked once you reach this point... It is a cssic..." at the same time, I use all my seo search for the presence of enemies, but I sehing.

  So I say, "Well, I don't sense anything... So there is only ohio do. Walk inside atacked..." and without hesitation, I walk ahead as the vanguard, while Eri and Tio follht behind me.

  Then, when we reach the ter of the room, sure enough, it happens, a bright light almost like the sun starts to pour down from the ceiling, increasing the brightness of the whole room, and not only it produces light, but it also gees enough heat to warm up this freezing room.

  While I focus on the "sun", I hear Eri's voiext to me as she says, "… Jayr. The surroundings." the moment, I take my eyes off the false sun and start to look around us ahat all the surroundings are glittering.

  The light ing through the spray of snow overhead is reflected on the ice crystals in the air, giving an effect I'm quite familiar with, so I mutter, "Diamond dust..."

  However, pared to natural diamond dust, something is off.

  The glittering is obviously far too inte feels as though there are tless mps floating in the air, moreover, one part of the ice shard is shining increasingly bright moment by moment, they are obviously gathering the heat from the false sun, and they are about to discharge it.

  Of course, I won't allow us to be attacked by such a trap that could put us in a disadvantaged position, so without hesitation, I cast a Saecuria Viverra (Worldly Pull), and with it, I manipute the attractive force to gather together all the diamond dust in the shape of a sphere that tio shine brighter and brighter about to erupt at any moment, then I quickly jump to get close to the fake sun and unleash a Spēion Mikron Bary Men, obliterating the false sun together with the sphere of diamond dust with a small sized swirling bck hole, dealing with this trap in one swoop.

  As I nd, Tio gives me a thumbs up and says, "Good job, Master. Now we deal with what is about to e without the interference of those ice shards, something tells me that they could be very annoying to deal with..."

  And Eri adds, "But, this thiow tio fall, and it is starting to impair my normal vision... I have to use the gsses to see what lies ahead..."

  Hearing that, I look around ahat it is true, so muow is falling that it is being difficult to see beyond a few meters and nod, then looking at the gates at the end of the room, I say, "Let's not waste any more time and go!" and we all calmly walk toward them.

  But just as expected, as soon as we reach the ter of the room, from the still falling snow, three lumps of ice, each the size of a car, e falling down.

  They look fairly heavy and ohey crash on the ground, they break it and create some craters in it.

  The big ice lumps are so transparent that the other side be seen, but in the heart of those ice lumps there are dark red crystals, 'Their purpose is easy to guess. Those are the cores...'

  At the same time, Eri clicks her tongue and says, "Tsk. Perfect molem... I had enough of them in Miledy's Labyrinth..."

  Then as if ag accly, the shape of the lumps of ice immediately ge and turn into human-like forms of five meters ih, they hold a halberd in one hand, and a tower shield iher, short and stout, just like golems, they line up to block the exit.

  Looking at them I say, "There are three of them, one for each of us..." Eri raises her staff and says, "I take the one on the left..." while Tio also takes her bat stand decres, "This one will deal with the one on the right..."

  At the same time, I bring out my Tactical Arms in its Sword Form and say, "Then the one in the middle is mine... But be careful, the effects of the pret passage could still be here, do not lower yuard..."

  Hearing that, the girls nod, and theart their assaults on the golems, the first to make a move is Tio as she unleashes her Dragoh at the golem on the right, pushing it back by a few meters, but uo damage it as the tower shield held by those frost golems are more solid that they appear, as even if it is half melted, it was able to withstand Tio's Dragoh and protect the golem behind it.

  At the same time, Eri summons her Undead Puppets from her shadow and soon they rush toward the frost golem on the left and start to keep it occupied long enough to allow Eri to find an opening to give the fatal blow.

  And while the girls start their fight against their frost golems, I rush toward mihat it also moves toward me with its tower shield raised but it's very slow and its heavy weight makes the ground tremble, and as it rushes forward, it sprays the snow on the ground all around, making its appearance very fierce.

