I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The thorns did not fall off, but were engraved on the bright white hooded saint's robe that appeared on Saori's body as her fighting spirit rose, causing cracks in her saintly purity and adding a touch of bloody beauty to the rose.

A phantom of an archangel descended behind Hiyori, this archangel with three pairs of wings, black on the left and white on the right. A crown made of thorns floated down, resembling both an instrument of torture and a mask, landing precisely on Hiyori's head, obscuring the upper half of her face.

“Little Red Riding Hood, Death, the Atoning Saint, and… the Forsaken?”

Holding the full set of [Tenesto], Yuriko looked at the group of "phantom thief outfits" with a completely different style but absolutely amazing defensive power, and felt both curious and impressed.

This kind of 'mental armor' is truly unreasonable...

It is almost unaffected by the constraints of the physical world, and it also has the characteristic that "as long as the user's inner world is resilient enough, then the mental armor is an invincible barrier that will never collapse."

"Hmm...this looks really convenient."

Yuriko, who had originally planned to give Arius's team a small buff, suddenly felt there was no need for it.

Yuriko stepped forward, raised her gun, and simultaneously released the weapon safety with a 'click'.

"Initiate engagement with hostile targets."

Her voice, which could almost reach the entire venue, became the turning point from 'confrontation' to 'war'.

Saori and Azuko took turns providing cover, advancing simultaneously under the cover of smoke grenades.

Misaki and Hiyori, carrying ridiculously heavy equipment, unleashed incredible jumping and even short-range flight capabilities under the cover of smoke, instantly teleporting to a high vantage point suitable for fire support and sniper support.

"Smoke grenades... are a good way to cover and conceal operations... but..."

"The visual interference effect is very limited for Sensei and the enemies you may encounter later. Whether it's beast-like intuition, superhuman hearing, high-tech gadgets, or even those who can directly sense the mysterious, you will encounter them sooner or later."

Yuriko began to aim and fire, her targets being Saori and Akiko, the two 'front-line' figures charging towards her.

Boom, boom!

Two grenades swiftly passed through the smoke screen and then detonated perfectly in mid-air.

The dazzling flames and scorching hot flammable metal fragments instantly pierced through the smoke screen created by Yajinzi, accompanied by high temperatures.

“In Kivotos, there are always times when you have to go head-to-head with a strong enemy in direct conflict, just like now.”

Immediately afterwards, a huge heavy grenade flew into the smoke, and the shockwave from the explosion instantly dispersed the smoke screen in front of it.

"A direct confrontation... okay."

Feeling the pressure, Saori gritted her teeth, shook off the burning shards clinging to her, and stepped forward forcefully, her pupils covered by a dazzling, dark blue flame.

"Our Arios squad can be defeated, but we will never admit defeat."

The saint's robes, once stained with blood and entangled in thorns, were now pristine. While resisting the attacks, Saori aimed and fired her rifle with remarkable efficiency and speed.

She originally intended to use the Persona summoner to attack... but the rules before the exercise explicitly prohibited the use of such weapons and equipment.

Precise bursts of light transformed into streaks of light, a series of trails of light striking Yuriko's head and chest like raindrops, only to be deflected by a distorted force field just before they hit her.

"Accuracy is acceptable... no, it's excellent. No wonder it's an elite product of Arius's practical experience."

Yuriko then launched a second attack.

After fighting with Azuko and Saori, the two "front row" fighters, for about half a minute, the ground around her was littered with bullets.

Saori and Akiko had already used up all the ammunition in their magazines.

In theory, such an open battlefield would not give anyone the opportunity to 'stand still and reload'.

But since it was just an exercise, Yuriko, being very 'martial-minded,' didn't take the opportunity to do anything.

Yuriko casually flicked her gun to the side, throwing out the still-unused grenade and shotgun magazines, and then slowly inserted two magazines bound with red tape into the weapon.

"be prepared."

Grenades and under-barreled shotguns began firing rapidly at the same time, with bursts of molten fire and lightning erupting almost simultaneously. The barrage of electric shotgun shells and the flames of airburst incendiary bombs instantly wove together an electric inferno.

At the same moment, Saori and Azuko's clothing changed almost simultaneously.

The phantom of the 'Big Bad Wolf' appeared, emerging from behind Azuko, its back arched forward, blocking most of the attacks coming towards Azuko in a 'pouncing on prey' posture.

The withered 'rose' blooms in an instant, then withers away like tears of blood, falling as a curtain of petals. The seemingly light petals become a resilient defense.

