Practicing Flash Step / Fury ...

"Don't get too full of yourself, Bronya. Just wait! I definitely won't lose to you!" An gritted her teeth as she spoke, then shot Ishiu and the others a vicious glare before turning and leaving.

"Is something wrong with that An? She always acts like she looks down on everyone. She's seriously the worst." Rosaliya made a face at An's retreating back and said angrily.

She was straightforward by nature and always said whatever came to mind, never beating around the bush. If she said she hated An, then she truly hated her; it was not like the coquettish tone she used with Liliya.

"Alright, alright, don't lower yourselves to her level. That's just her personality. We can just ignore her." Bronya smiled and rubbed Rosaliya's head, then pulled out a handful of candy from her pocket. "This is Mother's reward for Bronya. Let's try some together."

Practicing Flash Step

"Bronya really is the best!" Rosaliya cheered and eagerly grabbed all the candies from Bronya's hand, then began splitting them with Liliya.

"Ishiu, Seele, there are some for you too." Bronya took another handful of candy from her pocket and gestured for Ishiu and Seele to take some.

"Thanks." Ishiu did not particularly like candy, but he did not refuse either. Grinning, he took two pieces.

"I don't need any. Ishiu-gege gave Seele candy this morning." Seele smiled and declined Bronya's candy. "Bronya-nee-san should give it to the others."

"Hm? He gave you candy again?" Bronya raised her brow and glanced at Ishiu, smiling without any warmth. "He really treats Seele well..."

"Well, Seele calls me big brother, so naturally I have to set an example as one." Ishiu smiled. "If you're willing to call me big brother too, I'll give you candy as well."

"Give it up. That's impossible. You should be calling Bronya big sister instead." Little Pudding seemed surprisingly concerned about the relationship between the two.

"Ugh, Ishiu gave Seele candy again! He didn't give me any! No, I want some too!"

"Hey, hey, don't pounce on me! I don't have any candy left, so stop feeling me up!"

The group immediately broke into another round of noisy play. After their usual laughter and horseplay, Cocolia left the Orphanage. She still had many things to do.

After lunch, Ishiu declined Seele and the others' invitation to play at the beach and quietly made his way to the mountain behind the Orphanage.

There were usually no people on the mountain behind the Orphanage, so Ishiu did not need to worry about being discovered here. He intended to practice the Seven Nights Assassination Technique - Flash Step he had obtained earlier.

The skill rewards given by the system were like memories forcibly carved into one's mind and body. They let one know how to use them, and the body even had the necessary muscle memory, ensuring they could be used.

Ishiu recalled the techniques of Flash Step in his mind. After confirming that he had them right, he took a deep breath and began to run.

His initial speed was not particularly fast, and he did not run in a straight line. Instead, his feet followed an enigmatic pattern, making it seem as though he was running left one moment and right the next. His path was unpredictable, yet his forward speed was not slow at all; it was even somewhat faster than when he sprinted at full speed.

As Ishiu ran, he absorbed the various techniques of Flash Step. He weaved continuously through the forest, his figure like a phantom, appearing here one moment and there the next, as though he could shrink the earth to an inch.

By the end, Ishiu was running at full speed. If anyone had been watching, they would have been shocked to discover a shadow flickering nonstop, too fast for the naked eye to see clearly.

The trees in the mountains were dense. Ordinary people would have to run carefully here and slow down, lest they crash into a tree or trip over a branch.

Yet Ishiu had no such concerns. He ran at full speed as if he were on an open road, without the slightest pause.

The Seven Nights Assassination Technique - Flash Step had granted him abilities beyond those of ordinary people and greatly enhanced his reaction speed.

It allowed him to ignore obstacles in the terrain and unleash his full strength anywhere without worrying about restrictions.

At last, Ishiu's speeding figure stopped in front of a large tree.

He had been running at full speed, yet he stopped as though he had no inertia at all. His feet seemed rooted to the ground. He stood only ten centimeters from the tree, his body not even swaying.

"This Seven Nights Assassination Technique really is powerful. Flash Step alone is already this formidable. It would be great if I could obtain the complete Seven Nights Assassination Technique." Ishiu exclaimed excitedly.

Ishiu felt that he should be able to beat Bronya now. However, if she used Honkai Energy, he would probably still fall a little short.

But that was not much of a problem. He had only just obtained Flash Step. As long as he trained hard and continued improving this powerful technique, he believed he could become even stronger.

Ishiu vaguely had a feeling that he had not yet fully developed Flash Step. Moreover, if he could obtain Flash Sheath, the power of the complete Seven Nights Assassination Technique would definitely be far more than one plus one.

Filled with excitement, Ishiu trained in the mountains for three or four hours. Only after he had gained an initial grasp of Flash Step and could be considered to have entered through the door did he return to the Orphanage with his exhausted body.

Yet the moment he returned to the Orphanage, Ishiu keenly sensed that the atmosphere there was somewhat off.

The children at the Orphanage all wore frightened and worried expressions, and the air was permeated with a suffocating feeling.