  Once close enough, the frost golem swipes its ice halberd, which is nearly transparent, aiming to cut my body in half, but I lean my upper body forward and dodge its attack making the halberd axe head pass over my head by a few timeters but even so, I still feel the strong wind geed by such attadig that the power behind it is nothing to scoff off, then without wasting any moment, I attack the frost golem with a diagonal upward ssh, hitting the tower shield of the golem that breaks uhe immense fory attack, but still it is able to protect the frost golem, that is now thrown off the ground.

  But even in mid-air, the frost golem is relentless in its attack, and this time, it thrusts the halberd, aiming to pierce my chest with its tip, of course, it is a futile attempt because I take advantage of the trifugal fory previous attack to turn my body and dodge the attack.

  Then I jump toward the frost golem that still has to pull back the halberd, and with a decisive vertical ssh, I cut it in half, of course cutting the core within it at the same time, destroying it ond for all, but then, the frost golem's two parts breaks into many little pieces, and start swirling around.

  That whirl quickly bees a spiral that looks like a tornado and stretches in a straight line, like an eye of a typhoon, there isn't a single ice fragment ihe ter of the spiral, and then, ahead of the spiral there is the door that is oal

  Seeing this I mutter, "So this is to protect those that pleted this trial from the attacks of the diamond dust that I have destroyed, but also to separate the ohat successfully cleared this trial from the others so that they 't go ahem... Cssic Labyrinth stuff..."

  Then I use my seo che Eri and Tio and feel, that Tio has just destroyed her frost golem with a barrage of fireballs, while Eri's frost golem is now being held still by her Undead Puppets, and Eri is about to release what Oscar likes to call the Super Gsses Beam, a ser shoot by the gsses that use the light a gathered throughout the day.

  Seeing that they are fine, I calmly walk toward the goal at the end of this tornado and wait for them in front of the door, I don't have to wait for long, as soon, both Eri and Tio are standing in front of me perfectly fine, and I greet them with a hug for Eri and a loud sp ot for Tio whicites another sensual moan.

  But soon because all the members had passed through the snow veil and gathered in front of the gate, the snow veil once more rose into the sky and the field of vision cleared up.

  And then the gigantic gate that should bee the entrance shines brilliantly as though inf us of clearing the trial, but it didn't open, but begin to form a membrane of light, and seeing that Tio ents, "Looks like, this membrane of light is turning into the entrance." followed by Eri, "… It resembled a gate. A teleport entrao which I nod and say, "Very likely... There is also the possibility that we would be separated like in Haltina's Labyrinth... so be careful oher side..."

  Then Eri asks, "No spoiler?", but I shake my head and reply, "I just took a quice at the Great Labyrinth se of the wiki, I only remember the part about the whispers because I thought it was quite peculiar..."

  Hearing that, Eri nods, then mutters, "To think that there is out there a universe where my whole life be found on Wikipedia..."

  Seeing that everyone doesn't o rest and recover, I say, "Now the's go." along with my words, we all leap into the gate of light, and as I'm momentarily blinded, I once more, feel the familiar sensation of my surrounding suddenly ging.

  When the brighthat dyed my field of visioled, I slowly open my eyes, at the same time, my other senses, quickly picked up what happened, so I mutter, "… So we got divided. Well, it's within expectation... Rule number 1 when diving in a Great Labyrinth: Expect to be pyed around in all kinds of twisted ways..." then I start to check my surroundings.

  When my gaze wanders around, I see that I'm in some kind of narrow passage, ihis two-meter passage there are more mirrors in all four dires like a mirror house, my figure is reflected at my left, right, up, and down, even when I turn to look back there is only a wall, 'There isn't a sihing that seems to be ara is a pce where I only advance forward...'

  Realizing this, I advahout aation, as the sound of my footsteps walking on the mirror-like ice reverberated all around.

  And after walking on this straight path without stopping for about 10 minutes, I finally reach a rge room with a huge pilr that ects the ceiling and the floor in the ter, simir to the mirror-like ice wall, the round ice pilr also reflects my image perfectly.

  Looking at that pilr I mutter, "There is no other passage… that means, that ice pilr is the key to the rial..."

