Li Pu could only place all her bets on King Arthur.
She remembered knight training—knights learned to use a variety of weapons.
This included, but was not limited to, knight swords!
It also included weapons like spears!
Chapter 65: If the Enemy Doesn't Move, I Don't Move
Whether it was Kiana's side or Bronya's side.
The battles were blazing hot.
The moment Bronya's Heavy Trooper Rabbit 19C entered the arena, Theresa, who was matched against it, did not feel much pressure.
A duel between Valkyries was a first for Bronya as well. Though her own strength was good enough to take on a hundred, that capability of taking on a hundred was against ordinary soldiers.
Facing Theresa, who also possessed special offensive capabilities, ranged attacks, and Valkyrie status.
The ranged firepower of Heavy Trooper Rabbit 19C clearly fell short.
At this time, Heavy Trooper Rabbit 19C was equipped with an SU-22 howitzer. It featured the classic three-stage charged attack—single shot, double shot, triple burst. As the only one among all Valkyries currently equipped with a formal offensive weapon, Bronya could not gain any upper hand.
The reason was very simple: Theresa was also a ranged fighter!
If it were ranged versus melee, Bronya would have absolute confidence in relying on her movement speed and charged attacks to kite her opponent to death!
The problem, however, was that Theresa also had ranged attacks!
And those short legs ran quite fast, too!
The original strategy no longer worked, and the charged attack even became a huge disadvantage. Single shots lacked power, while charged attacks took too much time.
The battle-hardened Theresa controlled the distance for ranged output, making it thoroughly miserable for Bronya.
She was reduced to passive defense, completely unable to find any offensive opportunity.
Over on Kiana's side.
Kiana had always felt that her old man was just a drunkard who must have chased her mom away with his uselessness. Now, she finally discovered a reality!
This reality was that her old man really hadn't lied about certain things!
And things like Valkyries were definitely no joke!
The attacks Siegfried could pull off in simulated combat could be pulled off right here, too!
Even though Siegfried had already shown mercy and hadn't used too many ranged attack methods, his close-quarters Gun Fu and martial arts still left Kiana utterly defeated and completely powerless to parry.
Not to mention those huge claws that could descend from the sky at any moment!
Just trying to figure out how to dodge took all her effort; trying to counterattack?
That was completely out of the question!
Only on Fu Hua and Himeko's side! The battle was actually being fought properly, going back and forth instead of being a one-sided slaughter.
Clack-clack—cling!
Himeko leaned on her greatsword and retreated several steps, the heavy blade scraping a long, deep gouge straight into the ground!
Such immense strength! Himeko could not help feeling a bit shocked. She had originally thought this might be a relaxed, effortless guidance battle that didn't require her to be particularly serious.
Guidance that would simultaneously make these rookies understand just how terrifying the combat they were about to face truly was.
Without holding a determination to die, it was impossible to become an outstanding Valkyrie.
That was all it took!
Yet after this round of exchange...
"Are you really a trainee Valkyrie?" Himeko said incredulously. "A transfer student?!"
"If we divide it by rank," Fu Hua said without denying it, "then I am indeed a trainee Valkyrie, but in terms of combat."
"I probably shouldn't be considered one?"
Be confident, drop the 'probably', Himeko thought to herself. This clearly isn't a trainee Valkyrie.
If this is a trainee Valkyrie, then what are all the current rookies? Monsters?
"It looks like I need to get serious," Himeko said, brandishing her greatsword. "Let me see your true strength."
"Transfer student!"
"As you wish," Fu Hua replied.
The training was blazing hot, and only on Li Pu's side did everything appear so peaceful. She and Mei looked like they were dancing a duet.
Circling around a center point.
Strike first to gain the upper hand, or strike later to subdue the enemy.
Li Pu was well aware that the spear's advantage was enough to let her strike first. Distance was her greatest advantage, yet it was also her greatest weakness. If striking first failed to subdue the opponent, it was very easy to end up subdued by them.
As a polearm, the spear's advantages and disadvantages were both overly obvious.
Without absolute certainty, Li Pu was truly reluctant to take the initiative to attack.
This could entirely be described as a contest of patience, strategy, and who made a mistake first.
Mei had suffered the consequences of seizing the initiative earlier, so she was full of patience and wasn't in a hurry to force an attack.
Although Li Pu had also suffered the consequences of seizing the initiative, she clearly wasn't as patient as Mei. For Li Pu, neither kind of emotion could be maintained indefinitely.
Neither fighting spirit nor highly taut nerves could stay like that all the time.
