Drip.
Scarlet blood trickled from the seams of the star armor. The young woman, who had been sent flying countless times, opened her faceplate and wiped away the congealed blood inside, clearing her airway to avoid breathing blockages.
"That damn Genos. His creations are as ruthless as he is," she muttered, wincing at the searing pain in her chest.
"Betty, get out of the way!" A frantic shout came from above, accompanied by the thunderous roar of cannon fire and explosions. Betty recognized the voice—it was Daisy, trying to hold off the black-scaled hound.
This dog was a freak among freaks. It was already remarkable for a black-scaled hound to become an original species, but this one, raised by Genos, was on the verge of advancing to a high-tier original species. It was simply unbelievable.
The workings of martial artists were mysterious to star armor pilots like them. According to her family's records, martial artists possessed unique powers that could push original species beyond their natural limits, though at a cost to their personal cultivation progress.
In other words, Muria had over a dozen of these "burdens" slowing him down. Yet, even with such hindrances, his cultivation advanced at an astonishing rate.
Of course, Betty acknowledged Genos' exceptional talent for martial arts. But the real reason for his rapid progress lay in the family's unlimited support, granting him whatever resources he needed without hesitation.
This was an era of star armor pilots; martial artists had fallen into decline—not for lack of resources, but because they couldn't keep up with the pace of progress. Ironically, the decline of martial arts had made training resources for them dirt cheap.
While processing this information about the hound, Betty darted away from her original position. A dark energy beam obliterated the ancient tree she had just vacated.
"This mutt is almost a high-tier original species," she muttered, staring nervously at the smoldering crater where the beam had struck. "If that hit me, I'd be in a hospital by now, and my star armor would be in the repair bay."
"Betty, focus! Dodge its attacks. We'll find a chance to escape!"
"I know." Betty forced a bitter smile as she saw the black-scaled hound charging another dark energy orb. With each passing moment, its attacks grew more ferocious.
"When this training is over, I'm eating black dog meat for a month," she vowed silently. It was her only form of revenge against this beast—petty as it was.
Boom!
The ground shook violently as explosions rocked the forest. Trees fell one after another under the battle's aftershocks, turning the girls' fight into a nightmare.
The hound's incredible speed made it nearly impossible for them to land a direct hit. They had to rely on wide-area bombardments and pure luck. Under such conditions, the pressure on the two girls was palpable.
Time and again, they tried to escape, but the hound's ground speed far outpaced their flight capabilities.
"Daisy, you go. I'll hold this damn dog off," Betty finally said, desperation evident in her voice.
"We're a team. I can't just—"
"Relax, it's just training. The goal is survival, not life or death," Betty interrupted, smiling wryly. Without waiting for a response, she landed and stood in the hound's path.
"Black dog, as long as I'm here, you won't take another step toward my sister!" Betty shouted, trembling but resolute.
The hound tilted its massive head, puzzled. You've been my target all along for calling me the weakest. Even if it's true, you didn't have to say it out loud!
With a growl, the hound swiped Betty away with its paw and picked her up in its mouth, ignoring Daisy above. It turned and left without so much as a glance.
As the first elimination of the training, Betty's defeat marked the beginning of the group's downfall.
The second to fall was Victor. Stalked by a giant ape coiled with a green python, he squandered the two hours the ape had given him to prepare. When time was up, the ape unceremoniously carried him out of the forest, ending his run in bewilderment.
...
"You've really surprised me," Muria said, his tone flat as he faced the thirteen downcast youths from the Douglas family. "This training was supposed to last three days. I expected my pets to need all three to catch you, but you didn't even last two."
His words made the group lower their heads even further, unable to meet his gaze.
"I tried to underestimate you," Muria continued. "But it seems I still overestimated your abilities. I'll have to reject the family's suggestion to reduce your training load. In fact, it needs to increase."
The teenagers stood in silence, resentment and dissatisfaction written on their faces. But the results spoke for themselves: not a single one of them had met the training's time goal.
"Dismissed. You have one day to rest. After that, prepare for even harsher training," Muria declared. He herded them onto a plane bound for home, granting them a brief respite.
"Master Genos, I heard the training is over. How did it go?" The old butler Pais appeared on Muria's communicator as soon as the trainees left.
"Why ask me? Weren't you watching the entire time?" Muria raised an eyebrow.
The Douglas family had been intensely interested in the trainees' performance, observing every detail.
"We'd like your thoughts as their instructor," Pais replied with a polite smile.
"My thoughts?" Muria smirked. "You're sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Pampered, spineless, useless."
"That's... your evaluation?"
"Correct." Muria nodded. "They have the best talent, the best resources, but they've given me the worst results."
"What results would you expect from them?" Pais asked, adjusting his suit awkwardly.
"At minimum, each should be able to defeat two of their current selves."
"Isn't that... a bit much?" Pais forced a strained smile.
"It's not. Their combat awareness is abysmal. With enough battle experience, they can reach my standard without issue."
"And what would it cost the family to train them to that level?"
"Cost? Nothing more than what you're already providing. Just let me take full control."
"Full control?"
"Yes. You've pampered them because of their talent. They've never faced real danger or pressure. That's unacceptable.
They think they're destined to be the family's future pillars. But are they? If you want them to protect the family from storms, they must first endure them. Flowers grown in greenhouses won't withstand the harshest weather."
"I'll relay your words to the elders," Pais promised.
"Good. I expect an answer within a day."
"I'll do my best."
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]