"Ishiu-gege, you're finally back!"

The moment they saw Ishiu return, several children ran over. As if they had found their backbone, they surrounded Ishiu and talked nonstop.

The girls chattered away without getting to the point. Ishiu listened for quite some time before he roughly understood what they were saying.

It turned out that not long ago, Bronya had accidentally fallen down the stairs. She seemed to have been badly injured and had already been rushed to a nearby medical facility. Seele, Rosaliya, and the others had gone with her, while these children remained at the Orphanage, left to wait anxiously.

"Ishiu-gege, will Bronya-nee-san die..." A little girl of only seven or eight had a pale face as she tightly clutched Ishiu's clothes.

This was an Orphanage. Many of the children had lost their parents for various reasons, so their understanding of death was deeper than anyone else's.

"It's alright, don't worry. Bronya isn't that fragile. She's our big sister, after all. She won't die." In order to comfort the little girl, Ishiu temporarily endured the pain of acknowledging Bronya's status as his big sister. After soothing the children at length and calming all their unease, he finally had time to go to the hospital.

When he arrived at the hospital, Bronya was receiving treatment in the operating room. Outside it sat a row of people he knew well.

"Ishiu-gege!" When she saw Ishiu arrive, Seele lifted her head from the bench. Ishiu noticed that her eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and tear tracks still lingered on her face.

The moment she saw him, tears immediately began streaming from Seele's eyes again.

Then she flew into Ishiu's arms, gripping the front of his shirt tightly with both hands as her warm tears soaked a patch of his clothes.

"Ishiu-gege, Bronya-nee-san, she... sob..."

"It's alright, I know." Ishiu gently patted Seele's back, using his gentlest voice to comfort her over and over by her ear.

Seele seemed determined to vent all her emotions in his arms. She cried for a long time before slowly stopping.

Rage

"Alright, stop crying. You won't be pretty if you keep crying." Ishiu rubbed Seele's little head and said softly, "Bronya will definitely be alright. We have to believe in her."

"Mm..." Seele nodded with a faint sob in her voice, then gently pushed Ishiu away. Somewhat embarrassed, she turned her face aside and wiped away her tears.

Ishiu sighed and took out the handkerchief that was supposedly never dirtied from the System Space, handing it to Seele.

He had not expected that this thing would actually come in handy now.

"Liliya, what exactly happened? How did Bronya suddenly fall down the stairs?" Ishiu looked at Liliya and asked.

There were five or six children from the Orphanage outside the operating room. To Ishiu's surprise, An was among them. He chose to ask Liliya because, among these children, she was the most reliable besides Seele.

"I'm not entirely sure either. After we came back from the beach, we were preparing to bathe and eat. Rosaliya and I were in the bathroom when we heard a noise outside. That was when we discovered Bronya had fallen from the second floor to the first." Liliya did not look very well either.

"However, An was there at the time. She said Bronya had missed a step by accident and fallen."

Ishiu could not help frowning when he heard that. To be honest, he had doubted Bronya's fall from the stairs from the very beginning.

Because he knew what Bronya was capable of. Let alone the second floor, even if she jumped from the third floor, Ishiu believed she would not be hurt.

Yet she had ended up in the hospital because of a fall down the stairs. No matter how he looked at it, something felt wrong.

Ishiu turned to look at An, who had been sitting silently in the corner.

"You... You did something to Bronya, didn't you?" Ishiu walked up to An and asked in a deep voice.

This was only his speculation, but it was indeed the most likely possibility. The so-called truth was the sole possibility left after eliminating all impossibilities.

At least in Ishiu's eyes, An was unquestionably the most suspicious person now.

An slowly raised her head. Her eyes seemed to reveal countless complicated emotions, but in the end, the corners of her mouth curled up, exposing her distinctive shark-like teeth.

"Are you questioning me?"

"Yes." Ishiu nodded without hesitation.

"Hahaha, good! Since you're asking so sincerely, I'll be merciful and tell you. I did push Bronya down. So what can you do about it?" An laughed. She had directly admitted to harming Bronya, catching even Ishiu off guard.

"You... Why would you do something like that?" Ishiu pressed his lips together and tried hard to restrain his anger. The way he looked at An had already turned cold.

"Why? Simple. Because I don't like the sight of her. Is that a good enough reason?" A crazed smile appeared on An's face. She spread her arms and swept her provocative gaze across everyone present, though hidden in her eyes was a deep jealousy that ordinary people could not detect.

"Bastard! Why are you so awful?!" Rosaliya had always been hot-tempered. The moment An admitted that she had pushed Bronya down the stairs, Rosaliya exploded and lunged at her, looking ready to fight her to the death. Fortunately, Liliya stopped her in time.

"Do you know the consequences of what you've done?" Ishiu asked coldly.

"Consequences? I never consider consequences when I do things." An shrugged indifferently.

"You... Bronya-nee-san is clearly such a good person. Why would you do this to her?" The tears Seele had finally stopped were on the verge of overflowing again. She looked at An, tears swirling in her azure eyes.