Fatigue and relaxation began to gradually take the upper hand.
At the same time, the anxiety brought by tension and the sense of procrastination brought by the standoff combined to gradually make Li Pu's state of mind less than steady! If she were the real King Arthur, she would definitely be able to remain unhurried and as calm as still water.
Unfortunately, Li Pu was not.
Once her senses began to fade and she felt her synchronization rate gradually dropping, anxiety would start to take over.
And this anxiety would cause the synchronization rate to drop further, leading to even greater anxiety.
If the standoff continued like this, she would only enter a severe negative loop.
I absolutely cannot let this happen!
Li Pu hardened her resolve. No matter what the final outcome of this duel might be, letting herself fall apart like this right now was completely unacceptable! Rather than slowly collapsing on her own.
She might as well launch a forced attack!
Only by truly fighting would she know what to do! Standoffs like this yielded no results at all.
Mei watched Li Pu's pace; her footsteps were steady, every single step taken with great firmness. It was completely different from last time, when she had been full of flaws yet somehow without any openings.
This time, she truly left no openings for Mei to grab!
Mei knew as well that she couldn't afford to be impatient in this situation. Impatience led to trouble.
Knowing it was one thing, but carrying it out was another.
After such a prolonged standoff, she felt she could barely hold on either!
Just at that moment, however, Mei suddenly noticed that Li Pu's footsteps abruptly stopped as she made a small surge forward! This was the signal for an attack!
Mei couldn't help but feel a surge of joy in her heart!
The turning point had arrived!
The essence of katana versus spear lay in how to cross the spear's attack range, dodge the spearhead, and close the distance to launch an attack!
And this was defensive counterattack!
Mei quickly shifted her gaze to the spear tip. Sure enough! The attack had begun!
The spear tip thrust straight ahead.
Right now!
Mei tilted her head, dodging the thrust, and leaped forward in a single bound! In that exact split second, she had already crossed the spear's attack range! The next step was simply to draw her blade and slash!
At the same time, however, Mei saw Li Pu charging straight at her!
Oh no!
She never expected that Li Pu wouldn't step back, but instead would further close the distance!
It looked like she intended to fight her in close quarters!
Suddenly, Mei felt that—
There was no time to draw her sword!
Chapter 66: If the Enemy Wants to Move, I'll Move Chaos
Advancing forward!
Will a long weapon definitely be countered if an opponent gets inside its guard?
Of course not!
If the first round of a long weapon goes wrong, there is definitely still a chance for remedy!
As a close-combat weapon, a katana also possessed a certain attack range of its own. And since Mei intended to use a quick-draw slash, that attack range became even closer!
When long-range failed, the battle pressed down to close range!
Even closer range!
Meaning Mei's close-range attacks needed to be rendered ineffective as well!
Li Pu took a forward stride.
Her left hand released its grip, her right hand slid forward along the shaft, and her entire body weight pressed down to rush forward a step ahead of Mei's sword draw. Instantly, she grabbed the junction between the spearhead and the shaft.
In a single motion, she turned a long distance into a short distance.
Pulling it back for a thrust!
This!
Mei never imagined there would be this kind of attacking method. This was an attack rhythm she had never encountered in any of her past sparring sessions.
According to past sparring sessions against long weapons like spears, as long as one dodged the first round of attacks.
Once the distance was closed, everything else was over.
Yet this time, she had been counterattacked!
Mei could only instinctively retreat, widening the distance once more.
If this were the real King Arthur, she would definitely know this was a golden opportunity! Pressing the attack relentlessly would surely lead to a quick victory. Unfortunately, Li Pu was not the real King Arthur.
She was very well aware of her own abilities.
Winning the first round was purely because she had prepared in advance, and basically everything went according to her expected scenario. But if she pushed further and it exceeded her own expectations, things might become very difficult to handle next.
The most ideal state was actually to gradually become familiar with and apply skills during a matched, steadily paced battle.
Attacks or counterattacks involving such instantaneous surges were actually not ideal at all.
That was why Li Pu chose not to pursue right now.
Mei retreated two steps, and seeing that Li Pu wasn't pursuing, she gradually calmed down. Just now, the counterattack had come too suddenly! It felt just like their very first encounter.
Whenever she felt victory was within her grasp, that fierce counterattack would instantly overturn the situation.
She couldn't let this happen!
Mei sensed that this feeling was bad; if she kept thinking about deciding the outcome in a single move, it was already impossible.
She drew the katana from her waist.
Now she had to find openings amid the back-and-forth between individual moves and launch a counterattack!
Mei charged forward.
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