That night, Theresa gave Kiana one-on-one tutoring. To ensure her niece got a better grade, she truly worried herself sick.
Besides teaching some basic knowledge, Theresa also specifically mentioned some topics that would definitely be on the exam, but Kiana's performance infuriated her.
She finally understood what it felt like to be a teacher, especially with students who would fall asleep while listening. She genuinely felt like spitting blood.
According to rough statistics from Bronya and Inaba Tsukiyo, Kiana let out a total of thirty-six screams and twenty-eight wails during the time Theresa was in the room, accompanied by the sound of fists hitting flesh.
Besides that, Theresa continuously had Inaba Tsukiyo fresh-press bitter melon juice—100% pure bitter melon juice with no added water—not only for herself but also to make Kiana taste it and perk her up.
A total of sixteen cups of bitter melon juice were made; if the dormitory hadn't run out of bitter melons, the quantity would likely have been even greater.
Finally, Theresa left the room with a gloomy expression.
Raiden Mei and the others looked curiously into the room and found that Kiana had, at some point, frothed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Although she had endured hellish torment the day before, Kiana recovered her spirits the next day and went to the exam with everyone else.
In the end… she undoubtedly struggled during the exam, especially during the history test, where she actually fell asleep.
"I think… Headmaster Theresa might kill her when she finds out her test score."
Inaba Tsukiyo, having finished her practical exam, waited for Bronya and the others while speaking to Seele beside her.
Based on what Seele had observed, Kiana definitely hadn't written much. Even if she had excellent results in the practical exam, the written portion alone would drag her down.
"What should we do then? Does she have to take the make-up exam later? But if she doesn't pass the make-up exam, she can't become a Valkyrie, right?"
Not only would she not be able to become a Valkyrie, but she would also bear the label of being the first at St. Freya Academy to not become a Valkyrie due to failing an exam. At that point, Kiana would truly become famous.
"There should be a way. She should be able to pass the next make-up exam. After all, I sense a familiar aura from her."
Yes, a familiar aura—the aura of that anomalous energy.
It's just that this energy has found a host; unless Kiana dies, there's no way to absorb the anomalous energy from her body through other means.
This was a difficult question to ponder. The most crucial part was that Inaba Tsukiyo sensed something different about Kiana; she always felt that Kiana, like Raiden Mei, also had different personalities.
Soon, Raiden Mei and the others emerged from the arena. Judging by their performance, their practical exam should have gone smoothly.
The exam results would take two days to be released, and Kiana was running out of time.
However, this idiot was completely unaware of this, still pestering Raiden Mei, asking her what dinner would be tonight.
"Please wait a moment, Classmate Inaba."
At this moment, a teacher suddenly called out to Inaba Tsukiyo, and the group looked at the teacher in confusion.
"What is it, teacher? Did something go wrong with my score?"
"No… nothing. It's just that your practical exam score, like another classmate's, is the highest. To determine the first place, the Academy has decided to have you two duel to decide the winner."
"A duel? Having students fight each other? That doesn't fit the scope of an exam, does it, teacher? And couldn't you just announce two first-place winners?"
Inaba Tsukiyo was a bit puzzled. This kind of thing could clearly be listed as a tie for first place, so why go through the trouble of having two people duel?
Ignoring Kiana, who was shouting loudly nearby, Inaba Tsukiyo felt there must be something undisclosed behind this.
Or rather, someone was orchestrating all of this behind the scenes, wanting to see how strong she truly was?
Thinking this, the man with green eyes appeared in Inaba Tsukiyo's mind. If it were him, it wasn't impossible for him to do such a thing.
Ultimately, Inaba Tsukiyo agreed to the proposal and followed the teacher to the arena where the battles had just taken place.
There, another classmate was already waiting for her. The person standing in the arena was Fu Hua.
"Class Monitor!?"
Raiden Mei and the two others looked at Fu Hua in surprise. They hadn't expected that the person tied for first place with Inaba Tsukiyo would actually be Fu Hua.
The voices of Raiden Mei and the others made Fu Hua slowly open her eyes. She lifted her gaze, looked at Inaba Tsukiyo not far away, and said calmly,
"I didn't expect someone who just became a student at St. Freya Academy to possess such strength. I watched your battle just now; it was very impressive."
"Thank you for your compliment, Class Monitor. It was just against an exam machine created by the Academy, nothing extraordinary. However, is my opponent you?"
Inaba Tsukiyo was a bit excited. She hadn't expected to be able to duel Fu Hua so soon; she had originally thought it would take some more time.
Since her opponent was Fu Hua, what did it matter if her strength was exposed? After all, she still had a trump card that no one knew about.
