Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

"Discussing a lady's age is not gentlemanly behavior, and I hope Mr. Su will keep that in mind in the future."

Ah, this person has said something wrong again.

Ah, I think I said something wrong.

At the same time, Kiana and Su Qing'an were internally making highly synchronized complaints.

The atmosphere softened after those words, and the two nimbly left the coffee shop under the watchful eyes of the Valkyries.

Kiana stared resentfully at the two figures as they walked away, a vague sense of unease creeping into her heart.

She was left alone in the coffee shop to continue serving customers, and the consequence of Su Qing'an's departure was that the Valkyries' attention began to shift and wander towards Kiana's various body parts.

The girl sat stiffly behind the bar, obediently continuing to help Su Qing'an process the coffee beans, trying her best to distract herself from the stares.

Damn it, why is Yuno not here at this time of all?

Kiana began to miss Sato Yuno, who had recently started training with Fu Hua, and inwardly groaned at the situation before her.

Ignoring Kiana's loneliness in a certain sense, the scene shifts to the simulation training ground ten minutes later.

This is a vast, white space that used to be a training ground for individual simulation challenges. Now, all other functions have been eliminated, and the virtual illusion is perfectly conveyed through light and the special materials of the walls, deceiving the eyes and a certain sense of touch.

Su Qing'an grasped the sword blade that had suddenly appeared in his palm. The strange touch stirred something within him. No matter how many times he had experienced it, he always found the various techniques of Destiny amazing.

If he has enough time in the future, he wouldn't mind learning about the underlying theories to satisfy his curiosity.

But right now, he needs to deal with the maid in front of him who is smiling and wielding a scythe.

102. He didn't want to lose.

Compared to the girl's delicate figure, the scythe was far too large, yet when she wielded this weapon with such ease, it was as if a noble lady at a ball was gracefully and reservedly extending her slender hand to you, extending an invitation to dance.

But this was not a gentle invitation; the chilling allure was like the perfume a noblewoman exudes as she gradually approaches, like a net woven with her suggestive whispers and the sound of her breath—dangerous and deadly.

A sword is not a suitable weapon for slashing against a sickle, so Su Qing'an chose to retreat, turning to the side and letting the wind brush against the hem of his clothes.

Immediately, the circle generated a protective force that dispersed the wind and successfully prevented the hem of the garment from tearing.

The boy's breathing was long and steady. Such crises had become so commonplace for him that he hardly needed to observe them carefully and calmly.

Rather than saying that careful observation is the key to falling into a trap, the other party's footsteps wavered between normal walking and mysterious gait, did they know about my situation?

His powerful soul essence allows him to easily learn other people's martial arts techniques. Rita, who came for him, should understand this, so she's testing the truth of this claim.

If even feigned steps and casual disguises can stop one's plans, then one's abilities are nothing to fear.

Perhaps it contains such thoughts and provocations.

Su Qing'an didn't care about any of that; the other party's opinion was not within his consideration, but that wasn't the kind of thing he wanted to learn.

He raised his sword with his right hand, the blade lightly kissing the side of the scythe. He did not directly face the enormous force, but instead chose to redirect the force while taking a step to the right.

The swirling blade, carrying immense potential energy, slashed straight down. Under normal circumstances, such force would make it difficult for the wielder to turn their body and weapon around. In the case of Su Qing'an's successful dodge, it would create an unavoidable opening.

Kelita's offensive was like an endless wave, perfectly utilizing the weight of the scythe itself and the tilt of her body, the twisting force flowing smoothly like water.

Her slender arms continued to lift the sickle in the direction of the force, her high heels gracefully twisting and stepping on the ground, the movement continuing with unparalleled fluidity. The sickle spun back, once again sweeping the blade horizontally towards the boy's waist.

The weapon's length was a significant advantage at this moment. Given the distance, Su Qing'an would have no chance to dodge again. Even the most flexible waist couldn't instantly create such a low, flat stance to evade.

A direct confrontation was inevitable, and the boy still drew his sword.

The sword and scythe clashed, producing a piercing clang.

But they parted as soon as they touched each other.

This wasn't because the two had any reasonable tacit understanding; rather, the instant Su Qing'an barely blocked the attack with the blade of her sword, she kicked the side of the scythe with her right foot, forcibly creating distance.

This seems like a foolish act of cutting off one's own ability to act. Obviously, the technology of Destiny cannot perfectly reproduce the scene of the scythe cutting through the soles of the feet, because at this time it is said to be a virtual battle scene, but only the weapons are virtual, so it is naturally difficult to use virtual to replace all reality.

But assuming that Su Qing'an would be injured because of this according to the data calculations, then he has already lost half of the battle.

The reason is that the virtual screen displayed in mid-air shows the HP values ​​of the two people, and the feet, which are related to mobility, are naturally the places where more HP is lost.

However, the results on the screen proved Su Qing'an's skill.

The health of both remained unchanged.

Yes, the fighting style, just like in the game, is a pretty popular mode at St. Freya Academy.

In fact, both Kiana and Fu Hua are frequent users of this mode. Popular players who often use this mode will leave video recordings for others to refer to and learn from.

