Another week passed after the gathering of the Concept Wielders. It was now the beginning of a new month, and Ethel's teamwork training with the Third Squad had finally progressed to live combat.
Oenone stood lazily at the front of the training room in her purple uniform, even letting out a yawn.
In stark contrast, every squad member standing before her wore either a grim or anxious expression.
The culprit behind their nervousness was Oenone herself.
Though she appeared relaxed, she had already entered combat mode. Force surged through her body in a violent yet orderly cycle, and the pressure radiating from her made it difficult for everyone present to breathe.
This was the power of a Complete One.
"Ready?"
Yinbing asked Ethel, who was standing in the farthest corner of the room, well away from the center of the battlefield.
Wearing the helmet that transmitted his commands directly to designated teammates, he nodded.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's only a training exercise."
After more than a week of teamwork drills, most of the squad members had become capable of dodging paintball fire while blindfolded simply by following Ethel's commands.
Considering they were already a highly trained unit, their ability to adapt was hardly surprising.
"Everyone, listen up. Let's go over the rules one more time."
Oenone clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"You may block or dodge my attacks. If your head or torso gets hit, you're eliminated."
"The exercise will last three minutes. Once the time is up, I'll stop attacking."
"Do not counterattack me. The purpose of this training is survival and evasion—not defeating the enemy."
"Any questions?"
No one spoke.
Everyone was ready.
So was Ethel.
"Mind's Eye: Fully Open."
"Ready? Three... two... one!"
The instant the countdown ended, Oenone pressed her palms together.
When she spread them apart again, they were filled with bubbles.
Not only from her hands, but countless bubbles poured from every part of her body until they completely enveloped her figure.
She controlled them like a machine gun, sending a barrage toward the members of the Third Squad.
The first target was Yinbing.
Ethel had no intention of warning her.
With her combat experience and her Concept: Extinction, attacks of this level should pose no threat.
Just as he expected, Yinbing effortlessly dodged most of the bubbles.
The few that touched her palms vanished instantly.
Next came the Lost Ones and the Force Users.
Ethel focused on the flow of battle.
He didn't announce every incoming attack—that would have been far too inefficient.
Instead, he ignored the attacks that were easy to avoid and concentrated on those approaching from dangerous blind spots.
"Left foot."
"Right shoulder."
"Right arm."
"Left side."
After that very first teamwork exercise—the one where everyone had been blindfolded while Yinbing riddled them with paintballs—they had stopped wearing blindfolds altogether.
Now they relied on both their own reactions and Ethel's guidance.
Although Ethel still couldn't remember everyone's names, Yinbing had assigned every member a number.
Using those numbers, he linked each person in his mind and gradually memorized their fighting habits and preferences throughout the training sessions.
By analyzing everyone's movements, he could predict which attacks were most likely to hit and issue commands accordingly.
During their previous practice session, he had already managed to guide everyone through a flawless run without a single paintball landing.
Thanks to that experience, none of Oenone's bubbles could strike anyone.
Even attacks launched from the trickiest angles were avoided under Ethel's guidance.
"Oh? Not bad."
A minute passed.
No one had been eliminated.
Even Oenone couldn't help but praise them.
"You've built some impressive teamwork."
As she spoke, she increased the output of her Concept.
An even greater wave of bubbles rushed toward the squad.
The denser barrage immediately increased the pressure on Ethel.
He had to issue far more commands just to keep everyone safe.
Even so, it remained within his capabilities.
Two minutes passed.
Then two and a half.
During those thirty seconds, Ethel noticed Oenone changing her strategy.
She was no longer spraying bubbles randomly.
Instead, she consciously guided each attack toward individual squad members.
The shift placed tremendous pressure on both Ethel and the team.
People finally started getting hit.
Fortunately, every impact landed on limbs—an elbow here, a foot there.
Not a single attack struck anyone's torso.
Thirty seconds remained.
"Concept Release: Friction Erasure."
"Fall back!"
The command echoed simultaneously in everyone's helmet.
They had agreed beforehand that if Ethel ever gave this order, they were to ignore everything else and retreat immediately.
To Ethel's eyes, the entire front half of the training room turned crimson.
Most of them escaped in time.
But the three Lost Ones on the front line met different fates.
Abby, positioned slightly farther back, retreated safely.
Yinbing realized she wouldn't make it by simply running.
Without hesitation, she flipped backward, planted her hands on the floor, and escaped upside down in a handstand.
Caught between them, Lyle almost made it.
Unfortunately, his right foot remained inside the red zone for just a fraction of a second too long.
The result was immediate.
He slipped spectacularly and crashed face-first onto the floor.
Even so, Ethel kept his attention fixed on everyone else.
After predicting the large-scale attack and ordering the retreat, he hadn't relaxed his vigilance.
He remained alert for any follow-up attacks.
Then—
He was buried beneath a mountain of bubbles.
"Pff..."
Ethel spat the bubbles out of his mouth.
Meanwhile, Oenone slid all the way across the room until she stopped in front of him.
Literally slid.
She hadn't walked.
"Ethel, this won't do."
She poked his forehead with a finger.
"Your highest priority should be protecting yourself."
"Only after that should you worry about everyone else."
She was right.
He had focused so completely on the Third Squad that he'd neglected the attacks aimed at himself.
He hadn't even noticed his own Concept warning him.
As a result, he ended up completely covered in bubbles.
"Go rinse yourself off."
"We'll do another round in a bit."
"I failed..."
Ethel lowered his head.
If this had been a real battle, he would already be dead.
Not only him.
Lyle, who hadn't escaped in time, probably would have died as well.
Ever since that gathering, Ethel had become painfully aware of the precarious situation Sunblaze City was facing.
He might be the only person capable of changing Tia's mind.
Because of that, he had resolved to perform every mission flawlessly.
Only then might Tia finally believe that she didn't have to shoulder every battle alone for people to survive.
Ethel wasn't afraid of failure.
He understood failure.
What terrified him was that every failure would only convince Tia further that only she could make her dream a reality.
He returned to the locker room, removed his bubble-covered uniform, and stepped into the shower.
"Your failure disgusts me."
"If you'd simply listened to me, none of this would've happened."
"You're the greatest disgrace of my life."
The voice from his memories returned once more.
The moment he felt discouraged, it mercilessly drove the knife in deeper.
The inescapable prison continued to consume him, determined to condemn him to endless punishment.
"Shut up!"
Ethel shouted back at the voice.
He had finally begun a new life.
New companions.
A new purpose.
He no longer wished to obey that voice unconditionally as he once had.
This time...
He wanted to follow his own heart.
To do that—
He had to become perfect.
ns216.73.217.114da2
and then Add to home screen.