The cracked mirror rested quietly in Ayame's hands.
Its fractured surface reflected the seven members of the Dimensional Clan standing within the ancient sanctuary.
Raizen stood with his arms crossed.
Hiroshi adjusted his glasses.
Yurota calmly observed the mirror.
Haruto remained silent.
Kaizen watched with growing curiosity.
But something was wrong.
Every reflection inside the broken mirror...
Smiled.
Except Ayame's.
The real Ayame smiled gently.
The reflection stared back with a cold, emotionless face.
Raizen let out a small laugh.
"...Still creepy."
Ayame looked down at the mirror.
"Mirrors don't simply show appearances."
"They reveal possibilities."
With a gentle wave of her hand, the broken mirror dissolved into countless silver fragments. Instead of falling to the floor, each fragment floated around her like tiny stars.
The sanctuary suddenly became brighter.
Thousands of reflections appeared across the chamber.
The stone walls...
The pillars...
Even the floor beneath their feet...
Everything became mirror-like.
Haruto frowned.
"...The sanctuary changed."
"No."
Ayame smiled softly.
"It only appears that way."
"This..."
"...is Mirror Dimension."
One of the floating mirror shards drifted toward Raizen.
As he reached out to touch it...
His hand passed through.
The mirror rippled like calm water.
Then...
Another Raizen stepped out.
The second Raizen looked exactly the same.
The same clothes.
The same sword.
The same grin.
Raizen blinked.
"...Now that's annoying."
The copy drew its sword.
"So..."
"...which one of us is the original?"
Without waiting for an answer, the copy lunged forward.
The Dimensional Sword swung.
Raizen answered with his own strike.
Two identical blades collided.
The impact echoed through the sanctuary.
Haruto watched closely.
"The strength..."
"...is identical."
Ayame nodded.
"My mirrors don't create illusions."
"They create reflections."
"A perfect reflection carries the same physical ability as the original."
Kaizen narrowed his eyes.
"So you're fighting yourself."
"Exactly."
The battle lasted only a few exchanges before Ayame gently closed her hand.
The reflected Raizen shattered into thousands of silver fragments before disappearing.
Raizen rested his sword on his shoulder.
"I hate fighting myself."
"You should."
Ayame answered calmly.
"No one understands your weaknesses better than you."
Yurota stepped forward.
"So the reflections can attack."
"They can."
"They can defend."
"They can mislead."
"They can surround."
She walked toward one of the mirrored walls.
Her fingertips lightly touched the surface.
Without resistance...
Her entire body disappeared into it.
"...!"
Haruto's eyes widened.
A moment later, Ayame emerged from another mirror on the opposite side of the sanctuary.
"I can travel between reflections."
"Any reflective surface becomes my doorway."
Hiroshi spoke thoughtfully.
"So mirrors..."
"...water..."
"...polished metal..."
"...even glass."
Ayame nodded.
"As long as it reflects..."
"...I may use it."
Raizen scratched the back of his head.
"That's ridiculously convenient."
Kaizen smiled.
"And dangerous."
Ayame didn't deny it.
"However..."
She raised one finger.
"Mirror Dimension also has limits."
The floating mirror shards around her dimmed slightly.
"My reflections require energy."
"The stronger the opponent..."
"...the more difficult they are to recreate."
"If my mirrors are completely destroyed..."
"...my battlefield disappears."
Haruto quietly nodded.
"So overwhelming force can eventually break through."
"Yes."
"No ability is perfect."
She smiled again.
"Perfection creates arrogance."
"Limitations create growth."
The sanctuary returned to normal.
The countless mirrors dissolved into silver light before vanishing.
Only the original cracked mirror remained in Ayame's hand.
She looked at her own reflection for a brief moment.
"...Interesting."
Raizen raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Ayame slowly lowered the mirror.
"...For the first time in thousands of years..."
"...I couldn't see my future."
Silence.
Kaizen's expression became serious.
"You couldn't?"
Ayame shook her head.
"It was..."
"...blank."
Before anyone could respond, Kaizen suddenly stood from the broken pillar.
His calm smile disappeared.
His eyes, usually relaxed, became incredibly sharp.
"I've waited long enough."
Raizen smirked.
"So."
"It's your turn."
Kaizen looked around the sanctuary.
"My ability isn't beautiful."
"It isn't destructive."
"It isn't mysterious."
He slowly stepped toward the center of the chamber.
"...It is simply..."
"...calculation."
A strange pressure—not of power, but of overwhelming intellect—filled the sanctuary.
Every movement.
Every heartbeat.
Every breath.
Seemed to enter his awareness.
The others instinctively focused on him.
Because they all knew...
The mind of the Dimensional Clan's strategist...
Was finally about to reveal itself.