Chapter 274: The Injured Peak of the World!
The one directly above Edelweiss's head was Luke's real body.
The other six figures were all illusions.
But just because they were illusions, one must not ignore them.
Under the effects of Prana and magic power, each figure was not very different from his real body.
Six illusions.
Even if only one of them struck an ordinary person, they would not be able to handle it.
And once all attention was placed on the six illusions, then the real body descending from the sky would become the true killing move of this Rokkon Shojo Zan!
However…
"What astonishing swordsmanship."
A pure-white sword light flashed and vanished.
In an instant, all six illusions scattered.
Then, Edelweiss, whose entire sequence of counterattack, defense, and attacking again was even faster than Luke's simple offense, swung a sword strike toward the top of her head!
There was no way to evade it. At this moment, Edelweiss's speed suddenly soared by more than one level.
Luke did not even have time to react before the platinum sword directly struck his body.
However—
Bang—!
The sword in Edelweiss's hand seemed to have cut into a steel plate.
A barrier made of blue starlight blocked between Luke and Edelweiss.
Feeling both surprised and admiring in her heart, because of this block, Edelweiss's evaluation of him rose sharply.
That counterattack just now could be said to have been her full power without using the power of a Desperado.
Yet the full-power strike of the world's strongest swordsman had failed to harm the boy.
This fact alone was enough for Luke to brag about for the rest of his life.
Although Edelweiss could easily shatter this starlight barrier in the next instant, with this single moment, Luke could use the force to leave her attack range.
Before launching his attack, he had already calculated the second step, even the third step.
This young man before her was far more sensitive to battle than she had imagined.
However, just as Edelweiss shattered the starlight barrier with an admiring slash and intended to let Luke pull away, that admiration turned into shock.
Luke did not retreat!
Pfft—!
The platinum sword that passed through the starlight barrier mercilessly carved a huge wound into Luke's body!
The impact carried by the sword strike instantly sent Luke flying!
Boom—!
Blood sprayed through the sky along with the roar of his body crashing into the ground.
Logically speaking, this was the best moment to pursue.
However, Edelweiss stood in place without moving.
She stared blankly at the streak of fresh red on her left arm.
Although it was not too deep, and it would not affect her combat state at all, the blood flowing out was so conspicuous on this pure-white swordswoman's body.
That was right. She was injured!
While enduring Edelweiss's fatal sword strike, Luke had carved his own mark onto her body in a way she could never have imagined.
…
The enormous wound pierced through Luke's entire chest from top to bottom.
"It hurts… Speaking of which, how long has it been since I was injured?"
Feeling the long-lost pain of his body being torn apart, Luke's mood at this moment was exceptionally refreshed.
An injury like this, which would almost mean instant death for someone else, was actually not much to him.
The body of a first-class adventurer whose Falna had reached Lv.5 was a monster in the truest sense.
Even if his heart was pierced, he would not die immediately and could even self-heal to a certain extent.
To the current Luke, an injury like this, which had merely opened a wound, could not even be considered a serious injury.
The reason he dared to use a fighting method of exchanging wounds was precisely because he relied on this body that, in the eyes of ordinary people, could be called immortal.
Compared to the "small matter" of his chest cavity being torn open, Luke cared more about Edelweiss's injury.
Although he had been sent flying before he could see it with his own eyes, Luke was certain that she had definitely been injured.
From the start of the battle until just now, Edelweiss had not retreated even once.
She might defend while attacking, but she had never evaded.
Because there was simply no need.
She did not need to dodge.
She only needed to use one hand to defend during the gaps between her attacks, and that was enough to intercept his counterattack.
Considering the gap in strength between the two of them, this was also the inevitable result.
Therefore, Edelweiss would not choose to evade!
So that strike just now must have injured her as well!
Ignoring the injury on his chest, Luke stood up and took two steps forward.
Then he looked in Edelweiss's direction.
"Tch, this really is…"
Seeing the wound on the other party's left arm, which was neither too deep nor too shallow, Luke clicked his tongue somewhat dissatisfied.
Unlike his attitude, Edelweiss held her breath and looked at him with a complicated gaze.
She looked at this swordsman youth who was still bleeding nonstop, yet had firmly stood up again.
Feeling the slight pain coming from her left arm, Edelweiss hesitated for a moment before asking,
"Why are you still standing?"
"The wound my sword left on your body just now is enough to be fatal."
"Even if you receive treatment immediately, you may not necessarily be able to recover completely."
"Dragging that kind of body to fight me, you will collapse before I even draw my sword."
"The outcome has already been decided. There is no need to continue."
"Outcome? Oh… Something like that doesn't matter either way."
Luke reached out and tore off the torn pieces of clothing hanging from his body.
Under Edelweiss's conflicted gaze, he moved his "heavily injured and dying" body a little.
After adapting to the long-lost pain, Luke once again summoned Starfall Sword, then continued,
"Who wins and who loses actually has no meaning to me."
"From beginning to end, there has only been one thing I care about."
"And that is the battle that is about to unfold between the two of us again!"
"For the sake of an unnecessary battle, you would stake your life. Do you think doing this is worth it?"
Edelweiss could not quite understand his thoughts.
This could not be blamed on her. After all, in her eyes, Luke was already in a dying state.
Even if Edelweiss did not intend to kill him and could not bear to kill him, with his current condition, his chances of surviving were not very high.
However, Luke did not think so. The long-lost feeling of pain instead stimulated his nerves, causing his fighting spirit to rise even higher.
"Stake my life? No, I have no intention of dying here."
"How could an injury of this level possibly take my life?"
"…I see. I understand."
Looking at Luke, who was not shaken in the slightest, Edelweiss put away her chaotic thoughts.
"I apologize for holding back before, and for the question I just asked."
"Luke… you are a true swordsman!"
Facing this young man who had injured her, this swordsman who had successfully touched the peak of the world yet still remained unsatisfied—
Edelweiss expressed admiration and respect for his will.
"You are worthy of me going all out as a swordsman!"
"Therefore, with this strongest sword in the world, I will thoroughly defeat you!"
"This time, I will no longer hold back!"