Chapter 702 Relativity
*POP
It didn't take long for the sudden breakthrough to fall through like the rest, however Ryu remained just as unperturbed. He steadied his blade once more and rose it up, prepared to try again.
Sabelle, however, already had brows that threatened to leap from her face. It was very obvious to her that Ryu was a complete novice with the saber and didn't have an Inheritance tied to him at all. She simply didn't believe that there was anyone in the world with good enough acting skills to pull this off in front of an expert like her.
But, right there, Ryu had caught onto the air of something special.
The feeling was exceedingly weird. It was like Ryu was teetering between the abyss of a newbie and the valiant mountain of a true expert. However, this just felt outrageous.
To any normal individual, the dividing line between such a gap was so thick and sturdy that it would take millions of years to cross. So, how is it that it felt that Ryu was just a step away? The logic didn't compute and Sabelle felt as though her mind was being fried.
Ryu swung his blade again. This time, the bubble lasted for an entire second.
*POP
'I see…'
Ryu's initial reaction was that speed wasn't the answer. When he slowed his blade down, the bubble did indeed manage to survive, but so what? What good was a slow blade in battle unless he had enough strength to completely suppress his opponent's movements? But, if Ryu had the strength to do that, he would already be sitting on the mountain top he was aiming for instead of playing this seemingly silly game of bubbles.
However, Ryu felt that even this answer had layers to it. Was it truly that speed didn't matter? He wasn't convinced. That was when he asked himself another question: What was the difference between the sharp edge of his saber and the blunt edge?
To an untrained eye, the difference isn't too striking. In fact, if it wasn't for the obvious curve of the saber making it clear which edge was meant to be the leading edge, then a layman would at best have a 50/50 chance at telling.
Simply put, the sharp edge had been treated properly with a whetstone while the blunt edge was not. The same material was used throughout to begin with, so if Ryu really wanted to, he could probably add another edge to this saber, not that it would be particularly useful.
Of course, this was mostly nonsense. With Ryu's gaze, he could easily tell the difference. One edge was far thinner than the other, that was the fundamental difference. It was a simple difference as well. However, as simple as it was, it was important because it brought Ryu to another very important point:
Relativity.
Why was it that Ryu had to swing his sharp edge so slowly to keep the bubble safe while he could use a relatively faster speed with the blunt edge? It was because the thicker edge allowed for more breathing room and was more forgiving in that aspect. Because it was thicker, it was harder for it to cut things. It was that simple.
But, what exactly was 'thin' and what was 'thick'. Was there an objective answer? Probably not. This blade was quite 'thin' or 'sharp' when the target was these bubbles, but what if Ryu changed the target? What if Ryu wanted to cut a piece of paper down the length of its thickness? And what if that piece of paper was equally as thin as the blade itself?
In that situation, the blade wouldn't be sharp anymore, now would it? In fact, if the two were perfectly lined up, it would be impossible for the blade to cut the paper. It would just have to settle for crushing the paper instead.
Coming to this point, Ryu had a realization. Even the thinnest blade couldn't reliably cut through everything.
Never mind the relativity of thickness, what about the hardness of the blade? What about the hardness or softness of the target? What about the relative movement of the target? Could you cut through something as reliably if it was moving back at the same speed you were swinging forward?
Ironically, in a game of focusing on not cutting through, Ryu's thoughts wandered to the point where he was considering the exact opposite… How could he always, without question, reliably cut through something?
Even a blade a single atom thick, if made of inappropriate materials, could never dream of cutting a material like Neutron Star Ore.
At the same time, even a blade edge as wide as Ryu's body could be considered to be sharp if the target was an entire world.
From beginning to end, all that mattered was relativity. What was sharp and what wasn't, what was thin and what wasn't, what could be cut and what couldn't be…
Every situation had its own breath, its own unique life and frequency. It changed depending on the blade, on the target, even on the skill and strength of the wielder of said blade.
Capturing that subtle hint, that whisper into your ear that nature breathed into your soul…
Ryu swung down again, the bubble before him cleanly separating and forming two new bubbles.
He moved again, his steps carrying an enigmatic rhythm. His blade touched another bubble, but this time it moved away without splitting as though someone had lightly blown on it.
Ryu's movements became like a dance, his white hair fluttering and his robes billowing about the surroundings.
His blade swung. This time, gorgeous streaks of diamond-like light followed his wake.
He pushed two bubbles into fusing into one another, divided another into four with three quick strokes, and pushed the next set into a delicately arranged formation.
He wielded the enormous saber as though it was as light as feather and as harmless as a breath of fresh air.
Watching on, Sabelle's face flushed completely red beneath her mask, her breathing becoming somewhat labored. She squeezed her legs closed beside herself, pressing a hand to her lower stomach.
"I… I'll be back."
She rushed off into the distance, leaving a confused Eustis and Godefride behind.
It was at that moment that a blinding pillar of light fell from the skies.