"An opening—gone in a flash!"
Elias admitted that Kiana's kick packed quite a punch. If he took it face-on without defending, he'd definitely get a nosebleed.
But her attack was way too straightforward.
It wasn't some full-map AoE. All he had to do was sidestep a bit and it was easy to dodge.
As he looked up at the descending blow—
A giant, glowing white cat paw came down from the sky.
Elias jumped high and dodged it cleanly.
Kiana's kick landed exactly where he had been.
Before she could follow up—
Elias dropped from above and pinned her down, locking her with a knee-to-neck press.
"You lost, Kiana."
"Not fair! That doesn't count! Let me go and we'll fight another 300 rounds!"
Even while restrained, Kiana wouldn't give in.
Her legs, like a scorpion's tail, twisted in an attempt to hook around Elias' neck at a crazy angle.
(Forget a year—I could enjoy these legs for a lifetime. And she's still squirming? Alright, Kiana, don't blame me for going all out.)
"I knew you'd say that. How about this: if you can withstand my next move, I'll call it your win."
Elias shifted position and sat directly on Kiana's back. He raised one hand and grabbed her unruly legs, pinning them to the floor... so slender, so smooth, so firm.
"Deal! Go ahead and do your worst!"
Even pinned beneath him, Kiana remained defiant. She spread her arms and legs out in a starfish pose, ready to take whatever he threw at her.
"Alright then... prepare yourself—Tickle Technique!"
"What?! Hahaha! Ahahahahahah! Stop! I'm gonna die—this is killing me! Elias, you're so mean! Hahaha! Fine, I give up!"
Tears streamed down Kiana's face from laughing.
Elias wasn't even that aggressive—he simply ran a hand lightly across her waist, with the grace of someone petting a cat. But Kiana was ridiculously ticklish.
Now she was literally gasping for air from laughter.
"That's it~ Just a little Kiana? Too easy."
Elias chuckled and stood up, reaching out to help the breathless girl off the ground.
Kiana could only be thankful that the training room was in its own private space. The only people present were the girls from their dorm and the observing Theresa. It was embarrassing, but at least it wasn't in front of strangers.
"Elias, you're awful! Grrr!"
Seeing his hand offered so casually—
Kiana, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly pounced and bit down on it.
"Ow! Kiana, are you part dog or something?!"
"You bit me yesterday! I'm just biting you back—this is justice!"
"You actually remembered that?!"
Elias stared at her, stunned. He thought her memory span was only seven seconds. But the next moment, Kiana's expression darkened, and she bit down even harder.
"What are those two even doing?"
Himeko sighed and shook her head, wondering why she had ended up with two such problematic students.
Eventually, Elias had to phase his arm into quantum state to escape Kiana's jaws.
Looking at the neat, perfect bite mark on the back of his hand—clearly the work of a well-aligned set of teeth—he could only laugh bitterly.
"Elias, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Mei. I just think I might need a rabies shot. Let's hope I didn't catch anything."
"Pfft! Stop bullying Kiana already."
Elias shrugged, admitting this might be difficult. Kiana was just too cute—he was getting a bit addicted.
"Elias, come here! I'm gonna bite you to death today—rawr!"
"Eh~ Kiana, are you one of those people who returns a kiss with another kiss as revenge? Okay, okay, don't make a fuss. I'll make you something tasty back at the dorm tonight. Good girl~ Here, let me scratch your chin."
"Mmph! Not there—lower, a little—szzzz!"
"...You got calmed down that easily? Kiana, you're way too easy to deal with."
Bronya smacked her own forehead.
Watching the paramecium, who was raging just a second ago, now purring under Elias' expert fingers with her eyes squinting in bliss—this was full-on pet treatment at this point.
"Hmph~ Don't think this means you're forgiven! I want toast pizza tonight!"
"Alright, I'll make it for you."
"Hehe, make sure it's a little burnt!"
"Oh? Got some taste, huh."
After easily pacifying the Kiana-cat, the others began testing their own skills in the training ground. Naturally, Mei, as the Herrscher of Thunder, couldn't participate.
Her stats had long since exceeded the system's limit. Not even going full power—just 10% output might be enough to turn the entire training base into a pile of ash.
When they saw her voltage output max out the system, Theresa broke into a cold sweat and joked that St. Freya Academy wouldn't be paying electricity bills ever again.
"Mei-sis, you're amazing!"
"Yeah, so this is Herrscher-level power..."
"Theresa, you really brought back one incredible student. Good thing this girl's got a decent personality."
