The commotion around Bai Sha drew Kong Zhen's attention. She signaled a pause in training, stepped out from the crowd, and opened her mech's cockpit door, addressing Gis Grez: "Yo, what's going on here?"
Gis Grez's voice was flat. "Just routine instruction."
"And you're not letting her use her own mech?" Kong Zhen said with a teasing smile. "Gis, you know a mech pilot performs best in their familiar mech. Our job here is to enhance their skills. If you make her switch mechs to fight you, what's the point of this exercise?"
"…Or maybe you should have more confidence in yourself. You're a proper officer, after all. Scared of losing to a student?"
"No," Gis Grez's voice rumbled through his heavy mech. "I just want to see how much weight the so-called 'noble heir of the Ronin family' carries without the privilege of royal resources."
"You want to know how much weight the Ronin family carries?" Bai Sha finally snapped, her brow furrowing. "May I ask how old you are, Instructor? Looks like you never got the privilege of being thrashed by His Majesty Cecil in military school."
Let's not even talk about the legendary, martial-prowess-endowed Grand Princess, whose whereabouts are unknown. Even the current Emperor, Cecil Ronin, hits hard!
Though the Emperor sparred with her less often than Uriel, Bai Sha still shuddered at the memory of Cecil Ronin's erratic, unpredictable fighting style and techniques.
This guy could look down on her all he wanted, but to disrespect her uncle?
Bai Sha's words left even the deliberately provocative Gis Grez momentarily stunned.
Indeed, in terms of raw skill, he was no match for Cecil Ronin.
He had only intended to test the mettle of this supposed royal, but Kong Zhen's intervention—and the mention of the Emperor—derailed his plan. He took a step back.
"My apologies for the misstep," Gis Grez conceded reluctantly. "But my point stands. If she always relies on the advantage of a Legendary-grade mech, her progress will inevitably slow."
"Oh, please. Those words sound ridiculous coming from a Grez," Kong Zhen said, waving dismissively. "The Grez family is one of the Empire's elite. Are you saying you never benefited from your family's influence since birth? If anyone's got a right to complain, it's me—I'm the one from a commoner background, got it?"
Gis Grez was left speechless, thoroughly choked by her retort.
"Alright, kid, ignore him," Kong Zhen said, turning to Bai Sha with a carefree grin. "Use whatever mech you want. I'll spar with you later."
"No worries, carry on," Bai Sha replied, a faint smile gracing her face, exuding the refined elegance of royalty. But as her gaze shifted, a subtle glint of menace flickered in her eyes. "Since the instructor insists, how could I refuse? Standard mech it is. But let's skip the 'instruction.' No need to hold back, Instructor. How about a proper one-on-one duel?"
Kong Zhen blinked, caught off guard, but Gis Grez accepted with a cold smirk. Realizing she couldn't stop this clash, and with her own training session just wrapping up, she sighed, dismissed the students, and cleared the arena for their duel.
"Let's be clear—point sparring only," Kong Zhen said sternly. "We're here to instruct, nominally. If an instructor injures a student before the exercise, or a student seriously hurts an instructor… neither outcome ends well for us, understood?"
Bai Sha requisitioned a standard mech from the equipment bay, swiftly climbing into the cockpit. She and Gis Grez faced each other across the arena in silence, neither seeming to heed Kong Zhen's warning.
Kong Zhen: "…"
Should she start prepping the medical team?
The watching students began whispering among themselves.
"No way, Bai Sha's actually fighting an instructor?"
"Who do you think will win?"
"I just got schooled by that instructor, and his strength is no joke. I think Bai Sha's being a bit reckless, challenging him head-on…"
"Am I the only one who thinks this instructor's kind of asking for it?" one student muttered. Those nearby exchanged glances, their expressions saying, "You didn't need to point that out."
They then stole glances at Bai Sha's three companions, curious about their reactions.
The trio stood shoulder to shoulder, unfazed, casually chatting and gesturing with their fingers. Those close enough could faintly hear their conversation—
They were betting on how many moves it'd take Bai Sha to take down the instructor! Loser pays for the next meal!
The onlookers' faces twisted with a mix of shock and intrigue as their eyes darted back to the arena.
The wolf-shaped mech crouched low, lunging forward silently, its speed so blistering it left only two afterimages in its wake. The ground beneath crackled with streaks of lightning.
