Fu Hua, sent flying backward, hadn't actually taken any damage.
Although Leo Ash's punch was sudden, the intensity of the Honkai Energy within it was, in the end, nothing special.
But for Fu Hua, it was still somewhat shocking.
Having negated the force in mid-air, Fu Hua landed steadily and once again began to carefully observe the young man before her.
Yet in her eyes, Leo Ash was just as he was before, riddled with openings from head to toe.
Strange, my judgment wasn't wrong at all.
But the fact remains that Leo Ash instantly found the flaw in my attack and sent me flying.
Did I underestimate him?
No, there's another possibility.
His current state, full of openings, is a facade he's putting on.
Yes, thinking about it, Rita is an expert in interpersonal combat.
As her adoptive brother, even if Leo Ash didn't learn all of Rita's skills in that area, he shouldn't be some pushover who only knows a few fighting techniques.
He does have many openings.
But as long as Leo Ash himself knows where his openings are and can parry in time, then those openings are no longer openings, but traps to lure the enemy into advancing rashly.
A very bold approach. If he were to encounter an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, this kind of playing with fire could very well lead him to a point of no return.
But after careful consideration, Leo Ash is a member of Schicksal who would go behind Rita's back to participate in dangerous missions just to 'get revenge on the Honkai'.
In that case, this actually fits his personality perfectly.
"What's wrong, Classmate Fu Hua?"
Watching Fu Hua, who was not making a move, Leo Ash, who had already activated the skills Mind Like Still Water and Royal Guard, asked her indifferently.
"Are you not going to continue your attack? Watching your earlier fight, I thought you were someone who likes to take the initiative."
Upon hearing Leo Ash's words, Fu Hua could feel the Honkai Energy fluctuations on his body growing stronger.
As the Honkai Energy fluctuations on his body intensified, a Shenzhou character materialized on Leo Ash's right hand.
But in Fu Hua's eyes, this Shenzhou character began to change before it had fully appeared.
*Stop?*
According to Otto, he wants me to investigate the abilities of Leo Ash's Stigmata.
But from the looks of it, apart from being able to change characters, this Stigmata's only ability is standard Honkai Energy enhancement.
Whatever, if I continue to fight, I'll find out what secrets this young man holds.
And right now, he's provoking me...
He looks calm now, but in order to get a higher evaluation from Theresa and Himeko, he must be quite anxious.
That's right, in order to climb higher to fight the Honkai, it's natural to want to perform better in front of the Branch Commander.
Acting as a training dummy with me here won't showcase his strength... Ah, forget it.
I'll just get a little more serious and help him out.
At this moment, after Leo Ash provoked Fu Hua a little, he unsurprisingly felt the true qi on her body become sharper.
And with that, his objective was achieved.
Leo Ash was a vengeful demon on the verge of madness for the sake of revenge against the Honkai, so he had to give 120% in this match to achieve victory—at least, that was his public persona for now.
To put it bluntly, that bastard Otto had a sharp mind and was prone to suspicion. Even if Otto felt that the last incident was his own fault, he wouldn't just completely trust Leo Ash, from whom he couldn't gather all information.
And this entrance exam, which never happened in the original story, was actually the best proof.
If he didn't put on an outstanding performance on this 'stage' to dispel the doubts in Otto's mind, then Leo Ash's future actions would still be more restricted.
That was why he was now putting on a posture of craving victory.
Because 'Leo Ash wants to win', he would inevitably go all out in this fight.
In this atmosphere, as long as Leo Ash fought a little more frenziedly, he could use his actions to complete this suggestion to those around him.
This wasn't a suggestion made using the Void Demon Stone Fragment, but a psychological suggestion that guided others to misunderstand in this direction through his actions.
In other words, Fenghuang Down couldn't block this. As long as Fu Hua was fooled by him, many future problems would be easier to handle.
As for why there were so many mind games in a simple fight, the nature of this battle had already determined that Leo Ash would have to face many troubles.
This seemed like a battle, but it was actually more like an exhibition match.
Only if Leo Ash truly acted like a vengeful demon 'striving to climb up and take revenge on the Honkai' would others not find it strange.
With this thought, Leo Ash once again actively lunged at Fu Hua.
