The grind never stopped. If anything, it got tougher.
Each morning started before daylight—cold air, stiff limbs, and Rio's whistle piercing the quiet. But there were no complaints. They had something to prove.
Remi trained to overcome fear, standing on her own as dummy ambushes pounced at her from all angles. She no longer flinched. She buffed with precision, her control of mana now keen and consistent.
Bruce, having at last learned to think before charging in, had learned to read the battlefield. His brute strength was unchanged—but now it was focused. Rio stopped calling him "muscle for brains" after he actually anticipated her next action once. Once.
Lawlet trained in discipline nonstop, making bullets with minimal mana. Julius drove him to his limits—"Flashy's good until you faint." Now Lawlet could shoot in rhythm, conserving his strength for when it truly mattered.
And Yulli… practiced silently. Sword drawn before the dawn, his movements were clean, calculated. No mana, no mark—but sheer refinement. He knew every step, every breath counted. He wasn't flashy, but he was becoming quick. And deadly.
As the days turned into weeks, the crew got into rhythm. Their mistakes weren't eradicated—but they were getting harder to notice. In fatigue, ache, and the occasional food-fueled battle over the last dumpling, they gained trust.
And then one morning, Julius appeared before them, arms folded, face inscrutable.
"You've trained hard," he said. "You've sweat, bled, cried—some more than others."
Bruce gave Lawlet the side-eye, which he feigned ignorance of. Remi snickered beneath his breath.
"But the question remains—was it sufficient?" Julius pulled out his own weapon, the matte side of his curse gear catching the morning light. "Today, all of your training will be put to the test. All of it. You'll spar with me in a last bout—together."
Bruce smiled. "Together, huh? That means I finally get to punch you and not get arrested."
"Try," Julius replied curtly.
Remi swallowed. "We won't go easy, sir."
"Good," Julius said with a deadly grin. "Because I sure as hell won't."
Lawlet glanced at his teammates, tightening the strap on his holster. "Well… guess we'd better not die, huh?"
Yulli gripped his sword firmly. "We won't. We've come too far to fall now."
The sun had just risen behind them, throwing long shadows across the training ground.
Their mettle would be tested today.
The wind howled across the empty field, sweeping up clouds of dust and tension. The sky was a pale gray, clouds rolling in like spectators of a long-awaited battle. In the center, five cadets stood ready, faces tight with focus. Across from them, Julius stretched his shoulders, cracking his neck with a grin that could freeze fire.
Rio called from the edge of the field by waving her hand.
"Start."
Yulli made the first move.
With a sudden burst of quickness, he dived forward, his sword in low guard. His legs hardly grazed the earth as he swung up towards Julius' chest.
"Oh?" Julius sneered, indolently raising his sword to deflect the attack.
"Taking initiative today, are we, Yulli?"
Steel met steel in a ringing clang, and sparks scattered as Julius easily parried. But Yulli refused to yield. He struck again, a close flurry of well-practiced blows. Horizontal. Vertical. Diagonal. His sword work was better—cleaner, quicker, more effective.
Julius parried them easily, although his eyes did narrow a little. "His stance's tidier. No power, still. What're you trying, Yulli?"
And then the distraction took hold.
Gunfire echoed through the woods—Lawlet.
Julius shifted his head to the side as a bullet infused with mana whizzed by his cheek. He was forced to shift to the side to dodge the next two.
"Tch… There's Lawlet. But where's Bruce—"
A second set of slashes was delivered by Yulli, quick enough to divert Julius' focus to the front.
He parried, but the timing was wrong. Something was amiss.
And then—
BOOM!
A whirl of muscle and motion slammed into Julius from the side, knocking him off-balance long enough for Yulli's sword to snag his coat.
"Gotcha, you prick!" Bruce yelled, struggling against Julius with every ounce of strength.
Julius blinked, trapped in the intensity of the abrupt two-man attack. He took a step back, his feet settling into position. "Is that how you address your teacher?"
Bruce merely smiled. "You taught us to be ruthless."
Julius looked from one to the other. "We've got Bruce playing the vanguard now. Clever. And Remi's still holding back. That means…"
A burst of energy enveloped Yulli and Bruce. Mana buffs. Sharp but subtle. Their movements became heavier, quicker. Remi was buffing them from the rear, taking care to remain concealed behind Lawlet's suppressive fire.
Julius's eyes gleamed with approval. So, they were finally functioning as a team.
"Not bad." And then he unleashed a wave of mana.
The earth beneath him split as his aura burst forth. In an instant, his sword met Yulli's again—but this time, the power behind it created a shockwave that almost destroyed Yulli's foundation.
Yulli's feet scraped along the ground, his body almost being flung backwards.
"He's not going to play anymore…!" he thought, holding on for dear life.
"Concentrate, Yulli," Julius threatened, his voice low and serious. "Or here you will die."
And just as he drew back to strike the final blow—
CLANG! Bruce intervened, crossing both his swords against Julius' to deflect it with all his might.
"Not today, teach!" he bellowed.
The two men glared at one another, Bruce's face contorted with strain and perspiration. Julius smiled weakly.
"Alright then. Let us see how far you have progressed."
And the battle was not yet over.