Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

But I have to say, it's a great opportunity to draw aggro.

A grand rebellion is brewing in secret, but no one knows that behind this future carnival lies only a grand funeral.

And a vicious deception.

Chlorine Sodium suddenly started looking forward to this mission...

ps: Writing late at night makes me so sleepy. As expected, my sleep habits after returning home are still the old ones, ying ying ying [slumped]

Section 16: Chapter Sixteen [Different Masters, Same Flatness]

Several days later.

"What are Sister's Originium Arts?"

"Nothing major, just a slight distortion of the emotions of the surrounding creatures."

"That sounds amazing."

"Actually, it's nothing. At most, it affects people's emotions. Of course, it works on non-humans too, though not very well."

...Is this what Sister meant by "not very well"????

The whistling sound of air breaking through the sky pulled Yelena from her brief memories.

White claws slashed past her, and Yelena dodged. Twisting her body, the biting cold wind instantly froze the attacking assailant into a block of ice.

It was a snow wolf. To be precise, she was now facing a pack of snow wolves.

"Ah, another freebie."

On the treetops on the other side of the forest, Chlorine Sodium sat watching everything unfold below.

"The advantage is mine. Let's go together."

Yes, the control of the wolf pack was now in Chlorine Sodium's hands. With a gentle wave of her finger, the previously scattered wolves quickly regrouped and launched an assault on Yelena.

The natural instinct of creatures to avoid harm, under Chlorine Sodium's influence on their emotions, became incredibly agitated. They no longer avoided any danger but instead would bite at any alien they saw, like zombies.

Even their physical abilities had mutated. All the wolves' eyes glowed with a purple light, which was quite eerie.

Even with her powerful Originium Arts, Yelena couldn't prevent one or two snow wolves from breaking through the death zone Yelena had created with extreme cold, almost leaving several claw marks on the girl.

However, this death zone made of cold currents was indeed very powerful. At least, none of those who charged in came out alive. The wolf pack dwindled with each passing moment, but Yelena's weakness was time.

The consumption of powerful Originium Arts was also terrifying. If she didn't consume life force, relying solely on stamina, Yelena would quickly exhaust herself trying to hold out until the Death Wall.

Yelena couldn't afford to drag it out, but the reality was that her opponent often liked to stall. After all, that was a tactic too.

Who cared about martial virtue?

Seeing the wolf pack charge forward again in a dense mass, Yelena, to prevent them from getting closer, hastily strengthened the thickness of the death zone in front of her.

The crowded attack became vulnerable within the domain, colder than the winter itself. It seemed that if this continued, the wolf pack's assault would be completely routed.

This can work.

Yelena focused her attention as much as possible on the present, paying more attention to her stamina allocation.

However, as the saying goes, decisiveness leads to freebies, and hesitation leads to defeat. The key to victory is...

—Deceive! Attack!

From a corner no one saw, a lone snow wolf leaped out of the forest and appeared behind Yelena!

The crowded attack looked like a suicide mission, but in reality, it was just using these costless cannon fodder to distract Yelena, making her focus all her attention and strength on the front, leaving the vacuum behind as a fatal weakness.

This is the common problem of mages: weak in close combat!

Iku zo Yelena! Mayoi ra yabu ra!

A roar came from behind. The snow wolf leaped fiercely. At this moment, Yelena, who finally realized the danger approaching from behind, no longer had time to reweave her Originium Arts. For a moment, the death zone created by her Originium Arts in front of her also collapsed.

—

—

"So, are we eating wolf meat tonight?"

"Most of them are frozen solid. We can't thaw them, so we'll have to eat these."

Night fell. Scattered points of flickering light danced on the desolate snowfield.

Ursus really seemed to be vast and sparsely populated. There were many traces of human activity here, such as abandoned villages.

Decayed and dilapidated, many roofs had collapsed under the weight of the wind and snow. The people had long since moved away, leaving behind only this ruined village, isolated by the wind and snow.

However, this was convenient for Yelena. Since it was just Yelena and Chlorine Sodium, it wasn't difficult to pick a relatively habitable house here.

"So hard..."

After chewing for a long time without being able to bite through the meat in her mouth, Yelena looked at the roasted wolf meat in her hand with disgust, but she was reluctant to throw it away, so she continued to gnaw on it.

"Eat as much as you can. After all, you wiped out the wolf pack."

Chlorine Sodium had a good appetite today. Of course, it was mainly because she had consumed some Honkai Energy. Those wolves weren't actually controlled by any Originium Arts. It was a joke; she didn't have any Originium Arts back then. She had merely used Honkai Energy to spread influence among the wolves, all to train Yelena in a safe environment.

"Any thoughts on today's training results?"

The silver-haired girl asked.

"Ideas?"

Yelena hadn't attended school and didn't quite understand the vocabulary her sister used.

"Emmmm, like shortcomings. Where do you feel you're lacking in combat?"