  And so I walk closer to the ice pilr, its diameter is rge, so my refle on it isn't distorted even when I'm right in front of it, it was like one more me es from the world ihe mirror, and the clet, the rger my refle figure gets.

  Finally, I'm close enough that I touch the ice pilr with my hand, and study my image reflected in it, a tall and muscur young man, with messy dark blue hair and crimson eyes, indig the current use of my Magic Power, wearing some simple clothes, and with the Crateris Pandora Box still on my shoulders, looking at my image, especially my hair, I 't help but ent, "Damn... As long as I visit anime universes, such color, and Saiyan-like hairstyles won't draw too much attention... well, to tell the truth, not even in a normal universe, after all before I died the people dyed their hair in all kinds of colors, in fact, it is a very old human habit."

  Then scratg my hair, I tihe only problem will be if I find myself in a universe where such color is way too unusual and attracts too much of the wrong kind of attention, and by that, I mean my felloions, especially the same kind as the te Maoshi, may his soul end up in Boku no Piiverse."

  Suddenly, a voice, I'm already quite familiar with resounds, [That's pretty cruel, you know?] I look at my figure ing out of the ice pilr and mutter, "As expected, it es out..."

  My mirror image looks at me, and with a smile on his face, he asks, [As expected you are calm, eh? I am just as expected?] I calmly smile bad reply, "e on, I have read and watched so many anime and manga, that something as fighting a mirror self became a staple, do I have to list a few of them?"

  My mirror self puts his Pandora Box on the ground and sitting on it he says, [Well, I'm curious now...] so I mirror his stand sit in front of him, then I say, "Well, the closest to our current situation are Bleach, where Ichigo fights his Inner Hollow, and Naruto, where Naruto fights against his Dark Self to learn to trol Kurama's Chakra... In fact, it is something I prepared for a long time. No matter what, I always try to face the darkest and most hidden parts of myself and accept them as well... part of me... no matter how ugly or disturbing they be."

  Hearing that, my mirror image smirks and says, [So that is why I feel so weak, for you this kind of trial is useless... As expected of me...] then he smiles and says, [Well, at least, I don't have to get beaten up by you... Especially since you t on your Cloth, while mine is just a pale dead imitation...] and as he says this he pats the Pandora Box, at the same time, I mirror his movement and says, "Well, with Crateris by my side I'm basically uable... To really harm me with it one o use enough power to erase this whole universe..."

  Then my mirror image gets up and spreads his arms wide, and with a calm smile on his face, he says, [Well, do it quickly... they could need your help...] I nod and walk in front of him and without hesitation, I punch him in the chest, and the instant, my mirror image explodes into many small bright lights, then I pick up the Pandora Box and walk toward the newly geed door oher side of this room, at the same time, I mutter, "That was weird... And more important, in the eyes of the w is that sidered a suicide or a murder...?"

  While thinking about su ihing, I walk through the door and find myself in another long ice-mirrored corridor just like the previous one, "After this, I don't want to see a mirror for a week... At the very least."

  And as I said this, I tio adva a quick pace worried about the girls, especially Eri as she is for sure the oh the greatest darkness among us, but then I realize, 'Wait! Eri is quite aware of her own dark side, hell, I'm sure that she lets her dark side take trol from time to time, the grooming of Noriko is a clear sign of it... That freaking ghost is being stronger and stro is now able to create her own curses, and she basically worships Eri...'

  After a few minutes, I see another door in front of me, and without hesitation, open it, and I'm instantly assaulted by shockwaves and torrents of magic power, then looking inside, I see the figure of two Tios, both of them raising one of their hands while firing bd pure white fshes at each other.

  The opposing two colored fshes are g right from the front in the middle of Tio and the mirror image of Tio wearing white kimonos and hair that is white like snow.

