Hmmm...

I don't know how many times i have rewritten this part. In the end I have decided to abandon the infernal machine of perfection to pursue completion.

*****

The clank of metal resounded in the courtyard. Shen duyi attacked with short swift stabs. The whirlwind of attacks put Bai li yue on the defensive but she wasn't rattled. She responded with an attack of her own. A moment later, she caught him off guard when one of her light orbs exploded in his face. It blinded him for a second - just enough for her to land a blow. A ribbon of blood stained his torn sleeve of his blue robe. It brought a glimmer of satisfaction into her heart seeing his blood on her sword. 

Shen duyi looked at his bleeding shoulder in nonchalance and moved his sword to his left hand. 

"I had hoped that things wouldn't get this serious."

A breath later, he unsheathed his sword. He threw the gilded sheath away. It landed with a thud. He raced toward her, his golden irises trained on her. Sword slashes turned into stabs into parries and blocks. It went back and forth. They met and separated in a clash of metal. When Shen duyi struck his sword in an arc, she crouched low and aimed for his leg. When Bai li yue feinted to the right he dodged in the real attack in response.

The tempo of his strikes picked up driving her back across the garden. She kicked a convenient chair into his path and broke his rhythm. 

The initiative was now hers and she seized it. She sprang into the air using gravity to her advantage. Metal clanked following the heavy blow. Shen duyi retreated a dozen steps and dispersed the force with the flick of his vibrating blade. Bai li yue alternated between high and low attacks. A chance was bound to present itself, she only had to grasp it before he did. 

Bang! bang!

She exploded a few more light orbs, but she'd lost the element of surprise. Shen duyi had learned to anticipate the explosion in a short space of time. The orbs were rendered ineffective too soon. 

Except for the first strike that drew blood, the two of them were an equal match for each other. He shattered another chair that she kicked into his path. The hail of wood shards stayed in the air and were redirected toward her. Shen duyi followed close behind the wall of shards. Bai li yue cut down the projectiles but a few sailed past her like knives. There was no time for her to assess the damage done by the shards because Shen duyi arrived. 

Shua! Shua! 

He rained attacks down on her. She blocked them at every turn. Her sword flashed around his and caught his sword in a whirling vortex. He retreated pulling his sword away from hers. Then he snarled as his eyes flared in anger and frustration. They met her calm eyes. 

"Congratulations! You'll be the first to taste the new sword skill I learned from my inherited legacy. It's a sovereign legacy."

She sneered at his arrogance and responded by raising her sword. A second later, the two onyx figurines with her mark appeared in her hand. She threw them onto the ground in front of Shen duyi's masked guard. They grew into hulking sentinels, standing at the ready. This was a crucial time. She couldn't afford any interlopers. They were present as a warning and a precaution and would spring into action with a single order from her. 

She gripped the sword tightly and began reciting the soul sword formula to herself. The sword intent that had become a part of her emerged and flowed into her sword. Little white let out a low hum of expectation. She communicated a several feelings in quick succession to Bai li yue and fell silent. 

As she watched Shen duyi unleash his new skill, she thought about what little white had told her. she would hond off on that until she had no other option. Meanwhile Shen duyi's liquid gold eyes slowly transformed a solid gold. It spread from his eyes to his face and neck and then to his entire body until he was a statue made of gold. Finally, a ring of molten gold formed around his waist. It transformed into a ring of twelve molten swords hanging around him. 

"Hwaaaaa!"

He let out a loud roar as a larger ring formed around the first ring. He sprang into the sky and watched her through golden glazed eyes like a god watching an ant. Bai li yue jumped into the sky and perched on a branch of a tree opposite him. 

"Prepare for your end!"

He declared as they both readied for action. Bai li yue leaped into the air and unleashed a wave of sword intent in his direction. The golden Shen duyi dodged the attack and shot several of his molten swords toward her. They flew for her in a straight line like arrows. She dodged the swords appearing in front of her. Two golden swords intercepted her strike and were disintegrated in the process. 

The two forces sent destructive energy whipping outward. The light barrier shook around them. It won't hold for much longer. Bai li yue brought down the array and flew out of the courtyard. Shen duyi followed close behind her.

Protector Yuchen was about to follow them, but he was stopped by the two figurines. For the next few minutes he was busy trying to stay alive while receiving attacks from both sides.

Bai li yue and Shen duyi came to a stop on the roof of the sword tower. The wide open space suited the scale of the battle. With a gesture, Shen duyi sent half of his swords flying to her. They streaked through the air like arrows, each sword aiming for the kill. She sent a powerful slash to meet them and destroyed them. A moment later, they reformed in front of him in pristine condition. She charged in, but came up short when another volley of swords intercepted her. Each time she pushed forward, they rushed in and blocked her path. Bai li yue knew that she'd been too anxious in the beginning. The soul sword formula was too terrifying. It had put Shen duyi on the defensive and so instead of fighting with her in close quarters, he sent his sword instead. He intended to tire her out and frustrate her before making his move. 

Bai li yue had spent too long in the sword tower to be rebuffed by such obvious tactics. This was her first true life or death situation outside the tower, but the lessons were engraved deep into her bones. She had a blood debt to collect and so she would fight till the bitter end. That was the only way to snatch victory from the jaws of death. Her clear eyes began to turn red.

"I will get my revenge even if I have to forfeit my own life!"

Her resolve hardened with those words. This time when she charged she had no intention of slowing down or avoiding the molten swords. Shen duyi was in view. He was in front of her. A molten sword brushed past her. It left behind a deep wound, but Bai li yue had one mission. Apart from a slight twitch, she showed no sign of registering the pain. She had experienced far worse in the abyss of the Immortal sword domain. This was nothing more than an annoying papercut. 

Shen duyi finally moved when she arrived close to him. His sword flashed. He charged forward and met her, roaring wildly while two sets of swords rotated around him. She waded through the rings, slashing and disintegrating swords as quickly as they were being replaced. She only needed one chance to end it- to end him!