The Champion slowly took a step back, his movements filled with an indescribable shock and utter reverence.
He took a deep breath, bowed deeply to Hathor, and performed the highest salute a warrior could offer a mentor: "...I am utterly convinced of my defeat, Instructor Hathor! Your skill... is unfathomable."
There was no longer a hint of doubt in his voice, only complete submission.
Hathor stood with her sword sheathed, her movements fluid and natural.
Her amber-gold gaze calmly swept across the entire field, and that gaze, like a tangible pressure, made every Ash Knight involuntarily straighten their backs.
"Remember this feeling," her voice was not loud, but every word was clear, carrying the unique authority of an instructor, yet also containing a deep understanding forged through battle, "This is not to defeat you, but to make you see the true starting point."
Her gaze swept over the still-unrefined but already incredibly resolute faces of the new recruits, and also over the honor-etched scars on the veterans' bodies, as if piercing through time to see her past self and the countless figures who followed her.
"What you have displayed today is the cornerstone, the essential path to higher halls," her voice took on a profound quality forged by tempering, with less of a cold judgment and more of an elder's empathy, "In the face of the truly cruel crucible of the battlefield, the strength and skill you are proud of now do indeed seem meager—but this is not the end, but the beginning of refinement!"
"Your potential, like the light of the Astronomican, has already pierced through the mist, clearly visible!" Her tone became even more resolute, and her molten-gold eyes gleamed with anticipation. "But you still have a long way to go before you become true 'warriors' capable of tearing apart powerful enemies in the darkest abyss of the galaxy and crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The Sacred Texts have given you bones and muscles; this is good, a solid foundation. Now—"
Her voice was like quenched steel, carrying an undeniable conviction: "You need to ignite the instinct for battle, sharpen the intuition for killing, and forge the iron will to survive even in desperate situations, all in the true fires and blood!"
A faint but real smile touched her lips, and her gaze swept across the field again, that expectation becoming more concrete and powerful: "At least, compared to a certain reckless recruit I once guided who challenged me for the first time, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth—the resilience and potential you have displayed are more worthy of expectation.
Keep moving forward, Ash Knights. Your path has just begun to unfold, and I look forward to witnessing the moment you truly take shape in the fires of war."
Alex stood at the side of the field, silently observing everything.
Hathor used the most direct method to imprint the chasm of power levels and the essence of combat techniques into the heart of every Grey Knight.
He assessed the flaws exposed by the new recruits, scrutinized the potential displayed by the veterans, and at the same time, planned the future path of refinement for this force in his mind.
Just as the entire field was silent, immersed in the lingering resonance of Hathor's words, Alex suddenly moved.
He did not walk off the field, but slowly stepped into the central area of the training ground. His movements were unhurried, but his gaze, like the core of a burning star, fiercely locked onto Hathor.
"An excellent demonstration, Ms. Hathor." Alex's voice broke the silence, carrying a strange calmness, yet containing a surging undercurrent of power. "This disparity is indeed impressive. However, I am very curious..."
He stopped a few steps away from Hathor, casually drew a training power sword identical to the one in Hathor's hand from a nearby weapon rack, and weighed it: "...How long could an opponent who is not a pure warrior, but relies on some... 'unorthodox' power, endure under your skill?"
Hathor's amber-gold eyes narrowed slightly, and a flicker of understanding and subtle interest passed through them.
She did not speak, merely adjusted her stance ever so slightly, and that seemingly casual posture instantly transformed into an impregnable combat fortress.
The training sword in her hand pointed diagonally to the ground, waiting.
Alex said no more.
He took a deep breath, and the dormant psychic torrent within him surged forth!
Invisible power instantly filled his limbs, his muscle fibers, infused with psychic energy, erupted with density and strength far exceeding mortal limits. A faint, almost tangible, golden glow even appeared on the surface of his skin—a temporary enhancement of the physical body by pure psychic energy.
At the same time, his consciousness seemed to plunge into a rapid river of time—psychic precognition activated!
The world before him was instantly covered by countless flickering, illusory fragments: Hathor's possible attack trajectories, his own evasion or parrying paths, the ripples of energy collisions...
Countless "futures" were frantically simulated and filtered in his mind's super-processor!
He moved!
Alex's figure, empowered by psychic energy, transformed into a blurred golden afterimage, his speed far exceeding any Astartes before him!
He chose not to probe, but launched the most ferocious surprise attack directly!
The training sword tore through the air, emitting a sharp crack, stabbing directly at Hathor's throat!
The pure speed and power of this strike already surpassed the strongest Champion among the Ash Knights!
Hathor's eyes gleamed sharply! Alex's burst of speed caught her slightly off guard.
She did not meet it head-on, her body sliding half a step with the smallest possible movement, and her training sword precisely parried, attempting to deflect Alex's blade.
However—
Just as the tip of her sword was about to touch Alex's blade, Alex seemed to have already anticipated her movement!
The trajectory of his thrust impossibly underwent an extremely subtle deviation. With a flick of his wrist, the blade, like a venomous snake, bypassed Hathor's parry, strangely stabbing towards the exposed flank beneath her ribs, revealed by her movement!
This change of attack was fast, precise, and ruthless, and it completely defied physical inertia, a supernatural combat intuition granted by psychic precognition!
"Oh?" A faint, almost imperceptible hum of pure surprise escaped Hathor's throat.
For the first time, true interest appeared in her eyes, an excitement of meeting a worthy opponent.
Her reaction was incredibly fast, as if Alex's change of attack was also within her vast combat database of predictions.
She forcibly halted her sideways slide, her waist bending backward with incredible flexibility, while her sword-wielding wrist snapped back like a whip, the training sword tracing a silver arc, striking Alex's blade with absolute precision!
"Clang!" A clang far heavier than any before it!
Two forces collided violently! Alex felt an overwhelming, irresistible force transmit along the sword hilt. Even with psychic enhancement, his arms instantly became excruciatingly sore and numb, his tiger's mouth feeling as if it would split!
He was completely thrown backward by this force, plowing two clear marks on the reinforced floor, each step sinking deeply!
Hathor, however, merely swayed slightly from the recoil!
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