After Yakumo Yukari "deeply reflected," recognized her "inappropriate behavior," issued a solemn apology in the group chat to the victim, and swore never to repeat it—
Esdeath finally relented and reopened Yukari's access to this world.
The next second—
"Ya-ku-mo Yu-ka-ri!" Esdeath seethed, once again caught in the youkai's grasp.
So much for trusting promises.
"Esdeath, you really haven't spent enough time with Yukari in the group…" Utaha sighed.
"Yeah, yeah~" Chika piled on. "In situations like this, trusting Yukari is worse than trusting me when I say I can knock Mr. Baiye down with two punches!"
"Trying to badmouth me while I'm busy, are you?" Yukari glanced at Baiye. "Kid, Chika's setting you on fire—aren't you going to say something?"
"You mean," Baiye said, still drawing runes, "I should lie down right now and prove she doesn't even need two punches?"
Utaha made an undignified "pffft" noise.
"Tch…" Yukari clicked her tongue.
"Enough!" Esdeath finally grabbed Yukari by the wrist—she wasn't going to keep letting herself be treated like a toy. But this time, she didn't immediately banish Yukari again.
Annoying as she was, Yukari had no malice. And Esdeath could tell Yukari really was trying to push her to admit the true reason she wanted to strike back at the northern tribes—the part she refused to name.
After that brief detour, the group refocused on the gap view of the northern army.
"Now that you've confirmed it's them," Baiye asked, "what's your plan?"
"Nothing," Esdeath said after thinking. "Tribes invading isn't rare. Not only in the north—traders say western and southern tribes raid the Empire too. The Empire has experience dealing with it. As for me, I'll just be careful not to hunt inside territory they've already taken."
She stared at the army. Even if she didn't know whether these were the same invaders who killed her father and her tribe, a chill still surfaced in her eyes.
Afterward, they split up.
Chika and Utaha—still lacking base combat experience—stayed with Esdeath as a three-person team. They handled ordinary Danger Beasts themselves; if something monstrous appeared, Esdeath would cover.
Yukari said she'd found something interesting during scouting and slipped into a gap leading elsewhere.
Baiye—no clear destination like Yukari, but with no reason to fear danger—went solo. He kept grinding Rune Magecraft proficiency while traveling, only stopping to hunt rare high-tier prey.
At night, he reunited with Esdeath's team to share high-quality meat and swap notes.
On the third night after returning, Baiye finally let Esdeath get what she'd wanted.
After Chika and Utaha returned to their own worlds to rest, Esdeath used the "we're idle anyway" argument.
Baiye thought: fair.
They fought—and the more they fought, the more they both got hooked.
Baiye deliberately sealed his rune magecraft. He didn't even use the reinforcement runes that perfectly matched his martial arts—he kept it purely "martial vs martial."
In raw stats and technique, Esdeath still couldn't beat him.
But—
There's a reason many teachers prefer the kind of student who asks questions and improves instantly with a single hint.
Baiye barely had to speak. A tiny adjustment in timing here, a micro-correction in footwork there—Esdeath absorbed it, and the next time she faced a similar situation, she optimized again.
Carving a piece of jade by hand—watching it become sharper, cleaner, more perfect—was genuinely satisfying.
As for Esdeath?
Being suppressed from start to finish felt awful, but the fact that her "peak" technique—formed by Balutes martial traditions plus countless hunts—kept improving every minute under Baiye's pressure was intoxicating.
In short:
Fight. Fun.
After half an hour, Esdeath's stamina finally began to run thin under Baiye's sustained pressure. Baiye ended it with a push—light, but absolute—sending her back beside the campfire.
"Too much becomes counterproductive. That's it for today."
Baiye ladled a half-bowl of meat soup and several chunks of tender stewed meat and handed it to her.
"Okay." Esdeath nodded, took a sip, and let the warmth spread through her body. She narrowed her eyes in comfort—then kept staring at Baiye.
"What, you have something to say?"
"I… thank you," Esdeath said, hesitating—rare for her. "And… tomorrow, or a few days from now… can I ask again? I won't waste your time for free. I'll give you all the points I earn."
"Sure," Baiye said. "As for points—no need."
He glanced at his own system panel. His Hundred Martial Arts proficiency had jumped more than expected from the fight. He had a strong suspicion why.
"You might not believe it, but I gained a lot from that spar too. So if you want to continue, and I'm free, I'm in."
....
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