Against Himeko

Soon, it was afternoon. Now came the time for the combat training class.

Himeko first led everyone to do physical training exercises. 

Although the intensity was not high, it was enough to make the freshmen who had just enrolled in the school feel exhausted.

Of course, there were obviously some people who were still standing without any tiredness

"So easy…"

Adam looked completely relaxed. This amount of exercise was nothing

What a joke. His first time with Olivia last night was even more intense than these so-called 'exercises'!

…Of course, this is only natural. They were both superhuman, and also-

This was considered the class's first training session, so Himeko did not have any requirements or expectations for them

She just saw that the few girls still had some energy left, so she let them start sparring.

"Hm….."

Adam looked around, idling away

After all, if he sparred with anyone at all….Well, it would be more like bullying rather than sparring

"What's wrong, Adam?"

Mei, who was standing beside him like a dutiful wife, asked him as she saw him deep in thought

"Nothing much….I'm just troubled by the fact that I can't spar with anyone."

He shook his head, letting out a sigh

"That's right…." The purple-haired girl's eyes dulled. "Nobody is a match for you…."

"Kiana-san"

Just then, a cool voice reached them 

-It was Fu Hua, who was walking towards them

"Eh? Class president?"

Kiana looked at the gray-haired girl in confusion.

After all, they just met yesterday. They didn't know each other that well, so she was truly confused about what this senpai wanted from her

"May I spar with you?"

"...Huh?"

The white haired girl looked at Fu Hua with a puzzled expression, her eyebrows furrowing

"Spar with me? Why?"

"Kiana-san is from the Kaslana family, right?" 

The gray-haired girl cooly guessed. At Kiana's nod, she continued:

"Then you should be stronger than the other students." She said, "For you to train efficiently, you must spar with someone equal or stronger to you."

As Kiana listened to Fu Hua's words, she puffed her chest out in pride

"Then, class president…" She blinked at her. "Are you strong?"

"Despite being only a class president…" A small smile emerged on Fu Hua's face. "I do have the strength of an A-rank valkyrie."

"Wow!"

Seeing Kiana's lit-up eyes and excitement, Adam's eyebrows twitched

'Is this the so-called 'play the pig to eat the tiger'?'

He couldn't help but think so

After all….Fu Hua was actually a MANTIS and Flamechaser from the previous era

Even though she has lost her memories, and even though her power has been reduced a lot….It still doesn't change her nature

Speaking of….

-He should probably get some of her DNA to devour

…..

In the end, Kiana went to spar with Fu Hua

And, Mei sparred with Bronya

-Not a wise choice, however, Mei didn't really have any other choice except from Bronya and Olivia

"Hey….!" 

As Mei put her hand on her sword and exuded purplish sparks of lightning, Himeko shouted out to her and interrupted her 

"Repairs are very expensive!"

It was obvious that Mei was about to use the power of the Herrscher.

-But the surrounding area is made of stone. If such an attack is used, the training ground will be damaged and might even be destroyed!

The finances of St. Freya Academy are already in deficit. 

It was only by acting cutesy and adorable in front of Otto, that Theresa was able to get more funds for this Academy….

So, it would be better not to burden Theresa anymore by destroying the training ground!

"Oh..." 

Mei nodded with understanding.

Though she also felt a little disappointed. She originally thought that she would be able to show off a little in front of Adam….

[...Tch!]

….

Bronya also breathed a sigh of relief. 

Though she's quite good at combat….It's only lethal combat she's very good at. And unfortunately, the only thing that could be considered special- Project Bunny- is mechanical

And using Project Bunny against the Herrscher of Thunder, who could control electromagneticm, is certainly not a wise idea

-As expected, the power of the Herrscher is terrifyingly strong and troublesome

"It's fine, you two." 

Seeing Mei's dejected appearance, Adam spoke up:

"We will find a wider place where you can go all out later."

He smiled at the purple-haired girl, assuring her.

"For now…You can try to use lightning to enhance your body and blade." The silver-haired boy continued, suggesting with a thoughtful expression, "And maybe some small lightning attacks that won't do much damage? This should challenge your control over this power…."

-Yes, this is a way for Mei to exercise her control over her Herrscher power

She is restricted by the environment and can't use any attacks that would cause a lot of damage….But she could also practise to use attacks that incapacitate and harm the human body without actually damaging anything else

….Maybe that's a bit too early for Mei, but well, Adam has faith that she can do it!

"...Okay." 

With pursed lips, Mei nodded obediently 

…

Thus, a new round of competition began with Bronya.

Mei stood in place, her hands gripping her sword. Around her body, arcs of lightning sparked and converged

Sometimes, these arcs of lightning would separate and launch towards Bronya- with enough voltage to paralyze her body, but not enough to cause actual damage

Unfortunately, she did not seem to be trained in multitasking.

