Chapter 145

The thrown dagger pierced through the thick smoke, but was parried by Herul with the butt of his rifle.

A flash of silver light, and the immense force transmitted from the dagger even caused Herul to slide back a step.

Like Efnir, Canary was second only to Elincia in strength. The technique she used to throw her twin swords was taught to her by Efnir herself, and this immense strength disrupted Herul's attack.

A silver glint flashed in Herul's hand, Efnir keenly sensed the movement of "dust." The damaged parts of the assault rifle in Herul's hand were being repaired very quickly.

"This is the first time I've seen Order Weapon damaged like this... and... it's actually being repaired by replenishing Order Force?"

Efnir's eyes narrowed slightly.

In other words, the "Second Generation" Order weapons seem to differ from the "First Generation" in terms of durability, and can be repaired by consuming Order Force, but this takes time.

Soon, Herul raised his gun again, but two grenades appeared in front of him.

A deafening explosion ignited a wave of heat that filled the training ground.

Herul was not injured, but she was forced to interrupt her attack. She fired again into the thick smoke pushed aside by the sound waves, followed by a swift shadow flying overhead—it was Canary. Sound would reveal her position, so Canary chose to make even louder noise to conceal her movements and used the "Stairway" as a springboard to quickly approach Herul.

It is unwise to rashly place oneself in the air; if it is difficult to find a point of leverage, one will become an easy target for the enemy.

But clearly, the risky tactic was effective at this moment— Canary closed the distance between herself and Herul to less than two meters, forcing Herul to abandon her gun and engage in close combat.

At this distance, between Herul, wielding an assault rifle, and Canary, wielding dual swords, the scales of victory had already tipped in Canary's favor.

But at that moment, Herul calmly stepped back to the side, swung her gun butt out with a sudden burst of silver light, and two short knives appeared in her hand.

Upon seeing this, Efnir narrowed her eyes slightly once again.

--The "Second Generation" is not just one type of weapon.

Canary and Herul stared intently at each other, simultaneously closing in on the other's attack range.

Herul crossed her short swords, steadily blocking Canary's downward slash, while simultaneously turning to the side and using her elbow to clamp down on another of Canary's thrusts.

Canary bent her body slightly and pressed forward with great force, while Herul's knee slammed directly into the ground. Centered on the two of them, the sound of their close combat turned into a tangible shockwave that whipped their hair around.

Canary snorted coldly, flicked her wrist, and easily dismantled the short sword's parry with her blade. She quickly followed up with a powerful slash, which Herul narrowly dodged. Canary's blade sliced a deep crack at Herul's feet, and the immense force shattered the floor beneath Herul feet. The Fracture spread outwards from the two of them.

Taking advantage of the Herul stepped on the back of Canary 'Canary blade to hinder her movements, and then slashed down with her own blade.

Canary deftly released her grip, turned around, and defended with her sword. Starlight bloomed on her blade, and at the same time, a flash of silver light appeared. The weapon that Herul had stepped on reappeared in Canary's hand. She stepped to the side and slashed horizontally at Herul a step forward and forcefully blocked Canary's wrist with an elbow strike, cleverly neutralizing Canary's attack by shortening the torque.

The sounds of blades rubbing and clashing echoed across the training ground, the ground ravaged by their battle. Herul's blade was elegant and sharp, while Canary's attacks were fierce and swift. Every second, the two would exchange blows more than three times.

But soon, Herul showed obvious signs of weakness—compared to Herul, Canary had a decisive advantage: Canary's weapon was more suitable for close combat than Herul's. In close combat, a longer blade meant a wider attack range and more room for maneuver. Moreover, as a vanguard agent, Canary herself had an undeniable advantage in strength and endurance.

Herul immediately noticed this as well. With a soft shout, she slid her short sword forward along Canary's blade, creating a swirl of starlight. She forcefully closed the distance between them again, attempting to bring their cross-attack distance into a range that was advantageous to her.

Two meters is the most advantageous engagement distance for Canary.

But if the distance is reduced to half a meter, then it's Herul's domain—her short sword is better suited for fighting at that range.

Facing the blade tip that Herul charged towards her, Canary took a step back. At the same time, the weapon in her right hand transformed into starlight and reappeared in Canary's hand in a reverse grip.

The way he gripped the weapon in reverse was like a praying mantis hunting its prey.

The next second, she suddenly took a step forward, the ground beneath her feet shattered, and Herul was also thrown off balance in an instant. Canary's figure stepped up the Stairway and pressed close to Herul's right side, her left hand suddenly slashing horizontally. Herul crossed her two swords to block, and a burst of dazzling starlight erupted between the two.

