Durarara!! Light Novel Volume 02/Chapter 06

"I just don't want to fight with anything. I don't want to compete with anyone. I just want to lead a peaceful life. I only fight when I want peace. I wasn't born to waste my life with stupid battles like this."

- Anri Sonohara

Sword and Stress is the sixth and final chapter of the second Durarara!! light novel.

Synopsis
Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara face off in Shinjuku, but Celty Sturluson arrives and shows Shizuo the chat room history, bringing him back to Ikebukuro. In South Ikebukuro Park, roughly one hundred victims of the slasher have gathered to meet Shizuo. Delighted that someone would actually love him for his power, Shizuo throws himself into the fight.

Anri Sonohara and Haruna Niekawa are interrupted by Takashi Nasujima at the door. He flees at the sight of Haruna, and she gives chase, letting several men with knives into Anri's apartment behind her. As Haruna professes her love to Takashi and moves to stab him, Anri stops her and blocks Haruna's attemps to kill her. She pulls a katana out of the sleeve of her arm, declaring herself the host of the original Saika.

In the park, Celty is unable to do anything but watch in awe as Shizuo overwhelms his attackers with his bare hands. When Saika is pulled from the arm of Anri several blocks away, Shizuo's hundred attackers all stop to look in her direction. Celty leaves to check out the source of the disruption as the Saika Army falters in front of Shizuo.

Haruna recognizes Anri's sword in panic, and Anri allows Haruna to cut her. In exchange, she possesses Haruna, and Haruna falls unconscious. At the same time, the slashers in the park stop in unison, and Shizuo puts all of his willpower into stopping himself, leaving the Saika Army badly beaten behind him.

Takashi tries to get Anri to run from the Black Rider with him, but he flees when he sees the katana in her hand. Celty brings Haruna home so Shinra can help her, while Anri and Saika reconcile and move forward together.

Quotes
Student: "We love all of humanity. But just loving isn't enough for us anymore. Just creating more children with humanity isn't enough for us anymore. If loving and loving and loving isn't enough, we want to rule all of humanity. And to do that, we need excellent offspring. Powerful specimens like you, for example."

Shizuo: "Don't get the wrong idea, you idiots. No one will love me because they're all scared? Don't make me laugh. I'm the one who's scared. It's me. I'm the world's biggest coward. Because I'm scared of what I should trust the most - myself!"

Anri: "You see, Saika gets very lonely. So it hurts to hear you claim that you "suppressed" her or "used" her. From our human perspective, she might be doing it wrong...but it's true that Saika does love all of humanity... So please...love her back."

Celty: "If you still can't accept all of this...then instead of apologizing to me, use that sword of yours to protect Ikebukuro."