"Yes, it's me. Although I don't care about rankings, this is the Academy's arrangement, and I can only follow orders. So, how about we stop before anyone gets seriously hurt, Classmate Inaba?"
With that, Fu Hua took a martial arts stance, emitting a faint aura.
Inaba Tsukiyo nodded in satisfaction, slowly opening her eyes. Just then, the few people nearby noticed that the surrounding temperature had dropped by several degrees.
'You've got to be kidding, it's summer, but why does it feel like winter? What kind of monster is this guy!?'
'This feeling, it's like that aura from when we first met.'
'Tsukiyo-neechan, she's serious.'
The Honkai Trio wisely moved to the side bleachers, and even the teacher ran off to the side.
This was different from a regular student assessment. These two were true powerhouses; if they weren't careful, people could die.
The two stood quietly in place, seemingly observing each other's movements, as if to prevent the other from making a first move.
"Begin!"
Some teacher suddenly announced the start, and at that moment, the aura of both individuals surged dramatically.
Cloud Radiance: Instant Light
Without hesitation, Inaba Tsukiyo directly used her most proficient ultimate skill, unleashing her fastest speed without using magic.
One-Instant Triple Slash
This was a speed that ordinary people simply couldn't keep up with. The situation, which should have been decided instantly, had not ended.
The moment Inaba Tsukiyo drew her blade, Fu Hua actually reacted, shifting her body a few steps to the right, just barely dodging the attack range.
As she dodged, Fu Hua's attack followed immediately.
The seemingly light attack actually carried immense power; this was the martial art known as Inch Punch.
If hit by this punch, even Inaba Tsukiyo would be in trouble.
Through the power of Mind's Eye, Inaba Tsukiyo timely used her weapon to block Fu Hua's fist, but it was only a block.
Inch Punch was an attack that struck internally. This model blade, crafted by Theresa, simply couldn't defend against Fu Hua's attack, and the blade snapped directly.
With one strike, just one strike, Fu Hua directly destroyed Inaba Tsukiyo's weapon.
To the others, their actions seemed to happen in an instant.
Inaba Tsukiyo rushed forward, and Fu Hua dodged the attack, then destroyed Inaba Tsukiyo's weapon—that was the script in everyone's eyes.
"Their... speed is so fast! Class Monitor, she's so strong!"
"Although I don't want to admit it, these two are both monsters."
Kiana bit her index finger, feeling a bit unwilling, not understanding why these two had such terrifying strength.
Bronya didn't speak; her gaze remained fixed on Inaba Tsukiyo, knowing well that the most exciting part was yet to come.
'So strong! Her combat experience is completely incomparable.'
These were entirely habitual movements, requiring no thought, the body reflexively attacking.
A swordsman without a weapon becomes a toothless tiger? Haha~ naive. Even if a tiger loses its teeth, a tiger is still a tiger.
Although it was broken, she still had half a blade in her hand. While the hilt was a bit problematic, this length was perfect for a dagger.
Cloud Brilliance: Gale
To avoid any unexpected outcomes from Shukuchi, Inaba Tsukiyo chose to use Un'yō to evade Fu Hua's attack, swiftly swinging the half-blade in her hand towards Fu Hua.
Though the blade was halved, it didn't affect Inaba Tsukiyo's drawing speed; in fact, it made Inaba Tsukiyo even more agile.
Not realizing that Inaba Tsukiyo would continue fighting with only half a blade, Fu Hua's sleeve was grazed, and her clothes were torn.
"It seems I underestimated you, Classmate Inaba. But for the next attack, you need to be careful."
Completely forgetting her previous statement about stopping at a certain point, Fu Hua, her interest piqued, decided to deal with Inaba Tsukiyo more seriously.
"Let me see just how strong you really are."
When Fu Hua got serious, every punch carried an explosive force. Punches that landed on the ground caused cracks to appear, and if they landed on a body, bones would surely break.
The teacher on the side wiped the sweat from her forehead. She hadn't expected two students to engage in such an intense battle.
However, if anything went wrong, it would be difficult to deal with later.
Moreover, she had organized this special match. If anyone got injured and Theresa found out, she would definitely be in trouble.
But in the current situation, even if she ordered them to stop, neither of them would halt their actions.
Clang!
The model sword in Inaba Tsukiyo's hand was knocked away by Fu Hua. Now Inaba Tsukiyo had no weapon and was exposed with numerous openings before Fu Hua.
"I win!"
Black Tiger... no, Fu Hua, seeing this, immediately wanted to restrain Inaba Tsukiyo and claim victory in this match.
However... things weren't that simple.
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