Thrust, slash, upward parry.
Melantha’s offensive could be described as methodical, her moves disciplined and her actions quite standard.
The absolute template of a model student.
Fixed moves are considered moves because they are the accumulated experience of countless predecessors, designed to achieve maximum results with minimal effort.
Therefore, Melantha’s relentless pressure forced Fuyuki to evade with great care.
Cardigan, who had recovered to a certain extent, appeared from time to time to block some of Fuyuki’s stray attacks for Melantha.
But…
that was about it.
Despite her lack of practical experience in this type of combat, Fuyuki’s physical attributes—if compared to game stats—were simply too different from an ordinary person on Terra; she wasn’t someone who could be defeated by conventional means.
Melantha’s offense, Cardigan’s defense, plus the occasional crossbow bolt or ice spike, worked together in seamless harmony.
It clearly took a long time of team training to reach this level.
Since it was an exercise rather than a brawl with thugs, Fuyuki didn’t spout any trash talk and fought very seriously.
Because of this full concentration, her evasion was even swifter than usual.
Occasionally supplementing her movements with Originium Arts, she left the members of the A4 Action Reserve Team unable to even touch the hem of her clothes.
A series of missed attacks seemed to make the young Melantha subconsciously impatient.
“An opening!” After a synchronized attack failed and Melantha overextended a thrust, Fuyuki seized the moment, shifting from a fist to a palm and striking Melantha’s wrist like lightning.
The instantaneous force caused Melantha’s hand to lose its grip on her weapon, and the long sword fell to the ground with a ‘clang.’ “Oh no…” Melantha’s eyes narrowed as she tried to use an evasive maneuver to retrieve her sword.
For a character who specializes in weapons, being disarmed in combat would be a massive disadvantage, to say the least, if it were a real fight.
But Fuyuki wouldn’t give her that chance.
With the A4 Reserve Team making a mistake and their synchronization failing, such a large opening…
failing to eliminate Melantha here would be pure favoritism.
A fist carrying a gust of wind smashed directly toward Melantha’s face—of course, just before the impact, Fuyuki stopped her fist steadily.
Instead, she used her thumb and index finger to give Melantha a flick on the forehead.
“Ouch!” Feeling the sting, Melantha realized that in this exercise, she had completely failed.
In a real battle, Fuyuki’s punch to a vital spot would have been enough to incapacitate her.
And Melantha’s exit meant that the A4 Reserve Team had lost almost all of its frontal offensive capability.
Cardigan’s offensive power was much weaker compared to Melantha’s.
As a heavy defender, she could steadily advance the line, but it was nearly impossible for her to actively take down the agile Fuyuki.
An overly aggressive attack would also cause her, clad in heavy armor, to lose stamina quickly.
So Fuyuki was in no hurry to deal with Cardigan first.
“You two on the high ground~ Uh, Steward-cher, And-ward!
Be careful now!” After dodging one of Cardigan’s shield bashes, Fuyuki shouted toward the high ground positions.
“”It’s Steward/Adnachiel!”” The two spoke in unison.
However, before the boys’ corrective voices could fade, two blasts of wind swept them up from their positions and lifted them high into the air.
Fuyuki wasn’t nearly as gentle with the hot-blooded young boys!
It would only hurt a bit anyway; nothing serious would happen.
Of course, these were storms without Wind Blades.
Because of this, the casting difficulty was lowered, allowing Fuyuki to manifest two simultaneously.
High-ground Operators, unless they have specific equipment needs, generally don’t carry much weight.
At least Steward and Adnachiel were part of the conventional light-equipment group.
As such, their ‘resistance’ against Fuyuki was not quite enough.
Amidst several cries of surprise, the two eventually tumbled to the ground, landing on their behinds.
The two immediately let out an “Ow!” They probably weren’t injured, but it would certainly hurt for a while.
Conventional Medical Operators certainly don’t possess much combat ability; Ansel’s presence could basically be ignored.
Well, ‘conventional’ Medical Operators.
Although she had just arrived, Fuyuki clearly felt that at Rhodes Island, the Medical Operators were perhaps the ones you least wanted to provoke.
So, only Cardigan was left.
Watching Fuyuki approach with a leisurely pace, her oversized Rhodes Island coat fluttering in the wind, accompanied by the unique tinkling of Fuyukis.
“Uh…
are we fighting some kind of BOSS here…” Even Cardigan couldn’t help but complain.
This level of combat power was simply not something a reserve team could handle!
If the A4 Action Reserve Team had any chance of winning, it would have to be with all five members assembled, relying on flawless coordination and a bit of luck to defeat such an existence.
If even a single mistake was caught leading to a casualty, the defensive line would instantly collapse.
Having been at Rhodes Island for a while, Cardigan had sparred with powerful Operators before.
While Fuyuki’s direct frontal impact wasn’t as strong as Ace or Gavial, it wasn’t far off.
But the trouble Fuyuki brought to opponents went far beyond frontal damage.
Her Originium Arts were as exaggerated as her physique; bizarre storms could form at any moment in any corner within her range, and her use of wind—or rather, airflow—wasn’t limited to just storms.
A true all-rounder.
As for Fuyuki’s weaknesses, even Cardigan could see them.
She was indeed relying purely on her raw attributes to fight.
Her techniques were all instincts she had figured out herself, so they appeared very rough and in need of polishing.
It was no wonder Fuyuki needed to start by learning with the reserve team.
But…
these were all things that could be supplemented through training.
If Fuyuki fixed her shortcomings…
she would definitely be at the level of a Rhodes Island Elite Operator, specifically the type that excelled in combat power.
“I give up, I give up!” With three team members down, the rest would just be a one-sided beating, so Cardigan simply gave up on the struggle.
As for Instructor Dober, whose face had completely darkened behind Cardigan, she didn’t see it.
Things might get a bit miserable later?
Fuyuki silently took a step back.
She gave up on her own!
It has nothing to do with me, okay!
The exercise indeed ended with Fuyuki’s complete victory.
As for the coordination of the A4 Reserve Team that Dober wanted to see, or even the possibility of them winning against Fuyuki…
it could only be said that there was a bit of coordination, but not much.
In any case, they were still quite far from being able to take down Fuyuki.
Or to put it another way.
Fuyuki’s individual suppression capability might be stronger than Dober had imagined.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”