In the solemn training ground, the air seemed to solidify, and hundreds of sharp eyes were fixed on the center of the arena.
A tall recruit with muscles bulging like adamantium cables took a deep breath and suddenly stepped forward.
A low battle cry rumbled in his throat, and the training power sword in his hand tore through the air, bringing a dull, thunderous roar as he delivered a lightning-fast thrust straight at Hathor's vital center!
Hathor's figure remained motionless, as if that attack, capable of piercing ceramite, was merely a gentle breeze.
Only her sword-wielding wrist casually flipped and delivered, like the most precise servo-joint.
The tip of the training sword, at this moment, was as precise as an Adeptus Mechanicus probe, lightly touching the recruit's sword near the guard – the most fragile and stress-concentrated point of its structure.
"Clang—!" A sharp, ear-piercing explosion, far exceeding that of ordinary metal clashing, suddenly erupted!
The recruit felt an incredibly subtle yet irresistible shockwave, like high-voltage electricity, instantly shoot up his arm from the sword hilt!
His tiger's mouth throbbed with pain and numbness, and his five fingers involuntarily spread open.
The heavy training sword whined as it flew from his grasp, tracing an uncontrolled arc, and then crashed with a "clank" onto the reinforced floor in the distance, still trembling.
The recruit stumbled and barely managed to stand firm, his gene-enhanced face, which should have been as resolute as rock, now only showed incredible astonishment, his pupils slightly contracting from the sudden defeat.
"Intent too direct, overexertion of force, lack of variation," Hathor's voice rang out steadily, her concise critique like a cold, mechanical judgment.
Her gaze did not even linger on the recruit for another second, already calmly turning to the next poised challenger.
Among the spectators by the side of the arena, a suppressed gasp rippled through the crowd.
The recruits instinctively tensed their muscles, while the veterans exchanged grave and knowing glances.
Just then, three veterans, their upper bodies covered in crisscrossing scars and their muscles bulging, quickly exchanged a look.
No words were needed; the unspoken understanding forged over years of fighting side-by-side in blood and fire allowed them to instantly reach a consensus.
The three moved as if driven by the same spring, simultaneously launching fierce attacks from three extremely tricky angles that sealed off any escape routes!
One launched a frontal assault, his burly body erupting with terrifying strength, the training sword in his hand descending with the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, striking straight at Hathor's head!
Another, like a venomous snake, cut in from the flank, his sword taking an unorthodox path, at a bizarre and tricky angle, aiming directly for Hathor's sword-wielding wrist joint, intending to lock and disarm her!
The last one, like a phantom merged with shadows, moved with incredible speed to Hathor's absolute blind spot, his training sword carrying an ear-piercing shriek as he thrust viciously at her undefended back!
Three streams of deadly killing intent instantly tightened like a noose!
Hathor's figure, at this moment, seemed to merely be brushed by an invisible current, swaying ever so slightly.
The heavy sword blade, chopping down from the front, carried a tearing wind that narrowly missed the hem of her dark grey uniform over her shoulder.
Her sword-wielding wrist casually flicked outwards, the movement so subtle it was almost imperceptible. Yet, the side attacker's sure-to-hit sword was gently deflected by an indescribably clever force, its blade perfectly positioned to block the path of the rear attacker's full-force thrust!
At the same time, she didn't even turn around, casually blocking backwards with a backhand, her movement as fluid as if she had practiced it a thousand times.
"Clap!" A crisp parry sound accompanied a muffled grunt of "Ugh!"
The rear attacker's full-force thrust was precisely intercepted by this seemingly effortless block, and the immense counter-shock caused a searing numbness in his arm, bringing his attack to an abrupt halt.
Meanwhile, the two on the flanks, due to the guiding force of that seemingly casual flick, had their rhythm instantly disrupted, and their heavy bodies crashed into each other with a dull thud.
The meticulously woven net of deadly combined attacks, like striking an invisible wall forged of adamantium and will, instantly crumbled and fell apart.
The three stumbled to regain their balance, their faces etched with surprise and defeat.
The whispers from the sidelines instantly vanished, leaving only a deathly silence and shock at the incredible skill displayed.
"Coordination is acceptable, but the rhythm is rigid and lacks improvisation," Hathor's voice rang out again, her critique still concise, her tone calm and unwavering, as if the deadly combined attack that could have instantly killed several elite Astartes was, in her eyes, merely an obvious basic tactical error on the training ground that needed correction.
The current Chapter Champion strode out from the ranks. His physique was as imposing as a mountain, his bare upper body covered in old scars symbolizing honor.
He gripped his heavy training power hammer, his gaze as stern as iron, and said in a deep voice, "Instructor, please guide me!"
Hathor merely gestured with her eyes for him to begin, maintaining her relaxed posture.
The Champion instantly unleashed his full strength! The training power hammer, carrying the terrifying kinetic energy to crush everything, descended vertically towards Hathor's head like a falling meteor! The air was compressed, emitting a dull roar!
Facing this destructive, thunderous blow, Hathor remained standing in place.
Her sword-wielding arm rose at an astonishingly subtle angle and timing, the spine of the training sword not meeting the hammer head directly, but instead precisely meeting a barely perceptible weak point of stress on the side of the hammer's high-speed downward trajectory, while her wrist, with unimaginable dexterity, pulled and deflected inwards.
"Dong—!!!" A dull but incredibly impactful thud exploded in the training ground! Visible airwaves rolled and spread!
A shocking scene unfolded: the heavy hammer, capable of flattening a Leman Russ Tank into a pancake, its terrifying impact seemed to vanish into thin air, guided, deflected, and neutralized by Hathor's seemingly slender training sword with an incredible force-deflecting technique! Ha
The reinforced alloy floor beneath Hathor's feet instantly dented and cracked, spiderweb-like fissures spreading out—this was due to the impact of the hammer itself—but she herself remained as steady as a rock, her figure not even swaying an inch!
Purely by relying on her supremely refined force-deflecting technique and absolute control over force transmission, she neutralized this earth-shattering blow!
Just as the Champion was reeling from the immense recoil, his blood churning and his strength momentarily stagnating, Hathor's wrist rotated and guided with extreme naturalness.
"Let go," a calm but undeniable command.
The Champion felt an incredibly subtle, spiraling force instantly transmit up the hammer handle, and his fingers involuntarily loosened their grip!
The heavy power hammer flew from his grasp, whistling as it deeply embedded itself into the thick cushioning layer of the distant wall, still trembling.
And the cold tip of Hathor's training sword, like a precise probe, lightly touched the skin in front of his Adam's apple.
The entire training hall was dead silent, with only the low hum from the distant wall and the heavy breathing of the crowd.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"