Chapter 330: The Long-Awaited "Rain"!
Clang—!
The sounds of sword clashing against sword grew more frequent, and Luke began falling into a disadvantage.
It was exactly the same as their first battle.
Once the two began a full-force swordsmanship clash, Luke would instantly be suppressed by Edelweiss.
Earlier, because Edelweiss had avoided clashing swords with Luke, he had barely managed to maintain an even situation by relying on the disharmony in her swordsmanship.
But now…
Ring—!
Listening to the light cry produced when the Starfall Sword collided with the platinum sword, and feeling the terrifying force coming from the other party's delicate jade-like hands, Luke's surprise had still not completely faded.
Luke had not expected Edelweiss to use this method of cancellation to neutralize his ability.
However, after more exchanges, Luke gradually understood why.
Edelweiss's ability was very special.
When hearing the word "contract," most people would probably first think of it as a conceptual ability.
And it was not only ordinary people.
At first, even Edelweiss herself had thought so.
But later, just like the current Stella, after experiencing certain events, Edelweiss finally understood the true power of "contract."
The reason it was ultimately determined to be a causality-interference ability was not only because Edelweiss had obtained a certain level of resistance to causality abilities through it.
The most important point was that her contracts themselves were a form of causality.
It was not something as simple as signing terms and then enforcing them through a price.
Take the price alone, for example.
If Edelweiss wished, she could even form a contract by taking away causality or fate as the price.
And once the contract was formed, it would become a piece of causality between the two contracted people in this world, engraved into their fate.
This ability was actually extremely terrifying.
But to be honest, it truly could not directly increase combat power.
Because other people simply could not see or touch it.
Even if she enhanced her Device with it, other people's attacks could not touch the formless and intangible power of causality at all.
But Luke's "cutting" was different.
This ability gave him the qualification to touch the formless and intangible.
That was actually a good thing.
Things like the mind, the soul, concepts, and causality were almost unsolvable in many situations.
If Luke could touch them, that meant he had a method to solve those abnormal abilities.
However, that did not mean others could not use this point in reverse.
Edelweiss was doing exactly that.
The contract power that others could not touch no matter how much strength they used had become a real protective barrier in front of Luke.
Ring—!
A clear sound echoed across the open ground.
As time passed, wounds gradually began appearing on Luke's body.
Slash—!
The platinum sword swept past, leaving a blood mark of moderate depth near Luke's shoulder.
Without paying attention to his injury, Luke instead focused on his remaining mana.
Cutting causality was not easy.
Or rather, the current Luke did not actually possess the ability to cut causality.
If Edelweiss had not deliberately sent that causality power beneath Luke's sword, then judging by how far he had developed "cutting," forget causality, he would even have difficulty cutting concepts.
This was not an issue with the ability itself.
It was decided by how far Luke had developed that ability.
In truth, Luke's and Edelweiss's views were shockingly similar on this point.
Neither of them treated their Blazer ability as their main object of training.
Compared to further developing his ability, perfecting his swordsmanship and deeply mastering Dual-Life-Sword and the Twin-Wings sword attracted Luke much more.
This led to Luke's ability development not being very deep.
Thinking about it made that obvious.
In this world, as a Blazer's ability development increased, it would form Noble Arts one after another, each worthy of being called a trump card.
But looking at Luke, had he developed even a single Noble Art?
Even Edelweiss at least had the most basic Rule of Grace as a foundation.
Clang—!
The Starfall Sword and Ser-Veresta transformed into one black and one white streak of light, quickly deflecting the platinum sword Edelweiss swung over.
Slash—!
Feeling once again the sensation of something being cut apart, Luke finally could not help sighing.
Although the current situation between Luke and Edelweiss could be called one willing to strike and the other willing to endure, that did not change the fact that what Luke was cutting was the power of causality.
The result of forcibly destroying something beyond his own ability was a massive consumption of mana.
After glancing at the Sword Sheath of Tranquility, which had already begun operating to support him, Luke helplessly chose to cancel his ability.
If this continued, his mana reserves probably would not last until the end of the battle.
'I really should develop this ability properly.'
It had to be said that Luke and Edelweiss had quite the connection.
Edelweiss had produced a similar thought not long ago, and the reason had been Luke.
And now, the one who caused Luke to have this thought was none other than Edelweiss.
Was this a strange coincidence, or an unbelievable bond?
However, after his "trump card" was sealed, Luke smiled again in the blink of an eye.
That smile was exactly the same as the smile Edelweiss had shown when facing the Four-Birth Sword earlier.
It was the smile of someone looking forward to what expression the other party would show when facing the surprise they had prepared.
Ever since Luke successfully defeated Edelweiss with "cutting" last time, he had understood something.
In their second battle, "cutting" could not become his trump card.
Against a powerhouse at Edelweiss's level, did he really expect to defeat her twice with the exact same method?
Luke was not that arrogant.
From beginning to end, the surprises he had prepared for this battle had never included "cutting," an ability that had not improved much recently.
Drip—!
Drip, drip—!
Before anyone realized it, dark clouds gathered in the sky.
Scattered raindrops fell from above and landed on the two of them.
A trace of reminiscence flashed through Edelweiss's eyes.
This sudden light rain reminded her of the scene from the last time she met Luke.
It seemed that had also been a rainy night.
Edelweiss, whose mood suddenly improved a great deal, made the sword strikes in her hands bloom with even brighter light.
'I absolutely cannot lose again like last time!'
Drawn forward by her memories, Edelweiss's entire aura rose to a new height.
However, with her battle spirit blazing, she failed to notice the water-blue glow that silently flashed beneath Luke's feet.
Likewise, she also failed to notice a certain power that fell onto her body along with the rain, then silently seeped inside her and quietly lay dormant.
…
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