It sounded absurd, but Ryoji had indeed unraveled the principle behind it.
A sword technique with no acceleration, one that suppressed friction entirely, something that completely shattered the laws of dynamics. If a scientist were present, their entire worldview would probably collapse from the shock.
Of course, the fact that Ryoji could even comprehend such a technique made him just as abnormal in a sense.
"Even if I can see through it, actually copying it is another matter…"
Ryoji sighed inwardly.
Twin Wings' sword technique was simply too unbelievable.
To replicate it required more than just keen perception; it demanded an extreme level of bodily control.
Only by possessing enough control to generate a special kind of electrical signal within the body, one capable of transmitting commands to all muscles simultaneously, could such a technique be reproduced.
And when it came to bodily control, Ryoji wasn't even in the same league as Edelweiss.
The gap between them was enormous, so vast that he had no idea how to even begin creating that special signal.
His innate talent was strong, but no matter how great his talent was, some things simply required time and effort. Otherwise, he would already be invincible.
And time was exactly what he lacked. At his current stage, his bodily control simply couldn't match that of the world's strongest. To break through, he would have to devote time to training.
In other words, given enough time, and training his body control to an extreme degree, he could fully replicate Twin Wings' sword.
But right now, the conditions weren't there. He couldn't copy it.
"No… not necessarily." Ryoji took a deep breath, his gaze growing increasingly profound.
Indeed, with his current level of bodily control, directly copying Twin Wings' sword was impossible, but that didn't mean there wasn't a workaround.
"Still planning to fight?" Sensing the change in his eyes, Edelweiss spoke in a warning tone.
"You've already used all your sword skills. If you try to use them again, your next strike will be your last. Surely you understand that?"
That was correct.
All of his techniques had been completely dismantled. Edelweiss now had a perfect read on both his strengths and weaknesses.
If he used any of the same sword skills again in his next charge, her blade would undoubtedly pierce straight through him.
"I understand that perfectly." Ryoji raised the Spiritual Item (Device) in his hand.
The silver, water-like sheen of the blade reflected the resolve in his eyes. He didn't know if this method would succeed. If it failed, Twin Wings' sword would pierce his chest. But if there was even a possible method, he had to test it himself to find the answer.
Opportunities to fight the world's strongest might only come once in many years; he had to break past his limits in this very battle!
It was do or die.
"I'm going in!"
Ryoji held the Spiritual Item (Device) upright before him and shouted.
Edelweiss did not respond. Her sword tip hung toward the ground, and she almost looked absent-minded, but her gaze had quietly sharpened.
With this strike, she truly intended to pierce his body.
From Arisuin Nagi's perspective, he could clearly read that intent in Twin Wings' eyes, and his heart immediately tightened with tension.
"Boom!"
Ryoji kicked off the ground violently, launching himself forward.
With his speed, he could cross that distance in the blink of an eye.
In other words, victory or defeat would be decided in an instant!
Edelweiss finally raised the sword in her hand.
Her blade, like a flash of light, skipped the process of acceleration entirely, reaching maximum speed in an instant, creating the illusion of near lightspeed as it thrust straight toward Ryoji's chest.
This time, Ryoji didn't use any sword technique, only a simple, ordinary slash.
Edelweiss didn't even need to think to find countless openings. With a single strike, she could break it completely.
Once this sword fell, Ryoji's defeat was certain.
"Now!"
At the exact moment Edelweiss raised her sword, Ryoji's pupils shrank to their limit.
Absolute Speed activated!
In an instant, magic power surged into the Spiritual Item (Device) in his hand, just about to initiate acceleration,
"Have you run out of tricks?"
Edelweiss frowned slightly.
Seeing that Ryoji still refused to give up, she had thought he might have some hidden trump card and even felt a hint of anticipation, but it turned out he had only brought out an already nullified ability.
This strike would end it.
With a thought, she "evaded" Ryoji's targeting.
In that instant, Absolute Speed failed to activate!
The failure of this special ability meant that victory and defeat were already decided, this boy would die here.
And yet,
Suddenly, a flash appeared!
It came so abruptly that even Edelweiss couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"Clang!"
With a violent metallic collision, two flashes crashed head-on!
In that instant, Ryoji was violently knocked backward, taking several heavy steps before barely dispersing the force.
But at the same time,
Twin Wings' sword had been deflected!
Though only by a tiny margin, at most a few centimeters, her blade had undeniably been knocked aside!
"How is that possible?!"
Arisuin Nagi couldn't help but shout.
Until now, Ryoji had never once been able to deflect Twin Wings' sword!
Even his only counterattack under her assault had involved slipping past her blade and closing into her guard.
Because Twin Wings' sword was simply too powerful, its speed and force flawless. If he clashed with it head-on, he would be crushed instantly, making a counterattack impossible.
But this time!
Ryoji had actually collided head-on with her sword, and even managed to deflect it?!
Even Edelweiss herself fell into momentary shock.
"You actually… copied my sword in an instant?"
She stared at Ryoji in a daze, replaying the scene in her mind.
Moments later, realization dawned on her.
"So that's how it is… you really fooled me."
"Ha… ha…"
Ryoji panted heavily.
In that instant just now, he had truly brushed past death.
If that method hadn't worked, his heart would likely have been pierced through.
Luckily…
At the critical moment, fortune had once again smiled on him.
"How did you do it?"
Arisuin Nagi stared intensely at the two of them.
"It's actually quite simple."
Ryoji spoke slowly, calming his violently pounding heart.
"In reality, you didn't seal my ability; you avoided its effect, didn't you?"
That statement was directed at Twin Wings.
Edelweiss said nothing, effectively confirming his guess.
"But you avoided it once, yet failed to avoid it the second time."
Seeing her silent acknowledgment, Ryoji broke into a bright smile.
"To be precise, you didn't expect me to apply two settings at the same time, so you weren't on guard, and that's how I succeeded."
(End of Chapter)
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