"Ahaha, yeah, yeah... though her other personality is still kind of dangerous... It's fine! No worries! As long as Elias is around, Mei won't lose control."
"..."
Himeko glanced silently at Theresa, who was patting her flat chest in relief, and couldn't help thinking—this might actually be a huge problem.
Sure, Elias could act as Mei's emotional stabilizer, but that also meant he could be the fuse.
If anything ever happened to him, Raiden Mei might immediately go berserk—and that terrifying power would be unleashed to destroy everything in her path.
Fortunately, Elias was strong. The fact that he could solo a high-level Honkai Beast meant he was nearly on par with an S-rank Valkyrie. But his earlier battle with Kiana...
That was just playful sparring—hardly a real fight.
"Elias, want to pick a real opponent for a match?"
"I was just thinking that. Let's go with the strongest in our class."
"Hmm? Her... That might actually be a good idea."
Himeko nodded thoughtfully, then left to call someone over from the adjacent training ground.
Moments later, a Valkyrie walked in, wearing a blue martial arts uniform and red-rimmed glasses.
he was a beautiful girl with bluish-purple hair and blue eye. While she looked rather plain in every aspect, there was a unique, otherworldly aura about her—like a heroine straight out of a wuxia novel.
Kiana curiously poked her head out, took a few glances, and uttered the fateful words:
"Huh? Elias, I didn't know St. Freya had another male Valkyrie besides you."
"...Kiana, I'll light incense for you this time next year. Rest in peace."
"You idiot, Kiana! That's our classmate, Fu Hua! How do you not remember that?!"
Bronya sighed. It had already been two days since enrollment. How could she not know? But then again, considering paramecium spent most of class sleeping, it was kind of expected.
Fu Hua, A-rank Valkyrie. (big lie)
Her true identity was the 12th member of the Flame-Chasers from the Previous Era, the fusion warrior of the Signet of Vicissitude, and the Immortal Phoenix who had been protecting Shenzhou for the past five thousand years.
Even though she lost most of her memory, power, and immortality five hundred years ago at Mount Taixuan, greatly reducing her strength, she remained a top-tier powerhouse.
Currently, she served as a Valkyrie under Schicksal, protecting Shenzhou in exchange. Acting under Otto's orders, she had infiltrated St. Freya Academy as an A-rank Valkyrie to observe K423's movements.
"Sorry about that, Fu Hua. Our Kiana isn't the brightest. She got her head caught in a door on her way out today. Don't take her words to heart."
"It's fine. I wouldn't get upset over something so trivial. I heard from Instructor Himeko that you needed me for a combat evaluation of the new student. Very well—come, Kiana."
"Eh?! Wait, wait! You're clearly mad! But I'm not the one fighting you—it's Elias!"
Realizing she had mistaken Fu Hua's gender, Kiana awkwardly hid behind Elias.
Elias felt secondhand embarrassment for her. He had just been thinking how admirable Fu Hua was for being so calm and composed, in contrast to her... well, unchanging physique. But it looked like she was holding a bit of a grudge.
Thinking about it—it really was kinda tragic.
Fifty thousand years and not a single upgrade.
Griseo had grown up. Bronya would become curvy in eight years. The Luna Kindred arc even showed Theresa's potential. Even the artificial AI, Ai-chan, had a big sister mode... but Fu Hua? Still the same.
(Elias: "Time can change all things—but some things remain unmoved. Fu Hua's chest might just be the Eternity that Raiden Shogun is so obsessed with!")
How did that poem go again?
The immortal strokes my head, and grants me eternal life.
I glance up—what a flat immortal.
I quickly look away, pretending not to notice.
The immortal strokes again—and activates my third eye!
(Elias: "Bravo! A masterwork. Modern netizens really are professionals at dying early. Beautiful poem!")
"Ahem. Class monitor Fu Hua, I'm the one challenging you. Please go easy on me."
Elias gave a proper bow in classic Shenzhou style—catching Fu Hua's attention.
"Oh? Elias, you're from Shenzhou?"
"Of course. By the way, my idol is none other than the Immortal Phoenix from Shenzhou legends!"
"...Ah. I see. That's... nice."
Fu Hua gave him a subtle nod, her expression complex, but her impression of him had improved—a polite transfer student from her homeland.
Elias sighed in relief. He considered himself strong, but against this particular powerhouse, he probably wouldn't win in a serious fight.
