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Chapter 66: Special Training
In North Blue, at Branch 321, the sun beat down fiercely on the school grounds as the yellow sand twirled in the air. Three extraordinary figures launched an attack on a dark-haired Marine standing in the center of the field. Their speed and strength were at their ultimate, and their teamwork neared perfection.
The flowing white cloaks that indicated their rank of major danced with their movements as they assaulted him from all sides. The surrounded man, with wild, unkempt hair and his muscular upper body exposed, sported a smile and seemed to handle their relentless assault with ease.
Clearly, Gion, Kake, and Flying Squirrel were besieging Darren.
Despite their numerical advantage, Gion and her companions had beads of sweat on their foreheads as if they were feeling immense pressure. It seemed as though it was Darren who was surrounding the three of them single-handedly!
"You're too weak, Kake. Haven't you had your meal? Such feeble punches feel like a tickle," Darren taunted with a mocking laugh, provoking Kake, who was already out of breath, to fury.
"Darren, you bastard! How dare you say that!?" Kake bellowed.
As a sharp, piercing noise came from behind, Darren effortlessly dodged Flying Squirrel and Gion's incoming blade. He teased, "What's the matter? Fingers getting limp? Can't handle it, little pup?"
While speaking, Darren cast a suggestive glance at Kake's crotch, the implications of which were enough to enrage any hot-blooded man.
"Darren, you're asking for it!! I'm going to fight you!!" The roar from Kake rattled the school grounds.
Steam poured from Kake's skin, white smoke from his nostrils, as he charged at Darren like a raging bull. His powerful step even created a massive crater more than five meters in diameter.
Then, Kake's speed soared, and he shot through the air like a cannonball. There was a deep thud as he landed a punch on Darren's face, sending blood splattering. Kake was momentarily stunned. Had he actually landed a hit? But his triumph was short-lived.
Darren, with his head held high, grinned through the blood on his lips. Far from upset or hurt, he smiled as if he had just found an intriguing toy.
"You've got a good punch," Darren said, his voice hinting at a mix of excitement and madness.
A chill ran through Kake as he sensed something ominous.
Without warning, Darren headbutted Kake with a thud, causing blood to spatter. Kake's world spun as a large black-gloved hand came into his blurry vision.
"Don't hit my face!!" Kake screamed.
Ignoring him, Darren grasped his face, lifted him off the ground, and hurled him down with such force that the surrounding area shattered into a web of cracks. The ground moaned under the impact, and Kake, half-buried, twitched his clog-clad legs in the air.
At that moment, the sound of a saber being drawn sliced through the din. A shining blade cut through the smoke, followed by the stern and composed face of Flying Squirrel, his military cap perched firmly atop his head.
The wide cloak fluttered behind him as Flying Squirrel's piercing eyes locked on Darren. His hands gripped the saber tightly as he slashed towards Darren with great timing. The saber, its blade alight, slashed down sharply, drawing a large amount of blood from Darren's chest.
"Well, that's a lot of progress."
Despite the shocking bloodstain on his chest, Darren looked at Flying Squirrel with eyes full of admiration, as if he was unharmed.
Flying Squirrel gave a wry smile and braced himself for Darren's powerful knee bump. Boom! His figure was sent flying upside down like a cannonball, knocking down three human-shaped stone targets before he landed in an embarrassing heap, spitting blood.
Right after Darren successfully struck, he felt a cold chill approaching from the sky above. The sharp sensation nearly made his pores stand on end.
"As expected of a future candidate for Admiral, the talent for swordsmanship is really amazing," Darren murmured to himself, and smiled as he reached out his hand. Bang! The famous golden knife suddenly slashed into Darren's palm and cut open his black glove, but it was firmly caught by his grip.
The bitter wind tossed the smoke and dust around. High in the air, Gion could be seen leaping with a knife in both hands, adopting her stance as her cloak fluttered vigorously, nearly perpendicular to the ground. She looked at Colonel Marine, who was smirking at her, and let out a low growl. Her famous sword, Jinpira, burst into bright brilliance as it tried to resist Darren's superhuman power, slashing down with all its might!
The knife came mere inches from hitting Colonel Marine's chest, but even with Gion's full strength, she couldn't land the final slash. Pushing it down even a centimeter more seemed like an elusive dream.
Darren didn't hold back. His grip tightened like iron pliers, and the clash between his fingers and the blade made a crisp sound of metal on metal. He pulled the knife with brazen force. At that moment, Gion was caught off balance and, completely stunned, Darren's fist hit her abdomen hard. Boom! White ripples of air exploded on her back.
Gion's face turned pale instantly, and she slumped to the ground, kneeling and clutching her abdomen, with blood leaking from her mouth.
The glaring blood dripped continuously from Darren's wound and was quickly absorbed by the ground's dust, leaving dark brown stains.
A smile appeared on Darren's face as he looked at Gion, Kake, and Flying Squirrel who had fallen to the ground and were gasping for breath.
"Well, let's stop here for today's training," he said under the gaze of their pained expressions. He blinked and added, "Continue tomorrow."
Then, he turned and strode towards the base chief's office.
Flying Squirrel rubbed his temples with distress. Gion lay on the ground, still gasping for breath, the long knife clutched tightly in her hand. Kake couldn't help but howl angrily, cursing, "Hateful!"
Today marked half a month since their trip to Germa Kingdom for a "weapons test." Since that day, Darren had taken them to "special training" every day under the guise of helping them improve their strength. But Kake always felt that Darren was simply finding new ways to "abuse food."