He's feeding of Palpatine's rage, in a form of presumably Consume Essence, and then using that to empower his own offense (while also channeling his own "inner darkness" into that offense), and in this way creating a feedback loop of sorts.
Which is on entirely different level to blocking and riposting. He's redirecting Force energy, not physical strikes. Which is why Vaapad is described as more of a state of mind than a lightsaber form, as it's as much a Force ability as it is set of combat techniques.
That is at least my understanding.
Originally posted by BeniboyblingThat is at least my understanding.
Key part is this. It's not well defined at all IMO.
I mean how exactly does force energy get redirected? Is there no physical aspect to it?
Also again I'll point out that the words, "Feeding" or "Amp" are never once used. But the words "reflecting" and "redirecting" are IIRC.
Look at this for example:
When Mace slips into Vapaad to reflect Palpatine's Lightning, he's literally just redirecting it back to him. It wasn't like it was Feeding Mace, Amping Mace to be more powerful, then the Amped Mace was attacking Sidious back.... Was it??
It's Force energy, there shouldn't be anything physical about it, and it's described pretty clearly in that manner here:
Mace was deep in it now: submerged in Vaapad, swallowed by it, he no longer truly existed as an independent being. Vaapad is a channel for darkness, and that darkness flowed both ways. He accepted the furious speed of the Sith Lord, drew the shadow's rage and power into his inmost center- And let it fountain out again. He was not afraid. The darkness had no power over him.So yeah, he's drawing on Palpatine's rage, and sending it back at him, evidently through a very sophisticated loop that allowed Windu to reflect Palpatine's lightning as well. Which is described in a similar manner:
Lightning blasted the clouds above, and lightning blasted from Palpatine's hands, and Mace didn't have time to comprehend what Palpatine was talking about; he had time only to slip back into Vaapad and angle his blade to catch the forking arcs of pure, dazzling hatred that clawed toward him. Because Vaapad is more than a fighting style. It is a state of mind: a channel for darkness. Power passed into him and out again without touching him. And the circuit completed itself: the lightning reflected back to its source. Palpatine staggered, snarling, but the blistering energy that loured from his hands only intensified. He fed the power with his pain.