The Last Drop -2-
Two buildings standing apart.
Positioned to cover each other's blind spots.
Juyeon sent her gaze toward them and nodded before speaking to Rohan with a hint of intrigue.
"Very cute preparation."
Rohan, convinced that Sion and Clara had been spotted, decided to play it cool and brazen it out.
"It's not inside the academy grounds, right?"
"True enough... You're not wrong. Finding reliable allies who sync with you is a skill in itself—a strength. Do as you like."
Juyeon was utterly satisfied with Rohan's approach.
Some might point fingers or shy away from it, but to survive in battle, you had to devise all sorts of strategies like this.
The instructors had been expecting as much ever since the exam rules emphasized no holds barred.
The buried explosives were definitely his doing too.
Juyeon was beyond suspicion—now certain.
Planting the bombs and then cleaning up the site flawlessly afterward? No other cadet came to mind.
It matched perfectly with the ideal cadet image the Orion Academy instructors sought in this practical exam.
She even thought this test might be unnecessary for Rohan.
"Hoo!"
Rohan pressed on with his preparations without pause. The sword in his grip glowed with Scorching Blade.
He tossed his hair back with one hand, rolled his shoulders and neck, signaling Sion and Clara.
Then he strode forward, closing the distance to Juyeon.
One Sword - Flame Cut
A horizontal slash carrying scorching heat.
Juyeon's finger slipped into the sword's path with a sharp clack! The blade's advance halted emptily.
Rohan immediately raised his pistol for a close-range barrage, but it didn't even graze her red hair.
Pew! Ting!
Clara and Sion's shots didn't target her directly—they carved diagonal lines through the ground.
Juyeon sidestepped with exquisite precision, twisting her body just enough to evade the bullets from both sides.
Dodging that angle on pure instinct left even Rohan speechless.
Still, he moved. He had to keep pressing the assault.
An upward slash loaded with power from his legs and core. Her finger deflected it effortlessly.
Using the rebound, Rohan spun his body, kicking up dirt as he slashed again.
Juyeon handled the sniping while blocking his blade with mere flicks of her fingers.
She barely moved. With concise motions alone, she held the advantage over Rohan and his team.
"Hup!"
His flame-wreathed sword traced a flashy arc toward her—but it was thoroughly suppressed.
Juyeon extended her unscathed, pristine fingers like a rapier toward Rohan.
He felt psychological pressure, as if her fingertip was devouring his entire field of vision.
No words for this... She's the real deal...
How do you even describe a swung sword getting utterly blocked by a single index finger?
It just felt distant, overwhelming.
No wonder most cadets gave up on her exam.
"Rohan. Feeling deflated because your attacks aren't landing?"
"Quite the opposite. I'm definitely beating you today, Instructor."
"Heh."
Juyeon smiled, meeting his eyes. Unlike the others, he wasn't breaking—his spirit burned bright. Excellent.
Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart had shown that same fire.
They truly shine...
Juyeon loved watching her students grow. Just seeing it made her grin.
How much further would they go? No disaster could plunge the world into total darkness.
Click! Clack!
Rohan swiftly ejected the empty magazine and slammed in a fresh one.
He roughly mapped his next moves.
No half-baked tricks like bombs or smoke. One shot... just one...
Here, he'd secure lines of sight for Sion and Clara, then drag it into prolonged close combat.
Their support fire was far more reliable and effective than any clumsy feint.
Besides, Juyeon had mana limits too.
That was why she focused her mana not on her whole index finger, but just the tip—one segment.
A choice to maintain flawless defense without waste.
"Sss..."
Rohan's form surged forward with explosive acceleration.
Noticeably faster than before.
Three Swords - Light Wing Piercer
A thrust with full power.
Blocked by her finger. As expected.
As Rohan retracted and swung again, a flash erupted from the building rooftop.
Pew—!
One bullet among them traced a special path.
It ricocheted off a sculpture in the Orion Academy grounds, curving toward Juyeon.
A shot she could have tanked before now forced complex maneuvers.
Clara's impressive, but that elf girl's sniping is no joke.
A ricochet with clear power limits due to the bounce condition.
Perfect for a situation where grazing was enough.
But Juyeon knew most attacks crumbled based on her footing.
She evaded and parried the onslaught from three directions without losing composure.
"You must've heard the instructor handles counters too."
Juyeon thrust her hand forward, poking Rohan's chest dead-center.
His eyes flew wide at the jolt of pain slamming through his body.
"!"
A sensation like being impaled on a spike. Breath caught in his throat.
Oddly, it wasn't actual penetration or shattered bones.
All he could think was how merciful her control was.
I can still move.
Any other cadet might've stopped. But ordinary pain wouldn't halt Rohan.
He didn't pause for a second, firing his pistol as he surged on. Juyeon tilted her head to dodge, chuckling dryly.
"Such a tough one... Excellent."
The clash continued for dozens of exchanges.
Bullets poured like a shower in support of Rohan's head-on assault.
Midway, he spotted an opening and hooked his pistol on one finger to grab her arm—success.
But Juyeon didn't permit contact easily.
Even when he gripped something, before he could act, his vision spun, and he slammed into the ground.
Springing up, Rohan couldn't hide his stunned expression. Juyeon smirked and explained.
"Rare to see that look of wonder on you. It's Aiki."
"...I know the name. First time seeing this level."
He knew the term and method, but getting flung without resistance the instant she grabbed? Hard to swallow.
And she wasn't even grabbing him—his grip on her hand had thrown him. Absurd.
He checked his status window on the sly—no illusions.
Not like judo throws... How?
No chance to manipulate mana; a slight shift from her, and he tumbled.
His face stung from the impacts.
"If you're interested, worth learning. You gain control over the enemy's center, crumbling it."
"I'll consider it."
How brutally had she honed herself to reach this level in martial arts beyond the sword at her age?
His respect for Juyeon swelled.
Thus, Rohan sensed now was the moment.
Time to try that.
His body felt perfectly warmed up.
He decided to test a practiced method in real combat.
Click!
Swapping to his very last magazine.
If I land a bullet, it might open a path.
But with his current skill, near impossible. That's why she was Juyeon.
To create the opening in his mind, he needed something entirely new.
···
···
Before long, Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart stood behind, watching.
But Rohan didn't turn.
Fresh magazine loaded, he fixed his burning gaze solely on Juyeon.
She extended her right hand, raising her index finger.
...The mood's shifted. What'll he show me?
Rohan's focus was razor-sharp, like a sword's edge.
Still, Juyeon's approach remained the same.
I'll selectively dodge his bullets.
She could sense it.
Beyond the Omega encounter on the island, the mana Rohan sometimes infused in his shots gave her a gut feeling: don't let it touch.
Problem was, she'd felt it firsthand in past classes. Heightened her wariness.
Step. Step.
Rohan closed two steps, then kicked off, swinging his blade.
Clack! The sword caught on her fingertip.
Same picture as always.
Rohan shifted his pistol's aim.
The barrel didn't target Juyeon as usual. The muzzle of his Stigma aimed at his own gleaming blade.
Giving a clear target to bullets that had merely sliced air.
He fired a mana explosion round at the blade.
Bang—!
The gunshot rang out. Juyeon's eyes widened at Rohan's technique.
"!"
The bullet, locked on the sharp blade as its destination,
split apart like it had under Ed Instructor's axe swing,
hurtling toward Juyeon and detonating.