Seele was innocent and kind, like a small animal. She truly could not understand why, when they were all companions from the same Orphanage, someone could strike so viciously at a friend.

"Heh, because I can't stand the sight of her. And you lot too." An glanced at Seele, the contempt in her eyes so thick it was practically spilling over. "You can't do anything. You're so much worse than me, yet you shamelessly stay by Bronya's side, laughing and chatting with her... Seele, out of everyone here, I hate you the most. All you do is act cute and obedient. Whenever something happens, all you can do is cry. Weak, cowardly, useless... Those words were practically made for you..."

"Enough!" Ishiu roared, cutting off An's vicious words.

But Seele was still stunned by An's words. She had never imagined that this was how An saw her.

"What? Do you hate me?" An grinned as she looked at the hostile gazes directed at her. "Good. I like seeing those looks in your eyes. But what can you do to me? Don't forget, aside from Bronya, I'm the strongest one here!"

"You think you're strong?" Ishiu suddenly said.

"Of course. I'm much stronger than useless trash like you!" An proudly raised her chin.

"Is that so?" Ishiu clenched his fists and stared coldly at An. "I believe you'll take those words back very soon."

"You want to fight me?" An glanced at Ishiu, then disdainfully turned her head away. "Don't make me laugh. You're only a man. Do you really think a few months of training with Bronya means you can fight me?"

"You can try." The moment Ishiu finished speaking, he threw a heavy punch straight at An's abdomen.

Disdain flashed through An's eyes. She did not take Ishiu seriously at all, so she merely raised a hand casually, intending to block his fist.

Yet Ishiu's figure swayed slightly. When he appeared again, he was already at An's left side, his fist raised high as it smashed fiercely into her face before her astonished eyes!

An had never expected Ishiu to be so fast. She had no time to react and only felt a sharp pain explode in her cheek. Then, like a rag doll, she was sent flying high into the air before crashing heavily onto the floor five or six meters away.

Everyone present was dumbfounded by the sudden scene.

"I never hit women, but today, you're the first." Ishiu's voice rang out. He clenched his fist and stared coldly at An, who struggled to rise from the ground while clutching her cheek in disbelief.

"This punch was for Bronya, An! I won't stop until I beat you until you cry today!"

Time Stop

"You bastard..."

The shock on An's face slowly vanished, replaced by murderous intent.

She had never been a good person. She had only come to the Orphanage for Bronya. It could be said that, aside from Bronya, she looked down on everyone. Yet now, she had been sent flying by a nobody she considered beneath notice. The humiliation nearly drove her mad.

"You've made me angry!" An growled. A dagger suddenly appeared in her hand, and she charged at Ishiu.

Ishiu remained expressionless. Even though An had a weapon, he was not afraid in the slightest. His feet shifted in Shadow Step as he unleashed Flash Step and charged toward An as well.

The distance of seven or eight meters was crossed in nearly the blink of an eye. Seele and the others nearby did not even have time to stop them, and could only watch helplessly as the two became entangled in combat.

"Flash Step - Shadow Moon."

Ishiu gave a low shout. Just as he was about to make contact with An, his body abruptly turned into a shadow. An had no time to pull back and thrust out her dagger, stabbing only empty air.

An's expression changed instantly. What kind of ability was this?

But she had no time to think it over. Ishiu's figure had already appeared silently behind her.

Wing Chun - Inch Punch!

Ishiu rapidly launched his right fist. The force of the punch tore through the air with a thunderous boom.

Before obtaining Flash Step, Ishiu could never have thrown a punch with such power.

But after obtaining Flash Step, he had gained not only the footwork of the Seven Nights Assassination Technique, but also control over every kind of force and coordination throughout his entire body. Thus, he could now easily mobilize all the strength in his body and concentrate it at one point.

"Don't... underestimate me!" An's eyes widened in an instant, her shark-like teeth flashing coldly. Then, in the very next second, Ishiu did not know what she did, but her figure suddenly vanished from before his eyes.

It was a sudden, utterly abrupt disappearance without any warning, as though she had never been there at all.

Ishiu froze for a moment, and his punch struck empty air. Yet before he could react, a needle-like chill at his back surged over him like a tide. Before his mind could respond, his body had already thrown itself forward.

Squelch—!

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh rang out. Ishiu felt a searing pain flare from his waist. Fortunately, he had dodged in time, so the dagger had not fully plunged into his body; it had merely carved a deep gash across his lower back.

"Ishiu-gege!" When Seele and the others saw An suddenly appear behind Ishiu and stab him, they all erupted, looking ready to rush over.

"Don't come any closer!" Enduring the pain, Ishiu used Flash Step to adjust his posture the moment he fell. After nimbly rolling across the ground, he got back on his feet at top speed and widened the distance between himself and An.

"Hiss..." Ishiu turned to look at the deep wound on his waist. Crimson blood was pouring from it like a stream. He was not afraid of being injured; he was simply confused. How had An suddenly appeared behind him?