Looking at the Honkai Beasts that were faintly forming an encirclement, a sense of urgency grew in Ming Yu's heart.
Originally, he hadn't thought much about this exam, just planning to pass it. Then he could return to his peaceful life, occasionally go out on a few missions, and upon returning to St. Freya, continue his campus life, fooling around with the main trio for another year or two.
But after hearing the discussions among the Far East Branch Valkyries, he realized his previous thinking had been too naive.
The people at St. Freya could accept his existence because he wasn't deeply connected to them. Even if they attended classes together, it ultimately didn't matter much. But the Valkyries of the Far East Branch could never accept a liability as a teammate to whom they entrusted their lives.
On the battlefield against the Honkai, the vast majority of men had extremely poor Honkai resistance, to the point where they didn't even qualify for surgical modification.
Even Siegfried Kaslana, once Schicksal's strongest man on paper, was only said to have strength equivalent to an S-rank Valkyrie. Between him and a standard S-rank Valkyrie, there was still a gap as wide as the one between Valkyrie Theresa and the Valkyrie Judah.
Under these circumstances, one naturally couldn't expect the Valkyries to have much trust in Ming Yu, a male.
And if Ming Yu wanted to overturn their prejudice and make his future days in the Far East Branch a little easier, he had to achieve an impressive result in this exam to prove his strength.
Taking a deep breath, Ming Yu's mind was clear in his Sword Heart state. He continuously recalled the reactions of the Honkai Beasts in the recent battle, trying to find a way to break the current stalemate.
Unlike Honkai Beasts in their natural state, simulated ones ultimately had to follow a certain program. Unless it was a high-tech simulation like the Memorial Arena, which could directly read data from brainwaves to maximally simulate an enemy's reactions and achieve a life-like effect.
However, the data used for this kind of exam was extracted from Schicksal's database and couldn't possibly reach the level of natural Honkai Beasts. Therefore, to some extent, the reactions of these Honkai Beasts were predictable.
But figuring out the Honkai Beasts' judgment programming in such a short time to predict their reactions was no easy task.
The high-speed processing made Ming Yu feel waves of dizziness; even in his Sword Heart state, he found the computational load a bit much.
His gaze noticed the Knight-class Honkai Beast charging again. An idea came to him, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
With the clatter of hooves, the Knight-class Honkai Beast charged forward, holding its sharp knight's lance. The faint purple Honkai Energy aura on the white spear was already clearly visible, subconsciously reminding one of the weapon's sharpness and danger.
Watching the rapidly approaching spear, Ming Yu's fair face seemed to take on a purplish hue in the reflection of the purple aura.
With a quick sidestep, Ming Yu, holding Sakura Fubuki in one hand, slammed the spear downwards. The white spear collided violently with the ground, carving out a clear mark and sending up a shower of sparks.
At the same time, Ming Yu was jolted by the Honkai Beast's force, his body pausing for a noticeable moment.
The next instant, the massive form of the distant Templar-class Honkai Beast vanished abruptly. A sudden gust of wind whipped up beside Ming Yu as a white spear, along with a massive figure, reached for the tiny youth on the ground.
"Danger!"
Many of the younger students cried out in alarm, and even many of the active Valkyries frowned.
Although they didn't have a favorable impression of the latecomer, no one wished to see Ming Yu seriously injured.
Even though being a Valkyrie was a profession that often faced death, everyone still cherished life.
But even so, not a single person shouted for a pause.
This was Ming Yu's exam, and only he could decide to stop it. Whether he was unable to cope or not, it was his matter alone.
Even if he were injured because of it, it would only be a result of his own lack of strength.
Just as the spear was about to run Ming Yu through, his body suddenly twisted. His free left hand pressed hard against the spear, and he used it as a pivot to leap high into the air.
His gaze sharpened. Ming Yu's body spun in the air, the Spirit Blade in his hand drawing a perfect arc as it swung towards the Templar-class Honkai Beast's neck.
With a long, tearing sound, the crimson blade of the Spirit Blade sank completely into the Honkai Beast's body. Purple, Honkai Energy-infused liquid spurted out, dotting Ming Yu's silver uniform with large and small specks.
Sensing the Honkai Beast's aura below him rapidly weakening, a hint of joy rose in Ming Yu's heart. Although the Honkai Beast wasn't completely dead, its fate was sealed.
But when he saw the Arbalest-class Honkai Beast in the distance gathering a cannonball, Ming Yu gritted his teeth and quickly made a decision.
He let go of Sakura Fubuki's hilt; he no longer had time to pull the weapon out.
Taking a deep breath, Ming Yu crouched down slightly but swiftly, Honkai Energy rapidly converging in his legs.
"Bang!"
With a dull thud, Ming Yu stomped heavily on the Honkai Beast's shoulder. The beast's already crumbling body crashed to the ground, while Ming Yu's body shot out like a bullet from a gun, hurtling towards the Arbalest-class Honkai Beast.