After all, this Fu Hua hadn't yet burned through her residual memories from the Second Eruption. She could still use Edge of Taixuan and had Otto's gift: the 4th-gen Valkyrie battlesuit—Shadow Knight.
Even Mei in her Herrscher form might not be able to beat her. Fu Hua was effectively the hidden boss of St. Freya.
(Elias: Still, there's no need to be enemies. With someone this kind, it's better to go all-in on raising favorability—make her a teammate.)
"Then, I look forward to learning from you."
"Likewise."
The training ground restarted.
Elias didn't rush into an attack, but it was clear that Fu Hua was even more patient.
He immediately accelerated into her blind spot and threw a powerful punch—
But the next second, Fu Hua repositioned and caught the attack with a double-arm block.
"Huh? Such strength!"
Fu Hua's eyes widened. She couldn't believe this power came from someone who hadn't undergone fusion warrior enhancement. It was on par with a Emperor -class Honkai Beast's strike.
Even with Fu Hua's solid footing, she was pushed back several steps. Elias seized the chance to charge, drawing the two practice greatswords strapped to his back and unleashing a Starburst Stream Slash.
But despite the blinding speed of the strike—too fast for most eyes to follow—Fu Hua dodged effortlessly at close range.
Elias' massive blades passed right by her, but never managed to land solidly.
She could even trace the path of the descending greatswords and lightly tap their flat sides, redirecting the force with minimal effort.
"Tch!"
Elias gritted his teeth, mentally finishing the rest of his thought:
(Damn! If she weren't so flat, I'd have hit by now! I used her body's centerline as the strike point, but she dodged by turning sideways! Are you flexing your small chest right now? Is this the battle form of one who's discarded unnecessary bulk? Strong—way too strong!)
"Great power, but lacking in technique."
"No one ever taught me~"
"That's a shame. You've got great potential."
"Oh no!"
Elias flinched as he saw Fu Hua's small fist slip through the only gap in his sword screen, like a white snake darting straight to his chest.
"Ki—Shattering Fist!"
Cough!
Elias felt a massive force surge through him. It was hard to imagine how such a small fist could carry such impact—Titan's iron fists had nothing on this.
Fu Hua, however, was even more surprised. Elias' body was far tougher than expected. Even with that blow, he didn't budge an inch.
"Elias, your body is really strong."
"Heh, thanks. Shall we keep going?"
"If you're willing, I'm happy to oblige."
Fu Hua reset her stance, preparing to counter once Elias made his move. But as she wondered what kind of tactic he'd try next...
She saw the exact same wild, imprecise swings with his greatswords. As if he was hoping to hit her by sheer luck.
"...That's a bit disappointing."
Fu Hua shook her head.
She didn't even have to change her approach. She once again slipped through the gaps and pressed her fist to Elias' chest.
"Sore wa dou kana—" (We'll see about that.)
"What? Ki—Avalanche!"
Sensing something off, Fu Hua went all in with an even more powerful technique, confident that it would knock Elias away no matter what he was planning.
But...
"Got you!"
"...You really are reckless."
"Can't help it. As you can see, I've got no technique. Before the Third Eruption, I was just a regular student, so I've gotta rely on the dumbest tactics. Cough cough..."
Elias had let go of his left greatsword and caught Fu Hua's wrist the moment she struck.
No matter how well you dodge, during the moment of attack, you can't evade. He took her punch head-on, just to grab her arm.
This bold move completely caught the Immortal Phoenix off guard. Only now did she realize—this sunny, cheerful boy was someone who could be brutally hard on himself.
"You win, Elias. That was impressive."
Elias' right-hand sword was now pressed against Fu Hua's neck—one move away from victory.
"Nah, you were holding back, Fu Hua."
"Not at all. I'm just an ordinary A-rank Valkyrie. Don't overestimate me."
(Yeah right—I totally believe that.)
Elias rolled his eyes. He never thought the most honest person in Honkai would be this good at lying with a straight face.
Not impressive? You fought Herrschers, faced the end, lived 50,000 years, protected Shenzhou for over 5,000, scammed a Herrscher/daughter, went to the moon to fight Kevin, and took on Sa... Honestly, they should just rename Honkai Impact 3 to Fu Hua Impact 3.
"Um, Elias, could you let me go now? The match is over."
"Wait a sec, don't move. Fu Hua, have you ever suffered any internal injuries? Let me take a look."
Elias shook his head, still gripping her wrist.
A moment later, the Herrscher of Death's power flowed into Fu Hua's body, beginning to heal the injuries she had carried since five hundred years ago.
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