Fu Hua's battles were broadcast live the most times.

By the way, now most of the Valkyries in the coffee shop are secretly watching on their phones.

As a result, Kiana suffered much less.

The reason Su Qing'an wasn't injured is simple: it's all thanks to the effect of the "circle".

The maid's retreating figure, carrying the scythe in one hand, was remarkably light. She frowned slightly and asked:

"Is it Honkai energy?"

Su Qing'an, with his hand on his sword, answered earnestly:

"It is martial arts, it is [circle]."

Rita smiled and said:

"【Circle】? The name of this technique? That's truly eye-opening. Mr. Su always manages to surprise me. Rita won't let you down either."

After speaking, the girl swung her scythe and began an attack pattern completely different from before.

That was a flawless prelude.

She was like a lone dancer, her supple limbs and the black scythe drawing sharp arcs in the space.

The boy's movements became faster and faster; he had to anticipate every move of his opponent to successfully dodge the blade.

The opponent's terrifying strength and skill in manipulating force made the direction of each of her strikes incredibly unpredictable.

The arc drawn by the sickle flowed naturally, like a beautiful pattern drawn in one stroke on a blank sheet of paper, and Su Qing'an's dodging posture was also without any unnecessary movements, neat and decisive.

He seemed to have truly accepted the noble lady's invitation, and together they were exploring the dance steps that best suited each other.

Cautious yet passionate.

The scene was clearly filled with murderous intent, yet one could also glimpse the calm and composed demeanor of both parties.

This is the exploratory phase.

Neither side's performance exceeded the expectations of either side.

Su Qing'an, who was only trying to avoid Rita, didn't show much skill or ability in Rita's eyes except for the "circle". For Su Qing'an himself, Rita's performance did not exceed the disadvantages he had faced in his previous sparring sessions.

Even though he knew the other party was going easy on him, his intuition gave him the right answer.

That is, Fu Hua is stronger than her.

It was also thanks to that immortal who was a master of martial arts that Su Qing'an was able to fight against an unarmored S-class Valkyrie for a short period of time in a one-on-one situation without being at a disadvantage.

If facing Fu Hua felt like searching for a glimmer of light in the deep sea, then facing Rita was much better.

The former is an unfathomable depth, while in terms of martial arts skills and level alone, Su Qing'an believes he would never lose.

While it may sound arrogant to say this, the young man has already begun to build up his confidence that he will never lose to anyone except Fu Hua when it comes to martial arts.

In fact, even Rita herself, under conditions like those in the Stigmata Space, could not replicate Su Qing'an's feat of killing the bear-shaped Honkai Beast with her bare hands.

It was the modified version of the Taixu Sword Qi by the gods and the powerful essence of his soul that allowed him to learn step by step, cultivate, and eventually walk the path he is on now.

Su Qing'an is not warlike. His reason for fighting Rita was only to learn. However, this was under the premise that neither side used Honkai energy and had no armor support.

He didn't want to lose.

Disliking fighting doesn't mean lacking competitiveness; right now, it's a battle purely based on martial arts skill.

This embodies all the efforts the young man has put in all his time; he doesn't need to prove himself to anyone.

But I don't want to lose... I just don't want to lose.

Then all we can do is give it our all.

Throw a punch, draw a sword.

Until the mind is completely free of defilement.

103. Reappearance, victory or defeat.

In the long arc of the blade's flash, the swirling weapon vanished without a trace in an instant.

The lingering effects of the scythe still remain, but the maid who was just a second ago has vanished without a trace.

It's like a movie that's been fast-forwarded; the lack of information makes it hard to understand the rest of the plot.

When was it? Before such a question could even flash through his mind, the frozen lake of his heart trembled slightly, making him realize the danger of the situation.

The bizarre techniques, similar to those related to time manipulation, left Su Qing'an momentarily bewildered. The maid's stealth techniques, which had previously kept Kiana completely unaware, were the key to resolving the problem.

Rita didn't stop time, nor was she so fast that his retina couldn't keep up; she simply went into hiding.

Yes.

In the midst of the intense and highly focused battle, the maid successfully slipped out of his sight.

It's simply unpredictable.

But even the most profound and exquisite techniques have their limits. Rita could only deceive her own senses for a fleeting moment, but could not keep him in the dark forever.

But that's enough. Just making the opponent judge the direction and position of your attack is enough to expose a huge flaw in the enemy, leading to their defeat.

Su Qing'an naturally understood that she was at a disadvantage, just like her instinctive reaction when facing the mental attack of Jizo Mitsu.

The ability called "Momentum" bursts forth in a ring-like form, accompanied by the resonance of the soul's essence and the heart's lake.

[Momentum] Like a colorless and formless blade of light slashing across the entire space, since we don't know where the opponent is, we can use area-of-effect skills to probe and delay their movements.

The disordered breathing coming almost right next to her ear made Su Qing'an understand the answer.

From the left rear, the sword swung out without hesitation to block the scythe's attack.

Such a distance was already too hasty. If it weren't for the "momentum" disrupting the opponent's rhythm and pace, it wouldn't be surprising if the scythe were already at his neck.