The attack didn't come with warning.
There was no magical signal, no alarm, no clear omen. It came the way truly dangerous things usually do. When everyone still believed it was training.
The forbidden method had begun that morning. It didn't last long. Just a few minutes. Enough for me to feel my body reacting the wrong way, forcing responses that normally wouldn't exist. The master stopped it before it went too far.
"That's enough for today," he said. "Your body needs to understand the shock."
I was still trying to control my breathing when the first impact echoed in the distance.
It wasn't an explosion. It was a rupture. Something heavy breaking through external defensive structures.
The master raised his head immediately. "This isn't an exercise."
Elara was already on her feet. "Unstable mana to the north."
Liriel frowned. "There are many signatures."
Vespera gave a faint smile. "So it's now."
There was no time to discuss.
We ran.
The forces attacking weren't main troops. They were smaller units, corrupted, but far too organized to be wild. Fast advance. Constant pressure. Clearly sent to test reactions.
"The Sixth General is watching," Elara said as we moved.
"Then let's show something different," I replied.
The first defensive line had already fallen when we arrived. Humans and elves fought together, still somewhat uncoordinated, but holding their ground.
"Formation!" I shouted. "Trained pattern."
They obeyed faster than I expected.
Vespera advanced first, but without improvising. Clean movement. Precise attack. Absolute control. She took down two enemies before retreating at exactly the right moment.
"That was weird," she commented. "It worked."
Liriel restrained her power again, and for the first time it didn't seem forced. She used less energy, but with clear intent. Every strike had purpose.
Elara maintained support, adjusting terrain and mana flow with frightening efficiency. There was no waste.
And I…
My body was reacting differently.
When I moved to cover a breach, I felt the method act. It wasn't extra strength. It was faster response. Shorter decisions. I didn't think. I executed.
The enemy fell before I even registered the full movement.
"Takumi," Elara called. "You're accelerated."
"I'm aware," I replied. "Keep going."
The fight spread. Small groups trying to flank. Coordinated attacks. Nothing random.
"They're armed scouts," Liriel said. "They don't want to win. They want to measure."
"Then don't give them an easy pattern," I replied.
We changed rhythm. Alternated advances. Short retreats. Unexpected attacks within controlled structures. Exactly what we had trained.
At a critical moment, one of the elves fell wounded. Without hesitation, Vespera covered the position. Elara adjusted the terrain. Liriel finished the threat.
All in seconds.
"This is working," Vespera said, out of breath.
"Don't relax," I replied. "Not yet."
The last group tried to break through directly. Frontal attack. Brute force.
Liriel stepped forward. "Now."
She released more power than before, but without losing control. The impact was devastating, but clean. No excess.
When silence finally returned, the field was destroyed, but intact enough to keep functioning.
The enemies retreated.
They didn't flee. They withdrew.
"That was a test," Elara said.
"Yes," I replied. "And we passed."
The master approached afterward, observing the field. "You reacted better than expected."
"It wasn't perfect," I replied.
"It didn't need to be," he said. "It needed to be different."
My body began to demand the price at that moment. The effect of the method started to fade, leaving deep pain in my muscles and something harder to identify.
"You shouldn't have advanced like that," Elara said, gripping my arm.
"I know," I replied. "But it worked."
Liriel watched me in silence. "You've changed."
"A little," I replied.
"But enough," she said.
Vespera cleaned her blade calmly. "If this was just a test, he'll send something bigger."
"He will," I replied. "And now he knows we're not the same anymore."
That night, while defenses were reinforced and losses assessed, one thing became clear.
Training was over.
War had begun to seep in.
And we had given the enemy a reason to take us seriously.