Becoming an Oni in this land of illusion

Chapter 62

Stella awakens to intense pain coursing through her body. She recalls that she was in the midst of a game against Kirei when she felt a sudden surge of energy. She tried to hide, but it was too late. The last thing she remembers is witnessing Gilgamesh unleashing the true name of his noble phantasm, with Sofia immediately following suit. They clashed seconds later, and the resulting blast caught her in its wake.

Looking at her battered body, she feels weak and drained. It's a miracle that she survived, given that she had pushed her projections to the max and had summoned a giant snake to protect herself.

Stella took a swig from her gourd, feeling the healing effects coursing through her body. She slowly rose to her feet, surveying the aftermath of the battle. The entire area had been reduced to a massive crater, and she could see that her own noble phantasm was on the verge of breaking.

Panic began to set in as she frantically searched for any sign of Ibaraki. All she could see was a single hand protruding from the outer shell of the crater, twitching and trying to drag itself free.

With horror, she watched as the hand was engulfed in intense flames, growing brighter and hotter until it transformed into Ibaraki Douji herself.

"Hah! King of Heroes, my foot! You can't even defeat me, a mere magus! Hahahaha!" Sofia laughed loudly as she killed Gilgamesh. She felt proud of using her skill set from her past life to defeat him, rather than relying on her updated abilities.

However, her sense of triumph was short-lived as she suddenly looked around and saw Stella standing there, severely wounded. Sofia's face turned pale with panic, and she quickly appeared in front of Stella to help her.

"Sofia shouted, 'Revitalizare Mille Vices!'" A bright green light enveloped Stella, and when it disappeared, she looked rejuvenated, and even her clothes looked brand new.

"Stella, I'm sorry. I got carried away and..." Sofia's voice broke as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't believe that she had almost inadvertently killed Stella because of her recklessness.

Stella hugged Sofia tightly and shushed her gently. "No, it's not your fault. I didn't follow the plan properly. I should have gone outside the barrier after erecting it, but I got carried away with Kirei," she said, trying to console Sofia and stop her from crying.

Sofia is shaken to her core. The most important person in her life is almost killed because of her. If Stella had died, Sofia didn't know what she would have done. She is angry at herself for being too complacent about being immortal.

Overwhelmed with guilt and fear, Sofia didn't realize how exhausted she was until she cried herself to sleep. She knew she needed to learn from her mistake and be more careful in the future, especially when it comes to the safety of those she cares about.

As Stella carried Sofia, her face showed a sense of sorrow. She blamed herself for part of the situation, knowing that she had caused Sofia to cry twice already. She couldn't help but compare herself to Marisa, who was younger than her but more mature when it came to matters of the heart.

Furthermore, she felt that she had failed as Sofia's lover. But she swore to herself that this would be the last time that Ibaraki's tears would fall on her watch.

"Seriously, I need to hold it together," Stella said as she removed the barrier, revealing the gaping hole. She created a projection of the church and its surroundings and reinforced them. As she wiped her sweat with her clothes, she knew that she had to be careful from now on.

As Stella projected a giant demonic raven to fly towards the harbor, she was surprised to see Marisa quickly flying towards the church. Marisa flew past them in a blur, but soon returned at the same speed as the raven.

"Shuten, tell me what happened. I could feel Ibaraki's heart aching with sadness," Marisa said seriously as she looked at Shuten.

Shuten proceeded to recount the entire story to Marisa, leaving out no details, while Marisa listened carefully.

----

"Do you know how much I wanted to swear at you?" Marisa said in a strained tone, and Shuten hung her head in shame.

"But I guess it will make Ibaraki more mindful when she fights," Marisa said while scratching her head, deciding not to be angry at Shuten.

"Anyway, for the next few days, just be with Ibaraki, okay? Nyx and I will handle Sakura," Marisa said, making Shuten nod and silently thank her.

---

Sofia woke up in the morning feeling a headache as she remembered what had happened the previous night. She tried to move but felt restricted and realized that Stella was hugging her tightly.

Sofia moved closer to Stella and planted a kiss on her, feeling grateful that Stella was still alive after the dangerous situation she were in.

Sofia tried to find her phone but realized it was destroyed during her clash with Gilgamesh. It had been in her pocket at the time.

"Stella, wake up," Sofia whispered softly in Stella's ear, immediately bringing her lover wide awake.

"Sofia...good morning," Stella replied sweetly. Sofia realized she could move, but before she could do anything else, she was hugged tightly by Stella again.

"Sofia, I promise that from now on, I will be a better person and think of the consequences of my actions before I do anything," Stella said to Sofia, surprising her.

"Since we were reincarnated, it feels like I'm just there for the sake of it. I've caused you more pain than happiness, and I feel like a burden to you," Stella said as she touched Sofia's face.

"But I promise to be better in the future, starting from now," Stella said with conviction, making Ibaraki's heart flutter.

"Stella, thank you. But even though I want to change for the better, I don't know what came over me and made me throw all precautions while fighting a strong opponent," Sofia said seriously.

"If I had just used the Chain of Hell and ended it immediately, you would not have ended up getting hurt by our clash," Sofia continued, berating herself.

"Marisa helped me control my Madness Enhancement, and you came back to me, making the curse not bother me anymore. But I guess my past habits got the better of me, and I almost lost you," Sofia said as she touched Stella's face.

"I wanted... to be a better person too," Sofia said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she summoned the courage to speak her truth. "I wanted to be... a better version of myself."

Stella's eyes widened as she took in Sofia's words. For a moment, she was speechless, unsure of how to respond. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face.

"Then let's do it," she said, taking Sofia's hand in hers. "Let's be better, together."

Sofia's heart swelled with emotion as she looked into Stella's eyes. They had been through so much together, but they were still here, still standing. And now, they had a new purpose – to be the best versions of themselves they could be.

Together, they would leave their past selves behind and embrace a brighter future. As they kissed for the last time, they both knew that they were shedding their old selves and embracing a new life. From this moment forward, they would no longer be Sofia and Stella. They would be known as Ibaraki and Shuten Douji, with a renewed sense of purpose and determination.

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Whoa, hold up! Did we just witness some actual character development in this OP protagonist fanfic? The world must be ending!

Pauses for dramatic effect

Just kidding, folks! But seriously, how is it that Sofia, a teenager, is showing more maturity than me? If it were me, I'd be a blubbering mess, moping around about how my powers are too strong, and I don't want them anymore because I hurt the people I love. But not Sofia! She's owning up to her mistakes and committing to being a better person. Color me impressed!