After the chaos aboard the Selene, the group piloted the battleship back to St. Freya High. The moment they arrived, Bronya was immediately taken in for a full physiological examination.
The results were clear: the strange energy pulse emitted by the Selene's power drives had interfered with Bronya's Valkyrie bio-chip. Repairs were initiated at once, with medical staff and technicians working around the clock to stabilize her systems.
Meanwhile, school life had grown far more intense—because the Annual Valkyrie Examination was approaching.Classes became tougher, instructors stricter, and daily combat drills doubled in difficulty. Every student pushed themselves to the limit, determined not to fail the exam.
Everyone… except Kiana.
Due to her low grades and habit of sleeping through every lecture, Fuhua and Kouga were pulled in to tutor her.
The Day of the Exam
The training plaza was filled with valkyries, each waiting nervously for their turn. The massive combat stage shimmered as the holographic systems powered up.
On the stage stood Theresa at the center, ready to begin the announcement. Himeko stood on the far left, arms crossed. Rita waited calmly on Theresa's immediate left, while Sakura stood on her right, poised and elegant.
Theresa tapped the microphone.
"Hello? Testing… The exam is about to start. Combat trials will be single-round competitions. All Valkyries will be divided in pairs. The graders will rate you according to your performance. Winning is not everything, Valkyries. Candidates and graders, please take your positions."
Down below Where Kouga stood .
He remembered the conversation from the day before, when Himeko summoned him privately.
He had blinked in confusion."What? Why?"
Himeko sighed, rubbing her temple."This is due to how powerful you are. They have decided to put you solo because otherwise other valkyries can't do anything if you keep oneshotting things in front of you."
Kouga thought it over. Honestly… fair point.So he accepted it with a nod.
From where he stood, Kouga watched the early matches.First was Kiana and Mei, and to his surprise, they performed amazingly well. Kiana seemed more focused than usual—probably trying to impress Mei.
Next was Kiana and Bronya. Despite their constant bickering, the two worked together seamlessly, coordinating their attacks .
Then came Kiana and Fuhua—a combination Kouga expected to be rough for Kiana. But even that match turned out great.Kiana was doing better than anyone expected today…
Finally, it was his turn.
The arena lights shifted, and the holographic generators powered up to maximum output. Kouga stepped forward, took a breath—then transformed into GekiRed from Gekiranger.
What followed was chaos.Or rather… one-sided annihilation.
Kouga blitzed through every hardened hologram, knocking them out in single blows. Some valkyries stared with wide eyes. Graders whispered among themselves.
A few even murmured that he might be a male Durandal.
As the exams paused for a short break, Theresa suddenly raised her mic, stopping the students just as they were about to disperse.
"Hello? Before recess break begins, I'd like to introduce Rita Rossweisse, our auditor from HQ. She's here at St. Freya to see what we're doing for the Valkyrie Exams, so do your best, girls."
A wave of whispers rippled through the plaza. Many students who had never seen Rita before stared wide-eyed.
"Wow. She looks so pretty and gentle. Is she really a Valkyrie?" one of them murmured in awe.
Kouga, Fuhua, Kiana, Mei, and Bronya showed no surprise — they already knew who she was. Kouga, in particular, narrowed his eyes the moment Rita appeared.
Rita stepped forward with graceful composure and addressed Theresa. "Excuse me. Madam Theresa, your students are an impressive lot. I feel like sharing a few moves with them myself."
Theresa blinked at her, caught off guard. "Sharing a few moves?"
"Several Valkyries performed admirably. I'd like to ask if I can spar with one of them," Rita replied, smiling politely.
Theresa hesitated, clearly sensing something off, but eventually nodded. "Uhm... okay. Let's welcome Miss Rita. She'll show us a few combat moves. Who will be our lucky student?"
Rita's gaze swept the lineup before she announced, "I would like to spar with Kiana Kaslana."
Kiana froze. "What? Spar with Rita ? What will the fight be about?"
Kouga's glare sharpened at Rita, but with nothing else to say, Kiana reluctantly made her way down to the arena, shaking out her arms and steadying her breathing.
Rita stepped forward, elegant as always. "Yoroshiku, Kiana Kaslana."
Kiana lifted her pistols, determination pushing away her nerves. "I'll show what I've got."
The moment Theresa signaled for the bout to begin, Kiana burst forward. Her footwork was light, almost feline, as she twisted into an acrobatic Gun Kata sequence.
Rita barely moved.
With smooth, measured motions, she brought out an elegant scythe, shifting effortlessly into her mid-range stance. Every bullet Kiana fired was deflected—either split cleanly by the blade or redirected by a tiny shift of Rita's wrist. Not a single shot reached her.
Kiana flipped behind Rita and tried a close-range kick, but Rita's heel slid half a step, guiding the attack past her without effort.
"She's not even trying…!" a student whispered from the sidelines.
Kiana pushed harder, switching into melee. Her pistols shifted into baton-grip mode as she struck with rapid, overlapping blows. Rita blocked each one with flawless timing, her expression unreadable, her posture pristine.
Seeing an opening, Kiana summoned an energy construct — the spectral outline of a giant cat paw — and slammed it downward at Rita.
Rita simply spun her scythe once, slicing the construct apart in a swirl of shimmering particles.
But the spectators were loud with support.
"Let her know how hard you've been working!" Mei shouted.
"Come on, Kiana Idiotka!" Bronya added, her voice sharper but clearly encouraging.
"I believe those extra classes you took won't let you down," Fuhua said calmly.
And then there was Kouga.
He activated Gotchard's matter manipulation and materialized an enormous cheering display — a flag printed with Kiana's face, and next to it, a chibi Kiana doing a victory pose. He waved both with unrestrained enthusiasm.
Kiana's face turned red mid-combat.
"G-ghhhh… Kouga!!"
She charged again, but Rita shifted her stance. For a moment, her eyes softened, as if she truly appreciated Kiana's effort.
Then she stopped her scythe dead still.
"That will be all. Good job, Kiana."
Kiana staggered, panting heavily. "Huff... puff... I'm... not done... yet. I can... keep going."
"But you look so exhausted. I'll take my leave," Rita replied with a gentle bow before stepping off the platform and returning to Theresa's side.
And Kiana?The moment the break officially started, she ripped the Kiana-flag Kouga made in half, face burning bright red.
"K-Kouga!!! Why would you make THAT?!"