While simultaneously trying to wrap her body in lightning to enhance her speed, she seemed to only be able to send one lightning attack at her opponent

Fortunately, although Bronya couldn't dodge the lightning strikes, she could still block them with Project Bunny's forcefield

The silver-haired girl's face was full of ease as she predicted where Mei would strike and controlled her robot to deploy forcefields to block her attacks

…..

"Huff….Huff…."

The purple-haired girl's knees trembled, sweat running down her forehead

-She was unable to strike Bronya

And she had run out of energy.

Mei didn't attack from close-range as the point in this spar was to get her power under better control.

She had to split her attention on running electricity through her body, and also striking Bronya

Such intensity made her mentally exhausted. It also put a burden on her body- a burden that was magnified by her lack of control, and a burden that she wasn't used to

-This was the difference in combat experience between Bronya and Mei

….Especially in any combat that wasn't in close quarters- it was so large that the silver-haired girl didn't even take the initiative to attack

….

..

.

Olivia Servant appeared in Mei's field of vision. She was still clad in that weird robe

The blue-haired woman approached her. And as she reached her, she finally opened her mouth to speak:

"Do you want to practise those with me?"

The blue-haired woman tilted her head, asking her 'kohai' with some excitement in her voice

-After all, using Herrscher's power against Bronya is overkill

The little girl seemed to be at ease....But as Mei deepened her control and increased the intensity of this power, there would eventually come a point where Bronya wouldn't be able to handle it

Olivia, on the other hand, has a lot of combat experience, and she's an adventurer. Beyond being tough, she is also hard to actually hit and hurt

"Ah….?"

The purple-haired girl, still heaving and out of breath, blinked as she looked at Olivia in bewilderment

…..

…Seeing her boyfriend's girlfriend acting so naturally made her feel conflicted

-But it also made her feel petty

…

"Sure" 

Mei nodded, a stiff smile emerging on her face

"Ah, but…." She tilted her head, looking worriedly at the silver-haired girl who had been silent up until now. "What about you, Bronya-chan?"

The expressionless girl's eyes snapped to her

"Mei-nee doesn't have to worry about Bronya."

Bronya shook her head, floating alongside her robot

"Kiana idiotka should already have been defeated by class president by now."

The impassive face of the girl remained, but there was light of smugness in her eyes

"Bronya will go spar with idiotka."

….

..

.

"You seem to be very free." 

Looking towards the source of the voice, Adam saw Himeko standing there with her hands on her hips

"Sorry, I'm too tired to stand up." 

Adam leaned against the wall behind him, looking very 'weak'

"Stop pretending." She sneered, "Everyone is taking a break, yet you haven't even done anything. so come and practice with me." 

The mature red haired woman grabbed the silver haired boy's collar without saying a word and dragged him to the training ground

….

"Owie~" Adam winced as he stood up on his own "So forceful, Himeko-sensei…. Is this really appropriate~?"

Ignoring his teasing, Himeko stood in front of him, carrying a big sword.

Boom

-The terrifying weight of the scarlet greatsword she carried caused a cloud of dust to rise when it hit the ground.

"Ahem…." Adam coughed, avoiding her gaze. "Sister Himeko, please be gentle!" 

The white haired boy, although ashamed, really felt that he had to dissuade this woman. After all, it seemed that she wanted to be serious and go all out!

"Brat….You also have to call me Teacher Himeko or Major Himeko!" 

The red-haired woman raised her eyebrows, smiling lightly

"I also happened to hear you telling Mei that no one was a match for you. For her to agree, you must be quite strong."

Smile fading, she looked at him with seriousness, entering a combat stance

"Oi! She's my girlfriend; she obviously looks up to her man!" 

Adam said, putting his hands on his hips and puffing his chest with pride

"Oho? But I thought Olivia was your girlfriend?"

"Who said I only had one girlfriend?"

"Okay, okay- stop talking nonsense!" She rolled her eyes at him, deciding not to comment. "Take out your weapon and fight me." 

Yes, Himeko was already a little impatient.

...

Ever since she saw him in Nagazora City.... She wanted to know his strength

Was he from the Kaslana family? Or was he one of these talented monsters?

....

"I want to try another method of fighting….Is that okay?"

Adam asked, raising one hand and clenching his fist

"Sure…."

-As soon as Himeko finished speaking, she rushed towards him with that big scarlet broadsword in hand

The silver-haired boy blinked-

Before immediately taking a few steps back

Boom

-With a powerful blow, a sinkhole was created in the ground by her blade's impact

"...Are you actually serious?" 

Feeling the impact, Adam's mouth twitched.

Would Himeko actually go all out on him- a poor man who coincidentally just got involved in a honkai eruption?!

"....."

Himeko did not answer. 

"Oi-!"

The next second before Adam could open his mouth to speak, her figure rushed out from the smoke and dust, swinging her sword fiercely at him

"Haah…."

Sighing, Adam stopped playing around.

