Sensing the danger approaching from behind, Mei's pupils contracted sharply. Though she couldn't see Sagiri, her senses "saw" her.
Her long saber "scraped" out of its sheath as she channeled the Honkai energy within her. With a turn of her body, her waist muscles exerted force, and she slashed out.
"Clang!"
Sword and blade collided, energy surging outwards. A halo of half green and half purple light spread, then gradually dissipated.
Sagiri and Mei stumbled back several steps.
At this moment, a bullet struck Mei's waist with lightning speed. Stumbling, her body lurched forward.
Opportunity!
Sagiri's eyes narrowed slightly. She bent her right leg, slid her left leg forward on the ground, and lowered her body, coiling for an attack. She brushed her left hand against her sword, infusing it with True Essence, which erupted in a dazzling green light.
Though there was no wind moments ago, the air currents began to flow rapidly, stirring up a wave of green, turbulent wind.
"Whoosh!"
The dazzling green light shot out with a "swish," and a sharp tearing sound filled the air.
Mei's pupils constricted violently. She hastily gathered Honkai energy onto her long saber, and then a blade light flashed.
"Crack!"
Sagiri's sword shattered the sharp blade light. The blade light, like shattered mirror glass, disintegrated with a "swish."
Sagiri's charge was only briefly impeded. The next moment, the three-foot sword edge pressed against Mei's abdomen, but it didn't strike.
"Mei-nee-san?"
Sagiri lifted her pretty face, her large, expressive eyes blinking. A smile curved her lips, like that of an innocent, adorable, and sweet girl who meant no harm.
"Mei!" Kiana, who had charged headlong, finally noticed Mei's predicament.
Mei looked at Sagiri's expression and understood that the other girl wanted her to surrender.
The power of that previous sword strike, had it truly landed, would likely have incapacitated her. This was a sparring match, not a fight to the death, so there was no need to kill or be killed.
Mei smiled helplessly, sheathed her long saber, indicating her surrender.
Sagiri smiled sweetly. The dazzling green light on her sword, emitting green specks, gradually dispersed, and the light dimmed.
However, the battle was not over. Sagiri immediately shifted her target and charged towards Kiana.
"Wow, you guys..."
Before Kiana could finish her sentence, Sagiri and Futaba had already closed in, launching a combined assault on her.
Kiana reacted swiftly, bending her slender waist to evade Sagiri's sweeping sword strike. Her waist immediately exerted force, using her right foot as a pivot, and she delivered a powerful whip kick that sent Sagiri several meters to the side.
At that moment, Kiana's danger sense alerted her again.
It was Futaba!
Kiana's gaze sharpened. Her perception "told" her Futaba's location and the approximate trajectory of the bullets.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Futaba knelt, resting her sniper rifle on her knees. Her eyes, looking through the scope, locked onto Kiana in a perfect line, and she fired three shots consecutively.
Except for the first shot, the other two were predictions of Kiana's likely evasion path and direction.
In a flash of lightning, Kiana reacted, rolling several times on the ground to evade the bullets. She then slid into a half-crouch.
Kiana raised her hands, the muzzles of her dual pistols pointing in two different directions. Flames erupted, and more than a dozen gunshots layered upon each other.
Futaba reacted extremely quickly. Sensing the danger, she raised her rifle and sprinted to the side to evade the bullets, her movements fluid and seamless.
Sagiri, who had charged back towards Kiana, swung her long sword with exaggerated speed, precisely bisecting the incoming bullets. Sparks flew, and the "clang clang clang" sounds were crisp and loud.
In this critical moment, facing two opponents alone, Kiana's combat talent was truly extraordinary, truly a warrior of the Kaslana family.
But one person's strength was ultimately limited. She couldn't withstand the coordinated, relentless attacks of Sagiri and Futaba. After a few exchanges, she regrettably lost.
This sparring match concluded, marking the end of the lesson.
"Damn it!" Kiana angrily punched the ground.
"I'm sorry, Kiana, it was my carelessness," Mei apologized with guilt. She had been eliminated by Sagiri and Futaba's teamwork right at the beginning.
