"Before we start, Kiana, you need to make some preparations," Durandal said, running her fingers through her hair. "I know you're from the Kaslana family, so for this sparring match, you can use your preferred weapon—firearms."
The white-haired girl blinked in surprise. "Firearms? But..."
Theresa tossed a large package to Kiana, signaling her to open it and take a look inside.
Kiana unzipped the package and found two extremely impressive precision pistols nestled within, along with a stack of loaded magazines.
Theresa explained, "Schicksal has developed a training system specifically for Valkyries who use ranged weapons. With special ammunition and the Memorial Arena system, we can simulate real combat scenarios."
Before Theresa could finish speaking, Kiana had already picked up the weapons and started examining them. "Wow, they feel so comfortable to hold!"
Durandal noticed something and asked, "Are these custom-made weapons?"
Theresa nodded. "Yes, after collecting data on Kiana's combat abilities, I had the equipment department create these pistols..."
"Auntie..."
Kiana froze for a moment.
Theresa smiled. "These were actually meant to be a gift for you. They perform much better than the standard pistols you used before... And they're made with special materials, allowing you to enhance them with more Honkai energy to increase their power."
"...Okay, I understand. Thank you, Auntie."
Kiana solemnly strapped the magazines to herself and tightly gripped the two custom precision firearms.
Durandal fell silent for a moment, then advised, "You should try them out first. Schicksal has no shortage of ammunition... You don't really want to come fight me with new weapons, do you?"
"Um..."
"Ah."
Both Kiana and Theresa scratched their heads awkwardly.
The golden-haired knight rubbed her temples in resignation.
She realized that these two actually had that kind of plan!?
The white-haired girl hurried to the side, and the sound of gunfire filled the air like popping popcorn...
Soon, Kiana returned from her shooting practice with a smoky and fiery aura.
"Ready!"
Theresa was surprised. "So fast? Are you pushing yourself too hard?!"
"No, I'm actually very skilled in combat!" Kiana raised her nose proudly. "These pistols were specially customized for me by Auntie. I got used to them after just a few tries!"
Durandal, arms crossed and observing the whole process, coughed lightly, saying, "I have some knowledge of the Kaslana family's marksmanship... Kiana didn't lie. She did indeed master these new pistols in such a short time."
The school director patted Kiana's arm, quite pleased. "You did well, you did well."
Amidst the watching students, Kiana and Durandal soon stood in the center of the Memorial Arena.
Durandal gripped Hler tightly and said loudly, "Kiana, make sure to give it your all!"
Kiana weighed the weapon in her hand, the solid and heavy feel of it calming her white-haired demeanor a bit.
"Give it my all... huh..."
The white-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then shouted to Durandal, "Lady Durandal, I'm going to use some more dangerous techniques next... I still can't control them very well..."
"Oh?"
The golden-haired knight smiled and patted her blue and white armored suit, "It's okay, see this Valkyrie Battlesuit I'm wearing? I'll activate the Honkai energy shield, so just come at me."
"Okay."
Kiana took a deep breath, squinting her eyes as her consciousness sank deep within.
There was another "resident" inside the white-haired girl, though she usually remained asleep, claiming that being awake was torture.
"Sister Sirin, sorry, I need to borrow some power from you again..."
A golden light flashed deep in Kiana's blue eyes, and surging Honkai energy flowed down her fingers, attaching to the new pistols she had just acquired, illuminating the patterns on the weapon's shells.
The next moment, Kiana pulled the trigger at Durandal!
"Ding ding ding!"
A floating shield suddenly appeared in the trajectory of the bullets, intercepting all of Kiana's attacks.
Undeterred, Kiana ran around the battlefield, firing her weapons continuously. The bullets had the force of a heavy machine gun, and their attack patterns concealed mysteries— the shield needed to expend more energy to intercept these golden bullets, as if Kiana had enhanced their penetration with Honkai energy.
"Not bad!"
The golden-haired knight became interested, lifting her lance and pointing it directly at the running Kiana, exerting force with her feet as she charged towards her.
At this moment, Durandal was like a speeding train, with Honkai energy forming a fierce vortex in front of her. The barrage fired by Kiana was completely diverted and flew off somewhere unknown.
In just a few seconds, the distance Kiana had opened was closed by Durandal. The vortex formed by her charge slightly distorted the movements of the white-haired girl, preventing her from accurately completing her shooting actions.
Durandal tightened her grip on the lance, and Hler transformed into a blue and white shadow, thrusting towards Kiana.
In this instant, intense Honkai energy erupted from the white-haired girl's body. Her movements suddenly accelerated, and she managed to dodge Durandal's thrust.
After dodging, Kiana swiftly turned her body and delivered an elbow strike to Durandal's face.
The golden-haired knight securely caught the opponent's arm, but she soon realized that Kiana's other hand had grabbed the firearm and viciously struck the side of Hler with it, the barrel pointing towards Durandal!