But Canary's offensive did not stop. She flipped her body and, using the strength from her feet to her waist and elbows, gripped her weapon tightly with her right hand and slashed horizontally again as she closed in.

This strike emphasizes technique over brute force; it's a combat technique Canary uses against small or humanoid enemies.

This angle ensures a safe attack distance while making it difficult for the opponent to defend.

Canary was already slightly stronger, and her current offensive stance was more suited to exerting force horizontally. Herul, on the other hand, was slightly weaker, and the blades in her hands were not enough to defend against attacks coming from the side, or rather, she could not find a suitable angle to parry.

She had no choice but to abandon her twin swords. With a flash of silver light, an assault rifle reappeared in her hand, which she used as a shield in front of her.

The next moment, countless starlight flashed, and the assault rifle almost broke in half, but in the end, it still managed to block Canary's deadly strike at her waist. Using the force of Canary's attack, she stepped back quickly on the Stairway, and when she attacked again, two pistols appeared in her hands, and she fired six shots in quick succession.

Having learned her lesson from the assault rifle, Canary didn't choose to take the hit head-on. She nimbly stepped back, slashed the pursuing attack with her sword, and then spun around again, throwing her sword with great force, which was blocked by Herul with her twin swords.

The long sword fell to the ground with a clang, then vanished in a flash of silver light, reappearing in Canary's hand.

At this moment, Canary had already caught up with Herul again, and with a swift upward slash to meet Herul's descending blade, she swung her right hand, which was gripping the weapon in reverse, horizontally again. This time, Herul nimbly adjusted her stance and parried.

But this time, Canary's weapon in her right hand vanished into thin air the instant it made contact with the twin blades, leaving only Canary's fist, which swung straight toward Herul's neck.

213. Insult

Canary's move clearly put Herul in a difficult position.

Whether she chooses to defend or not, she will inevitably reveal weaknesses under Canary's strong offensive.

Herul was constantly kept at bay by Canary, unable to break free from Canary's entanglement, and was forced into a prolonged close-quarters battle with Canary.

Already at a disadvantage, if Herul will completely fall into Canary's rhythm.

Knowing this, Herul gritted her teeth and, facing the oncoming punch, at the last second, tucked in her abdomen and bent forward, using the force of Canary's punch to suddenly turn her head and twist her body to reduce the impact. At the same time, silver light flashed under her feet, and using the Stairway as a means of turning her body, she kicked Canary in the back of the head.

Canary had no time to dodge and narrowly managed to block the attack with her elbow.

Both were thrown several meters away by the other's immense force, but in the next instant, they both regained their footing by stepping on the Stairway.

Canary breathed softly, raising her blade and pointing it at Herul.

Herul also bent slightly, her chest heaving, holding up her pistol, her eyes fixed on Canary.

The two sides are evenly matched.

Both of them felt the pressure from the other's aggressive attacks.

The next moment, Canary charged at Herul again, while Herul quickly retreated and fired at Canary to keep her distance.

"Although it looks a bit chaotic, it's done very well, with solid fundamentals. If it were a hand-to-hand combat situation Herul would probably win. Now Herul has successfully dragged the battle into a protracted war, and if this continues, it might be disadvantageous for Canary."

"Efnir said."

While Canary's endurance is indeed greater than Herul's, once Herul's damaged Order Weapon are repaired, the overwhelming firepower will immediately suppress Canary. Canary doesn't have any more smoke grenades or hand grenades to help her carry out the tactics she just used, and Herul won't give her that chance again.

"But for Herul, being caught by Canary would be tantamount to declaring defeat."

Canary's advantage in close combat is obvious.

Even though her opponent was more skilled and cunning in movement than Canary, this slight difference could not make up for the huge disadvantage in physical strength and weaponry.

"Canary..."

Ayse hesitated, a look of worry appearing in her eyes.

Yukina was completely stunned.

Among the current agents in Xijing City, Canary is second only to Efnir in terms of seniority and combat strength, so her strength is beyond doubt.

Yukina watched the battle between Canary and Herul intently, deeply captivated by the perilous clash that felt like walking on a tightrope, while also once again keenly realizing the gap between herself and her senior, active agents.

Canary once said that Efnir was several times more powerful than her.

That's the truth.

If Canary were facing Efnir, she might not last ten seconds before being defeated, even if Efnir controlled her strength to avoid injuring Canary. In terms of fighting prowess alone, Efnir is in a league of her own among the agents in Xijing City, which is why Efnir is called "Chief".

