Faintly, a flash of sword light streaked past. Just as before, the Platinum Sword blocked the blade, even cutting off the thunderlight. "It's getting closer."
"As expected, you did that on purpose."
As their blades crossed, White Night met Edelweiss's gaze. Her eyes were beautiful. "That's why I said... (Clang—)"
"You're a very kind person, Xiao Ai."
Knocking aside the Platinum Sword, White Night launched another fierce assault. Myriad Phenomena cast a skyful of afterimages that descended like a tidal wave.
"Clang, clang clang—"
Sparks flew everywhere.
Edelweiss was still as powerful as ever. She steadily blocked everything with only one sword! White Night could not help but remark, "That said, isn't it a little too obvious that you're going easy on me?"
Rather than an exchange of blows, it was more like she was instructing him, showing White Night the essence of the Winged Sword.
"At least... (Clang—)"
After another collision, White Night Elementalized and withdrew from Edelweiss's attack range. The intense battle had drained some of his stamina. "Use the other sword a little too. Give me some face, will you?"
"And besides..."
Gradually catching his breath, White Night lowered his body slightly, holding Myriad Phenomena level before his chest as his left fingers brushed along the blade. "You're teaching me like this—it's making me feel embarrassed."
—White Night had originally planned to suddenly strike with Hundred Paces Flying Sword during the battle, but in the end, he gave up on it. "Though this might be unnecessary..." (After all, that was the Winged Sword!)
"But you should still be careful, Xiao Ai."
Was he specifically warning her? Edelweiss also became a little more alert. The next instant, a streak of light flashed through her vision...
"...What was that?"
"Hundred Paces Flying Sword."
White Night stood behind Edelweiss. Faint traces of blood remained on the cold blade. "The supreme sword of the Vertical Sword Technique. It could once be considered part of the Supreme Sword Dao..."
Though he said that, White Night inwardly kept sighing. In the end, it was a sword technique from a martial arts world... As the world became increasingly absurd, it gradually could no longer keep up.
"Once?"
Edelweiss's fair little hand brushed over her shoulder, and a trace of blood appeared on her slender fingertips...
—After stacking layer upon layer of buffs and supplementing them with Hundred Paces Flying Sword, White Night had finally reached her, even if it was only a small cut.
Sitting Forgetfulness Containing Light, Harmony of Light and Dust
"Xiao Ai, do I have the qualifications to prove myself?"
White Night turned around and ran one hand over his blade. "Could you be a little more serious? I want to see the true Winged Sword."
"...All right, as you wish."
The other idle sword finally moved! A terrifying pressure descended with it.
—It was life's most instinctive warning. He could not win. He would undoubtedly die!
But for White Night, death had long become an everyday occurrence. Facing death's warning, he instead smiled. "That's right. This is how it should be."
"Here it comes!!!"
His vision could no longer keep up; with Edelweiss's strength, even the airflow could be ignored; sound was slower than her...
"Clang—"
Yet even so, White Night raised Myriad Phenomena horizontally and blocked the Winged Sword's blade. Veins bulged on his arms as they trembled slightly. "It's really heavy..."
"Is it because no power is being wasted?" In their deadlock, White Night instead fell into a disadvantage.
!!!
Without the slightest warning, White Night suddenly erupted with strength, barely knocking the blade aside with all his might before rapidly retreating.
—For true experts, intuition was often more reliable at certain times. After all, through countless battles over time, some things had long been etched into instinct.
The other sword tore through the air. Terrifying Sword Qi crisscrossed, carving a savage ravine into the earth.
That was truly dangerous... But before White Night could catch his breath, the Platinum Sword followed close behind.
Miracle of Life!
At that moment, the good fortune of a desperate situation took effect. Or perhaps... it was life's instinct to survive? As though enlightenment had come to his heart, White Night silently took a step and gracefully drifted away.
He had successfully incorporated the Winged Sword's exertion of force into his footwork. In terms of speed alone, he had almost caught up to Edelweiss!
Because of that, this strike ultimately missed... White Night vaguely seemed to see a sword scar tear through heaven and earth, as though it had been imprinted into the void?
"This is really absurd."
While regulating his breathing, he communicated with Bronya and used the advantage of their dual cores to comprehend that instant.
"...Not enough. I need to experience it more deeply. White Night, do you still remember Sitting Forgetfulness Containing Light?"
"Emmm... the Sitting Forgetfulness Heart Method?"
After thinking briefly, White Night immediately located the relevant memory. "That doesn't suit my personality. It's difficult for me to bring out its essence."
"Then should Bronya do it instead?"
"No, I can barely hold on."
White Night refused Bronya. After recalling the Sitting Forgetfulness Heart Method, his entire aura changed.
"And White Night... what Master gave you back then—has it only been this long, and you've already forgotten? If it really comes down to it, should Bronya help White Night remember?"
"Master..."
Though he had also received the World Will's favor, Zhang Zhiwei had truly treated White Night well! The Golden Light Spell, the Tongtian Register, Wudang Tai Chi... and so on, he had taught them to him with almost nothing held back.
He had even sought out things like Feng Hou Qi Men and Divine Machine Hundred Refinements. He had even specially modified Lightning Magic so White Night could cultivate both Yin and Yang.
Though... most of them had been banned in other worlds, they had truly laid a foundation for White Night.
"Young man, you seem to have changed."
Edelweiss walked toward him step by step, in no hurry to attack. Though she claimed to be serious, she was still holding back. "Your name is White Night, right?"
