Three days had passed since Hina had saved Lefa from Benimaru's rough energy slash and helped protect the kingdom of Ingrasya with her lightning-fast movements. In those days, Benimaru had been unable to stop thinking about Hina's incredible skills.
One morning, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Benimaru approached Hina with a request. "Would you spar with me, Hina?" His eyes sparkled with eagerness. Hina, who had been preoccupied with her own thoughts, was taken aback by his enthusiasm.
"No," she replied, continuing her walk towards the castle.
But Benimaru was persistent. "Please, I need to gauge how powerful you are," he pleaded.
After the fourth request, Hina finally agreed. "Alright, I will agree to your friendly spar."
Benimaru's face lit up with joy. He bowed deeply and said, "I will make the most out of it."
From a distance, Flicker and Kanade heard the exchange. Kanade called out, "Benimaru, what are you doing?"
Benimaru looked back at her, grinning. "I just want to test my skills against Hina."
Kanade rolled her eyes. "Why her? Just because she deflected your energy slash doesn't mean she can beat you."
Benimaru shook his head. "But she's the one who slayed all the enemies in the kingdom with one swift move. I couldn't even see her in action; all I saw was the aftermath—the enemies obliterated to dust and ashes."
Hina, overhearing their conversation, stepped forward. "Alright, I'll take on the three of you," she said calmly.
Flicker looked at her in disbelief. "Hina, what are you doing? You can't do that. You are a princess, after all."
"It's alright," Hina replied in a calm voice.
Flicker questioned her further. "Are you sure about this?"
Hina nodded. "Yes, I am very sure. But there's one condition—you must use all the powerful attacks you've got and don't hold back."
Benimaru's eyes lit up. "That's the spirit!"
Hina raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you are a hero?"
Benimaru blushed, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry, I got carried away."
Hina smiled softly. "It's alright."
With that, the three of them made their way to the training ground, the air buzzing with anticipation.
The trio arrived at the training ground, the sun casting long shadows over the field. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Hina stepped forward, her expression calm and confident. As Benimaru, Kanade, and Flicker prepared themselves, Hina did something unexpected. She tied her hands behind her back, adopting a relaxed stance.
Kanade was the first to react. "Stop fooling around, Princess!" she called out, her voice laced with concern.
Flicker, her face mirroring Kanade's worry, added, "You could get hurt!"
Ignoring their protests, Benimaru took his position, raising Excalibur high. The sword gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, a testament to its legendary power. "I won't hold back, Hina," he warned, his voice steady yet respectful.
Kanade, standing next to him, readied her weapon, Storm Breaker. The gun was a masterpiece of engineering and magic, capable of unleashing devastating attacks. "As a master gunner, I cannot promise your safety, Hina," she said, her eyes sharp and focused.
Flicker, on Benimaru's other side, prepared her Staff of Tempest. The staff crackled with arcane energy, a symbol of her prowess as the kingdom's Grand Sorceress. "I am a Grand Sorceress in this kingdom. I, too, cannot promise your safety," she echoed, her voice carrying the weight of her responsibility.
Hina, with her hands bound and a serene smile on her face, looked at each of them in turn. Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of mischief and confidence. She grinned widely, her stance unyielding. "That's alright," she said, her voice calm and unwavering.
The training ground crackled with energy as Benimaru, Kanade, and Flicker faced Hina. Despite her hands being tied behind her back, her serene confidence set the stage for an epic clash.
With a battle cry, Benimaru charged forward, Excalibur gleaming with raw power. He unleashed his ultimate attack, a continuous barrage of energy slashes that ripped through the air with terrifying speed and force. Each strike was aimed with deadly precision, yet Hina moved like a phantom, effortlessly dodging each one. She skipped lightly across the ground, her movements fluid and graceful.
Flicker followed suit, her Staff of Tempest glowing with arcane might. She cast a series of powerful spells, bolts of lightning and bursts of elemental fury that lit up the training ground. The air sizzled with magic, but Hina danced through the onslaught, her agility making it seem as though she was simply taking a walk in the park.
Kanade, not to be outdone, readied Storm Breaker. She unleashed her ultimate attack, a barrage of high-speed bullets imbued with magical energy. Each shot was a blur, faster than the eye could see. The bullets streaked towards Hina, who continued to evade every attack with uncanny precision.
Benimaru gritted his teeth, pushing himself harder. "I won't let you dodge this one!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the training ground. He combined his energy slashes into a single, massive strike, the sheer force of it splitting the earth beneath him.