She wanted to seize this opportunity to shoot!
So, Durandal suddenly grabbed the arm Kiana had tried to elbow her with before, exerting powerful force that forced Kiana's posture to change.
The white-haired girl frowned, having to redirect the barrel towards Durandal's hand grabbing her own, and fired.
The golden-haired knight immediately let go, avoiding the incoming gunfire. At the same moment, her lance also swung into action, striking towards Kiana's thigh like a staff.
"Ding ding!"
To everyone's surprise, the white-haired girl fired at Hler.
The two bullets collided with the blue and white lance, producing a crisp sound, momentarily halting Durandal's attack.
Then, Kiana curled up like a missile, flying horizontally close to the ground. She landed a few feet away, propping herself up with one hand, rubbing her feet against the ground with some discomfort.
The white-haired girl took a sharp breath, her face looking quite unpleasant. "Ouch, my foot hurts..."
Durandal lowered her lance, not pursuing further. She appeared surprisingly pleased.
"Decisive and seizing the opportunity... Very well done!"
It was just well done...
In just a brief encounter, Kiana realized there was a huge gap between them—not only in strength but also in skill and experience.
She could even be sure that, aside from relying on armor for protection, Durandal fought against her using only her Honkai energy.
In this sense, the armor had become a burden for Durandal...
"Tsk, Durandal, our spar isn't over yet!"
Brighter golden light flashed through Kiana's pupils, finally enveloping her pistols!
Although using Sirin's power was uncomfortable, she couldn't care less now!
"Bring it on—huh?!"
"Ding ding!"
Durandal swung her lance violently, while at the same time, she deployed a floating shield behind her. The two crisp collisions almost simultaneously sounded in front and behind the golden-haired knight!
Durandal looked at Kiana with a solemn expression, while the white-haired girl smiled bitterly and murmured, "You can even defend against that?"
The students below exclaimed one after another!
"What's going on?! Did you see that move just now?!"
"Kiana clearly fired from the front, so why did the bullets fly from behind?!"
"Can Kaslana marksmanship really make bullets bend like that?! Terrifying!"
Durandal knew very well that although Kaslana marksmanship could indeed make bullets bend, it couldn't make them make a large loop and launch a surprise attack from behind the enemy.
The equipment department of the Far East Branch couldn't achieve this either. If they could, the head of the equipment department would have moved on to more advanced projects long ago...
Rather than saying the bullets bent, it was more like they were fired from another angle, as if... Kiana had teleported the bullets to another location!
Durandal quickly came to this conclusion, gazing at the white-haired girl, her mind in turmoil.
If Durandal didn't know so much, she might have been ecstatic because the white-haired girl who possessed this skill was involved with space and teleportation, which were very powerful abilities.
Given time, Kiana, with the help of this power, would definitely become a very formidable Valkyrie.
But now, the golden-haired knight learned from Overseer Otto about Kiana's true identity—a semi-awakened Herrscher, which left Durandal with more questions.
Is this really Kiana's own power? Can she control it? If Kiana loses control, will this ability be enhanced?
By then, as an S-rank Valkyrie, Durandal would naturally take the lead. How should she respond to this ability and break through the Herrscher's defenses to deliver that decisive blow?
Kiana noticed the knight's bewildered look, gritted her teeth, and endured the discomfort of using Herrscher powers, attacking once again!
The white-haired girl's actions brought Durandal back to attention, temporarily setting aside her questions and fully focusing on the spar.
...Of course, it would be best if it remained just a spar.
Two figures, one golden and one white, swiftly intersected, the sound of steel colliding echoing in the training ground. The wind whipped up by the swinging lance and the bullets flying everywhere created a strange scene, leaving the spectators silent.
Is Kiana really just an aspiring Valkyrie academy student?
Many watching this battle had this question in their minds.
Of course, this didn't include Mei.
The girl with blue-purple hair clenched her hands tightly against her chest, watching the figures fighting fiercely in the center of the arena.
"Come on! Kiana!"
Bronya stepped closer to Mei, showing her support.
"Go for it!"
Mei felt the movement beside her, and her tense body relaxed slightly.
At this point, the battle had reached a critical juncture. Kiana had realized that her condition was plummeting rapidly.
She had thought she was familiar enough with Sirin's power and could maintain this state for a while, but the energy and stamina consumed by fighting Durandal far exceeded her expectations...
Kiana felt a bit dizzy, and the familiar pain from her fingertips made her realize the danger—excessive Honkai energy had begun to erode her body.
She had to stop borrowing Sirin's power immediately!
Gritting her teeth, Kiana once again used spatial displacement gunplay against Durandal. But the golden knight anticipated her moves, always intercepting the bullets with her lance and floating shield.
Even Kiana's forward attacks were predicted by her opponent, easily countered with slight movements.
Kiana couldn't help but feel the same doubt as her classmates:
How did she do it? Were S-rank Valkyries really this strong?!