Actually, he still won't be 'serious', but he will put some effort

Several thin, almost invincible white spider lines of silk appeared on all his fingertips.

But no, he didn't eject them yet

…..

Himeko chased him, trying to hit him. But every time, he dodged at just the right time- it was as if he was doing perfect dodges in a videogame

Inwardly, he was actually debating going through with entangling this woman with threads

….Don't get him wrong; he was just feeling merciful and wasn't sure if he wanted to embarrass Himeko in front of all her students

…..

"Hahaha….."

Kiana, who had finished her spar with Fu Hua and was spectating Adam's fight, giggled as she watched Adam dodging around like an idiot

"Hehe, Himeko-sensei must be really angry with Adam-senpai!" 

She continued giggling

"Kiana-idiotka doesn't have the right to speak ill of Adam." 

Bronya immediately spoke up in defense of the silver-haired boy

"Idiotka was pummeled to the ground by Class president."

The silver-haired girl pointed at the white haired girl, looking at her as if she were looking at an idiot

"Hey, why did you say Bratnya!?"

Kiana hissed like a cat in anger, similarly pointing at the little girl in front of her with gritted teeth

...

"Why doesn't Adam fight back?" 

While the two girls were fighting from the side, Mei frowned as she watched the 'fight' in confusion

Even without a weapon, Adam was still strong.

And yet….In this 'fight', he just passively accepted a beating- a beating he was dodging every time, of course

"...Um?"

Bronya immediately stopped arguing with the stupid brainless fool.

Instead, she stared at the silver-haired boy, eyes widening slightly as she seemingly discovered something which couldn't help but make her…surprised. 

Yes....This…wouldn't even be called a fight

….

Adam lightly hooked his finger.

"...Oh?"

Himeko paused, suddenly feeling a huge force coming from her hand.

It was a strong repulsion-like force that almost made the sword in her hand slip 

"What a strange ability…." 

Himeko frowned. This was the first time she had seen such an ability.

-She obviously can't see the extremely thin threads

"...That's why I don't want to fight, Teacher Himeko."

The silver-haired boy sighed, shaking his head

He clenched his fingers

-And this time, the mature red-haired woman saw it clearly.

Countless thin, sturdy, silk threads instantly entangled and wrapped around her sword. 

Next second, the weapon in her hand broke off from her hand directly, flying backwards and landing on the ground

"Strings?!"

The redhead's eyes widened slightly, never expecting this boy who was all about being 'weak' to use strings as weapons

This kind of thread seemed to be made of a very special material. It was not only extremely tough, but also very light and difficult to detect.

"Do you want to continue this fight, sensei?"

Adam asked indifferently

Except for contemplating on whether to actually defeat her instantly, he had also created countless threads and spread them all around the venue. 

If he really wanted to, he could actually cut this A-rank valkyrie into thousands of pieces of flesh in an instant.

-But of course, as a gentle and kind person, he had adjusted the power of these threads so that it would only cause her pain 

"Of course!" 

Himeko rushed towards him, a big, wide grin emerging on her face

"You'd never know until you try, brat!"

She had raised her fists, jumping at him with a CQC stance without any fear

Her attitude was indeed commendable…..

-But as soon as the silver-haired boy moved his fingers slightly, the woman's whole body was entangled and bound by the threads.

Adam suddenly had the thought of binding this woman in a classic, BDSM style….But he instantly threw out this idea from his mind

"...."

Himeko's muscles tensed. She tried to move her whole body-

-To no avail

Adam crossed his hands across his chest, playfully watching his new teacher struggling against the threads that refused to be broken

-The winner has already been decided.

Though he didn't 'win' literally, it is undeniable that Adam subdued an A-rank valkyrie

"Wow! Did he just suppress Himeko-sensei?!"

"Student Adam is so amazing! He subdued the Teacher so quickly!!"

The students, who had gradually gathered around them, muttered to each other in excitement

-A new student just subdued Himeko, an A-rank Valkyrie, in such a short amount of time!

"...."

...

Of course, even Himeko could see that Adam was holding back. He 'subdued' her, not defeated her

….She had failed to hit him after so many tries. 

Even though he was constantly dodging, it was quite obvious that he had the capability to impede her movements with these strings, and then just easily take her down in close quarters

-Yet he didn't do so. He just instantly subdued her

….Which makes this even more terrifying.

To instantly subdue someone like that, you had to be marginally stronger than them

-As expected of a kid that could 'tame' a Herrscher. So terrifying!

Himeko couldn't help but think so. Though she was still slightly grateful, because he at least gave her some 'face' in front of her strangers….

Although she doesn't care much about her image, she is the instructor of the class after all. 

If she loses to a student in direct combat…on the first lesson no less…. it will be difficult for the new students to take her seriously

…

..

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A/N:

How do Herrscher from Honkai Impact compare to Beyonders from LoTM?

...Because.... Let's just say I have a certain person in mind to be the new Chat Room member.....maybe

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