The training ground Anastasia had mentioned occupied half of the tenth floor of the entire headquarters building. When this place still served as the headquarters of the Human Revival Council, it had been utilized for the live-fire testing of various small combat robots and modified human warriors—such as the different iterations of X-Force. Moreover, the initial presentation for the ‘Holy Maidens’ development project had also taken place within its confines.
Anastasia and several of her sisters, all of whom were actually over eight years old, held profound memories of this remarkably sturdy building. Within its confines, they had been commanded to destroy objects, showcase their abilities, engage in combat against both machines and other humans, and were even forced to kill their own sisters.
In short, due to these traumatic memories, most of Anastasia’s sisters had steered clear of this place after Saint Teal City was occupied. Nevertheless, Anastasia resolved to retain this very room as her personal training ground, firmly believing that confronting dreadful memories was itself a vital form of training, capable of forging an unyielding and resilient mind.
Once the group had arrived at the training ground, Ji Bingyao inquired, “All right, how do you intend to test us?”
“It’s simple. You’re permitted to use any weapons and tools available here to attack me. I won’t initiate an attack; I will only evade, parry, or counter.” Anastasia gestured towards a large crate nestled in the corner. Inside lay most of the weapons Ji Bingyao and the others had surrendered when boarding the evacuation plane at the safe zone—everything from pistols, chainsaws, bows and arrows, and filleting knives to double-barreled shotguns. Only the excessively destructive ‘Big Fxxxing Gun’ and disposable rocket launchers were absent. Thoughtfully, spare ammunition and arrows had also been provided. “And just so you know, I won’t be using any weapons myself.”
“Is there a time limit?” Eileen asked.
“None,” Anastasia replied. “You can fight until you’re satisfied. As long as you land a hit on me and draw even a single drop of blood, I’ll acknowledge that all of you are qualified to participate in the operation.”
“Wait, that’s completely unfair!” Cassandra, who had accompanied them, exclaimed. “There’s no way you—”
“Ah, yes. I know it’s unfair,” Anastasia said with a faint smile. In the very next instant, she abruptly materialized beside Ji Bingyao, moving with such astonishing speed that the latter barely registered her presence. “So, let’s make it a little fairer then.”
“What are you—mmph—” Before Ji Bingyao could finish her sentence, Anastasia’s lips had already sealed hers. She then felt the tip of Anastasia’s tongue, carrying a faint metallic taste and a spicy tang, delve into her mouth, a sharp tingling sensation immediately spreading across the inside of her cheeks.
Unlike when she had been forcibly kissed by the young loli Salome, this time Ji Bingyao felt neither fatigue nor drowsiness. Instead, a powerful stimulant-like effect surged through her, plunging her into a state of intense excitement. Every cell in her body felt as if it had been injected with an energizer, buzzing with activity, and her nerves became incredibly sharp. Most importantly, an inexhaustible surge of strength seemed to erupt within her, several times more potent than the one she had experienced with Salome!
“Woah… what is this? How dare you take liberties with me, the Chosen One… Wait, this feeling…”
“Mmm… ahh… so… so good, mmm…”
“Power! Unlimited power!”
“Damn it, power… power is… surging in…”
Before Ji Bingyao could fully recover from this intoxicating sensation, the other four had also been kissed by Anastasia one by one. “This way, there should be no problem, right?” Anastasia asked, gazing at her sisters. “My enhancement ability is far more effective than yours. Stacked with Salome’s previous enhancement, each of your speed, strength, and reaction capabilities, while still not matching mine, now surpasses those of ordinary Holy Maiden warriors modeled after me. And now, it’s one against five.”
“Mmm…” Cassandra hesitated for a moment, then retreated to the side, seemingly wanting to speak but holding back.
“Alright, come at me.” Anastasia shed her military uniform, revealing her powerfully muscled physique. Perhaps to make it easier for them to achieve their goal of drawing “a single drop of blood,” she was now clad only in a light green sports bra, leaving large expanses of her tanned skin exposed. “Who’s first?”
“Naturally, it will be I, the Chosen One, Fujiwara Ason Shijō Yurizumi, bearer of noble blood,” Yurizumi declared, picking up her bow and arrows. “Behold the authentic Shijō-ryū archery passed down from my scholarly and martial ancestors—”
Indeed, Yurizumi’s archery was exceptionally good. While it was difficult to say how her skill compared to her ancestors’, the arrow, once released, flew unerringly towards the space between Anastasia’s eyes…
…Then, it simply vanished.
“Huh? Does your sister also possess Salome’s spatial rift ability?” Xia Hua asked Cassandra, utterly astonished.
“Of course not. She… she merely caught the arrow with extreme swiftness.” Cassandra’s tone as she uttered these words was remarkably calm, as if stating that one plus one equals two.
“She can do that?”