Flicker summoned a vortex of wind and fire, directing it towards Hina with pinpoint accuracy. The swirling inferno roared as it closed in on her, but Hina twisted and turned, always one step ahead.
Kanade fired her bullets in rapid succession, each one imbued with the full extent of her power. The air hummed with the velocity of her shots, each one aimed to corner Hina and force her to make a mistake.
Yet, in the midst of this relentless assault, Hina remained untouched. She moved with an almost supernatural grace, her body a blur of motion. Suddenly, she disappeared from their sight.
Benimaru, Flicker, and Kanade paused, scanning the battlefield with a mix of confusion and frustration. "Where is she?" Benimaru muttered, his eyes darting around.
Without warning, Hina reappeared behind them. She stood there, her hands still tied behind her back, her expression as calm as ever. "What are you doing? Are you hitting the air?" she asked, her tone teasing.
Kanade's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible," she whispered, shaking her head. "The fastest bullets I can muster have been outspeed..."
Benimaru tightened his grip on Excalibur, determination burning in his eyes. With a fierce battle cry, he charged at Hina once more, his ultimate attack even more powerful than before. This time, Hina had freed herself from the tied rope, her hands moving with incredible speed and precision. Each of Benimaru's powerful slashes was effortlessly blocked by Hina's bare hands, surrounded by shimmering magical barriers that deflected the blows with ease.
Kanade, not wanting to be outdone, fired her Storm Breaker again. Each shot was a perfect combination of speed and power, but Hina moved with inhuman grace, dodging the bullets with ease. She even began to block some of the bullets with just her fingers, flicking them away as if they were mere nuisances. Each deflected bullet ricocheted harmlessly into the ground, creating small craters where they landed.
Hina's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oops, my bad," she teased. "Are you seeing the difference in our power now?"
Flicker, her face set with determination, summoned a powerful lightning golem. The creature, towering and crackling with electrical energy, charged at Hina, its fists swinging with devastating force. Hina stood her ground, meeting the golem's attack head-on. She blocked its massive fists with her bare hands, the impact creating shockwaves that rippled through the ground.
With a casual flick of her wrist, Hina said, "Vanish." The lightning golem disintegrated instantly, along with a significant portion of the ground beneath it, leaving behind a smoking crater. Benimaru, Kanade, and Flicker stared in awe at the sheer destructive power Hina had displayed with such little effort.
Benimaru jumped back, his eyes wide with a mix of respect and disbelief. Hina's calm, collected demeanor only added to the intensity of the moment. "Are you sure that's the strongest you have?" she asked, her voice filled with quiet confidence. "I'm only using 10% of my power."
Benimaru looked at her, his breath coming in heavy pants, his mind racing. Even Excalibur, with all its legendary power, seemed ineffective against her. "Even Excalibur couldn't scratch you," he said, shaking his head in awe. "And you're not even out of breath once. Amazing."
Hina's eyes darkened, glowing an eerie blue as she gazed at her opponents. "Looks like it's my turn to attack," she said, her voice resonating with an otherworldly power. Benimaru's heart raced as he shouted, "Brace for impact!"
Flicker immediately responded, casting the most powerful barriers she could muster. A shimmering dome of magical energy encased them, layered thirty times thick. The air crackled with the intensity of the spell, the barriers gleaming with iridescent light. The trio stood ready, their senses heightened, eyes darting in all directions to track Hina.
Suddenly, Hina vanished, her speed so incredible that she seemed to dissolve into thin air. Benimaru, Kanade, and Flicker spun around, trying to locate her. "Where did Hina go?" Kanade asked, her voice tinged with anxiety.
Before they could comprehend, Hina reappeared, her figure a blur. She slapped the barriers with an effortless motion, and the effect was cataclysmic. Each layer of Flicker's powerful barrier shattered like fragile glass, a cascade of magical energy exploding outwards. The ground beneath them disintegrated, chunks of earth vaporizing under the sheer force of her strike. The shockwave rippled through the battlefield, uprooting trees and sending debris flying.
The trio closed their eyes, bracing for the inevitable end. "This is it," Benimaru thought, his mind filled with regret. "We are going to die."
But instead of a deadly strike, there was an unexpected calm. Hina's voice cut through the chaos, serene and almost amused. "What are you talking about? I'm just sleeping under the tree."