And Fu Hua, who had already gotten serious, naturally gathered true qi in her fists and began to earnestly try to defeat the enemy before her with the strength befitting an 'A-rank Valkyrie, Fu Hua'.
Then, Fu Hua discovered something even more awkward.
If she only fought with the strength befitting an 'A-rank Valkyrie, Fu Hua', the situation didn't seem too good.
When Fu Hua fought as a Valkyrie, she would on the surface generally only use the Inch-Heart Fist Style.
And now, this persona of an 'A-rank Valkyrie' had also become a shackle in Fu Hua's combat.
Right now, Fu Hua was, after all, a spy sent by Otto to the Far East Branch. If she displayed an excessively high level of combat power, some things would be hard to explain.
Theresa's side was easier to deal with, but Murata Himeko was an A-rank Valkyrie with a high level of education and intelligence.
Although Fu Hua had already gained Himeko's trust, if she acted too abnormally, while Himeko might not turn on her on the spot, she would at least become wary.
And now, Fu Hua, using only the Inch-Heart Fist Style, discovered...
—She, in turn, was being suppressed.
Leo Ash's attack pattern wasn't difficult to understand in terms of results; it was simply about parrying the enemy's attack while simultaneously counter-attacking using the openings revealed on the enemy.
But being easy to understand in theory didn't mean Fu Hua could easily neutralize his attacks in actual combat.
Fu Hua could still feel that Leo Ash, who was frantically parrying in front of her, was truly immature in his offensive fighting skills.
But at the same time, Leo Ash's grasp of timing for defensive blocks and exploiting the opponent's openings was too good.
Looking at the incredibly calm young man before her, Fu Hua even suspected whether he had practiced the Heart Skandha, one of the Five Skandhas of Taixu.
In the Edge of Taixu, the Heart Skandha was the introductory skandha, and also the most difficult besides the Sword God.
And the Heart Skandha had four realms: Still Water, Dustless, Clear Mirror, and Taixu. Based on Fu Hua's judgment, Leo Ash's current state was at least at the level of a martial arts master between the 'Dustless' and 'Clear Mirror' realms.
And in terms of offense, Fu Hua could feel that when Leo Ash attacked, the intensity of the energy on his body would suddenly surge.
It was precisely because his attacks were so powerful that Fu Hua didn't dare to be like Leo Ash and use 'openings' as bait to lure him—after all, if she took one of those punches head-on, she didn't think she'd feel too good about it.
Immortal Red Kite was a Honkai-resisting warrior who did not fear pain, true, but that didn't mean she enjoyed getting hurt for no reason like some masochist.
However, now, in the midst of the fierce exchange, Fu Hua gradually found herself, who had been holding back out of worry for the opponent's explosive power, being suppressed to a point where it was difficult to turn the tables.
Leo Ash's punching power was still increasing, but at the same time...
After narrowly avoiding one of Leo Ash's punches, Fu Hua looked at the Honkai Energy patterns appearing on Leo Ash's arm, her brows slightly furrowed.
Although I've seen people lose control after their Stigmata erupted in the past, but Leo Ash...
—This is just a spar, do you really need to go this far?
Fu Hua could feel that Leo Ash's body was being constantly eroded by Honkai Energy.
What surprised her even more was that the young man in front of her still maintained that expression as calm as still water.
If one only looked at Leo Ash's current expression, Fu Hua would even think that the person being eroded by Honkai Energy was not Leo Ash himself.
To fight so calmly for the sake of revenge against the Honkai, this appearance, it was just like... like who was it that used to shout 'those who fall to darkness must be eliminated'?
"Ah, an opening."
Seeing Fu Hua actually zone out in front of him, Leo Ash took another step forward, still choosing to attack the enemy before him with a straight punch.
"Crap—"
Snapping back to her senses in a panic, Fu Hua immediately put her arms in front of her, trying to block the blow with her combat gauntlets.
However, under Leo Ash's terrifying explosive power, Fu Hua felt a sharp pain shoot through her arms.
*I could have instinctively dodged that punch... I actually got distracted???*
And facing the distracted Fu Hua, Leo Ash very impolitely began to press his attack.
After shattering one of her gauntlets with a single blow, Leo Ash immediately used his Stigmata to strengthen his knee before slamming it into Fu Hua's abdomen.