"Interesting... A special defense that activates on its own... Anyway, can we still continue fighting?"

"continue!"

"Then let's continue... um?"

The feeling of being locked on arose spontaneously, and a sense of danger and stinging pain came simultaneously; the battle...

Yuriko threw out a grenade and reloaded, quickly glanced at the nearby windows that could be aimed at her, and then scanned the rooftops in the distance.

With a clear enough field of vision, she easily spotted the reflection and huge projection on the sniper scope on the rooftop.

"Without a sunshade or any light-dispersing netting, are they still using the sky as a backdrop on their sunny rooftop? That's a bit rude. This needs to be recorded and dealt with later."

Logically, if a sniper is spotted, the threat should be eliminated immediately.

But since it is an exercise, or rather a combat test, everyone should have the opportunity to demonstrate their corresponding abilities.

Having made up her mind, Yuriko continued to focus her attention on the two forwards.

"Oh...this feeling."

Yuriko, who had been handling the first round of the battle with ease, now felt a subtle pressure.

Is the 'outbreak' about to begin...?

First, a 20mm armor-piercing round slammed into Yuriko's shield with tremendous force.

Then, a missile rose from the group of buildings, splitting into several submunitions in mid-air and hurtling towards the area where Yuriko was located.

"The snipers' shooting accuracy is decent, but the accuracy and coverage of their fire support need improvement..."

"But it's not that it's incomprehensible. After all, the equipment they use is quite old, including degraded versions of old-fashioned modified equipment, and the ammunition quality is also problematic."

As the pressure increased, with the mindset that "standing still and getting shot by snipers and missiles is too much of a rigged match," Yuriko finally started to maintain a minimum level of movement.

However, Yuriko seemed to be in a good mood, seeing their excellent teamwork. While dealing with Saori and Akiko's subsequent outbursts, she even had the leisure to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of this round of attacks.

"Hmm, this coordinated attack was decent. Also, considering it was an offensive launched without voice communication, the teamwork was quite good. Not bad, but not enough..."

"I won't go into the weapons for now. Just speaking of the accuracy of fire support... remember to practice more after you replace the equipment. Don't be stingy with the money for replacing ammunition; since you've joined Xia Lai, Xia Lai will cover that."

"Snipers need to learn sniper tactics from scratch. Someone who knows nothing about shooting can only be a marksman. Also, the idea of ​​changing the 20x82mm training rounds into armor-piercing rounds is innovative, but not good. The result of short bullets with weighted projectiles is that the bullet velocity is too slow and it is difficult to hit. You see, it was very easy to dodge."

"The defensive method of the two front rows is refreshing, but it must consume a lot of mental energy when defending against large-scale attacks, right? Mental armor seems to be quite effective in resisting physical attacks."

"If it's a quick in-and-out 'blitzkrieg,' that's fine, but if the goal is a long-term battle, we need to pay attention to the balance between physical and mental energy consumption... But considering that we are now facing automatic cannon-level firepower, the cost-effectiveness seems acceptable."

"However, those 'top-tier combatants' possess their own mysterious attacks, which are far more powerful than my current simple trigger-pulling fire. I wonder if I can perform better when facing them."

The exchange continued even as Yuriko was in her unusually rambling state.

If Saori and Akiko are "dancers on the edge of a knife," then Misaki and Hiyori are "hunters in the shadows."

Yuriko, who occasionally retaliates with grenades, shotgun shells, the occasional heavy fragmentation grenades, or even by drawing her pistol and firing a couple of shots, is like a "nagging and unscrupulous drill instructor."

She is described as a 'nagging instructor' because she can handle most attacks with ease, and she points out and corrects any mistakes she finds immediately.

The reason she is called "unscrupulous" is that after realizing that Saori and Akiko's "Phantom Thief Outfit" had sufficient defense, she stopped trying to reduce damage by deliberately missing her shots and instead kept her hit rate firmly at the average level of Kiwatos.

The consequence of ceasing to fire indiscriminately is that if Saori or Akiko cannot withstand the pressure of the explosive barrage of shotgun shells and 5.7mm armor-piercing rounds and make a mistake, they will inevitably be met with a continuous barrage of shotgun shells and grenades.

This rather unusual, intense, and heated exchange lasted for a full five minutes before finally coming to an end.

Akiko threw out all the remaining smoke grenades in one go, once again obscuring her and Saori's positions. Saori's rifle and Akiko's submachine gun continued to pour ammunition towards Yuriko's position from within the smoke.