"...Didn't I tell you?"
White Night thought back and realized that he really had not mentioned it. Edelweiss might even have only heard it during their conversation. "Ah, sorry. It might be because it was my first confession, so I was a little nervous."
At this moment, White Night's reaction truly resembled that of a young man. "As for the change you mentioned, Xiao Ai..."
"I probably remembered something precious... Ah, sorry. If possible, please forget it."
"Why?"
Rarely seeing White Night look so embarrassed, Edelweiss could not help wanting to tease him. He had confessed to her, after all~ She could not be the only one troubled by it.
"There's no reason."
White Night stood with his sword in hand, his state of mind gradually calming. His gaze was deep and tranquil, without any of its previous sharpness. "Xiao Ai, our battle isn't over yet."
"How sly..." (He actually changed the subject.)
Though she complained a little, Edelweiss said nothing more. Clearly, White Night had already made up his mind. Then, what she could do...
—Was only respond to him with her sword!
In a single instant, Edelweiss appeared before White Night. She had not used Drawn Foot; she was simply that fast. Immediately afterward, a flash of sword light came at him.
Completely opposite to the Winged Sword, White Night moved very slowly, yet there was a wondrous rhythm to his movements.
"Clang—"
Metal clashed, but this time, it was not intense. White Night's sword seemed stuck to the Platinum Sword... As the blades rubbed together, he used the concept of "softness" to guide it aside and dissolve the attack.
◆ A gentleman does not contend; containing light without form, sitting in forgetfulness without heart.
This was...?
Another sword technique she had never seen before. Edelweiss became interested. After all, she was a swordswoman too~ The other sword swung out silently...
Yet White Night seemed to have anticipated it. Borrowing the force, he leaped up. Like a weightless leaf, he brushed past the incoming blade in midair.
The Winged Sword's ultimate "speed" and the Sitting Forgetfulness Heart Method's "slowness" complemented and intertwined with each other, forming a harmonious picture.
At the same time, White Night and Bronya quietly felt it all, like sponges madly absorbing experience.
Gradually, Edelweiss's traces began to appear little by little within White Night's footwork.
"Clang—"
A crisp sound rang out.
The Sitting Forgetfulness Heart Method ultimately did not suit White Night's personality. He personally still preferred attacking.
What was more... with Edelweiss's level, even if it was a sword from another world, she had more or less nearly seen through it after a series of exchanges.
White Night could only take the initiative and attack.
He had more or less learned the Winged Sword, and he imitated Edelweiss by incorporating it into his footwork. However... his footwork was somewhat different.
◆ Harmonize with its light, mingle with its dust; clear and deep, it seems to endure.
—Harmony of Light and Dust!
Though... it was somewhat ill-suited to this world, it could at least still be used! At that instant, White Night seemed to become one with heaven and earth. With one step, he shifted position.
This was stranger than Elementalization. At least when he Elementalized, thunderlight still flashed, but Harmony of Light and Dust... was already almost like teleportation.
He would often slash down with his sword, then immediately shift position to evade Edelweiss's counterattack. After a while, he would come again from another direction.
"Clang, clang—"
A continuous series of clashes.
White Night blended in the Winged Sword, making his movements unpredictable enough to almost produce afterimages.
At this point, the naked eye could no longer follow them. For a time, only their collisions revealed their forms. Other than that, there was only Sword Qi filling the sky and tearing the ground apart.
The destruction they caused seemed small, but in truth... these two had pushed their control over power to the extreme!
Even so, a small portion still leaked out, which was enough to show the intensity of the battle.
Synchronization Rate 100%
Sword Qi crisscrossed, ravaging the battlefield until it was covered in devastation. After a long while, this battle finally produced a result.
Edelweiss wore pure white light armor. Though it looked somewhat revealing, her transcendent aura... was holy and immaculate, making people unwilling to profane her instead.
After such a battle, she was still as spotless as ever. Only... a tiny bloody cut at her waist and abdomen ruined that beauty.
—She had still been injured!
Then there was White Night. Emmm... a savage sword scar began at his left shoulder and stretched all the way to the right side of his abdomen, almost exposing bone!
Large amounts of bright red blood flowed down, soaking his clothes and even pooling into a "small puddle of blood" beneath his feet.
Aside from that most severe wound, White Night had countless wounds of varying sizes all over his body. It made one wonder how he could still be standing?!!
"This is really... a little impressive..."
White Night leaned on his Tang Saber, one hand slowly brushing over his wounds. He switched to the Life Chronicle, and all kinds of self-healing factors began to take effect.
◆ The Life Chronicle had recorded too much. Subjectively, White Night could not fully control it and could only call upon a portion.
"White Night, that's enough already." Seeing him injured to this extent, Edelweiss did not want White Night to continue.
"No, Xiao Ai..."
White Night shook his head, a faint tremor mixed into his voice. As thunderlight flickered, he forcibly stopped the bleeding from his wounds. "I've waited for this day... for a very long time."
"I went to Sword Peak Edelberg back then too... Unfortunately, my luck was bad. I didn't run into you that time."
Edelweiss had still held back. She had not left any Sword Qi behind. With the self-healing factors, White Night barely recovered somewhat. "Besides, for a swordsman, facing the end of the sword's path..."
—How could he possibly retreat!
White Night did not say it aloud, but Edelweiss still understood. "I see... Then, in response to this resolve..."
Before you continue