The halo of the star first appeared on the horizon of Abyss Port, and the sunlight shone obliquely on the drill ground of Saint Abridal Successor Academy.
Although it was still early, the drill ground was already filled with shouts of fighting.
This was a warm-up before the live combat exercise. Under the instruction of Rear Admiral Hood, the instructors were to give the students a harsh lesson with their fists.
"Puh-uh…"
"Ah!"
One after another, Childer of Loyaltys stepped forward, swinging their fists, kicking fiercely, and finally collapsing to the ground with weak legs.
Many were knocked down within five moves, and the preparatory students found it even harder to resist.
"Weak. You all come at me together," a Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer said indifferently to the group of preparatory students.
The preparatory students quickly retreated: "Can we go directly to the drill ground, instructor?"
"Come at me, all of you," the Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer threatened coldly.
"Ah!"
"Hiss!"
Horatio, wearing his public issue physical training uniform, which was light, comfortable, breathable, and soft, saw a scene of wailing all over the field as soon as he stood on the drill ground.
He looked at his own squad.
"Who among you will go first?" Valina said unceremoniously.
"Me." Lydos, who had prepared the day before, stepped forward, rotating his mechanical arm.
Like Horatio, one of his hands had been replaced with a prosthetic limb. He didn't know if it was due to an accident or combat, but his entire left arm was prosthetic except for the shoulder.
"You go first."
Lydos hunched his back and spread his legs, staring intently at Valina. He knew very well that she was a ruthless individual who had walked through the underworld, so he brought out all his skills.
He moved back and forth from time to time, adjusting his distance from Valina, confusing her judgment, and occasionally throwing out feints.
Valina didn't even assume a combat stance; only her eyes quickly scrutinized her target.
Clap! —
Lydos made a feint kick, but actually stepped forward and threw a straight punch.
"!"
Valina dodged diagonally downwards with astonishing speed, striking at Lydos's chest and abdomen, forcing him to quickly evade.
This Sergeant Major easily gained the initiative.
Clap — Tap!
After a brief exchange, during a gap in Lydos's kick, Valina aggressively inserted a leg between Lydos's lower stance and clamped him with both hands.
Lydos didn't expect Valina's strength to be so great that she could jam the transmission structure of his prosthetic limb. The next second, she executed an extremely agile arm-block kick that sent Lydos falling face down on the ground.
"Puh, cough cough. Again, I've figured out your routine," Lydos clumsily climbed up from the ground, spitting out the dirt in his mouth.
"Let me see what you've learned. This time, I'll let you have one hand."
Lydos gritted his teeth in frustration and took a step forward.
Despite his anger, he seriously summarized the lessons from their previous encounter. His movements were faster, his thinking cautious, and he probed carefully, no longer rushing to attack and exposing his weaknesses.
Click —
With Valina letting him have one hand, Lydos finally managed to pin Valina's arm and also separate her legs, trying hard to twist her to the ground.
"Very good. Now I'll teach you another move."
"Hmm?"
Bang —
A headbutt landed hard.
"Cough ah! —"
Corporal Lydos fell to the ground, seeing stars and dazed for a long time before slowly sitting up.
"To survive on the battlefield, your entire body must be a weapon," the Sergeant Major said teasingly, looking at him like a chick.
"Next."
Valina looked at Corporal Fidio.
"Uh… I'll pass. I'm not good at fighting, hehe," Fidio said with a bitter smile, backing away.
"Ah!"
Bang —
Valina mercilessly chopped Fidio on the head with a hand, sending him falling backward just like Lydos.
"Ow, ow, ow. Hey, I'm Ravensberg… Ouch, stop kicking!" The second son of the Ravensberg family sat on the ground, rubbing his butt.
Their instructor was a flat-topped man resembling Rambo, and he didn't care whose son of a dignitary he was; he punched without hesitation.
"Get up, are you Navy Heirs really that weak? One of us Storm Sergeant Majors can beat ten of you," the man snorted through his thumb-held nose, a look of disdain on his face.
"Instructor, please enlighten me," Henry Harvey's displeased and cold voice came.
As the instructor looked up, a sweeping kick came crashing down.
Clap!
The man retreated deftly but was still swept, stumbling back several steps.
As he retreated, Henry Harvey pressed close, launching a series of attacks, a punch heading straight for the Storm Sergeant Major's face.
"Hmph, interesting. Is that the combat technique from the Imperial Guard's drill manual?"
The Storm Sergeant Major recognized the ruthless and concise moves from the manual, immediately raised his hand to parry, then kicked at the opponent's calf. As Henry Harvey stepped back to dodge the kick, several heavy punches swept in like waves, giving the opponent no chance to regroup.
Their footwork was steady, their attacks swift, and each round of sparring was like actual combat, making the observing students involuntarily tense.
The leaders inspecting from the side watched the two figures in combat.
"Is that Henry Harvey?" the old General asked.
"Yes, his father was an Imperial Guard General who died in the line of duty on the Swirl Defense Line, killed in a Drukhari / Dark Aeldari decapitation strike. His mother, a senior staff Scribe, also perished eight years ago in that incident, crashing with the Planetary Governor," Rear Admiral Hood replied, glancing at a report.
