"You've already fought a match," Erza said. "Do you need a rest?"
"Need not."
Lin Yuan raised the Nameless Sword again. There was no black and silver light on the sword; the magical power that had just cleaved through the roaring space had been completely withdrawn.
Erza glanced at it, then thrust her longsword straight out.
No one called "start".
The sword tip crossed the distance between the two, aiming straight for Lin Yuan's shoulder. Lin Yuan sidestepped half a step, and " Nameless " parried the incoming sword, pulling it outwards, the blade sliding smoothly towards Erza's wrist.
Erza immediately sheathed her sword and slashed horizontally at Lin Yuan's waist.
" Nameless " has already been released ahead of schedule.
The two swords clashed, and a crisp sound echoed across the open space.
Erza changed direction repeatedly, unleashing one slash after another. Each of her sword strikes was precise and efficient, with power, angle, and seamless transitions far surpassing Natsu's earlier instinctive attacks.
Lin Yuan remained standing in the same spot.
He didn't launch a full sword attack first, but chose his next move only after the collision occurred. Erza's sword fell from above, and " Nameless " deflected the force diagonally; she spun and slashed horizontally, the blade returning to her front in the shortest distance.
In just a few breaths, the two swords had clashed more than ten times.
Suddenly, the lights on the Requip shone brightly.
Erza's longsword transformed into a pair of short swords. She quickened her pace, slashing simultaneously from both sides, giving Nameless no room to maneuver.
Lin Yuan faced Zuo Jian.
Just as the swords were about to collide, he suddenly twisted his wrist. The left sword was grazed by the Nameless Sword, and as the shockwave returned, the longsword used the force to bend to the right, accurately blocking the second sword.
The two swords clashed once more.
The faster Erza attacked, the shorter the spin of " Nameless " became. Lin Yuan retained the power generated by each collision on his sword, so he no longer needed to fully sheathe the sword before he could follow up with the next block and counterattack.
Kirito's Dual Blades also involves alternating between left and right swords to seal off gaps. The two had been side by side in the high-level dungeon for two years, and Lin Yuan was already familiar with this rhythm.
Lin Yuan took a step forward from amidst the sword shadows.
He shortened the distance with his true footwork. With both swords still on the outside, the hilt of the Nameless Sword had already struck Erza's shoulder. Erza ducked to avoid it, and the light of her Requip flashed again as a long spear rose from below.
The spearhead blocked the path ahead even earlier than the longsword.
Lin Yuan did not retreat.
The spear guards before the eightieth floor had used the same sudden thrust to pierce the stone pillar. Lin Yuan observed for several days and remembered the moment just before the spear compressed its power into a single line.
He cut inside the spear shaft just before it finished accelerating, pressing down on the shaft with " Nameless," the sword tip stopping in front of Erza's breastplate.
Erza her spear and spun around to avoid it. Before the spear even hit the ground, she was already wearing heavy armor covering her entire body, and a broad-bladed greatsword came crashing down on her.
boom!
The ground beneath Lin Yuan's feet suddenly cracked open.
The greatsword of the heavy armor boss on the 90th floor was far heavier than this attack, and it also contained a delayed "second strike." That battle taught Lin Yuan that the most dangerous position with a greatsword is never the front.
" Nameless " did not directly bear the full force. The moment the two swords made contact, he slid his blade along the side of the heavy sword, redirecting the strike to his right. The heavy sword slammed into the ground, scattering rubble, but Lin Yuan's sword tip had already swept upwards along the opponent's weapon.
Erza her arm to block.
The Nameless Sword left a white mark on her wrist guard and immediately pressed down on the heavy sword she was about to raise.
No matter whether Erza switched to dual swords, a spear, or heavy armor, he could always find the shortest route of attack after several clashes. The changes in distance and rhythm brought about by different weapons seemed to be within the range he had faced before.
Erza removed her Requip again, reverting to her original light armor and one-handed sword, her gaze much more serious than before.
"The last time."
She rushed forward.
The first sword strike was aimed at the shoulder, but was blocked from the outside by Nameless. The second sword did not actually land; it was merely a feint that forced Lin Yuan to turn his wrist.
Erza the opportunity to step back half a step, deliberately revealing a gap in her chest.
Lin Yuan's sword then thrust out.
The light from the Requip had already illuminated Erza's hands. Two short swords appeared simultaneously, one poised to clamp down on " Nameless," while the other slashed towards Lin Yuan's exposed right shoulder.
Two years ago, once Lin Yuan drew his sword, the rest of the fight was already determined by his actions.
But the sword strike did not continue.
When facing Kayaba, he abandoned all his planned sword moves, which made the administrator, who could read the records, unable to predict his moves for the first time.
Lin Yuan's wrist suddenly sank when the two swords appeared. " Nameless " avoided the pincer attack, passed through the gap between the two short swords, and slid inwards, close to Erza's right sword.
The metallic scraping sound stopped abruptly.
The Nameless note rested on her neck.
Erza's other short sword was only half a foot away from Lin Yuan's shoulder, but it didn't go any further.
The open space was quiet for a moment.
Erza put down her twin swords first. "I lost."
Natsu immediately squeezed between the two. "Why did that sword strike suddenly change?"
"Because it never decided where to go next." Erza removed her Requip. "What's this sword technique called?"
" No Form."
"Wait until the last strike is truly finished before deciding on the next one." Lin Yuan sheathed his sword.
She reached out and patted the scabbard of " Nameless," the metal making a low, soft sound.
"Now, in terms of swordsmanship alone, you are already superior to me," Erza smiled.
Natsu raised his fist from the side. "Let's have another match! This time I'll take my positioning seriously too--"
Erza shoved him into the ground.
"Let's go back and continue the banquet."
The crowd immediately surged into the guild with their wine glasses and benches. Gray took the opportunity to walk past Natsu, deliberately taking the last piece of roasted meat.