  The two fshes are swallowing each other. and the shockwaves I felt are the result of the collision of the twon's Breaths, at the same time, I hear Mirror Tio say, [Fufufu, I feel it. Thy hatred and rage. The fear and resignation. No matter how many hundreds of years has passed, that tragedy that ot be fotten, the betrayal of the people thy protected as easily as flipping over one's hand, the gazes of s and fright, the murder of thy rades, friends, parents, the humiliation carved on their corpse.] and such decration is met with silence, as she seems to relive her worst memories.

  I look at Tio with worry, uain if I should rush in to help or wait, then I look in the middle of the space that is dyed with white and bck fshes ahe mirror image of Tio that is floating with a repugnant smile while talking with a voice that is resounding with excessive crity, and after a few seds, I decide to fully trust Tio's capabilities, 'Even if most of the times, she acts like a pervert, I have to remember that she is also one of the wisest people of this world, moreover, she also was ued by the whispers of the previous trial...'

  While I was thinking that, Mirror Tio tinues, [O thee. At that time, it was quite an exhirating feeling, wasn't it? Remember, that time when thou smashed the churto dust? Even in that time of great persecution, the fellows who ered us and united all the tries together against us were the church. Trampling the hateful enemy, it was an indescribable pleasure wasn't it?]

  Hearing those words, Tio doesn't even try to protest, she is only staying quiet and keeps firing her breath, it is as though she is affirming the words of her mirror image.

  Perhaps getting into a good mood because of that, the tongue of the mirror image of Tio is getting increasingly smoother, as she tinues, [At first, evehou thought of going together with Jayr Pucci, actually what thou actually thought was to 'use' him correct? The power of that man is way too abnormal. Moreover, it khe truth about the mastermind behind that i and wao deal with him. And, in that case, the mastermind of that great persecution that unnaturally started suddenly, the god too, would surely direct his attention at him. And then, just like what he did at the dragon who once possessed power, the god would also bare his fang at him again. When that happen, the fang of Jayr Pucci would be directed at the god too, it might be of assistance for the killing of god, that was what thou thought].

  Hearing that, I smile while thinking, 'Of course that is something, I already knew... When we first met that was exactly what Tio was thinking and pnning, one doesn't live for 500 years to be a totally clueless idiot... Unless, it is a Cultivator from a ese Novel, damn, no matter how many eons they live, they always make the same kind of mistakes...'

  It seems that Tio noticed my presence, as she sends a g me, but on her face, there is ion visible at all, not even cheerfulness, or her joking smile, or her kindness, or the light of intelleone of those are reflected there, but even so, I still look at her with the same gentle smile trying to make my feelings reach her.

  Meanwhile, Mirror Tio still tinues, [Human, demi-human, the devil, and then god. At that time, thou hate everything who stole those important for thou. But, that hatred, rage, those are something natural for thou to have. Yes, revenge, is thy legitimate right!] at the same time, the white fsh is slightly beginning to swallow the bck fsh.

  The baween them begins to crumble, perhaps that is because the words of the mirror image are shaking the heart of Tio, at the same time, the mouth of the mirror image of Tio distorts in a grin looking at the weakerength of Tio while, slowly, she presents her hand that isn't releasing the Dragoh and says, [Take my hand. If thou do that, I will ehou to aplish that reve's fine already to not forcefully repress the hell fire sm ihy heart. Thy fang of revenge won't dull because of the torment of thy sce. I will skillfully lead Jayr Puco worry, that man too is not thinking unfavorably of me. He is a sweet man toward anyone who has entered his heart. And we already did so.]

  The momentum of the white breath is increasingly getting stronger, and the bck breath is getting weaker as though expressing Tio's heart, but I still look at this calmly, because I clearly see something in Tio's eyes, and it isn't resignation, fury, or thirst for revenge.

  The white fsh is just about to hit, but, at that time when it seems that Tio would fall, suddenly a voice resounds, that is the voice of Tio who until now hadn't said even a single word, "We, don't know the meaning of our owence."

  It is a calm voice, rather than calling that talking, it is more like ascertaining something inside oneself, "Is this body a beast, or man? If everything in this world has meaning then where is that answer could be."

  Hearing that, the mirror image notices something and leaks out a murmur, [Those words…] at the same time, I notice how the progress of the breath she fired stopped still.

