This was probably what the end of the world looked like.
Lead-gray clouds hung low, seemingly within arm's reach, yet heavy enough to crush any upward gaze.
The endless blizzard was the sole master here, a howling wind whipping razor-sharp sleet across the boundless pale.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but undulating ice sheets and bottomless crevasses.
The temperature here was low enough to be a forbidden zone for life; even time seemed frozen in this pure wilderness.
Yet, in the center of this desolate land that rejected all life, two tiny figures radiated a presence that could not be ignored.
The violent snowstorm tore at their thin clothes, their disheveled black hair whipping like defiant banners in the frantic white.
They were separated by no more than a hundred meters, a trivial distance on the vast ice plain, but before them, it was an insurmountable abyss.
The undried blood on their faces had long since frozen into dark red ice crystals, but they paid it no mind, merely staring at each other.
Their eyes shone with an astonishing brightness in the blizzard, reflecting each other's figures and the vacant, deathly white behind them.
There were no words.
No words were needed—
They had come here not because of a misunderstanding, but precisely because they understood too deeply.
They both saw the scenery at the end of each other's path.
One path gambled on the present, forcefully seizing the power of the past in hopes of grasping a sliver of victory before Finality descended.
The other path held fast to the present, enduring the gnawing of regret, firmly believing that within the improving trend, an unknown turning point could be nurtured.
There was no right or wrong.
Only a choice.
And these two paths, under the premise of "two Shus existing at the same time," could not be parallel.
The Core, the Staff, their energy, and their very existence were limited, and their beliefs were exclusive.
Neither could tolerate their own ideals being diluted or compromised by the other's persistence.
And that sentence, "I still have you," was their final trust and their ultimate declaration of war.
It meant: I acknowledge your strength and believe you can bear the weight of the other path, therefore—I must defeat you with all my might to prove that my path is the one our future should take!
They needed to decide on a "stronger" Shu.
A leader whose will, power, and faith were more capable of carrying out his own path, and thus leading everything they carried together forward.
The blizzard seemed to hold its breath at this moment.
Shu took a deep breath of the air, so cold it stung his lungs.
The extreme cold slightly cooled his burning mind.
Kiana, Mei, Bronya... and those fans, those who just arrived in this world, those who could come to this world...
Countless images flashed through his mind, finally settling on the blood-red sky that never dispersed over the ruins of Nagazora City.
In order not to lose anymore, in order to protect more... I must win!
He lowered his body slightly, sinking his center of gravity. The ice and snow under his feet made a subtle cracking sound under the accumulating power.
All his hesitation and confusion, as well as his complex feelings for the other self, were compressed into this body and transformed into the most primal, most explosive driving force.
On the other side, [Shu] was also adjusting his breathing, his eyes locked on Shu's every subtle movement.
The warm lights of the base, the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria, the gradually accumulating daily life in the shop, and the gradually fading gloom in his companions' eyes echoed in his mind.
The future is not gambled. Every bit of warmth we have now is the foundation of the future.
In order to protect this "getting better," I must prove that "waiting" and "holding fast" are not cowardice, but a stronger power!
He also assumed the exact same starting stance, his muscles tensing like a fully drawn bowstring.
The next second—
BOOM!
There was no signal, no roar.
It was as if both ends of a mirror shattered simultaneously!
At their positions, the thick ice surface suddenly exploded into two shallow pits, and the long-accumulated snow behind them shot straight into the sky.
Their figures vanished from their original positions, leaving only two blurred phantoms that tore through the curtain of snow in the blizzard, charging towards each other without any frills!
Shu's speed was so fast that he even dragged a short-lived vacuum behind him, causing the flying snowflakes to avoid him!
The fifty-meter distance was covered in an instant.
The two figures collided in the center of the ice plain, without reservation, with a solid impact!
BANG—!!!
As if rehearsed a thousand times, or as if it were the inevitable destiny of a mirror image, the two of them raised their right arms in unison, using the hardest part of the outer forearm as the point of impact for this first clash.
Pure physical strength, superimposed with the full kinetic energy of a Herrscher's enhanced physique and a sprint, erupted at this moment!
Time seemed to freeze for a moment from this violent impact.
With the two of them at the center, all the snowflakes in a hemispherical area several meters in diameter were instantly cleared by the violent airwave, shattered into even finer ice crystals!
The ice layer beneath their feet groaned as if overwhelmed, sinking down again, then shattering and being blown away with the snowflakes.
Their figures went from extreme motion to extreme stillness, frozen at the point of impact.
At the intersection of their arms, muscles bulged, veins popped, and bones made a subtle yet tooth-grinding scraping sound.
Their pupils stared at each other from an extremely close distance, churning with the same pain and determination.
And a fiery battle intent that only ignited when facing "oneself," an intent that was almost destructive!
The blizzard closed in again, swallowing them.
But this time, the snowstorm could no longer conceal the soaring, raging flames of battle named "Ideals" and "Existence."
The impact of their colliding arms had not yet completely dissipated. The stalemate lasted for no more than a tenth of a second before a fierce glint flashed in both their eyes simultaneously!
Shu moved first. He used the recoil from the collision to slightly retract his left shoulder, and his blocked right arm shot out, grabbing at [Shu]'s wrist, trying to seize control of the close-quarters combat.
But [Shu]'s response was not much slower.
He was just observing the other's movements.
[Shu] indeed did not dodge the grab, but there was no need to.
The moment he was grabbed, [Shu] violently pulled back, instead pulling the initiative the other wanted in front of him. At the same time, his left hand had already brazenly struck out!
Shu did not immediately adjust his posture to regain his balance. Instead, his left arm returned to defend in the nick of time.
With a dull "thud," Shu's arm is narrowly blocked in front of his ribs, taking the brunt of [Shu]'s heavy punch.
But the hasty defense did not negate the huge impact. His left arm went numb, and his already unbalanced body was in an even worse state.