"At the very least, the situation needs to stabilize enough for me to stop worrying. But Bronya, was what White Night just said serious?"
Exhaling smoke, Hei Nai watched White Night advance step by step. "Pursuing Twin Wings? That kid has some nerve. I can't believe he actually said it."
"Why are you moving forward?"
As White Night gradually drew closer, the pure-white Valkyrie finally spoke. Her light voice was elegant and lovely, like a song. "You should have recognized me."
"I was asked to block your path, so I am here. As long as you stay quietly where you are, I will not attack first."
"If you leave now, I will not pursue you either. Why, then, do you insist on coming forward?"
Feeling the pressure descend upon him, White Night's steps slowed slightly. Then, a pale blue radiance gradually ignited around his body.
"How could a swordsman retreat?"
Magic Power burned quietly, granting him strength and helping White Night break free. "I want to experience it for myself—the legendary Winged Sword."
Then he took one step into the Demon Domain; with another, the Life Chronicle that had long been on standby fully unfolded... An incomparably sharp aura shot straight into the sky!
"...I was disrespectful. You are already a powerful warrior. In that case, I should return that with sufficient respect."
A pair of Platinum Swords quietly appeared, and Edelweiss's demeanor gradually turned sharp. Then, with a light tap of her toes, the pure-white figure floated gracefully toward White Night...
"You truly are beautiful. Holy and flawless."
As he spoke, White Night lowered his body slightly, and the blade of Myriad Phenomena returned to the "sheath" formed by his left hand. Tenken Ryusho? No, it was not enough. Nowhere near enough.
Thunderlight flickered, gathering bit by bit around his legs... White Night raised his head to look at the pure-white Valkyrie. "If possible, Edelweiss, could you give me a chance?"
"That's right, just go straight in."
Through their mental connection, Bronya offered her advice. "Since you do not know what to do, leave a deep impression on her first."
"Umm... are you sure this is okay?"
White Night asked uncertainly. They were about to fight, after all. Saying something like that now... would it not be inappropriate?
"...I don't know."
"What chance?" A light voice rang out, pulling White Night's attention back.
Do not set me up, Bronya... It was White Night's first time pursuing a girl, so he could only force himself onward.
Taking a deep breath, White Night quietly felt the sword in his hand, and his state of mind naturally calmed. He slowly exhaled. "Edelweiss, I... think I've fallen for you."
"Or rather, I already liked you a long, long time ago."
A stretch of silence followed.
Faced with this sudden confession, Edelweiss did not know how to respond for a moment. Ripples rose within her heart.
About fifteen years ago.
At the time, the White Bear Nation of "The Alliance" had sent troops to invade Estonia, which had yet to join "The Alliance," using force to suppress the small nation's resistance.
Meanwhile, driven by a desire to oppose them, "The Alliance" forcibly dispatched troops across the border without Estonia's permission, confronting the Alliance forces.
A massive army of nearly three hundred thousand men moved freely through Estonia, leaving its people in constant fear.
And so, she appeared.
A girl dressed in pure white, wielding Platinum Swords—Twin Wings Edelweiss!
Before the two armies could go to war, Edelweiss entered the battlefield alone, sword in hand. Like a pure-white Valkyrie, she turned the field into a river of blood by herself, annihilating an army of three hundred thousand through swordsmanship alone!
The shadow of war was thus dispelled by Edelweiss and her single sword.
From that day on, her peerless reputation was forged. Yet the girl's actions also enraged the two great organizations, which jointly issued an international warrant and called upon Blade Dancers everywhere in an attempt to capture her.
However, it was meaningless.
Everyone who answered the call and tried to capture Edelweiss was defeated by her astonishing strength.
In the end, The Alliance and the Alliance could only withdraw the warrant against her, even abandoning the territories surrounding her residence.
Thus, her name shook the world, and she was bestowed the titles of "World's Strongest Swordsman" and "World's Most Heinous Criminal."
As time passed and regimes changed, Estonia eventually joined "The Alliance."
To avoid clashing with her, the president at the time even publicly declared, "We relinquish all claims to the world's highest peak—Sword Peak Edelberg—and the surrounding territories," turning it into her personal domain.
—That was Twin Wings Edelweiss, the endpoint of all paths of the sword, standing at the pinnacle of this way.
Over the years, she had experienced manhunts and challenges from swordsmen everywhere, but a confession... this truly was unprecedented.
"I know, you know~"
A faint smile hung on White Night's lips as he spoke gently. "Edelweiss is actually a very kind person. She likes children and cannot bear to hurt anyone..."
"White Night, Bronya must remind you. If you continue, she may very well draw her sword and cut you down."
"That is why I said she is kind..."
If it had been White Night, anyone daring to reveal such private matters would have already been cut down with one sword!
"Fine, it seems you do not want to hear that. In that case, let us communicate through the swords in our hands."
Reining himself in slightly, White Night's Fighting Spirit rose once more. "Oh, right. After this, can I call you 'Xiao Ai'?"
( ? ? ? )
"...White↗ Night↘"
"My name is Twin Wings Edelweiss, the unattainable summit and the end, she who opens heaven and earth with twin swords."
Edelweiss's twin swords flashed as she made her declaration. Yet... there seemed to be the faintest tremor in that light voice. "Young man, you shall personally experience the vastness of this world."