  Meanwhile, Tio tinues, "Many months and years without an answer. In that case, whether man or beast, we will hold our soul with determination."

  And as the bck fsh starts moving forward, Mirror Tio excims, [-, my strength…, impossible, just what in the world, starts this?]

  With hard effort the white was dyed bck, the stolen distance was stolen back, and I clearly sehe mirror image weakening along with her pushed-back breath.

  While this happens, the sonorous words of Tio resound so clearly that they gradually even overwhelm the thunderous roar of the breaths pying out, "The eyes ohrough the straight truth, destroyi and suspi. The cw of the dragon tears apart the rampart of steel, crushing the ing malice. The fang of the dragon ches one's own weakness, washing away hatred and rage. Benevole the time that is lost, we are merely a beast. Be that as it may, as long as we tio wield the sword of reason, we are the Dragonman!"

  Then Tio opens her eyes wide together with her procmation, her pupil split vertically and showed her inner dragon, shining brilliantly in golden color.

  At the same time, an invisible pressure is overflowing from Tio, s that a weaker being would probably fall on his knees or even pass out, in fact, if it wasn't for the fact that I'm in the Arifureta Universe, I would have thought that she just awakened her queror Haki.

  Meanwhile, the mirror image's expression turns into a shocked look as she excims, [… Don't tell me, thou. Thou were holding back?]

  Hearing that, I shake my head and say, "No, Tio is trolling the weakening and strengthening of her mirror image with her own mind. She is basically trolling her owions so that the mirror image's strength is at her desired level... It isn't something a regur person do."

  At the same time, Tio says, "O will of the great byrinth. I thank thou. A ce to listen objectively to one's own true heart objectively ot be found that easily. Because the heart, is something like a vast sea, perhaps there is a gap created while I myself don't notice it and so I made use of thou but… uedly, I collect quite a harvest here."

  Those words cause the mirror image to prehend that her assumption is corred her expression turns increasingly unbelieving, [… But, there is no falsehood in what I said! There is no way thy false emotion is gone! Why I'm this easily-.]

  But to such words, Tio narrows her eyes, then she unleashes her full might.

  The sleeves of her bck kimono and her long smooth bck hair that reached until her waist are fpping due to the torrent of magic power, while Tio is standing majestically, her figure where her hand is stretg straight ahead is so beautiful that, for a moment, it takes my breath away.

  Not even a fragment of her perversion is showing through, with her standing figure that could be mistaken as a queen, Tio puts her soul into her words that resound with majestic power, "Don't look down on me. Know just who I am. I'm the proud dragon, the desdant, and princess of the Krus , Tio Krus is here!"

  The mirror image of Tio has no words, in her expression, it looks like there was some kind of uanding, as though to say that she was beaten, she is floating a vague smile that looks like that.

  Toward such a mirror image of hers, Tio majestically gifts her st words, "Thing like fang of revenge… is no parison to the might of the true fang of a dragon. Thou taste it by that body of thee."

  And right after that, Tio's breath pulses, it turns thicker as though it is doubled, not tolerating evetlest of resistance, and swallowed all the white, and then, without stopping it opens a rge hole in the wall of the room and disperse, leaving nothing behind.

  After giving a g the ice area that is immediately repaired, and the neeared ice passage, Tio turns on her heel without looking especially happy or moved.

  She waved the sleeve of her bck kimono gracefully and elegantly brushed off the hair hanging in front of her with one hand, that tranquil atmosphere aiful gesture, pleted with the overwhelming strength of just now, caused words of peerless beauty to naturally float in my mind.

  Then Tio turns her gaze at me and smiles gently, but then her smile turns into her usual one as she says, "Master! Thou heard it right!? My mirror image exposed my thoughts when we first met! I will be punished, right? Furthermore, it will be araordinary punishment without a doubt!"

  I move closer to Tio and caressing her cheek I say, "Yes after we are doh this Labyrinth, I will have a very special punishment for you, be prepared..." to my decration, she lets out a beautiful smile and says, "Yes!"

  Odyin