Shirley copying the Cloud Sea Style was not an exception to this. She could copy the motions, timing, and almost everything exactly; however, it was still fundamentally a sword style and not a halberd one. Performing it at all without backlashing was impressive, which was what Sword King Sin praised in their short spar. Unfortunately, her version was much weaker than the original. It was a far cry from the true 'essence' of the Cloud Sea Style. That only changed with her Bloodline Ability, Echo Image, since it allowed her to unconditionally copy any martial technique and retain a technique's true power. The drawback was that it required an incredible amount of Martial Energy and concentration to do, much more than the original. She had to use it sparingly.
Benedict, on the other hand, had fundamentally changed the technique, letting it retain its full power! This was not some simple style either, but the fabled Cloud Sea Style, created by the Sword King himself. This feat was extremely important as it marked a big step in his Attainment. He currently had Major Sword Form, meaning a sublime mastery of the sword. This was already quite incredible to reach. Out of thousands of Perception Realms, only a fraction could reach Major Form. He could likely rank amongst the stronger swordsmen in the world by this alone. However, to change a technique as complex as this… Although he did not breakthrough into Perfect Sword Form yet, he was closing in on that pinnacle stage. Once he did so, Benedict would finally become one of the greatest swordsmen in the human world!
The sound of rushing water suddenly entered everyone's ears. For a brief second, they could even see vivid illusions of a towering wave building up strength to crash down! Cloud Sea Style: Crashing Waves! A tidal wave of Martial Energy exploded forth from him as he sent a humongous flying strike out! It looked slow, but it was deceptively fast! Moreover, it continued to grow as it travelled. It acted and looked very much like a natural disaster, a tsunami! Boom! He effortlessly obliterated the trees in front of him and cleared a large area of the forest in an instant. When the dust cleared, bright sunlight filled the once dark and gloomy space, leaving everyone stupefied. The difference between him and the other Perception Realms was like the divide between heaven and earth. It was unfathomably vast! Shirley was particularly impressed, since she had seen Benedict performing this exact move before, but it was nowhere near this powerful or far-reaching. It had almost become an entirely different technique! His advanced mastery of Martial Energy reflected in his Realm. Like Freon, he had thoroughly stepped into Half-Perception Realm!
Shirley did not miss this opportunity. Energy Acceleration! Boom! The ground underneath her was pulverized from the force of her step, as she catapulted herself across the battlefield at unimaginable speeds. She almost resembled a blur with how fast she moved. No one could capture her movements, except for the few enemy Perception Realms. Shirley dashed in front of one and raised her halberd overhead with one large swing. She aimed to cleave her opponent with one strike; however, this was a Perception Realm. How could they miss this gigantic opening Shirley created with that crude and slow swing? It was a death sentence! Her opponent prepared to counterattack when their expression twisted. That crude and slow swing suddenly accelerated a dozen times over, slamming down with unstoppable force! Bang! Her halberd impacted the earth like a meteor, releasing a minor shockwave. It was easy to imagine what happened to the body in-between. This was the power of her technique, Energy Acceleration! By freely controlling the speed and power of her strikes, she could trick opponents with the timing. Another simple, yet deceptively powerful technique… In the blink of an eye, she killed a Perception Realm! Who was once deemed a legendary warrior in the human world had become awfully frail under her halberd.
Three Perception Realms charged at her out of fear with two using flying strikes. Thankfully, Shirley kept her Mock Perception active, letting her perceive every threat in her range. She spun her halberd expertly and released two flying strikes of her own. The sheer speed and ease at which she did so was far greater than her opponents, shocking them. It was incredible to think that not too long ago, she struggled to sense her own Martial Energy, much less manipulate it into a flying strike, yet she could perform these feats now. It showed how close she was to finally stepping into Perception Realm! Whoosh! Her two flying strikes directly overpowered and blasted through the enemy flying strikes! It happened too fast for them to respond as blood spurted from their wounds. Her final opponent hacked at her, hoping to stall her long enough for their allies to arrive. The nearby Half-Perception Realms and normal soldiers caught on and moved to surround her. It was like they were facing a vicious beast; they planned to eliminate this dangerous threat together!
It was unsurprising why they thought this way. Her Martial Aura had flared up to a monstrous level, and unlike those that were sharp and refined, hers was wild and fierce, brimming with killing intent! It dominated the battlefield! Everyone felt a chill down their backs as they faced her, and true to their perception, Shirley grinned widely, despite the threat they posed. She felt like a monster in every definition of the word! Enemies approached from every direction, and even she would feel pressured to fend off this many people at once, except… Flipping her halberd down, she plunged it straight into the ground along with a vast amount of Martial Energy! The force permeated the earth and fractured it in a huge shockwave! Boom! The entire battlefield was uprooted by her attack! This was her technique, Earth Rupture! It threw everyone off-balance, save Shirley who used Energy Acceleration to jump away.
Benedict immediately knew to follow up without a single word from Shirley. That was the untold communication they formed after so many battles together! He promptly disappeared in a flash of moonlight and charged at the group. His sword was pulled back for a lunge, so once he was close enough, he executed Cloud Sea Style: Spring Rain! Bang! Following a titanic thrust that tore through the air and generated a shockwave, hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny raindrop-like projectiles formed and shot towards his enemies. They threatened to annihilate everything in their path! At the same time, Shirley landed and activated her Bloodline Ability, Echo Image. She then flawlessly mimicked Benedict's every action, and using her halberd, she unleashed her own technique! The two Spring Rains finally converged on the enemies in the middle. Against this merciless 'shower', there was no chance for survival. The Perception Realms wore bitter smiles and lowered their weapons in defeat. They had to wonder… who the real Perception Realms were?
Benedict and Shirley regrouped as the carnage settled down, sheathing their weapons and calming their energies. Between Benedict's opening strike and now, less than thirty seconds had elapsed… In just under half a minute, they had defeated all fifty opponents, including many Perception Realms and Half-Perception Realms! None of the kingdom's soldiers had to lift a finger. Before they thought to intervene, the battle was already over. It was unbelievably one-sided! This scene never would have been possible one year ago, prior to Martial Energy making its entrance into this world. It would have been regarded as some fantasy, a make-believe fairy-tale that a storyteller might regale. Even the most impressive feat where Sword King Sin defeated several Perception Realms at once was hard to believe… Yet, Benedict and Shirley could defeat many times that number in thirty seconds without taking a single injury… If these soldiers had not witnessed the Sword King and Featherwind Sect's performance first-hand, it would have been unthinkable!