"Umm..."
"She did not answer directly?"
"It is fine. Just come at me. I will not die." White Night imitated Raikiri, layering a powerful magnetic field over his blade.
Bit by bit, the Thunderlight gradually turned pure white, accompanied by a chirping resonance similar to Chidori.
—Thunderclap Flash!
In an instant, White Night nearly transformed into a streak of White Lightning, appearing before Edelweiss as if by Teleportation. Myriad Phenomena drew from its sheath with Thunderlight, carrying the force of thunder!
"Oh my, he wasn't joking?"
Nenene opened a folding fan and used it to half-cover her face. Even she could not help but marvel at how bold White Night was. "I should go easier on him next time."
"But Bronya, are you sure you do not want to persuade him again? If it were you, Xiao Bai would probably listen."
"What is wrong with it?"
Since they were originally one person, their opinions were aligned. Bronya's expression remained calm. "Edelweiss is indeed very beautiful. Bronya supports this."
"Besides, White Night was not wrong. Edelweiss really is a very kind person."
"Clang—"
The sound of metal striking metal rang out. The Platinum Sword moved after yet arrived first, bracing itself across the path of the slash and blocking the attack.
!!!
In the next instant, White Night Elementalized at top speed, and a streak of lightning landed far away from Twin Wings.
At some point, the spot where White Night had stood had already been torn apart by a slash of sword light... A silent strike, too fast for the naked eye to distinguish.
—Winged Sword!
"Bronya, did you see that clearly?"
"...Try again?"
After a moment of silence, Bronya made that suggestion. She had long heard of that swordsmanship, which moved from absolute stillness to absolute motion and nearly overturned the laws of physics!
On Twin Wings, things such as inertia and acceleration... all seemed to have lost their original effect.
On the physics side, whose jurisdiction was that again? Umm... anyway, nailing Newton's coffin shut first could not be wrong.
"Careful, it's coming again."
"Yeah, I know."
He used lightning to stimulate his body and squeeze out more strength. At the same time, the Life Chronicle unfolded: the explosive burst of a cheetah, the lightness of a hawk... even the traits of insects were rapidly added to his body.
◆Though it did not sound very pleasant, among creatures of the same size, insects possessed the most outrageous traits. Fortunately, only their traits were layered on; his appearance did not change.
"Boom—!"
A streak of sword light flashed. Just behind White Night's side, a large stretch of pavement collapsed, ripped apart by the slash.
"Now what?!"
White Night barely dodged it. With a light tap of his toes against the ground, he rapidly retreated—yet Edelweiss had already closed in directly before him.
"Mm... it's just very unscientific."
"What the hell are you talking about science for? I'm the one taking it head-on!!!"
"I saw it."
With the traits of many creatures stacked together, his optic nerves were enhanced to their limits. Through overwhelming dynamic vision, White Night locked onto that streak of sword light. "Pierce in All Directions!"
—White Night chose to meet it with absolute violence. Terrifying Sword Qi raged forth, resembling a roaming dragon!
"Clang—!"
Yet, to White Night's surprise, Edelweiss's strength with a single arm was enough to contend with his. Tsk, how did those slender arms unleash such power?
Neither side could overpower the other, and sparks burst from their blades. The two currents of Sword Qi pressed against each other, ultimately scattering in all directions...
Hei Nai and Nenene silently retreated some distance. As for Bronya... an alloy shield stood tall, blocking the chaotic Sword Qi rushing toward her, while Heavy Rabbit gradually appeared.
"Bronya, are you not coming over?"
"No, Nenene. Bronya will stay here." Bronya shook her head at Nenene.
A delicate hand pressed against Heavy Rabbit's body. Streams of Magic Power gradually wrapped around it, eventually forming a deep-blue katana. "Nenene, you should return to the academy first."
"After all, Ikki and the others are probably no match for her." Bronya stepped forward, and her body gradually Elementalized.
"Boom—!"
Under the terrifying clash of strength, the ground collapsed as expected. White Night pulled back, his brows knitting slightly. "It looks like she was still holding back?"
"Very sharp swordsmanship."
On the other side, Edelweiss also sighed in admiration. Before this, let alone exchanging blows with her, few could even withstand a single strike. "But that sword technique just now..."
Though it had lasted only an instant, she had still noticed it—an unusual feeling. That sword did not fit the principles of this world. "Did you comprehend it yourself?"
"More or less."
White Night ran one hand over the blade, his gaze falling upon the other sword in Edelweiss's hand. "But even that is not enough. After all... you still have another sword you have not used, Xiao Ai."
Edelweiss did not reply. The affectionate nickname "Xiao Ai" left her somewhat at a loss.
But White Night did not notice. Instead, he recalled the details from before and subtly adjusted his movements for exerting force. "I have a bit of a feeling now, but overall, it is still lacking."
"White Night, receive this."
At that moment, Bronya's shared senses reached him, allowing White Night to observe it once more from a third-person perspective. "I see. Then... again!"
White Night gathered his strength and guided it to the tips of his toes. Then it suddenly erupted, and he shot forward in an instant. Myriad Phenomena descended toward Edelweiss, carrying the force of thunder.
"Clang—"
Before you continue