As soon as the confrontation began, Sword Law was filled with deep confusion.

Counting it out, he had only met Ash twice, but they could be said to have fought three times.

The first time was with the normal Ash, the second was when the others were infused into the Coffin of Tears, transforming into the dark ghostly Ash. Sword Law had faced countless fierce battles in his life, but fighting the ghostly Ash was undoubtedly the first time he had been so close to death.

But now, this encounter was completely different from the previous two. Ash was no longer satisfied with using Void Wings to maneuver; the air felt like solid ground to him, as he walked freely in the air like an unrestrained child, bursting through air waves. Though his dual sword choreography seemed chaotic, he was able to perform various swordsmanship secrets from unimaginable angles. The styles of ’Elegance’ and ’Free Will’ perfectly merged in him, sometimes becoming an extreme dancer, sometimes a fiery train, and from the first second of the battle, his swordsmanship had put the Sword Law Angel just beneath the glory of the Dazzling Star!

The Sword Rain Pool’s three Eternal Wonders, ’Self-injury Prison’ had collapsed because the Divine Being of Heart Sword was lost, ’Boundary of Bitter Sea’ was used to isolate inside from outside, leaving only the perfect defense of ’Sorrowful Curtain’ available for combat.

Actually, Sword Rain Pool is originally a Secret Realm that excels in defensive counterattacks, first using ’Boundary of Bitter Sea’ to trap the enemy inside the realm, then continuously consuming the enemy’s Source Power with endless Sword Rain. If the enemy attacks the Caster, ’Sorrowful Curtain’ is activated, leveraging the enemy’s aggression to create a Magic Sword. Magic Sword can not only be used in combat but also enhance the intensity of Sword Rain, making this cycle an unbreakable cage once it operates.

But Sword Law was stunned to find that Sword Rain Pool did not enter the proper cycle—Ash’s Defense Wonder ’Refraction Prism’ only breaks when accumulated damage reaches a certain level. Even though he was bathed in torrential Sword Rain, his Source Power was only slowly depleting; and his seemingly dense and fierce assaults did not manage to meet the minimum damage needed for Magic Sword to condense, ’Sorrowful Curtain’ was only realizing its defensive effect without being transformed into a battle strength!

Last time, only those four Female Mages were able to control damage, but now even Ash could do it!?

If Sword Law was the only one here this time, it might have been somewhat troublesome, but behind him is an ancient Angel who has followed the Lord for thousands of years!

Star Law lightly tapped the void with her Magic Wand, suddenly gathering starlight into countless horizontal and vertical lines, dividing the world into a myriad of dense cubes. Even though Ash immediately tried various means to test it, he could not affect those star lines!

Eternal Wonder · Star Sea Chessboard!

Sword Law suddenly used Instant Teleportation to appear behind Ash, and when Ash quickly turned around to fight, Sword Law used Instant Teleportation to appear by his side again, Ash deftly maneuvered his left-handed sword to launch a divine counter, but Sword Law appeared above him again and slashed down!

A layer of refraction on Ash exploded, and he was sent flying downwards, but Sword Law instantly teleported below him, holding up the Glass Star Sword to stab at his back!

"Interesting." Ash’s eyes flashed with cold light, but his lips curled into an excited smile. Suddenly, he moved quickly in the Rain Curtain, alternating between flying and stepping in the air, but without rotating his body axis. No matter where Sword Law teleported to launch an attack, Ash only rotated his arms to counter with divine force!

Due to his sheer speed, his arms left an afterimage in the air, so from a distance, it looked like an eight-armed statue. He wandered in the air, his body unmoved, grand and domineering, like a mountain and the sea!

During the lulls in the battle, Ash drew a circle of ink marks, enveloping Star Law on the edge of the battlefield. But seeing Star Law instantly teleport elsewhere, he wasn’t surprised; after all, there was no reason why Instant Teleportation should be limited to others and not oneself.

The effect of "Star Sea Chessboard" is simple and straightforward, yet the tactics are unparalleled: within the area covered by the Star Sea Chessboard, Star Law can teleport any target by consuming starlight. And the starlight accumulated over thousands of years by the Sea of Stars is enough for Star Law to fight a hundred Divine Wars.

Seeing Sword Law still unable to break Ash’s defenses, Star Law lowered her eyelids, drawing a shining arc with her Magic Wand. The sky seemed to light up briefly, but amidst the shining starlight and Rain Curtain, this light appeared insignificant.

Noticing this moment, Ash’s face changed drastically, his speed suddenly increased, as if fleeing from something, constantly traversing the Rain Curtain. A group of shimmering star fragments hidden within the starlight Rain Curtain were pursuing Ash’s figure with great precision. Although they were fast, they appeared very fragile, seeming like even a gentle touch would shatter them.

Ash tentatively slashed at one with his sword, and dared not touch them again: the star fragment he cut actually split into two!

Faced with the pursuing star fragments and Sword Law’s pressuring attacks, Ash gradually became more desperate, although he could still barely maintain his stance, defeat was only a matter of time as stars continued to increase. When his movement space was compressed, he had no choice but to slash through the star fragments to forge a path, which in turn led to a further increase in star fragments, squeezing his space further, falling into a vicious cycle.

He had already uncovered the secret of the three Eternal Wonders of the Sea of Stars, thought Sword Law.

However, Sword Law was not surprised; given Ash’s level of battle talents, figuring out the secrets of the Sea of Stars was too common. Perhaps from the moment Star Law moved Sword Law, the secrets of the Sea of Stars were already laid bare in Ash’s eyes.

Because it’s obvious, if Star Law could teleport everyone, why hasn’t she teleported Ash?

Keeping Ash fixed underground, depriving him of motion, having Sword Law knocking him unconscious couldn’t be simpler, right?