A sharp wind howled past his ears. Ming Yu held his breath, slowly drawing back his right fist. The massive influx of Honkai Energy made his fist glow with a faint golden light.
Squinting, just as he was about to collide with the Arbalest-class Honkai Beast, Ming Yu threw his right fist forward with firm resolve. The golden-glowing fist collided violently with the Honkai Energy cannonball, which also had a golden shell.
"Inch Strike: Mountain Collapse!"
Ming Yu roared in his mind. His fist, which looked tiny compared to the cannonball, struck the seemingly solid golden shell with an unstoppable momentum.
With a loud boom, the golden shell shattered instantly. The terrifying energy within the cannonball transformed into red flames, spreading out wildly.
Under the violent blast wave kicked up by the flames, the Honkai Beast's massive body became the perfect target, lifted into the air by the chaotic airflow, its chest wide open and completely unguarded.
Letting his fist carry his body, Ming Yu didn't let this golden opportunity slip. Even with the scorching heatwave in front of him, his body pushed forward tenaciously.
Even though his right fist was crimson and he could feel a singeing sensation in his short black hair, he didn't retreat in the slightest.
Seeing the gray wall of flesh right before his eyes, Ming Yu held his breath, and his slightly retracted fist immediately shot out at an even faster speed, striking the Honkai Beast's soft abdomen.
With an exceptionally dull thud, a series of visible ripples spread out from the center of Ming Yu's fist across the Honkai Beast's abdomen.
"Roar~"
The Arbalest-class Honkai Beast only had time to let out a pained cry before its briefly airborne body plummeted downwards, making intimate contact with the ground. But the force of that punch was not completely absorbed; it bounced several more times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.
Exhaling a hot breath, Ming Yu's face was as red as a boiled shrimp. His right hand hung limply, twitching occasionally, clearly unusable for a short while.
Slightly shaking his right hand and feeling the sharp pain, Ming Yu couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
That really hurts!
But, trading one hand for an Arbalest-class Honkai Beast wasn't a bad deal, Ming Yu thought to himself as he glanced at the beast's slowly disappearing body.
Now, then, there are two left. Ming Yu dodged the Chariot-class Honkai Beast's attack while trying to regulate his somewhat chaotic breathing.
He glanced in the direction of Sakura Fubuki, and his heart settled slightly. The Honkai Beasts' limited intelligence obviously wouldn't notice the Spirit Blade; they would only follow their orders to attack him, not caring about anything else.
Kicking off the thick forelimb of the Chariot-class Honkai Beast, Ming Yu used the momentum to flip a few times in the air, landing steadily beside the Spirit Blade. He snatched up Sakura Fubuki's hilt with his left hand.
Now, it's time to end this fight!
With a reverse grip on the Spirit Blade, Ming Yu charged towards the last two remaining Honkai Beasts.
…
Two minutes and twenty seconds into the exam, Ming Yu slowly withdrew Sakura Fubuki from the body of the Knight-class Honkai Beast and lightly leaped off the collapsing creature.
With a clang, Ming Yu twirled the Spirit Blade with his left hand and deftly sheathed it. Behind him, the body of the Knight-class Honkai Beast crashed to the ground and dissipated into motes of light.
The next moment, the entire arena erupted in thunderous and sustained applause. Even the Valkyries who had disapproved of Ming Yu before did not hesitate to offer their praise.
But Ming Yu could no longer feel any of it. His Sword Heart state had reached its limit, and just keeping himself from collapsing took most of his mental energy, leaving him with no strength to pay attention to such things.
His physical condition and the high-intensity battle had greatly shortened the duration of his Sword Heart, bringing it to its limit far before the three-minute mark.
Forcing himself to stay upright, Ming Yu walked towards the exit, step by step. His pace was slow, but incredibly firm.
The exam was over. Even if Ming Yu collapsed now, it wouldn't change the result he had earned. But he persisted, unwilling to show weakness in front of the Far East Branch, stubbornly wanting to put a perfect end to his exam.
Watching Ming Yu's slow steps, the Valkyries of the Far East Branch did not rush him. Instead, they applauded as they watched him leave, step by step. Although many had passed the exam before, Ming Yu's performance was still incredibly dazzling.
Besides, the exam was originally scheduled for five minutes. Since Ming Yu had ended the battle early, the Far East Branch naturally wouldn't lose its composure over such a small matter.
At the same time, they respected Ming Yu's wishes. The medical team did not enter the field immediately, allowing the young man to leave the training ground on his own two feet.
It wasn't until he had walked into the dim corridor, certain that no one could see him, that Ming Yu finally let out the breath he had been holding. The feeling of dizziness in his head surged, no longer suppressible.
Leaning against the nearby wall, Ming Yu slowly took a step, but his legs gave way, and his body began to fall.
Before he lost consciousness, Ming Yu vaguely felt a hand supporting his falling body. The last thing that entered his vision was a touch of sakura-like pink.