Yuriko, having noticed Saori and Akiko's subtle actions, calmly retaliated against the enemy's firing positions.

"Unless there are unforeseen circumstances, try not to get too close to your target—beyond seven paces, the gun is fast. Within seven paces, the gun is both accurate and fast."

"When your target has a weapon with a close-range killing advantage—it's best not to be reckless and engage them in close combat. And I remember saying before, these little tricks won't work on me."

Another 20mm armor-piercing round came hurtling towards them, 'crashing' into the shield with a loud bang.

Visibly violent ripples appeared on the force field shield, and Yuriko, quite satisfied with this, lowered her weapon.

"Hmm...a very good performance."

"The first training session is over. Now, it's halftime!"

Chapter 18 I found a little rabbit.

This intermittent 'strength test' for the members of Arius's squad lasted from morning until evening.

Maintaining a rhythm of 'efficient battle' → 'rest' → 'next round of efficient battle' → 'rest', the girls of Arios's squad continued until evening.

Even those who were used to fighting felt somewhat exhausted, both physically and mentally.

As for Yuriko... this level of combat, while not entirely without fatigue for her, was far from being "completely exhausted."

After compiling the battle data report obtained from the albatross, Yuriko leaned back in her ergonomic chair, repeatedly recalling the details of the entire battle, and nodded thoughtfully.

Then she turned her gaze to Amamiya beside her: "Sensei, how was the psychological test?"

Amamiya finished reviewing the documents, stood up, and handed the "Arios Special Squad Psychological Status Report Test Assessment" to Yuriko.

Yuriko took it, glanced at it briefly from the perspective of a non-professional psychologist, and then handed it back to Amamiya.

“There’s no problem. Judging from the basic rules of the Federation Student Council… Akiko’s mental state is excellent, and Saori’s is good. Misaki and Hiyori are also above the passing grade, but they are relatively ‘precarious’.”

"This document requires no embellishment or processing; it can be submitted directly to the Federal Student Union as a report without any problems."

"All the necessary combat and psychological test data are ready. Next, we can prepare the appropriate weapons based on individual combat styles and team coordination..."

As for the issue of personal customization of equipment...

Creating a batch of weapons with distinct personal styles and Charlotte-style paint jobs from scratch is not difficult, but it is certainly a time-consuming task.

"Weapon customization takes time. I will deliver this batch of equipment once it is ready at the 'Gunsmith Workshop' in Xia Lai."

After finishing what she needed to say in one breath, Yuriko considered the situation of Arios's team and then added some final details.

"Don't worry, the payment for this batch of equipment has already been settled with Xia Lai. Sensei has already paid for it for you."

"As for the subsequent supply issue..."

"Now, and in the future, anyone who may join Xia Lai's team can access various parts, ammunition, and supplies at Xia Lai's gun workshop, in accordance with Xia Lai's regulations and the monthly quota allocated to each squad."

"All items within the quota are free. Outside the quota, discounts may be offered at our discretion—after all, this is Xia Lai's team, so we must use our resources wisely, and we absolutely cannot skimp on weapons and equipment."

Yuriko's tireless and time-consuming repetition of the keywords "free" and "discount" to Arius's team amused Amamiya, who was watching from the sidelines.

Unexpectedly, he sensed a trace of maternal instinct in the unusually serious Yuriko.

Yuriko, could she possibly become...?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Amamiya noticed that Yuriko's fox ears on her head seemed to have caught something and twitched sharply.

"...Sensei?"

Amamiya calmly waved his hand, indicating that he hadn't thought of anything.

"...?"

'Is it just my imagination...?'

After muttering something softly, Yuriko, feeling slightly puzzled, made a final estimate regarding 'logistics'.

"Considering manufacturing and logistical issues... you'll be able to use the brand-new 'Charles-style' equipment in about a week."

After confirming several times that she had nothing else to say, Yuriko clapped her hands, ending her 'lecture'.

"After a day of intense fighting, everyone must be exhausted."

"If there's nothing else, you can leave now... Your equipment will be made urgently, please wait patiently."

Amamiya glanced at the sky outside the window, then got up and called to the girls of Arius's squad, who were all somewhat listless due to overuse of their "Phantom Thief Suit" for protection.

"That's it for today."

[I've seen a completely new side of Yuriko...]

I've come to understand Yuriko a little better now.

【Yuriko Tennishi (The High Priestess) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆】

[★7 Bond Ability "Battle Trial" is now unlocked!]

After a long day of intense fighting, the Arius squad drove away from Xialai and took them back to their residential area.