Arise From Weakness (OC/ Male Reader x Arifureta)

(S3) Chapter 83 Confessions

No one's POV

Once the fight was over, Hajime and the others made their way over to Nhazul. Or in Yue's case, flew into his arms using gravity magic, clinging to him like human sized leach.

Yue: Big brother!

With a sigh, Nhazul would turn to Yue, giving her a smile, patting her head.

Nhazul: Yeah, yeah, it's me.

Nhazul looked over the rest of his party members and nodded.

Nhazul: Looks like everyone made it out alright. Let's get going, then.

Kaori: Wait, hang on! We still need to heal Kouki!

Kaori looked down at Kouki, who was lying spread-eagled on the floor. Ryutarou and Suzu nodded in agreement.

Nhazul: ...-_-... Do we really have to?

Kaori: Yes, we really have to!

Kaori held her ground, and Ryutarou and Suzu nodded once more. Nhazul grimaced, but he didn't stop Kaori from going over to Kouki.

Kaori: You said he absorbed his copy, right? I think doing that damaged his soul. It'll take a while to properly cure him.

He'd pushed himself far past his physical limits by combining Overload and the copy's strengthening, so his body was in just as bad shape as his mind. Of course, his physical injuries could easily be cured with restoration
magic, but his spirit was a different matter. A human's spirit was quite fragile, and Kouki had harmed it quite severely by fusing with his copy.

Nhazul: Whatever you do, just don't heal him fully. As long as his life's not in danger that's good enough. The last thing I want is him waking up.

Kaori: Huh? Why...? Oh yeah, I guess that might be best...

Kaori cocked her head in confusion, but then instantly realized what Nhazul was getting at.

Ryutarou: Hey Hatake, I realize Kouki tried to kill you and all, but... you know...

Suzu: Hatake...

Ryutarou and Suzu, who hadn't guessed what Nhazul's  intentions were, looked unhappy with his decision. They thought Nhazul was doing this to spite Kouki, But at the same time, Kouki had tried to kill Nhazul so they couldn't really argue.

Shizuku on the other hand just watched Kouki with a sad look on her face the entire time. She'd known him the longest out of anyone, and he was practically family to her. In response to Ryutarou and Suzu, Hajime pointed at Kouki.

Hajime: Nhazul has the right ideas. Think about what a hassle it'll be to heal him fully.

Suzu: Hassle...? Oh...

Nhazul: Looks like you figured it out, Taniguchi. Amanogawa failed his trial. He couldn't bear to face his true self, so he took it out on me. That's not going to magically
change when he wakes up. He's still gonna be pissed at me. Now that Hajime's here, he'll more than likely target him as well.

Ryutarou: You mean it'll just be a repeat of what happened here...

Nhazul: Exactly. Well, he was being egged on by his copy this time, so it's possible he won't go on a rampage the moment he wakes up this time, but still...

As said that, Hajime fished his compass out of his pocket and looked down at it.

Hajime: We're almost there. I'm guessing this was the labyrinth's last trial, but there's no guarantee there isn't something waiting for us at the end. The last thing I want is to be attacked from behind while dealing with the labyrinth's trials.