*
This was the second training, as usual she mercilessly fired her machine gun barrage of blood bullets, narrowly missing my body by a hair's breadth. I make fill use of my propulsion technique to move faster than the bullets moving my way. This time Palmicia took a more active approach, and actively trailed the bullets behind my tail. Sometimes she would also curve her trajectories or move them backwards to close the distance on me.
Unlike the first training where she was passively raining bullets over my head, this was several magnitudes harder. The amount that I had to dodge had practically multiple 50 fold, fatigue mounted my limbs immediately like solidified concrete. Even then, I don't want to die, so I'll have to keep dodging. I kept pushing, moving, even if it hurt my legs to no end I still have to dodge! I feel the air pressure approaching my head, at this point I was starting to be able to predict where the attacks were coming from.
She had begun to chase after me with the dense rain of blood bullets, who's to say that she won't suddenly swerve it's aim directly on me? I have to be prepared for that moment, every tiny frame of time she doesn't do that is the time given to me to plan for her future attacks. I know a barrier would never hold up, so... Now!
Palmicia twisted her gloved palms to point the bullets directly at my head, before shooting them at absurd velocities. They still look like streaks of red to me, and even if only for an instant, I could predict the time of collision for when the bullet is about to hit me. It allowed me to know when the bullets would hit me, giving me the time frame I could work with to dodge them. Since there is no time in this instance where she directly aims the bullets at me...
I know a barrier would never be able to hold up. I have to intercept the attacks without putting all my faith into my defense. There would always be times that the enemy has broken through one's defense, in such scenarios I can only intercept their attack head on if I can't dodge. So I deflect, I bent the wind current around me at specific angles. Even if it only rotates the bullets by a couple degrees, combined with my own evasive movement, it should compound into a greater effect. I twist my body to the right slightly, the left side of my body rotates backwards to let the bullet pass and the deflecting winds alter their trajectories.
*Pew! Pew! *
Ear splitting destruction erupts behind me as the bullets land on the ground. The air pressure of the bullets themselves had disrupted the deflecting winds, allowing the next bullet following closely behind to keep its course, especially with the slipstream it creates. The second bullet travelled a path of little to no resistance, making it stronger than the first attack, not that it mattered anymore when she was firing hundreds per second. I pivot on my right foot and jump backwards with the propulsion technique. Using the propulsion force to deflect some of the bullets heading my way.
Returning to a safe distance, I resumed my lateral running, forcing Palmicia to trail after me. How did the training end the previous time... It was when I reached and punched her right? Damn it, how am I suppose to do that this time? It's many times harder than before! I continue to use the propulsion technique, turning at the sharp angles I practiced yesterday to lose the barrage of bullets following me. She's adding pressure on me... Does that mean I have to return the favour? But how... My attacks just don't match up to hers in power. They get torn to shreds by her blood barrage before they even get close...
This was way too troublesome, I formed my usual vacuum sword in hand. It had a vague outline that looked like the world itself was painted over with black water paint. It was a sword that continuously sucked light and matter in to power itself. A type of sword that takes advantage of a material's hardness to tear that material apart. By sucking in the material, the sword is able to seperate the particles of it apart onto its 2 flat sides. It was only limited by the amount of magical particles I input to fuel it, and subsequently the amount of suction or seperation power.
By making it super thin, it becomes sharper and increases the pressure exerted by decreasing the surface area. Normal technique - Vacuum blade, extended slash! It's length shot forward in a burst as my swin causes it to mod down the bullets and reach Palmicia's neck. A block of dark crimson seperated the blade and her neck as the blood barrage stops. As if all the tension had left my body, my legs and body collapse from exhaustion. The blood gathers once more towards her right hand fingers, forming a small blade like a dagger.
Ah.... I know what she's about to do... I roll to my right to dodge her blood dagger and sent a propulsion right under my torso. The pain of my ribs and belly ached incredibly, but dying was arguable worse. So I sent myself into the air and my arms wrap around her neck for a strangle hold.
Ghhh..... Ghhh.. Ghhhh! I squeeze my arms ever tighter as if I was hanging on for dear life, I put all my strength into my arms and back as I pushed her slightly back. It felt like my eyes would pop out at any moment as I felt like my cheeks convulsed. If I couldn't punch through her neck, surely squeezing with both arms would at least cause some pressure...
"HNNRGHAAAAAAh! HAAAAAH!"
I made use of my entire body wait to pull her neck towards the ground, attempting to smash her head onto the ground but she wouldn't budge. She swings her right arm with the blood blade, while my left arm quickly covered up my heart. Using the propulsion technique, I jumped away as fast as possible to put distance between us...
"Hurgh!"
I spat blood onto the ground. But unlike the first day, I was smiling smugly at her as the blood bubbled through my throat. With her speed, there was no point trying to dodge her attack entirely. She moved way faster than, so I might as well practice to be able to take lethal attacks... "Heheh! Hehahahaha!" My eyes water with ridicule, even though there was a gaping wound in my torso, I had gone behind her on purpose, made her think my heart was directly behind her.
