Erza curled her lip, making an expression that said "How dare you ask."
She couldn't be blamed for being careful. This knight armor she was wearing was a gift from a client who appreciated her and thought the style suited her. It was a luxury item she absolutely couldn't afford if she had to pay for it herself.
Moreover, during their previous spar, Shane had a "criminal record" of deliberately targeting the weaknesses of her equipment to destroy it.
Now that Shane's "weapon-breaking" ability had obviously been greatly enhanced, she naturally had to put away her cherished armor.
While they were talking, the longsword in the creek had basically cooled down. The steam on the surface no longer rose, revealing a metallic luster as calm as the night.
Shane tilted his chin toward the creek. "Try it."
Erza made a grabbing motion in the air with one hand, expelling a bit of Magic Power. The longsword broke through the water with a whoosh and landed precisely in her hand.
Perhaps because it fused the materials of two swords, it felt heavier than expected, but the weight distribution was just right, making it very comfortable to hold.
Peculiar patterns flowed on the sword body. Unknown whether it was due to clever quenching techniques or the natural water-flow shape formed during forging, it was truly as beautiful and vivid as a murmuring stream.
She subconsciously mixed in some Magic Power and swung it forward casually.
Hiss—
An invisible slash swept across the creek surface. The water flow was sliced open smoothly at the sound, rejoining only after a split second.
Surprise flashed in Erza's eyes.
She could feel that the transmission of her Magic Power in the sword body was smoother by more than a notch!
Sharpness and firmness were far beyond comparison with those two swords from before.
Seeing the girl's unconcealable surprise, the corners of Shane's mouth hooked up, and he accurately threw out a number: "Performance increased by 6.237 times."
"What?!" Erza's hand shook, thinking she heard wrong.
In such a short time, just one reforging, and the performance increased six times?
She couldn't help but stroke the cold sword body repeatedly, her fingertips lingering on the water-wave-like patterns.
"How is it?" Shane looked at her fondling it admiringly and asked knowingly, "Are you satisfied with the agreed-upon first sword?"
Erza nodded hard, staring at the flowing luster on the sword body, a name naturally surfacing in her mind. "I'll call you 'Flowing Water'."
Amidst her joy, she suddenly remembered a key question. "This sword... won't be shattered by you casually like just now, right?"
Hearing this, Shane showed an offended expression. "My works aren't that fragile."
He crossed his arms, his crimson flame pupils glancing at her. "Besides, if you want to fight me with a weapon, you have to use a weapon I forged at the very least."
Erza felt slightly relieved. If the weapon broke so easily in battle, there would be no way to fight.
Watching her breathe a sigh of relief, Shane pressed down the corners of his mouth, trying hard to hold back laughter.
He really wanted to say, "Lied to you! When you hold a weapon, there's already a thick high wall between us," but he swallowed the words in the end.
He turned his attention to the Book of Heroic Spirits emerging in his mind.
[Appreciation of Swords A]
As a craftsman who dedicated his life to forging swords, Senji Muramasa possessed absolute appreciation and understanding of all "sword" type weapons.
Facing an enemy holding a weapon, he could instantly see through the weapon's material, structure, history, weaknesses, and even the holder's swordsmanship school and combat habits.
—In the domain where swords crossed, Senji Muramasa always occupied the absolute commanding height of information.
After clarifying Saber's True Name, Shane finally understood where his previous special perception of weapons came from.
This skill was greatly strengthened after the release, or rather, it revealed its original form.
"Come on." Shane waved his hand casually.
Erza's gaze focused, thinking no more.
"Flowing Water" drew a cold arc of light. Her figure instantly disappeared from the spot, dashing forward with astonishing speed, even leaving a faint afterimage in place!
Shane dodged sideways. The blade edge brushed past the corner of his clothes, the wind pressure blowing his hair.
He sighed with emotion in his heart. Erza indeed hadn't wasted her talent this past month or so; her strength had improved significantly.
However, missing a strike, Erza keenly sensed something abnormal.
She stopped her offensive, pointing the sword tip obliquely at the ground, and smiled. "What's wrong? Your movements... are much slower than before."
