The mansion garden was in full bloom, a sea of vibrant flowers stretching around us. The warm afternoon breeze carried the scent of roses and lilies, mingling with the faint aroma of tea from the gazebo.

  I stood opposite Hong, my body still slightly sore from the earlier training, but I had no choice but to face her. This was our sparring match, the real test.

  Inside the gazebo, the Scarlet Devil Mansion's residents sat watching. Remilia was elegantly stirring sugar into her coffee, Patchouli sipped hers bck, and Fndre leaned forward with eager excitement. It was rare to see Patchouli outside, but even she had come to watch, which only made me more nervous.

  But what really concerned me was Sakuya.

  She wasn't just watching me. She was gring at me, her eyes practically screaming, You worthless piece of garbage.

  I gulped. What did I do to make her look at me like that? Did I accidentally mess up something?

  "You ready?" Hong's voice pulled me back to reality.

  I turned to her and found her standing calmly, arms crossed, exuding her usual rexed confidence.

  Before answering, I furrowed my brows. "I can use a weapon, right? But... don't you need one to fight?"

  Hong chuckled, shaking her head. "No need. My fists are more than enough." Then she added casually, "Oh, and let's not use Spell Cards. I'm bad at them."

  I blinked. Bad at them? A powerhouse like her? That was hard to believe, but I decided not to question it. Instead, I took a deep breath and shook off my doubts. I couldn't afford distractions now.

  "Yeah," I said, rolling my shoulders. "Let's do this."

  Hong smirked. "Then come at me, Carl."

  And just like that, the match began.

  I gripped my Cheat Card sword, its weight solid in my hands. The moment Hong signaled the start of the fight, I lunged forward, sshing diagonally at her side.

  She didn't even blink.

  With a smooth step to the right, she effortlessly dodged my attack.

  I adjusted my stance and swung again, aiming for her shoulder this time. But once again, she simply leaned backward, my bde cutting through nothing but air.

  "Tch—!" I gritted my teeth and kept attacking. A flurry of rapid sshes, one after another, striking from different angles—horizontal, vertical, even a spinning strike to try and catch her off guard.

  But Hong dodged them all.

  She barely moved more than necessary, just enough to avoid each attack by a hair's breadth. She wasn't even breaking a sweat.

  "Come on, Carl," she said with a smirk. "Is that all you got?"

  I clenched my jaw. She was pying with me.

  I took a step back and switched my grip, holding the sword in a reverse stance. Then, with a burst of speed, I dashed in low, pretending to strike her legs—only to suddenly twist my body and swing upward toward her torso.

  A feint.

  Hong saw through it instantly.

  She tilted her head slightly to the side, my bde missing her by mere inches. At the same time, she flicked my forehead.

  Hard.

  "Gah—!" I stumbled back, nearly dropping my sword.

  Fndre burst out ughing from the gazebo. "He got flicked! Ahahaha!"

  Even Remilia smirked over her cup of sweet coffee. Patchouli didn't react, but I swore I saw the corners of her lips twitch.

  Meanwhile, Sakuya's gaze? It somehow got even colder.

  I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "Was that really necessary?"

  Hong just shrugged. "You left yourself open. That was your punishment."

  I huffed. Fine. If I couldn't hit her, I'd just have to use my tricks.

  I gritted my teeth, gripping my sword tightly. No matter how fast or strong I was, Hong dodged everything. It was frustrating.

  If attacking normally wouldn't work... I'd just have to cheat.

  I took a step back, raised my sword slightly, and spoke with as much confidence as I could fake.

  "I'm so full of energy now, and you kinda look tired?"

  Hong blinked at me. Then, she ughed.

  "Shouldn't you be the one saying that?" she smirked, tilting her head. "You look like you're about to colpse."

  The moment she denied my words—my ability activated.

  A surge of energy rushed through my body. The exhaustion, the soreness—all of it vanished. I felt unstoppable.

  "Alright," I grinned, shifting into a stance. "Round two, then!"

  Without hesitation, I rushed forward, my sword swinging at full force. I was faster now, stronger. Every movement felt light, effortless.

  And yet—

  Hong was still dodging.

  But this time... she was moving slower.

  She frowned slightly, rolling her shoulders. "Huh... I do feel a little tired now."

  It worked!

  I pressed the attack, sshing faster, aiming to overwhelm her. If I could just nd one hit—

  THWACK.

  Before I knew it, Hong's palm smacked against my stomach.

  For a brief moment, I felt nothing.

  Then—

  A shockwave ran through my body.

  The next thing I knew, I was soaring through the air.

  I barely had time to register what happened before my back crashed into the gazebo's wooden railing.

  "GAH—!"

  I slumped to the ground, coughing.

  Remilia, still sipping her coffee, gnced down at me. "Hmm. That was a nice sound."

  Fndre burst out ughing. "He got unched! That was awesome!"

  Patchouli didn't even look up from her book. "Expected outcome."

  Sakuya just sighed, shaking her head. "Pathetic."

  I groaned, rolling onto my side. I hate this training.

  Hong stretched her arms, looking completely fine. "Well, that was fun."

  "Fun for who?!" I wheezed.

  She smirked. "You should know by now—even if I get tired, I can still beat you."

  I hated how right she was.