"With this contract as proof, neither of us can violate it."
Jade, having activated the power of her Cornerstone, swung the long whip in her hand. An attack infused with the dual Path powers of [Erudition] and [Preservation] ruthlessly struck toward Sparkle's petite and delicate frame.
"Go~"
Watching the purple long whip tear through the air toward her, Sparkle merely tilted her head. The moment the whip was about to reach her body, the girl extended her hand, her slender jade finger lightly tapping the body of the whip.
'Buzz—!'
As the jade finger met the whip, a faint surge of energy fluctuation appeared at the point of contact. In the next instant, Jade's long whip slid past Sparkle as if coated in lubricant.
Seeing this, Jade slightly furrowed her brows. She could sense that there was nothing wrong with the 'accuracy' of her attack. Rather, the power on the whip seemed to have been distorted the moment it touched Sparkle.
'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!'
Several more sharp sounds of tearing air rang out. The long whip, trailing afterimages, wove down toward Sparkle like an inescapable net from the heavens.
And this time, just like before, the moment the whip made contact with Sparkle, it veered away from her as if a mouse had seen a cat.
"Hehe~ Lady Jade, this is useless, you know. I've already bestowed the command of [Causality] upon your weapon. That little thing in your hand is completely ineffective against me~"
In that brief instant of contact with the whip just now, Sparkle had used the authority of [Causality] to bestow the causal command of 'prohibited contact' upon Jade's weapon. With this concept in place, no matter what, Jade's attacks could not take effect on the girl.
"Sigh~ Why must you solve things with violence? Lady Jade, I recall that your Interastral Peace Corporation prefers to 'convince people with reason,' doesn't it?"
After realizing her weapon could no longer harm the person before her, Jade decisively discarded the long whip in her hand and instead prepared to use her fists and feet.
As light flowed and swirled, Jade's formal dress transformed into a fitted short outfit similar to Topaz's. Channeling the power of her Path, she launched a fierce iron fist straight toward Sparkle's face.
'Bang! Bang! Bang!'
Facing Jade's onslaught like a raging storm, this time our Miss Sparkle did not choose to dodge.
The girl clenched her pink fist and countered with a punch of her own, colliding with Jade's fist and producing a deep muffled sound.
"Interesting, interesting..."
'Bang! Bang! Bang...!'
While enduring Sparkle's attacks, a trace of solemnity flashed through Jade's emerald-like eyes. She had originally thought Sparkle's strength primarily came from the authority of [Causality].
After all, as a native Pathstrider of [Causality]—and one of the most elite among them—Sparkle could wield far, far greater power than Topaz. Yet unexpectedly, setting aside the power of [Causality], Sparkle's attainments in pure hand-to-hand combat were no weaker than her own.
While withstanding Sparkle's attacks that came like a sudden squall, Jade's eyes subtly swept over Topaz without drawing attention.
At this moment, our Miss Topaz was simultaneously operating the dual Path powers of [Causality] and [Preservation], attempting to break through the barrier Sparkle had set up.
Droplets of sweat slid down Topaz's cheeks and fell to the ground. Her silver hair danced in the wind. Upon closer inspection, it was not hard to see that the girl's arms were trembling slightly—clearly due to excessive overuse of power, making it difficult for our Miss Topaz to hold on.
Jade's movement was extremely subtle, but it did not escape Sparkle's notice. She naturally knew that Jade was buying time for Topaz, creating an opportunity for her to break the異space she had constructed.
However, even knowing this, our Miss Sparkle had no intention of disrupting the other's 'scheme.' Because the girl wanted to see whether this 'Stoneheart Ten' of the Interastral Peace Corporation—someone whom Lord Yun Fan had personally bestowed with the [Causality] imprint—had the ability to break through her power.
'Damn it! Is the gap between us really that vast?'
While pouring all her effort into breaking the異space before her, Topaz couldn't help but grit her teeth and glance toward Sparkle, who was wantonly squandering the power of the Path of [Causality]. For a moment, a trace of envy involuntarily rose in the girl's heart.
Sparkle was a native Pathstrider of [Causality], while she herself was merely a 'counterfeit' who could barely use the power of [Causality] thanks to the imprint.
Although the power of her imprint had been directly bestowed by an Emissary of [Causality], Sparkle was still among the most powerful Pathstriders under any Emissary. In front of her, the power she had borrowed still felt far too weak.
'Almost... Finally seeing hope!'
After a full several dozen minutes of attempts, Topaz finally seized a trace of 'flaw' in the異space.
'[Preservation] Cornerstone, please bestow upon me the power to shatter this prison!'
Silently reciting the incantation in her heart, Topaz roared voicelessly. In an instant, the Cornerstone named Amber burst forth with dazzling golden light. The vast power of [Preservation] surged forward like a dragon piercing straight through.
'Crack—!'
Accompanied by a sound like shattering glass, the異space constructed by Sparkle produced visible cracks one after another.
"Oh my! You actually broke my little trick so quickly? Miss Topaz, your strength seems to have exceeded my expectations."
Watching her own creation shatter inch by inch, finally dispersing like a crystal flower bursting into fireworks, a strange look appeared on Sparkle's face.
She really had underestimated this Miss Topaz. No wonder she could become one of the 'Stoneheart Ten' at such a young age—she truly had some skill.
"Huff... Huff... Huff...!"
The space was broken, and they returned to the real world.
Topaz clutched her chest with one hand, panting heavily. The overexerted Amber 'Cornerstone' detached from its fused state with the girl. Its originally golden appearance now looked dim and lackluster, though fortunately, the 'Cornerstone' had not suffered any damage.
But if it had been like Aventurine—damaging the Cornerstone first, then overexerting it further, and finally taking a slash from an Emissary of [Nihility]...
Due to the Cornerstone's detachment, both Topaz's power and momentum withered in this moment. If earlier—while simultaneously wielding the powers of [Preservation] and [Causality]—Topaz had still possessed the strength to fight Sparkle, now it could only be described as certain death.
"Masked Fool, it's time to settle this!"