Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

"At the very least, the situation needs to be stable enough for me to relax. But Bronya, was Byakuya serious just now?"

Exhaling smoke, Kurono gazed at Byakuya as he advanced step by step. "Chasing after Twin Wings? That kid's got some nerve, I can't believe he said that."

"Why are you moving forward?"

Gradually, as Byakuya drew closer, the pure white Valkyrie finally spoke, her ethereal voice as elegant and moving as a song. "You must have recognized me."

"I was entrusted with a task, hence I am here to stop you. As long as you stay put quietly, I won't make the first move."

"If you leave now, I won't pursue you either. Why do you still insist on moving forward?"

Sensing a wave of pressure, Byakuya's steps faltered slightly. Then, a faint blue radiance began to ignite on him.

"How can a swordsman possibly retreat?"

Magic Power burned quietly, lending him strength and helping Byakuya break free. "I want to experience it, the legendary Winged Sword."

With another step, he entered the Demon's domain; with yet another, the Life Chronicle, which had been waiting, unfolded with full power... an extremely sharp aura shot straight into the sky!

"..., I apologize. You are already a strong individual. In that case, I should respond with adequate respect."

A pair of platinum swords quietly materialized, and Edelweiss's demeanor gradually shifted to one of sharpness. Then, with a light tap of her toe, the pure white figure gracefully descended towards Byakuya...

"Truly beautiful, pure and flawless."

As he spoke, Byakuya slightly lowered his stance, the blade of Myriad Phenomena returning to the "sheath" held by his left hand. Tenken Ryusho? No, it's not enough, not even close.

Lightning flickered, gradually gathering around his leg... Byakuya looked up at the pure white Valkyrie. "If it's possible, Edelweiss, could you give me a chance?"

"Right, just go for it."

In their mental exchange, Bronya offered a suggestion. "Since you don't know what to do, at least leave a deep impression first."

"Emmm... are you sure about this?"

Byakuya asked uncertainly. After all, they were about to fight. Would saying something like this... be inappropriate?

"..., I don't know."

"What chance?" A clear, melodious voice rang out, pulling Byakuya's attention back.

Don't mess with me, Bronya... This is my first time trying to win a girl over, I just have to go for it.

Taking a deep breath, Byakuya calmed himself, feeling the sword in his hand. His state of mind naturally settled. He let out a long sigh. "Edelweiss, I... I think I've fallen for you."

"Or rather, I fell for you a long, long time ago."

A moment of silence.

Faced with such a sudden confession, Edelweiss didn't know how to respond for a moment, her emotions stirred.

About fifteen years ago.

At that time, the Bear Country within "The Alliance" invaded Estonia, which had not yet joined "The Union," and brutally suppressed the small nation's resistance.

Out of a spirit of opposition, "The Union," without Estonia's permission, forcibly sent troops across the border to confront the Alliance army.

A massive army of nearly 300,000 people moved freely within Estonia, leaving the populace in constant fear.

Then, she appeared.

A maiden in pure white, wielding a platinum sword—Twin Wings Edelweiss!

Just before the two armies could engage in battle, Edelweiss, alone with her sword, charged into the battlefield. Like a pure white Valkyrie, she single-handedly caused a river of blood, annihilating the 300,000-strong army with her swordsmanship alone!

The shadow of war was thus dispelled by Edelweiss's single sword.

From then on, her peerless fame was established. However, the maiden's actions also angered the two major organizations, who jointly issued an international warrant, calling upon all Blade Dancers to apprehend her.

But it was all for naught.

Those who answered the call, attempting to arrest Edelweiss, were all defeated by her astonishing strength.

Eventually, "The Union" and "The Alliance" had no choice but to revoke the warrant and even abandon the territories surrounding her residence.

Thus, her name shook the world, earning her the titles of "World's Strongest Swordsman" and "World's Most Heinous Criminal."

Time passed, regimes changed, and Estonia joined "The Union."

To avoid conflict with her, the president at the time officially declared: "We relinquish all ownership of the world's highest peak—Sword Peak Edelberg and its surrounding territories," making it her sole domain.

—This was Twin Wings Edelweiss, the end of all swordsmanship, standing at the pinnacle of this path.

Over the years, she had endured warrants and challenges from swordsmen of all factions, but a confession... this was truly unprecedented.

"I know~"

Byakuya said with a slight smile, his tone gentle. "Edelweiss is actually a very kind person. She loves children and cannot bear to harm anyone..."

"Byakuya, Bronya has to remind you. If you continue like this, she might just draw her sword and attack."

"That's why I said she's kind..."

If it were Byakuya, he would have already swung his sword to shut someone up for revealing such a secret!

"Alright, it seems you don't want to hear this. In that case, let's communicate with the swords in our hands."

Slightly composing himself, Byakuya's fighting spirit reignited. "Oh, right, after this, can I call you 'Little Ai'?"

( ? ? ? )

"...Byakuya."

"My name is 'Winged' Edelweiss, one who reaches the unattainable peak and the end, the one who cleaves heaven and earth with twin swords."

Edelweiss's twin swords flashed as she made her declaration. However... in her light and airy voice, there seemed to be a faint tremor. "Young man, you shall personally experience the vastness of the world."

"emmm..."

