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The battle between the girls and their corrupted shadows was chaos cloaked in elegance.
Lumi's blade sang as she clashed with her doppelgänger, a twisted version of herself with darkened eyes and jagged movements. She grinned through the blows. "Wow, you really *do* fight like you've never held a sword before. Who trained you, a drunken squirrel?"
Shadow-Lumi hissed back, lunging with a vicious overhead strike—only to be caught mid-swing and flung across the chamber by a radiant burst of \[Solar Ascendance].
"Guess I'm the hotter one too," Lumi quipped, flipping her hair dramatically.
Not far off, Elira's battle was quieter, but no less fierce. Her shadow cast spell after spell, weaving dark moonfire across the chamber.
But Elira stood serene in the storm, her \[Mystic Veil] unraveling the attacks before they could touch her. She raised her hand and channeled \[Twilight Rebirth], her form shimmering with runes of light.
"Your pain is not mine," she said, stepping through the barrage. "And I will not carry your hatred."
Her spell surged, overwhelming the shadow with a burst of purifying arcane light. The mirror-Elira shattered like glass.
Seiris fought without a word—swift, sharp, and deadly. Her shadow was fast. But she was faster.
Each clash was a blur. Steel met steel, blade struck blade—but Seiris was always a breath ahead.
With a final blink, she appeared behind her copy and whispered, "Your silence is fake."
Her dagger struck deep—and her shadow faded to nothing.
Sylvaeria had summoned a swirling storm, locking blades with a reflection that screamed every insecurity she'd buried: that she was weak, a lesser spirit, only clinging to Yuki because she had no worth of her own.
But with wind and forest roaring around her, she raised her hand—and whispered the name of her ultimate skill: **Galeheart Sovereign**.
With a single breath, her shadow scattered into mist, the winds cleansing the air like laughter after a long storm.
And then, there was Aeiris.
She stood trembling at first, her bow shaking in her hands as her corrupted self taunted her, whispering every moment of despair she had suffered alone in the forest.
"You were abandoned."
"You were weak."
"You should've died there."
"No," Aeiris whispered, eyes hardening. "I *survived*."
Green energy flared around her, forest essence awakening. \[Verdant Soul Arrow] blazed into life, and she loosed it with a cry that shook the walls.
Her shadow screamed—and was gone.
The chamber fell silent.
Their enemies, their doubts, their reflections—defeated.
Yuki finally stepped forward. "You've all grown stronger."
Lumi slumped against him, grinning. "Well, duh. We're amazing."
"I'm proud," he said simply, his tail wrapping gently around all five girls protectively.
Sylvaeria flushed.
Elira lowered her staff. "That wasn't just a test of strength… that was a test of the heart."
"And we passed," Aeiris said, her voice steadier.
Seiris looked at Yuki. "We're ready. No more shadows."
"Good," Yuki replied. "Because the real enemy still waits."
Lumi raised an eyebrow. "Then let's go kick his dramatic, monologuing, crystal-covered butt."
The girls laughed—and in that moment, the tension in the room eased.
Because even in the heart of the darkest place, surrounded by trials and pain…
They had each other.
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