Excellent combat awareness allowed her to judge immediately: Shane's absolute speed at this moment was far inferior to that gentle winter-like form from before.
"You discovered it." Shane shook his head helplessly, not hiding it. "This form is indeed not outstanding in terms of Agility."
—Strength B, Endurance A, Agility D, Magic Power E.
Senji Muramasa's speed was far weaker than Arash's, not even much higher than his own base stats.
But the reason Shane thought investing two authorities to call Senji Muramasa wasn't a loss naturally had its logic.
He made a gripping motion with one hand, and a simple, ancient-style pitch-black longsword manifested in his hand.
Immediately after, the flames around him, scorching like a furnace, rose violently, winding around the sword body like living things and injecting back into his limbs and bones.
"Then..." Shane's voice carried a texture like dancing flames. "Try this now!"
Before his voice fell, his figure blurred abruptly!
"So fast!" Erza's pupils constricted. Just as the thought that the opponent's speed was poor rose in her heart, it was completely shattered by this performance far exceeding before!
Clang!
The pitch-black sword body clashed violently with the water-patterned "Flowing Water," bursting with a crisp ringing sound. Erza only felt a scorching giant force transmit over, numbing her arm, forcing her to retreat several steps to unload the force.
Shane's movements became wild yet precise. Every slash carried scorching wind pressure. The flames licked the blade edge like living creatures but wouldn't harm him in the slightest.
This fire was not ordinary fire, but the "Heart Fire" ignited by Senji Muramasa injecting his soul, spirit, and life into the forge when exhausting his forging.
It was the embodiment of the extreme spirit of sacrificing oneself and burning everything to complete a work. It could burn enemies, burn away karmic obstacles, and also greatly strengthen oneself.
It could be said that, putting aside the Noble Phantasm, eighty percent of Senji Muramasa's strength was condensed in this flame.
Erza instantly fell into a hard fight.
Her fighting style was originally unadorned, using faster speed, stronger power, and more exquisite techniques to crush opponents.
Now, speed and power fell completely to the disadvantage, and techniques...
In front of Shane's [Appreciation of Swords] that seemed to have insight into everything, every intention and every habitual starting move of hers was transparent. Often, as soon as her sword momentum rose, Shane's method of breaking it was already waiting ahead.
She could only rely on her God-given combat instinct to parry with difficulty.
But even though the sword light danced airtightly, she was still forced to retreat continuously by that scorching black longsword, fine beads of sweat oozing from her forehead.
While attacking, Shane was also calmly verifying his abilities and evaluating Erza's strength.
He found that the girl's foundation was already exceptionally solid, and her combat awareness keen. What she lacked was only means to deal with various special situations and powerful special-attack type abilities.
This point could perhaps be made up for by tailoring some weapons with counter-attributes for her in the future.
Thinking of this, he took the initiative to retreat a step, opening up the distance. The scorching blade edge subsided slightly, the flame shadows retracting a bit.
"Really impressive, Erza," Shane praised sincerely, his crimson eyes carrying recognition. "You've become much stronger than I imagined."
Although he held back, the fact that the girl could persist for so long meant her strength already far exceeded most Mages.
"Continue!"
Erza gasped for breath, her hands still tightly gripping the sword of "Flowing Water," her eyes focused and stubborn, showing no sign of weakness.
Shane smiled and said knowingly, "I know you won't admit defeat. Then, I'll let you see... an ability that Arash couldn't show you!"
Hearing this, Erza's expression became even more solemn, Magic Power surging all over her body, waiting in full array.
She knew the "Arash" in Shane's mouth was the great hero who gave him the longbow, the existence who could easily destroy the Tower of Heaven.
And the furnace-like blazing form before her eyes, as the second Heroic Spirit in Shane's mouth, naturally also possessed extraordinary power.
"Come on!"
Erza gripped the sword hilt with both hands, looking straight ahead. No matter what attack it was, she would block it for Shane to see!
However, looking at the girl's resolute appearance, Shane said nothing, just smiling...
Smiling, he gently rested the pitch-black longsword in his hand on the ground.
A few sparks splashed accordingly.
Zing—