Benimaru, Kanade, and Flicker opened their eyes, bewildered. They saw Hina casually lying under a nearby tree, her posture relaxed, her expression one of playful innocence. The contrast between her overwhelming power and her nonchalant demeanor was staggering.
"Whaaat?" they exclaimed in unison, their voices echoing their sheer disbelief.
Hina chuckled, sitting up with a smile. "You have great respect for me," Benimaru said, his voice filled with awe. "You truly have the power of a goddess."
Hina waved her hand dismissively, her face taking on a comically exaggerated expression of denial. "No, no, no," she insisted, shaking her head. "You just misunderstand. I am not a goddess. I have no connection to a god."
Her playful tone and exaggerated expressions broke the tension, and the trio couldn't help but laugh, their respect for her deepening even more. Despite her immense power, Hina's humility and humor shone through, endearing her to them even further.
In that moment, they realized that Hina's true strength lay not just in her incredible abilities, but in her character. She was a powerful warrior, but also a friend, capable of great feats and light-hearted moments alike. The training ground, once a site of intense battle, now echoed with their laughter and camaraderie, the bonds of their friendship strengthened by the experience.
All the guards in the castle rushed to the training ground, drawn by the cataclysmic explosions and the obliteration of the terrain. Leading the charge was Gild, the leader of the knights, his face a mask of urgency and concern. As he surveyed the scene, his eyes widened in shock.
"Oh my god," Gild muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "What happened here? This training ground... it looks like a battleground for the gods."
The knights, standing behind him, shared his horror. Their eyes were wide with fear and confusion as they took in the devastation. The ground was scarred and cratered, the remnants of powerful magic still lingering in the air. One of the knights, his voice trembling, asked, "What is this?"
Benimaru stepped forward, trying to ease their concerns. "We were just testing our power, seeing what level we can reach," he explained, his tone calm yet firm.
Flicker and Kanade nodded in agreement, though their faces betrayed their awkwardness. "Yeah," Flicker added, a sheepish grin spreading across her face. "Just a friendly spar."
Kanade chimed in, trying to sound nonchalant. "Nothing to worry about."
In the distance, Hina stood calmly, her demeanor contrasting sharply with the chaos around her. "I am just watching the event unfold," she said, her voice carrying over the training ground with an almost serene detachment.
Benimaru glanced at Hina, his mind racing. "Wow," he thought, "she was by my side just a moment ago, and now she's vanished again."
Gild, still processing the scene before him, turned his attention to Hina. "Just watching?" he echoed, his tone incredulous. "This... this looks like a divine clash!"
Hina shrugged, her expression one of gentle amusement. "Perhaps," she said softly, "but it was all in good fun."
The knights exchanged nervous glances, still unsure of what to make of the situation. The sheer scale of the destruction was unlike anything they had ever seen, and the idea that it was the result of a mere sparring match was almost too much to comprehend.
Benimaru, sensing the unease among the knights, tried to lighten the mood. "Think of it as a... a demonstration," he said with a grin. "Just showing you what we're capable of."
Flicker and Kanade nodded vigorously, trying to back him up. "Yeah, a demonstration," Kanade said, her voice a little too enthusiastic.
Flicker added, "We didn't mean to cause any alarm. We just got a bit carried away."
Hina, watching the exchange with a knowing smile, finally stepped forward. "You have nothing to fear," she assured the knights. "We're here to protect the kingdom, not destroy it."
Her words seemed to have a calming effect, and the tension in the air began to dissipate. The knights, though still wary, began to relax, their trust in the hero's party slowly being restored.
Gild sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried to regain his composure. "Just... maybe next time, give us a heads up before you decide to 'test your power,'" he said, his tone a mix of exasperation and admiration.
Benimaru laughed, a sound filled with genuine amusement. "Will do, Gild. Will do."
As the knights began to disperse, returning to their posts with a newfound respect for the hero's party, Benimaru couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Despite the chaos, they had proven their strength and unity. And with Hina by their side, he knew that they were capable of facing any challenge that came their way.
Hina's presence, both powerful and enigmatic, was a constant reminder of the potential within each of them. As they prepared to continue their journey, Benimaru felt a renewed sense of determination. Together, they would protect the kingdom and each other, no matter the odds.
The training ground, now a testament to their strength, stood as a symbol of their resolve and the bonds they had forged. And as the sun set, casting a golden glow over the castle, the hero's party knew that their greatest adventures were still ahead of them.