Ling Feng first allowed the Valkyries to move freely, then approached Kiana, who was half-lying on the ground, stubbornly pounding the ground. He spoke with a tone of half mockery and half provocation.
"What, you lost once and you're already like this?"
Kiana remained silent. This defeat had dealt her quite a blow. She usually defeated her opponents decisively in sparring matches. This was her first loss.
Mei stepped forward, wanting to say something. Ling Feng looked at her and gently shook his head, giving her a reassuring look. He glanced sideways, gesturing for her to leave for a moment.
Mei hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the dejected Kiana. She said nothing further and walked towards Sagiri and the others.
Only Ling Feng and Kiana remained.
As if performing magic, Ling Feng produced two fried chicken legs out of thin air. The tempting aroma immediately filled the air.
Kiana, lying on the ground, twitched her nose imperceptibly. As she caught the familiar, enticing scent of fried chicken legs wafting through the air, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she jumped up three feet.
"It's fried chicken legs!"
Kiana's blue eyes, like an automatic tracker, locked onto the fried chicken legs in Ling Feng's hand.
Sensing Kiana's intense gaze, Ling Feng's lips subtly curved. As expected, the fastest way to capture Kiana's attention was with food.
Ling Feng sat down on the ground and calmly took a bite of a fried chicken leg, making "crunching" sounds.
"So delicious!"
Ling Feng's contented voice was the last straw. Kiana could no longer resist the temptation.
"Ling Feng, I want one too, give me one!"
Fearing Ling Feng would eat the other fried chicken leg, she pounced like a hungry wolf.
"My god! Wait..."
Ling Feng had underestimated the allure of fried chicken legs for Kiana. With a moment's lapse, he was tackled to the ground by Kiana.
Two gelatinous spheres rubbed against his chin, and the fried chicken leg in his hand was snatched away by Kiana.
When Ling Feng got back up and looked, Kiana was sitting beside him, her eyes smiling, her expression innocent and clueless, like a foolish girl who knew nothing.
The fried chicken leg in her hand was already missing a large chunk, and she was still chomping away, savoring the chicken.
Kiana: Happy! (*^w^*)
Ling Feng sighed and smiled helplessly, sitting beside her and waiting patiently for her to finish.
A while later, Kiana finished the fried chicken legs. Seeing Ling Feng gazing silently into the distance, she thought he was angry. She lowered her head, scratched her head, and apologized softly.
"I'm sorry, Ling Feng, for snatching your fried chicken leg. Don't be angry. Next time I buy fried chicken legs, I'll definitely give you one back."
"Pfft!"
"???"
Kiana looked up in confusion.
Ling Feng turned to look at her and chuckled, "Who said I was angry? It's just one fried chicken leg. I was going to give it to you anyway. I was just thinking about something."
Kiana's eyes lit up, "So I don't have to give it back!"
Ling Feng's lips twitched, and he raised an eyebrow. "Dream on. Remember, you owe me a fried chicken leg."
Hearing this, Kiana deflated and responded perfunctorily, "Got it, got it."
Ling Feng turned back, facing forward, and said in a deep voice.
"Kiana, being defeated isn't scary in itself."
"What's scary is not daring to stand up again, not daring to face it."
"No one is undefeated. Every time you are defeated, the experience gained will become the foundation for eventual victory."
"So, Kiana, when you encounter difficulties, don't give up easily. Face them bravely and overcome them!"
"If one person truly cannot overcome it, remember that you still have partners and friends."
Ling Feng felt a pang of melancholy. This was likely the first time in his life he had dispensed "chicken soup for the soul" to someone.
After a long pause, Ling Feng heard no response from Kiana and didn't know if she had taken it to heart. He turned and saw Kiana half-crouching beside him, her large eyes fixed on him, smiling curiously as she asked.
"So, Ling Feng, who has defeated you?"
"Uh... why are you asking that?"
Ling Feng choked, not expecting Kiana to suddenly ask such a question.
"Just asking, come on, tell me, tell me."
Kiana's expression was gossipy as she stared at Ling Feng.
Speaking of which, Ling Feng suddenly recalled the time he was defeated by a small grass slime...