In other words, for Yukina, there is still a very long way to go before she can stand by Efnir's side.

Just then, a voice came from outside the training field. Efnir and Ayse looked over at the same time and saw the figures of Masaki Hina Shinomiyami Nami, and Fushihara Ayaka.

At the same time, walking alongside Masaki Hina was a woman in military uniform whom she had never seen before. Standing next to the short-statured Masaki Hina, her height of over 1.7 meters was particularly striking.

"That's the new commander, Major General Kusei Maki..."

Ayse introduced it at the right time.

"It was because of her that Canary initiated the duel in a fit of anger..."

"What did she do?"

"Efnir asked, puzzled."

"She... she said...'The agent from Xijing City seems undisciplined and unqualified...'"

"Hmm..."

Ayse rarely showed a troubled expression, while Efnir curled the corners of her lips and sighed softly with a half-smile.

"Indeed, compared to Anilas and Herul, we certainly have no 'discipline' to speak of, that's a fact, but to call us 'unqualified' is really quite laughable."

Even just standing there, Anilas and the others maintained a calm yet serious expression. Everyone's posture was highly consistent, and their eyes, positions, and movements all conveyed to Efnir the words "they are soldiers."

Compared to these people, Efnir and her group were much more casual, and in this respect, they certainly lacked 'military discipline'.

However, being "casual" does not mean being "unqualified" as an agent.

Strictly speaking, due to the special nature of agents, agents have never been subject to military control. The agent management plan in Xijing City is entirely derived from the management rules of the Central Province. It is a reasonable and legal management system recognized by the Human Federation and does not have any fundamental problems.

No wonder Canary couldn't help herself.

Canary is not a short-tempered or unreasonable person. Although she seems carefree, she is undoubtedly a qualified and very responsible agent, and there is nothing to criticize about her in terms of discipline.

To suddenly be labeled "unqualified" is not just a denial of Canary alone, but a denial and insult to Qinglan and Canary, whose fates are unknown, the other fallen predecessors, Fengling Shiyin who is still in a coma, and the other agents who have fought for this city until now.

"Actually, it hurts me too to be said that..."

Ayse lowered her gaze.

"But only Canary stepped forward."

After all, the agent and the commander have a superior-subordinate relationship, and disobeying the commander is an act that will have serious consequences.

However, this matter involves issues of principle.

"Canary has her own principles, and I don't think she did anything wrong."

"Efnir said softly, her gaze fixed on Kusei Maki, coldly observing the new commander, while also noticing the gaze directed at her by Kusei Maki."

Their gazes met across the training field, then drifted apart.

Efnir turned her gaze to the training field. At this moment, Canary had already cornered Herul. Herul retreated any further, she would be penalized for going out of bounds. Clearly, Canary would win this round.

"It's incredibly blatant for Kusei Maki to say such things in that way. Even if it's just to confirm our combat strength, I won't let her get away with it so easily because of what she said..."

Major General Kusei Maki.

Efnir addressed her by her first name.

Efnir neither knew nor cared to speculate about this person's character, but whatever her purpose was in saying those words, Efnir would absolutely not tolerate it.

Efnir let out a soft breath and raised her fist, rubbing it together.

"Watching Canary's battle, I suddenly felt a little itchy to join in."

On the training field, with a loud bang, Canary kicked Herul had lost her balance due to the entanglement of the two swords, out of bounds.

In the end, Canary defeated Herul with minor injuries.

Holding her twin swords, Canary turned around and coldly cast her gaze in the direction of Kusei Maki expression remained completely unchanged.

214. An unreasonable request

The Human Federation is roughly divided into two factions.

Masaki Hina's boss is conservative.

The other side, however, appears more radical.

Although it is a ridiculous struggle between two factions that has existed since the earliest times of humankind, it is indeed a genuine phenomenon within the Human Federation.

But this is not the most crucial reason why Masaki Hina is worried about the Central Province.

What Masaki Hina fears is that glimpse into the existence of the Apostle.

In short, Masaki Hina suspects that the Human Federation has been infiltrated by the Apostle, otherwise it would be impossible to explain how the Apostle could easily bypass her command authority and send personnel to bypass the Human Federation's archives system.

Of course, this is not the reason why Masaki Hina is unhappy with Kusei Maki.

Masaki Hina had actually heard of Kusei Maki before, before she left the Central Province. Kusei Maki was an independent and individualistic person, and this might be a way to describe her—she managed in her own way, consolidating her absolute position by ruthlessly suppressing the dignity of her soldiers. This was the character of a commander known for his "iron fist."