I finally deceived her just by shifting my position a bit! What she impaled wasn't my heart but my lung. It didn't matter how bad that was, I was a high grade magical girl. As long as it was not the heart or brain, I could regenerate it. And most of all, I have deceived her. She stares blankly before releasing a soft smile. What the heck! Can't you at least pretend to look frustrated? Stop smiling! It's scaring me!
"Alright, training is over for today. Training with me that is. You better practice enough to use that extended slash at any time. I'll be going now." (Palmicia)
"..."
Urgh... That really hurt, to just have a chunk of my lung gouged out... The ground is wet with my blood again... Even though it barely dried when we got here. I wonder how many more times is she going to paint the ground with my blood? In any case, practice the extended slash? I didn't practice it in the first place because I hated it... In exchange for power, its range increases. Meaning it got weaker the longer it got... It won't be practical in fights... Just like with Palmicia, the enemy would easily block it with their own skill, since the power behind it has been reduced...
Though I have a feeling that I have to master it now, or I'll die tomorrow... Practicing the school taught swordstyle, I moved my limbs a little to get used to it. I haven't used the sword style in a long time since I graduated, it was a standard style that anyone could learn due to how simple and easy it was. Thus, it really wasn't suitable for battles... It was a contradiction that encouraged people to pursue harder schools of swordstyle or develop their own techniques...
The basics... Footwork. I need my legs to move how I want them to if I want to fight with a sword. Luckily I already had highly intensive training when I was made to jump at tight angles on the first day. The black sword gives off a deep whirring noise as it cut through the air, causing a vaccum of air to be formed and filled immediately. Left... Right... Left... Right... Forward and... Backward. After a quick warm up, I sync up my foot steps with my posture and lowered my centre of gravity slightly. I need to find my own way of fighting since no one else wants to teach or know how.
It doesn't have to be anything extravagant, maybe it would be easier to visualise if I focus on a single theme. Then it has to be pitted against numerous opponents, or one strong opponent. I see, if you so graciously extended your help knowing it was dangerous, then I'll fully take up on your offer. Palmicia, I swear I'll take your head. And before that, I'll test everything out on you, knowing you won't die like my comrades. Right now, she looked like the perfect training dummy for me to beat up while I hone my body.
Extending the sword by 20 cm, I begin to get used to its length. I usually make it a little short because I wasn't used to wielding a sword, and making it too long would make it harder to handle. Shorter swords had a shorter range, but that meant that it was easier to pull back and reach closer to my own body if the opponent got into close range.
Space management and footwork was simply easier if I didn't have to focus on positioning the blade into a usable posture. If its too long, the enemy can slip past it and I would be in trouble. Prior to becoming a magical girl, my only experience with a sword was swinging a badminton racket... So that was the only length I was used to swinging with. It was my only reference with handling a lengthy object...
But now was the time, to get used to varying lengths of this blade. It was shaped like a western blade, it was double edged so I didn't have to trouble myself with orientating its direction if it was one sided like a katana. Usually I used 2 arms in order to exert all my arm strength into it, I much prefer this to flimsy duel wielding which halfed the amount of strength to double the number of sharp edges.
After some time practicing to slash with longer blades, it was time to incorporate movement with it. Mainly with super hollow propulsion and tight angles. In some instances, I found it better to turn my body completely from the other side, than to try and stretch a little more from my original posture. I think I was just about done with training now. I'll correct the rest of it during tomorrow's training with Palmicia.
I won't forget the pain I went through. My body has been tempered with by the tough training that was nearly inhuman. But we are magical girls, so it was fine for training to be absurd. Letting lose my muscles, they began to ache as I walked to the public bathhouse. Having perspired a lot, I usually just reserve the female side so I won't run into anyone else. Even if I was a guy before... Maybe because I was a guy before I wanted to enjoy bathing with this body.
Heheh, I should be allowed to have some fun right? After all it was my own body. Well, it was a rare experience that I wanted to relish. After washing off my sweat, I gradually went into the flowing hot spring. Apparently the water was heated with some kind of simple magic tool, which was usually expensive but useful for a business to save costs. Ahh~, I could feel my fatigue melting away as if Palmicia impaling my right lung a while ago was just an illusion... I feel like my thoughts were a little strange, but I couldn't put my finger on it so I ignored them.
Why think so hard when you can just relax? Mhmmm, it was especially euphoric after a days worth of hard training. Though there were some things I couldn't really enjoy. Such as the water skin treatment, it was good for my skin, but as a magical girl the magical particles already maintain the quality of my skin. There was also my creaking and crying joints, even though my mind and skin was healed, my joints still hurt after such intensive movements. They were far above even what a magical girl could experience. I feel like Palmicia must be numbing my senses... Or else I wouldn't be able to push my body this hard normally...
Anyway, I should get back if not I'll fall asleep in here. Just after... 5 more minutes...