He Didn't Want to Lose

Compared to the girl's delicate figure, the scythe was far too large, yet when she wielded this weapon with such ease, it was as if a noble lady at a ball was gracefully and reservedly extending her slender hand to you, extending an invitation to dance.

But this was no gentle invitation; its chilling allure was like the perfume a noblewoman exudes as she approaches, a dangerous and deadly net woven from her suggestive whispers and the sound of her breath.

A sword is not a suitable weapon for slashing against a sickle, so Su Qing'an chose to retreat, turning to the side and letting the wind brush against the hem of his clothes.

Immediately, the [circle] generated a protective force that dispersed the wind and successfully prevented the hem of the garment from tearing.

The boy's breathing was long and steady; such crises had become commonplace for him, requiring almost no careful and calm observation.

Rather than being overly observant, it was precisely this careful observation that led them into the trap. The other person's footsteps swayed between normal walking and unpredictable movements—did they know something about their situation?

His powerful Soul Essence allows him to easily learn other people's martial arts techniques. Rita, who came for her own sake, should understand this, so she's testing the truth of this claim.

If even feigned steps and casual pretenses can stop one's plans, then one's abilities are nothing to fear.

Perhaps it contains such thoughts and provocations.

Su Qing'an didn't care about any of that; the other party's opinion was not within his consideration, but that wasn't the kind of thing he wanted to learn.

He raised his sword with his right hand, the blade lightly kissing the side of the scythe. He did not directly face the immense force, but instead chose to redirect the force while taking a step to the right.

The swirling blade, carrying immense potential energy, slashed straight down. Under normal circumstances, such force would make it difficult for the wielder to turn their body and weapon around. However, since Su Qing'an successfully dodged, it would inevitably create an opening.

Rita's offensive was like an endless wave, perfectly utilizing the weight of the scythe and the tilt of her body, the twisting force flowing smoothly like water.

Her slender arms continued to lift the sickle in the direction of the force, her high heels gracefully twisting and stepping on the ground, the movement continuing with unparalleled fluidity. The sickle spun back, once again sweeping the blade horizontally towards the boy's waist.

The weapon's length was a significant advantage at this moment. At this distance, Su Qing'an would have no chance to dodge again. Even the most flexible waist could not instantly create such a low, flat stance to evade.

A direct confrontation was inevitable, and the boy still drew his sword.

The sword and scythe clashed, producing a piercing clang.

But they separated as soon as they touched each other.

This wasn't due to any tacit understanding between the two; rather, the instant Su Qing'an barely blocked the attack with her sword, she kicked the side of the scythe with her right foot, forcibly creating distance.

This seems like a foolish act of cutting off one's own ability to act. Obviously, the technology of Schicksal cannot perfectly reproduce the scene of the scythe cutting through the soles of the feet, because at this time it is said to be a virtual battle scene, but only the weapons are virtual, so it is naturally difficult to use virtual to replace all reality.

But assuming that Su Qing'an would be injured because of this according to the data calculations, then he has already lost half of the battle.

The reason is that the virtual screen displayed in mid-air shows the HP values of the two characters, and the legs, which are related to mobility, are naturally the areas where more HP is lost.

However, the results on the screen proved Su Qing'an's skill.

The health of both remained unchanged.

Yes, the combat style, similar to that of game characters, is a fairly popular mode at the St. Freya Academy.

In fact, both Kiana and Fu Hua are frequent users of this mode. Popular players who often use this mode will record their own videos for others to refer to and learn from.

Fu Hua's battles were broadcast live the most times.

By the way, most of the Valkyrie in the coffee shop are now secretly watching on their phones.

As a result, Kiana suffered much less.

The reason Su Qing'an wasn't injured is simple: it was due to the effect of [the circle].

The maid's retreating figure, carrying the scythe in one hand, was remarkably light. She frowned slightly and asked:

"Is it Honkai Energy?"

Su Qing'an, with his hand on his sword, answered earnestly:

"It is martial arts, it is [the circle]."

Rita smiled and said:

"[Circle]? The name of that technique? That's truly eye-opening. Mr. Su always manages to surprise me. Well, Rita won't let you down either."

After speaking, the girl swung her scythe and began an attack pattern completely different from before.

That was a flawless prelude.

She was like a lone dancer, her supple limbs and the black scythe drawing sharp arcs in the space.

The boy's movements became faster and faster; he had to anticipate every move his opponent made to successfully dodge the blade.

The opponent's terrifying strength and skillful manipulation of force made the direction of each of her strikes incredibly unpredictable.

The arc drawn by the sickle flowed naturally, like a beautiful pattern drawn in one stroke on a blank sheet of paper, and Su Qing'an's dodging posture was also without any unnecessary movements, neat and decisive.

He seemed to have truly accepted the noble lady's invitation, and together they were exploring the dance steps that best suited each other.

Cautious yet passionate.

The scene was clearly filled with murderous intent, yet one could also glimpse the calm and composed demeanor of both parties.

This is the exploratory phase.

Neither side's performance exceeded their initial expectations.

Su Qing'an, who only tried to avoid Rita, naturally didn't stand out much except for the [circle]. For Su Qing'an himself, Rita's performance did not exceed the disadvantages he had faced in his previous sparring sessions.

Even though he knew the other party was going easy on him, his intuition gave him the right answer.

That is, Fu Hua is stronger than her.

It was also thanks to that immortal who was a master of martial arts that Su Qing'an was able to fight against an unarmored S-rank Valkyrie for a short period of time in a one-on-one situation without being at a disadvantage.

If facing Fu Hua felt like searching for a glimmer of light in the deep sea, then facing Rita was much better.

The former is an unfathomable depth, while in terms of martial arts skills and level alone, Su Qing'an believes he would never lose.

While it may sound arrogant, the young man has already begun to build up his confidence that he will never lose to anyone except Fu Hua when it comes to martial arts.

In fact, even Rita herself, under conditions like those in the Stigmata Space, could not replicate Su Qing'an's feat of killing the bear-shaped Honkai Beast with her bare hands.

It was the modified version of the Void Sword Qi by the gods and the powerful Soul Essence that allowed him to learn and cultivate step by step, eventually forging his current path.

Su Qing'an is not warlike. His reason for fighting Rita was only to learn. However, this was under the premise that neither side used Honkai Energy and had no armor support.

He didn't want to lose.

Disliking fighting doesn't mean lacking competitiveness; right now, it's a battle purely based on martial arts skill.

This embodies all the hard work the boy has put in all his years; he doesn't need to prove himself to anyone.

But I don't want to lose... I just don't want to lose.

Then all we can do is give it our all.

Throw a punch, draw a sword.

Until the mind is completely free of defilement.