“That’s nothing at all.” Cassandra shrugged. “I… I suggest you all would do best to…”
“Hey, try this!” After exchanging a glance with Eileen, Ji Bingyao raised her 9mm pistol and emptied an entire magazine at blinding speed. Yet, astonishingly, Anastasia, with a single hand and an air of complete composure, deflected every single scorching, supersonic bullet to the side, her feet never even leaving their original position!
“Holy crap! What the hell was that? That has to be some kind of special ability, right?!” Xia Hua muttered.
“No, it’s not,” Cassandra explained. “Anastasia simply guided the power of ‘Li Hentian’ to her palm, forming a millimeter-thick cushioning membrane, and then directly blocked the projectiles. Please, whatever you do, don’t underestimate her, or else—”
“Don’t worry, we’re not underestimating her!” Eileen, standing nearby, consecutively pulled both triggers of her double-barreled shotgun, unleashing a deluge of pellets. “Let’s see if she can block this!”
As it turned out, Anastasia did not forcibly attempt to block the numerous shotgun pellets. With a light leap, she evaded the attack using the slightest movement. However, Ji Bingyao had been waiting for this exact moment. The instant Anastasia began to dodge, Ji Bingyao immediately charged forward at an astonishing speed of six seconds per hundred meters, ready to engage in close combat.
In her original world, this sprinting speed would have been enough to force every major athlete—even those who had turned themselves into walking pharmacies—into retirement, compelling them to live in permanent anonymity, while earning Ji Bingyao at least a ten-digit, colossal income. Yet, strangely, upon realizing how incredibly fast she had become, Ji Bingyao felt no particular surprise. It seemed that in this “World of the Insect Cage,” brimming with terrifying miracles, she had gradually grown accustomed to all sorts of unbelievable realities.
Moreover, even before she reached Anastasia, she realized one crucial thing: she was absolutely no match for this humanoid predatory beast!
Then, the beast struck.
“Uwaah—” After taking a heavy blow to the abdomen, Ji Bingyao’s body flew horizontally in a “V” shape, crashing directly into the flexible padding lining the training ground’s inner wall before falling to the ground. Had it been an ordinary person, this single strike might have instantly fractured their spine, leading to paralysis. Fortunately, the two consecutive physical enhancements had provided some effect, leaving her merely sprawled on the ground, violently retching bile.
In fact, Ji Bingyao had already predicted Anastasia’s possible attack method several tens of milliseconds in advance. The problem, however, was that even after being enhanced, her physical reaction speed was far from sufficient to convert this premonition into an effective evasive maneuver. Thus, she could only watch helplessly as she was hit and sent flying.
Such fighting bore no resemblance to common martial arts; parrying and countering seemed almost impossible. Just a few seconds later, Ji Bingyao saw Eileen also take a heavy blow: Anastasia had directly bent the hot barrels of her double-barreled shotgun with her bare hands, leaving Eileen to collapse to her knees, her eyes rolling back.
“I knew it…” Cassandra muttered. “While Anastasia’s enhancement is incredibly powerful, ultimately, it merely ensures you won’t be easily killed. Her combat ability is absolutely overpowered among us sisters…”
“Hehe, I… I know that,” Ji Bingyao suddenly whispered.
“So… we have a Plan B.”
“Huh?”
“Go, Alice! I choose you!” Ji Bingyao suddenly shouted, like a certain eternally ten-year-old Pokémon master.
“Ah, alright!” Alice immediately struck a pose akin to a Magical Girl transforming. “Vice Admiral Anastasia! Our love for Shirley is not something you can sever! Watch me break through your evil grasp with the power of love and the moon, eeeeeeyahyahyahyahyah—”
Anastasia took no action. To her, while these high school girls from another world were somewhat overestimating themselves, their courage in daring to challenge her was still deeply admirable. Coupled with her lack of understanding regarding the peculiar technologies and martial arts of their world, she hesitated to act rashly for a moment.
Then, Alice suddenly began to struggle violently, foaming at the mouth like a shaman performing a ritual, before collapsing onto Xia Hua! Before the latter could react, Alice, as if struck by a zombie virus, bit down on Xia Hua’s neck.
A few drops of fresh blood immediately trickled from her lips.
“What the…”
“Oh no!” Yurizumi shrieked in horror. “Alice actually used a cultivation technique she secretly learned from our family! She’s gone berserk! If this continues, Xia Hua might be in mortal danger!”
“Damn it!” Anastasia was startled. She certainly didn’t want anyone to die in this trial, but Alice seemed to have bitten Xia Hua’s carotid artery. If no action was taken, someone would truly die!
So, after a brief moment of thought, she immediately darted towards the entangled Alice and Xia Hua, reaching out to pry Alice away.
Then, something unexpected happened: Alice suddenly spat a mouthful of bloody saliva at Anastasia, causing her to instinctively close her eyes.
“Heh, just kidding!”