Fu Hua, who had long known that her opponent wouldn't let her off easily this time, gritted her teeth through the pain and took the blow head-on, then directly took the opportunity to grab Leo Ash's thigh.
From the beginning until now, although she had been gradually suppressed, as a martial arts master, Fu Hua wasn't so suppressed that she couldn't see these openings on Leo Ash.
Admittedly, these openings were indeed traps Leo Ash used to lure his enemies, but that didn't mean these openings didn't really exist.
At this moment, Leo Ash, in order to press the attack, chose to use a knee strike. But after observing his fundamentals, Fu Hua found that—Leo Ash's fundamentals were really just so-so.
After raising his leg, Leo Ash's stance became unstable, and under this circumstance, Fu Hua was able to grab his leg and slam him heavily onto the ground.
In the eyes of the crowd, the two who had been constantly exchanging blows had now started fighting for real.
"Himeko, this isn't looking good."
Watching Fu Hua slam Leo Ash to the ground and then mount him, smashing her fists towards Leo Ash's head, Theresa said with some unease.
"This has gone beyond the scope of a spar, hasn't it?"
"This... indeed."
Watching Leo Ash turn his head aside and grab Fu Hua's arm, then using his size advantage to pin her underneath him in turn, Himeko also said with some unease.
"As a warrior, Leo Ash's strength is more than adequate."
"But his state of mind... Yesterday before you came back, you told me he wanted to join the front lines to get revenge on the Honkai, right?"
Watching the Honkai Energy patterns on Leo Ash's body begin to spread further, Himeko shook her head helplessly.
"Now I think what you said might not be right."
"Huh? Why?"
"How does he look like he wants to fight the Honkai..."
Looking at that crazed look in Leo Ash's calm eyes, Himeko suddenly said coldly.
"Perhaps, he doesn't want to fight the Honkai."
"This young man is just looking for a suitable place to die. Only someone like that would have such a terrifying look in their eyes."
The battle continued.
The two, who had now taken turns mounting each other, were of course not as intimate as lovers like some might imagine.
In fact, Fu Hua, looking at Leo Ash whose patterns had spread to his neck, realized—this silly kid was already showing signs of losing control.
*Are you kidding me? It's just a sparring match, does he really need to fight to the death like this?*
*Sigh, the Honkai.*
*Sigh, Otto.*
That guy was worried that Leo Ash was hiding a trump card. Looking at his current state, I think that bastard Otto is really overthinking it.
It's useless for me to concede now.
I can only find a way to knock him out, only then will he release this state of Honkai Energy eruption.
"Senior! That's enough!"
Seeing the Honkai Energy patterns on Leo Ash's body, Kiana said anxiously.
"Your Stigmata—"
"Kiana, be quiet."
At this moment, Leo Ash, while swinging his fists, said to Kiana.
"I'm fine. Before I kill the Honkai..."
[BOOM!]
After punching a large crater in the ground next to Fu Hua's head, Leo Ash spoke the most unsettling words in the calmest voice.
"—I will absolutely not die."
"You've lost control, Student Leo Ash."
Landing a punch on Leo Ash's jaw and sending him flying, Fu Hua leaped into the air, concentrating true qi into her fist.
On the other side, Leo Ash, who was sent flying, forced himself to stay conscious and concentrated the power stored in Royal Guard into his fist.
*I didn't want to use this move.*
*Ah, fighting to this extent should be enough.*
*But now, even if I have to hurt him, it's better than watching him lose control like this.*
*After performing to this degree, if Fu Hua can still have doubts... heh, then Otto wouldn't have been able to play her for a fool.*
*So, Student Leo Ash, I'm sorry.*
*I'm truly sorry, Immortal Red Kite.*
*I will defeat you here with this move.*
*I'm so sorry for making you go along with my foolishness to this extent.*
At this moment, the two who were gathering their power had thoughts in their minds that were on completely different wavelengths.
But in the eyes of everyone else, the battle between the two had escalated to the level of a 'deathmatch'.
Looking at the young man before her, Fu Hua sighed deeply, then composed her emotions.
Then, taking a step forward and rushing towards her opponent, Fu Hua, for the first time in this battle, let out a battle cry that echoed through the sky.
"One-Inch Punch—"
"Heaven Splitter!"
..