Bai Sha rolled to the side, raising her rifle. Somehow, she predicted the enemy's trajectory, swinging the rifle's stock in a fluid arc, thrusting it toward the wolf mech's jaw.
The wolf mech twisted mid-air, its claws sparking against the rifle's shaft. It spun back, leaping skyward with a howl, drawing the surrounding air into its maw, forming a compressed vortex cannon laced with silver lightning.
Gis Grez's mech's eyes flashed with blinding silver light.
Clutching the silver-gray vortex, imbued with the ferocity of wind and thunder, it charged at Bai Sha—its speed more than doubling from before.
Xino, watching from the sidelines, frowned. "This instructor's been holding back? He didn't show this move earlier." This speed was something he'd never displayed against other students.
"Who cares?" Cen Yuehuai shouted. "Your Highness, go, crush him!"
Under everyone's gaze, Bai Sha's mech soared high, her spear coated in a thin, radiant golden laser, like a beast baring its fangs. She cleaved through the wolf mech's vortex blast, landed, and vaulted onto its back. The spear's tip gleamed like a star falling from the heavens, piercing deep into the wolf mech's spine.
The moment the spear struck the mech's shell, the wolf roared, throwing Bai Sha off with a counterattack.
Having landed a hit, Bai Sha retreated quickly, seemingly to create distance.
As the wolf mech crouched for another charge, Bai Sha abruptly hurled her spear straight at the wound she'd inflicted earlier.
Gis Grez sneered. As if he'd let her succeed.
He swiftly assessed the situation, maneuvering his mech to knock the spear off course.
But Bai Sha's light wings flared, and she closed in alongside the spear, nimbly reclaiming it. She leaped, flipped backward, and struck again—this time aiming for the wolf mech's head!
The wolf mech was forced to dodge her onslaught.
Then, he realized: no matter how fiercely he attacked, Bai Sha's mech bore no significant damage, like raindrops on a pond, leaving only ripples.
In contrast, Bai Sha's spear was like divine lightning. Each time Gis Grez thought he'd found a pattern or flaw in her technique, she'd unleash a ferocious strike that nearly stopped his heart.
She repeatedly baited him with "openings," only to punish him brutally when he took the bait.
Cen Yuehuai, Xino, and Yu Yan watched in growing silence.
"I'm calling it—the bet's off," Cen Yuehuai whispered.
Xino and Yu Yan both muttered, "Agreed."
"Her Highness isn't even trying to end it quickly. She's toying with him."
Xino's eyes narrowed. He could sense the killing intent radiating from Bai Sha—she wasn't planning to let this slide. She targeted the opponent's weaknesses relentlessly, and just when victory seemed imminent, she'd let the moment pass, allowing Gis to linger—less mercy, more mockery. Every student, regardless of skill level, could see it.
What nagged at Xino was that Bai Sha's fighting style felt different today.
"Her moves today don't match her usual style," Yu Yan noted pointedly.
Xino observed her every action, then had a sudden realization.
—Some of those moves were eerily similar to the Emperor's, even in style!
As the Empire's combat pinnacle, Xino had studied countless recordings of Cecil Ronin's battles. In his youth, the Emperor fought with devastating force. After ascending the throne, his style evolved into something elusive, much like what Bai Sha was displaying now.
Bai Sha's usual approach was more direct, nowhere near as tormenting as this calculated play.
…Her Highness is making Gis Grez feel the terror of being dominated by a Ronin.
This realization voided Xino's group's earlier bet. Bai Sha was deliberately dragging out the fight, rendering their guesses moot.
A few minutes later, when even Kong Zhen considered intervening, both mechs slid to opposite edges of the arena.
Bai Sha stood relaxed, while Gis Grez seemed on high alert.
The tension between them was a taut string, ready to snap into another clash, when Bai Sha suddenly dropped her combat stance and said with a smiling tone, "Let's call it, Instructor. If we keep going, your mech will need to be towed for repairs. We've got other students waiting for your guidance."
Gis Grez: "…"
He stood silent for what felt like a century. Finally, the wolf mech at the arena's edge lowered its head, bending one forelimb.
It was a gesture of reluctant submission.
Though begrudging, he had to acknowledge his opponent's strength.
"This round is yours—Your Highness."