"Although this young man is not from a naval family, as a Fleet Maritime Department student, he excels in all subjects and grades. Also, having been guided by his Astra Militarum General father in his youth, he has considerable insight into ground combat tactics and command planning."
"Like father, like son. It seems Horatio isn't the only student with the potential to develop the 'Ripple Theory'."
"Compared to Henry Harvey, Horatio Kirkland is already at a disadvantage. He wasted too many years in the Lower Hive."
"I disagree with that view. This is some of the intelligence I've gathered over the past two days regarding Horatio's organizational construction in the Lower Hive." Rear Admiral Edward took out several parchment files, transcribed by Servitors, from his briefcase and handed them to his colleagues.
Rear Admiral Edward sat back in his armchair and said, looking at the two: "While Henry Harvey is excellent, he is overly proud and thinks too highly of himself. His thinking tends to be theoretical rather than practical. Training manuals are static, and many tactics must be mastered through practice, just like how we command a fleet.
When Horatio was a teenager, he started from scratch to establish the 'Labor Union,' a civilian paramilitary organization. Using tactics like concentrated fire, guerrilla warfare, and supply line interdiction, he defeated other gangs, single-handedly making the 'Labor Union' the top dog in the PW-P-15 Megaport Freight Zone. Furthermore, he has experience scrambling in the Lower Hive. Now, if you tell him to go into the Imperial Guard trenches, he'll do so without a word."
In the center of the field, sand and stones flew. Harvey lunged at his opponent, his punches as fast as a gale, combined with fierce leg techniques that forced the Storm Sergeant Major to continuously retreat. But he immediately counterattacked Harvey with equal ferocity.
The two men exerted every muscle in their bodies on the field, their combat suits soaked with sweat.
"Let's see who, between him and Horatio, can ultimately turn our plans into reality and create this ripple," the old General nodded. "What are your plans for the first batch of Hellspawns?"
"The first batch of First generation Hellspawns will serve as experimental and training units. These students, once they become Naval Officers, will use their rich practical experience to improve and perfect the Hellspawns units deployed on warships in the future," Rear Admiral Hood replied.
It was evident that Henry Harvey was getting carried away, eager to quickly defeat his opponent, and as a result, his boxing and footwork began to become disorganized.
After a full-force right hook was dodged sideways, the Storm Sergeant Major seized the opening and quickly closed in, wrapping his strong arm around Harvey's neck from behind.
Before Harvey could struggle, he was lifted by the instructor who supported his waist. A hint of astonishment appeared in the eyes of the young man, who was about to be airborne, and then he was casually thrown out of the field by the Storm Sergeant Major, falling to the ground and rolling three times.
"You fought pretty well, but the combat techniques you learned from the drill manual can't compare to the fighting skills we've honed from life-and-death struggles. As an initial Sergeant Major, you are excellent, but you've hit your ceiling."
The Storm Sergeant Major resumed his serious expression, patting the dust off himself: "If you want to break through, go to the front lines and get some real combat experience."
"Tch." The young initial Sergeant Major scrambled to his feet, gritting his teeth and coldly snorting with reluctance.
—
After watching the young Sergeant Major fight the Storm Sergeant Major, Valina turned to Louise.
"Hey, you're the team leader, right?"
"Yes." Louise stood with her hands clasped behind her back, legs spread apart, responding neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Come, let me see what you're capable of."
Sergeant Major Valina stretched her muscles and bones as she walked, her strong and well-defined muscle lines clearly visible in the light.
"Please hold this for me, thank you," Louise turned to Horatio and said.
Immediately after, she took off her Loyalist Academy uniform and shirt, tossing them to Horatio, leaving only the innermost military-green Cadian Shock Troopers female soldier's standard training sports bra.
It was clear that Louise's arm and abdominal muscles were firm and strong, yet they did not lose the graceful curves of a female physique.
Her dark blue, medium-length hair fluttered in the wind, and her heroic face had distinct features, especially her bright purple eyes, which resembled two sparkling purple gems.
Horatio noticed that Louise had a tattoo on her shoulder of 'Cadia 217th Sunfire White Shield Regiment,' and on her opposite upper arm, a terrifying skull biting a trench knife with knuckle dusters, with '61st Kasrkin Guard' written on crossed banners.
Both tattoos had stretched with her body's growth, indicating they were inked in her youth and had some years on them.
Horatio could tell that Louise was highly skilled, and considering her age, he had vaguely guessed that she had previous service experience with the Cadia forces.
The Sergeant Major narrowed her eyes, a rare smile gracing her lips: "Served in the Kasrkin?"
She watched Louise approach, her eyebrows slightly raised, and let out a teasing snort through her nose, looking very much forward to this duel.
"Kasrkin Reserve, instructor, retired before coming to Abyss Port with my family."
"Hmph, I look forward to your performance."
Facing this experienced Sergeant Major, Louise was exceptionally cautious.
"Look, the 'Lioness' is about to make her move."
A Storm Sergeant Major, who had taken down the entire group, playfully patted another comrade and called out.
"She's a fierce woman who single-handedly chopped off a dozen Ork heads. That little girl is going to have a tough time."