That was his dark history! It absolutely could not be known by a fourth person!
No, that brat was dishonorable and attacked sneakily.
"I have some things to attend to. I'll take my leave. Farewell!"
Saying that, Ling Feng calmly got up and left.
Kiana was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt something was wrong. Ling Feng was avoiding this topic. Could there be some unspeakable secret?!
Kiana's interest was piqued, and she chased after Ling Feng.
Ling Feng heard the rapid footsteps behind him and knew it was bad. He turned and ran as if his life depended on it.
"Don't come near me!"
St. Freya Academy.
As the class bell rang, Valkyries from various parts of the academy hurried back to their classrooms for lessons.
In an instant, the academy became much emptier, deserted. Only the cats and dogs raised by the academy lay on the grass or benches, basking leisurely in the sun.
About half an hour later, a slender figure emerged from the lush grass behind a long bench in the academy.
The figure cautiously observed left and right. Confirming no one was around, a triumphant smile spread across her face. She moved stealthily, bending low, towards the school gate.
The figure moved with agility, darting through the academy like a cat. In a short while, she reached the high wall beside the school gate.
Safe... The figure glanced back again to confirm no one was there, then began to climb the wall.
After scaling the high wall, the figure murmured with a puzzled expression.
"What's going on? Why am I getting more tired each time? Could I have gained weight?"
After a moment of silence, the figure shook her head. "Impossible, it must be an illusion. I need to leave quickly, or people will be here soon."
Climbing the wall was difficult, but descending was easy.
The figure executed a beautiful, full 360-degree aerial rotation and landed perfectly.
Huh? When did this grass get so soft? This was the first thought that crossed the figure's mind upon landing.
As she pondered this, a scream came from beneath her, startling her like a frightened cat. She quickly retreated, flustered.
In her eyes, a figure swayed and stood up from the ground, like a zombie.
But when she saw the true face of the "zombie," she was startled again.
"Ling Feng?!"
"How are you here?"
Ling Feng patted the dust off his clothes and flashed a charming smile.
"Kiana, you've skipped class several times this week. Apart from combat training, you're hardly anywhere to be seen."
"Therefore, the Headmaster has entrusted me to bring you back."
"I won't go!" Kiana, upon learning Ling Feng was there to catch her, decided to beat a hasty retreat. She activated "Swift Steps" and ran towards the bridge, speeding towards the outside of the artificial island.
As if it were a joke, she wasn't going to attend such a boring class... Kiana ran at full speed.
After running a considerable distance, she looked back. Seeing Ling Feng still standing there, yawning, a question mark appeared in her mind.
She suspiciously thought, "Could it be that I ran too fast, and Ling Feng gave up chasing?"
"You wish! I saw you running too slowly, so I let you run 39 meters ahead."
A leisurely voice came from her other side. Kiana's pupils contracted sharply. She turned her head and saw Ling Feng beside her, her heart leaping into her throat, almost scaring her to death.
"How is this possible? I don't believe it."
Kiana gritted her teeth, running even faster, even using Honkai energy for acceleration.
One minute later...
"Ling Feng, let me go! I don't want to go back!"
On Ling Feng's shoulder, Kiana, tied up like a caterpillar with ropes, struggled and shouted, wanting to break free from the ropes.
A mere rope couldn't bind this young lady, break for me!!!
Kiana roared inwardly, putting all her might into struggling.
Another half a minute passed. Kiana was exhausted, panting like a dead dog, but the ropes on her body showed no sign of breaking.
This made Kiana incredibly surprised. "How is this possible!"
"Are you stupid? Did you think I would use ordinary ropes to tie you?"
"..."
Kiana immediately fell silent. However, she was still unwilling to give up. Since force wouldn't work, she'd try a softer approach.
She changed her demeanor, pouted her small lips, and her blue eyes became pitiful.
"Ling Feng, please let me go. Next time... next time I'll treat you to a family bucket, okay?"
"Are you trying to bribe me? I have my principles..."
"I'll help you with your gacha draws."
"...Deal!"
Ling Feng, who was about to reach the school gate, paused. He changed direction and headed out of the school.
...Where are your principles? Kiana thought to herself.