Chapter 44: Kill Your Reflection

The chamber was silent.

Crystalline mirrors lined the walls—each reflecting a version of Hiragi that never existed.

A child who smiled.

A teen who was loved.

A hero who never fell.

And at the center…

Stood him—

The Core Self.

A flawless version of Hiragi, wearing a black blazer trimmed with glowing white glyphs, face calm… eyes empty.

"You were never meant to suffer," it said.

"I was the intended future. You are the corrupted fork."

Hiragi stepped forward, blade drawn.

"Maybe. But I'm the one still breathing."

The Core Self summoned a blade made of crystallized light—shaped like a perfect version of the Void Knife.

They clashed.

Every strike echoed with memories.

Classrooms.

Hospitals.

Graves.

Laughter.

The Core Self fought without emotion.

"Pain weakens you."

"Pain made me real!" Hiragi shouted.

Airi tried to interfere—but a mirror trapped her inside.

Ishigami began decoding the edges of the chamber, trying to force a manual override.

Inside the duel, time warped.

Every wound Hiragi took, the Core healed instantly.

Every cut Hiragi made, was reflected back tenfold.

He was losing.

Until—he remembered something.

A moment.

A fragment.

His mother's final words:

"Even if the world forgets you… I won't."

His eyes ignited with Void.

He dropped his blade.

The Core Self tilted its head.

"Surrender?"

Hiragi smiled.

"No. I just remembered—"

"I'm not alone."

He extended his hand—

and pulled the real memories out from his chest.

They swirled.

Light and shadow. Joy and pain.

The Core Self staggered.

Its form began to crack.

"What… is this?"

"Me," Hiragi said.

He plunged his hand into the reflection—

—and shattered it.

The mirrors exploded.

Airi was freed.

Ishigami caught her.

The Core Chamber collapsed, and the real Hiragi stood victorious, breathing heavily, Void swirling in his palm.

But before they could leave—

a sound echoed from deep beneath.

A heartbeat.

A deeper layer.