Durandal herself didn't quite understand how she did it. She only knew that during her battle with Kiana, a strange instinct guided her actions.
It was as if she had experienced similar battles a long time ago—desperate battles against wielders of spatial abilities.
In a daze, Durandal instinctively deflected Kiana's attack again, causing the white-haired girl to spin in the air. When she landed, she staggered a few steps, almost losing her balance.
"Ugh..."
Kiana felt the blood vessels on her forehead pulsating, accompanied by a terrible buzzing in her ears.
She raised her bloodshot eyes and met Durandal's gaze, still maintaining an elegant and powerful posture.
The two saw each other's gaze.
—Burning like fire, with strong initiative and fierce determination.
—Steady like steel, determined to move forward under any circumstances.
In the depths of their hearts, the two reached an agreement.
Regardless, the next move should be the final blow of this battle.
"Bring it on!"
"...".
Durandal jolted, and her opponent vanished before her eyes in the blink of an eye.
—She could not only teleport bullets but also herself!
As for her current location... above!
The golden-haired knight twisted her body, looked up, and saw Kiana, like a meteor, with immense Honkai energy gathering at her feet, falling diagonally with a peculiar flying kick posture, aimed directly at her.
At the same time, her dual pistols kept firing, enveloping Durandal.
No more teleporting bullets from elsewhere. Kiana had pushed herself to the limit!
Facing this scene, Durandal couldn't help but smile.
So, the golden knight gathered Honkai energy, infused it into Hler, her blue and white lance with peculiar patterns, shimmered, emanating a sharp aura.
Durandal raised her lance, aiming at Kiana.
The next moment, their attacks were about to collide!
"Enough!"
A crisp shout came from the side, and a small figure inserted itself into the battlefield.
Theresa Apocalypse plunged the cross she carried into the ground, accompanying the clang of metal, the area suppressing Honkai energy covering the entire field, instantly neutralizing the terrifying reactions of Honkai energy.
The Key of Binding, Oath of Judah, shot out a golden chain, gently wrapping around Kiana in midair, then securely bringing her back to Theresa's side.
The principal was genuinely anxious. She shouted, "Kiana, this is just a spar, not a fight to the death! Do you plan to end up in the hospital unable to get up?"
"Auntie... cough..."
Kiana blinked in confusion, muttering, "I was... using my full strength..."
"You..."
Theresa gritted her teeth, really wanting to give the white puffball a few knocks on the head, but when she reached out, she found Kiana was like a furnace, unnaturally hot all over.
"It looks like she's used too much Honkai energy, causing an overload..."
Durandal walked over, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the anti-Honkai energy field upheld by Judah. But she was more concerned about Kiana's condition.
"This... let me call the doctor..."
Theresa felt awkward. Although she had directly suppressed all active Honkai energy with Judah, she didn't know how to treat and correct the body's functions specifically.
"It's okay, I'll handle it. Luckily, I have a device on me that can deal with this situation. By the way, you should retract the field of the Divine Key..."
Durandal touched the Moon Ring on her shoulder and placed her hand on Kiana.
The ring-shaped device hummed, extracting the excessive Honkai energy from the white puffball's body. Durandal also helped Kiana to regulate the violent energy fluctuations in her body, which relieved Theresa.
Kiana's face turned pale, she pursed her lips, and whispered, "Um, Lady Durandal, I..."
The golden-haired knight extended her index finger, gently touching Kiana's lips, "Don't speak for now."
"Okay, okay..."
Kiana closed her eyes somewhat dejectedly, experiencing what could be considered a painful defeat this time.
Her performance was a mess, almost entirely predicted by her opponent, and in the end, she collapsed due to excessive use of Honkai energy...
It seemed that the plan to get involved with Durandal was going to fail...
"You did well, Kiana."
The white puffball opened her eyes again, looking at Durandal who softly uttered those words.
"Rest assured and recuperate... We'll talk later when you're settled."
The golden-haired knight smiled, "I have high hopes for you. Keep it up, Kiana."
"Mm."
Soon, a Valkyrie wearing a medical badge hurriedly ran over and, with the calm Kiana, left the training ground.
Theresa crossed her arms, sighing, "Impressive, Durandal, you managed to make such a mess with just one move..."
The golden-haired knight awkwardly rubbed her head, "Uh, I didn't mean to, I just got a little excited... maybe?"
"Hmm? Using such heavy-handed tactics on a Valkyrie student?"
Theresa snorted and continued, "That said, my niece still has some tricks up her sleeve, which did surprise me... If I were suddenly faced with this move on the field, I'd probably handle it worse than you. However, you were a bit too easygoing in the fight. Its almost as if you've got experience fighting spatial users. Let's exchange some pointers later; I could learn a thing or two from you in this regard."
"Well... uh..."
Durandal chuckled awkwardly, "I don't know why, it just felt very natural to fight against her..."