Once Ash realizes this, he naturally guesses the effect of the other two Eternal Wonders of the Sea of Stars: surely there’s a wide-ranging attack technique, and a special curse that transforms him into a ’teleportable unit’. Coupled with the infinite teleportation of Star Sea Chessboard, it creates a killing system where the enemy is pressed into submission!

The star fragments pursuing Ash are the Eternal Wonder ’Star Fall’. Once he is hit by a star fragment, even with the Defense Wonder blocking it, another Eternal Wonder ’Indestructible Star Mark’ will still activate, adding a star mark on his soul body!

Sword Law bore an ’Indestructible Star Mark’, which allowed Star Law to teleport him. The entire Heavenly Kingdom knew the tactics of the Sea of Stars, but even knowing it was meaningless, the terror of the Sea of Stars lay in its oppressive despair.

Star fragments will increase over time, will increase when attacked, and will eventually fill every inch of space, leaving no refuge. Once star fragments touch you, the game is over, Star Law will pin you to the ground, whether to kill or trap, all at her whim.

With the Sword Rain Pool, the Ocean of Stars is significantly enhanced, the "Boundary of Bitter Sea" cuts off any possibility of escape, the stardust becomes even less noticeable amidst the Dazzling Star Rain, and the lethal Sword Rain fills the gap of the Ocean of Stars’ lack of attack power, making it an unbeatable combination.

Even though Ash has been pushed to a dead end, the Sword Law feels no joy, instead, an inexplicable sense of panic arises within. In the battle with Ash till now, the Sword Law feels something is very wrong, not just because Ash has become much stronger, but also because...

He sees the shadow of another person.

Another person who is equally talented, just as skilled in swordsmanship, but more passionate about battle, more prideful and rebellious. She and Ash are perfectly fused together, her skills, her talent, her personality, are all reflected on Ash.

In a daze, the Sword Law seems to see himself fighting two people.

When the stardust drowned out all Ash’s retreat paths, the Sword Law clearly saw a hint of ruby light in his left eye. Immediately, Ash’s Silver Wings suddenly gained an addition, just like when fighting the Ghost Ash, he borrowed the Void Wings again!

But what he can borrow is not just the Void Wings!

Ash swung his dual swords, slashing out two waves of Blood Tide Sword Light, engulfing the stardust and tearing through the Rain Curtain!

Star Law immediately noticed something was wrong: the stardust did not split and regenerate!

This is the stardust produced by the "Star Fall", which carries the Law Fragment of the Ocean of Stars, each piece of stardust is equivalent to a Technique Spirit, automatically pursuing targets without Star Law’s distraction, and would only consume Starlight to split when attacked.

She naturally recognized the Blood Tide Sword Light as Sonia’s exclusive Wonder "Blood Moon Shattered Lake", but in her impression, it should only be a lethal Wonder, can it destroy Law Fragments? Is it the power of the "Shattered Lake" Divine Being?

While pondering, Star Law suddenly felt a chill, without hesitation, she teleported herself and the Sword Law to a safer corner.

But it was meaningless!

The overwhelming Blood Tide suddenly transformed into two drops of Vermilion Tears falling, the shallow ripples they sparked resonated through time and space, instantly piercing through the Star Law Angel’s Defense Wonder. Her Starlight flickered, yet she wasn’t hurt; as for the Sword Law Angel, although he had the "Sorrowful Curtain" to block, he still spat out a mouthful of blood!

This is not the "Blood Moon Shattered Lake".

This is the "Vermilion Water Moon"!

"You..." The Sword Law, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, exclaimed in surprise: "You and her..."

"Now," Ash, bathed in the dazzling star rain, said calmly as the red glow in his eyes grew brighter, "I can finally understand her."

If he opened "Aurora’s Mage Manual", Ash would see that the Bonds Level with the Sword Maiden fluctuates wildly between ’4.1’ and ’4.2’, and after a while, even ’4.3’ joins the fluctuating range. But even if he didn’t look, he knows that his bond with Sonia is growing ever closer.

The Sword Maiden’s personality, the Sword Maiden’s talent, the Sword Maiden’s thoughts, Ash feels as if he is gradually merging with the Sword Maiden, but without any strange sense of rejection, because he can distinguish which part belongs to himself and which part to the Sword Maiden. This is not merely sharing power, but more like...giving him a chance to empathize with the Sword Maiden.

He doesn’t know why the Sword Maiden’s Six-winged Trial would strengthen the bond between them, but he is exceedingly grateful for this experience. Because understanding the Sword Maiden’s thoughts, Ash knows she doesn’t wish to disturb her mother’s peaceful life, nor does she want her mother to worry, she only hopes her mother is proud of her...so Ash didn’t lead them to escape, but rather, came alone to intercept the Law Angels, to let this mother-daughter reunion end quietly.

Because of possessing the talent of the Sword Maiden, Ash, even when facing two Law Angels, is utterly fearless. Her ever-growing combat talent granted Ash unparalleled confidence, he wasn’t bluffing earlier, even if Dazzling Star’s split consciousness descended, as long as she couldn’t instantly kill Ash in one strike, Ash is confident to drive her back to Heaven.

But also because he felt the Sword Maiden’s emotions, Ash’s heart hurts painfully.

Hurt so much he can’t breathe, hurt so much he’s trembling all over, hurt so much he wants to kill others and also kill himself.

This is the cost I must pay, this is the pain I must accept.

Ash looked at the two Law Angels, at this moment, his left eye had completely turned into a ruby hue. Source Power boiled intensely, atop the Ruby Mountain in the Heavenly Kingdom of Souls, the Heart Sword Divine Being sat on the throne, reaching out to grip the sword hilt before it.

Meanwhile, three swords encased in scabbards manifested behind Ash.

The Unique Wonder · "Mage Slayer"!