"She didn't answer directly?"

"It's fine, just come at me. I won't die." Byakuya mimicked Raikiri, coating his blade with a strong magnetic field.

Little by little, the lightning gradually turned pure white, accompanied by a resonance similar to "Chidori."

—Thunderclap Flash!

In an instant, Byakuya almost transformed into a bolt of white lightning, appearing before Edelweiss as if teleporting. Myriad Phenomena, carrying lightning, unsheathed with thunderous force!

37. After all, it was touched

"Oh my, you weren't joking?"

Ning Yin opened a folding fan, half-concealing her face as she spoke. Even she had to sigh at how truly brave Byakuya was. "Next time, I'll go a little easier."

"But Bronya, are you sure you won't try to persuade him again? If it were you, Little White would probably listen, right?"

"What's wrong with that?"

They were essentially one, so their opinions were unified. Bronya's expression was calm. "Edelweiss is indeed very beautiful, Bronya supports it."

"Also, what Byakuya said isn't wrong. Edelweiss is indeed a very kind person."

"Clang—"

The sound of metal clashing. The platinum sword, arriving later, blocked the path of the swinging blade, parrying the attack.

!!!

The next moment, Byakuya elementalized at the fastest speed, and a bolt of lightning struck far from Edelweiss.

At some point, the spot where Byakuya had been standing was already torn apart by a sword light... a silent sword, even faster than the eye could follow.

—Winged Sword!

"Bronya, did you see that clearly?"

"...Try again?"

Bronya was silent for a moment before making this suggestion. She had heard before about swordsmanship that went from extreme stillness to extreme motion, almost defying the laws of physics!

With Winged Edelweiss, concepts like inertia and acceleration seemed to have lost their usual effects.

In the realm of physics, who was in charge of this? emmm... Anyway, it was safe to say Newton's coffin lid was securely nailed shut.

"Careful, it's coming again."

"Ah, I know."

Stimulating his muscles with electricity, he squeezed out more power. At the same time, the Life Chronicle unfolded: the instantaneous burst power of a cheetah, the agility of a falcon... even insects, were rapidly applied to him.

◆ Although it doesn't sound very pleasant, for creatures of the same size, insect characteristics are the most outrageous. Fortunately, only the characteristics are superimposed, and the external appearance does not change.

"Boom—!"

A sword light flashed, just behind Byakuya's side. A large section of the road collapsed, torn apart by the sword light.

"What about now!"

Byakuya narrowly dodged. Tapping his toes on the ground, he retreated rapidly—directly in front of him, Edelweiss had already closed in.

"Hmm... it's quite unscientific."

"Are you kidding me? You're talking about science with me? I'm the one taking the hit!!!"

"I see it."

With the superposition of various biological characteristics, his optic nerves were heightened to the maximum. With extremely strong dynamic capture, Byakuya locked onto that sword light. "Pierce in All Directions!"

—Byakuya chose to meet it with absolute force. Terrifying sword energy raged, like a swimming dragon!

"Clang—!"

However, to Byakuya's surprise, Edelweiss's single-arm strength was enough to contend with his. Tsk, how could those slender arms unleash such power?

The two sides were locked in a stalemate, sparks flying from their blades. The two sword energies clashed, and in the end, could only scatter outwards...

Kurono and Ning Yin silently retreated a distance. As for Bronya... an alloy shield stood firm, blocking the wildly attacking sword energy, and the Heavy Rabbit slowly appeared.

"Bronya, aren't you coming over?"

"No, Teacher Ning Yin, Bronya will stay here," Bronya shook her head at Ning Yin.

A slender hand rested on the Heavy Rabbit's chassis. A stream of Magic Power gradually enveloped it, eventually transforming into a deep blue katana. "Teacher Ning Yin, you should head back to the academy first."

"After all, it's just Ikki and the others. They're probably not a match." Bronya took a step forward, her body gradually Elementalizing.

"BOOM—!"

Under the terrifying struggle, the ground predictably collapsed. Byakuya retreated, his brows furrowed slightly. "It seems I was still holding back, wasn't I?"

"Extremely sharp swordsmanship."

On the other side, Edelweiss also let out a sigh of admiration. Before this, let alone crossing swords with her, very few people could even block a single strike. "But that sword technique just now..."

Although it was only for an instant, she still sensed it—a strange feeling, that sword didn't align with the principles of this world. "Did you comprehend it yourself?"

"Something like that," Byakuya replied.

Byakuya lightly brushed his hand across the blade, his gaze falling on the other sword in Edelweiss's hand. "But this is still not enough. After all... you still have one sword you haven't used, Little Ai."

Edelweiss didn't reply. The pet name "Little Ai" made her feel somewhat awkward.

But Byakuya didn't notice, instead recalling the previous details and subtly adjusting his exertion. "I'm getting a slight feel for it, but overall, it's still lacking."

「Byakuya, please receive this.」

Just then, Bronya's telepathic communication arrived, helping Byakuya observe it again from a third-person perspective. "I see. In that case... let's go again!"

Byakuya reined in his power, channeling it to his toes. Then, he suddenly erupted, shooting out in an instant. Myriad Phenomena, imbued with the force of a thunderclap, slashed down at Edelweiss.

"Clang—"