Campione: Strongest# 459: One Divided into Two

In a sea of pure white consciousness.

Two spiraling bands of light slowly descended into the ocean's depths. With each level they sank, the bands grew slightly dimmer, their forms more ethereal.

Suddenly, a massive hand, its palm lines clearly visible, appeared above the sea of consciousness. The hand radiated the same aura of All-and-Nothingness as the abyss below.

In the next instant, the hand slammed down, crashing into the sea and kicking up a colossal wave. Like an eagle snatching a chick, the hand's thumb and forefinger pinched the edge of one light band.

Riiip—!

With brutal force, the hand tore the band from its spiral, yanking it swiftly out of the sea of consciousness.

————————

In the hospital room, Haru lifted his right hand from Shiki Ryougi's forehead. A band of light, caught between his fingers, was being pulled directly from her head.

The violent motion caused the sleeping Shiki’s eyes to snap open. They bulged, veins popping on her delicate face as her expression contorted in a pained grimace, like a woman enduring difficult labor.

“I might have… overdone it.”

Haru’s gaze darted guiltily to the band of light in his hand. He averted his eyes, unable to look at Shiki’s agonized expression—a direct result of her soul being torn asunder.

“I’m really not suited for delicate work.”

The souls of Shiki and SHIKI were intertwined, each intrinsically part of the other. Separating them should have been a slow, painstaking process, like unraveling silk from a cocoon. However, Haru, a former God-Slayer, was terrible at fine-tuned tasks. Despite his vast knowledge from multiple worlds, he couldn't change his fundamentally direct, almost brutish, nature.

He preferred the simple approach: use raw spiritual power to rip out what he guessed was one soul, then use the Third Sorcery to nurture the shredded spirit back to health.

In short, Haru was one hundred percent responsible for ‘Shiki Ryougi’s’ current suffering.

However, there was an upside: the process, which should have taken months, was completed in just two hours, significantly shortening Shiki’s time in a coma.

“It’s… you… isn’t it, you damn… Uncle!” An incredibly weak, exhausted voice slowly sounded from the band of light in Haru’s hand.

“You’ve got the wrong guy. It wasn’t me,” Haru said, shaking his head at the light, his expression radiating utmost ‘sincerity.’

“This tone… It’s SHIKI, isn’t it?” Haru raised his hand, staring intently at the trembling, ethereal band.

“Don’t talk just yet. I need to mend you.” A faint white light emanated from his palm, continuously pouring into the band, replenishing SHIKI’s damaged soul.

As the white light flowed in, the ethereal band gradually solidified into a tangible sphere of light, floating gently in Haru’s palm.

“If it wasn’t you, then who was it?! That hurt like hell—! Couldn’t you have been a little gentler?!” a full-throated roar suddenly erupted from the sphere.

“It’s great to see you can still curse me out.” Haru turned his head away, squeezed out a few fake tears, then turned back, his expression like that of a soap opera hero witnessing his terminally ill girlfriend's miraculous recovery. He looked at the sphere with deep affection.

SHIKI: “…”

“You’re so fake,” her voice said, though laced with a hint of complaint. Seemingly unaccustomed to her spherical form, she floated unsteadily up to Haru’s head and nuzzled against it. If she had been in human form, one might have seen an expression of pure contentment.

Seeing this, Haru understood he had been let off the hook and breathed a silent sigh of relief. It wasn't that he feared SHIKI, but her childish revenge tactics—thumbtacks in his boots, salt in his soup—were truly annoying. Better to lay on the melodrama, exploit her slight weakness for sentimentality, and move past the issue.

After a moment, SHIKI looked at the unconscious Shiki Ryougi on the bed and asked, her voice filled with confusion, “Hey, Uncle, why isn’t Shiki awake yet?”

“Your soul was just damaged. Hers needs time to reintegrate with the body. She’ll probably sleep for another day,” Haru shrugged. “By the way, now that your souls are separated, I can make a body for you. With my Sorcery and the puppet techniques I learned from Touko, I guarantee it will be identical to Shiki’s.” His lips curved into a wicked smile.

The sphere of light trembled slightly.

“An identical body? Does that mean you know my measurements?” SHIKI's teasing voice had a sharp edge.

“…” Haru wisely kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t exactly tell her that while the kimono-clad girl was asleep, he had taken the liberty of personally measuring her… many, many times.

A barely audible complaint came from the sphere. “You did it while I was asleep, didn't you? You’re the worst! It’s not like I wouldn’t have let you if I were awake.”

Haru’s lip twitched. 'You might have, but if the original Shiki didn't agree, I'd be sliced in half instantly, wouldn't I?'

Dealing with a dual personality was truly exhausting, especially when that person knew he was a scumbag. Come to think of it, Fujino, who had spent time at the Tohno mansion, was probably the one who had snitched. It seemed he would have to ‘educate’ that girl later.

“Hey, Uncle, I’ve been thinking. Maybe don’t make my body just yet,” SHIKI said, her tone hesitant.

“Why not?” Haru raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Well… you know about the void in Shiki’s heart, right?”

Haru narrowed his eyes and nodded. He knew that ‘Shiki Ryougi,’ with her Origin of ‘Void,’ lacked a fundamental sense of ‘being alive.’

“Thanks to your shameless harassment, both of us have gotten a lot better, but Shiki’s case seems much more severe than mine,” SHIKI said with a hint of helplessness.

Hearing the word "shameless," Haru’s lip twitched. “Watch your wording.”

“Hey, don’t sweat the small stuff. The point is, now that we’re separated, maybe we should let Shiki live ‘alone’ for a while. See if she can fill that void on her own.”

“…I could bring you back and then have you hide for a while?” Haru suggested, looking at her with a deadpan expression.

“That won’t work. If I have a body, Shiki will definitely know I’m still around!” SHIKI flatly refused.

Haru frowned, lost in thought. He had a feeling that if he went along with this and the original Shiki found out, he would definitely be on the receiving end of a Mystic Eyes of Death Perception-enhanced stab… The risk was too great.

Noticing the change in Haru’s expression, SHIKI’s voice turned pleading. “It’s just for a little while! Please help me, Uncle! If it works, I’ll give you that ‘thing’ you want.”

“Thing?” Hearing the emphasized word, Haru understood its meaning and grinned wickedly. 'No, hold back. She hasn’t reached her limit yet.'

After a long silence.

SHIKI said quietly, “I can help persuade Shiki.”

“Both of you together?” Haru narrowed his eyes, a metaphorical fox’s tail practically materializing behind him.

“…If it works, I’ll consider it.”

Haru’s smile widened. He could almost picture SHIKI’s resentful, teeth-grinding expression. He then looked back at Shiki Ryougi on the bed, whose face had relaxed. One half handled. Now, he just needed to deal with the one before him. But then again, the original Shiki would likely be the most difficult to win over.

As Haru pondered his strategy, a pair of slender arms gently wrapped around his waist from behind.