"Like... not being able to see behind me?"

The girl's disgusted gaze shifted from the wolf meat to the young woman.

"Don't you dare call me despicable. This is called tactics. As the saying goes, my heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and everything I do is for the win. Anything is fine as long as it leads to victory. Besides, don't answer a question with a question."

Chlorine Sodium reminded her coldly.

"And don't you feel the limits of a mage?"

"...I think I do."

"Then that's right."

"Yes, through the training these past few days, I've come to understand one thing: the more I want to win, the more I realize my own shortcomings..."

What the— wait, you're not playing by the rules here! Shouldn't I be the one saying that?!

"Are you planning on abandoning humanity, Yelena?!"

Chlorine Sodium quickly snatched away the famous line her sister was about to utter. She had a feeling that if she asked the classic follow-up, "What do you mean?", Yelena would put on a smug face, let out an unintelligible wail of "wryyyyyyy," and then go off on some wild tangent. The thought of that scenario was just too much to bear.

If I steal your lines, you can't break character and go off-script!

"???????????"

However, this action only earned her a confused look from Yelena. Her sister always had these occasional, incomprehensible behaviors.

"Ahem, what I mean is, mages ultimately have their limits. Only by no longer being a mage is it possible to surpass those limits."

"So?"

"So..."

Her sister slowly extended her right fist.

"Against your enemies, use the Inch Punch."

"Huh?"

"I mean, I'll teach you a new skill..."

...A skill called Heaven Splitter.

ps: I went to scan the contract and got back late! Posted late, thankfully I made it back in time. If I hadn't, I'm afraid my recommendation would be gone, sniffle sniffle

They're so thoughtful, give them some votes, okay? [heart]

Section 17 Chapter 17 [The Prelude is About to Begin]

I remember it was one morning.

A quiet Valkyrie from Schicksal's European Branch could always be found there, and a white-haired girl was always by her side.

Fu Hua, a Valkyrie belonging to the Schicksal Headquarters' Great Pontiff, and her student.

Kiana Kaslana.

Of course, to be precise, it was the one who replaced the original soul.

From that time on, Chlorine Sodium, having gained Fu Hua's trust, had been learning martial arts from her.

"Every master of a school has their own area of expertise. No one is omnipotent; that's perfectly normal," Fu Hua said.

"And what about you, Teacher?"

"Me?"

Fu Hua adjusted her glasses with her finger.

"I'm invincible."

"This Inch Punch is an ancient technique of Eastern close-quarters combat, emphasizing a burst of power in a short time."

The memory was long gone, but it wasn't difficult to imitate it a little. After all, Chlorine Sodium had one foot in the door of the sect, even if she didn't have time to undergo Fu Hua's final assessment.

"Although you have to learn etiquette before you learn to fight, due to certain circumstances, I can't teach you that part for now. But it's okay."

The girl brought her fingertips together and placed them on a newly erected wooden post.

"I'm a practical person, so dealing with the immediate crisis is more important."

Yelena, imitating her, placed her fingertips on another wooden post.

"Don't rush. There are no shortcuts to this. You also need to use it flexibly. After all, what I'm teaching you isn't just a single style. The so-called Inch Punch is a modern, improved product that integrates the strengths of various schools with technology. It has little to do with ancient martial arts anymore."

As she spoke, the girl's palm rotated slightly, then clenched tightly. It seemed to be pressed flat against the wooden post, with no room for power to be exerted.

However, the very next moment, with a sharp intake of breath, it was as if thunder had struck on level ground. Within a mere few inches, an incomparable power was infused!

A ring of energy spread outwards, blowing away the accumulated snow that had pierced the wooden stake.

The seemingly solid wooden stake only developed faint cracks, yet the sound of tearing from within indicated that the wood had completely fractured from the inside.

"The meaning of the Inch Punch lies in its practicality in actual combat. No matter the time or place, no matter the distance, one can unleash power in a short period to strike the opponent."

Unpretentious and without airs, yet incredibly fierce and secretly deadly.

Recalling the words of her first true mentor, Chlorine Sodium slowly spoke.

"Inch Punch, Inch Grab; Hard Strike, Hard Break. Of course, ancient martial arts were meant to be used with weapons. For example, the current Inch Punch is meant to be used with a spear or sword. But it's difficult for you to get those things now, so focus on learning the basics first. We can talk about deeper techniques later if the opportunity arises."

Chlorine Sodium grew more animated as she spoke, wishing she could use her true form right now to find a bear and beat it to death as a demonstration.

She couldn't help it; she genuinely loved close-quarters combat techniques.

Or rather, she still loved that past time.

Even though that time was beautiful yet brief.

After all, what is false, is ultimately false.

"So... did you remember it?"

When the young woman finished speaking and looked at Yelena again, Yelena's mouth was already open wide enough to fit an orange.