The massive shockwave sent the three girls on the edge of the training field—Du Qiangwei and her companions—tumbling uncontrollably.
Ignoring the girls on the sidelines, in the middle of the field, Di Leina was feeling the power coming from the Storm Battle Axe. She was both shocked and impressed by Zhang Zheng's power and made a preliminary judgment about him as a close-combat warrior.
After assessing Zhang Zheng's strength, Di Leina took a powerful leap back using the energy from the Storm Battle Axe. She drew the Dawn Shield in her left hand and sheathed the Sky-Top Blade in her right. She then concentrated a solar flare, which emitted no radiation, and shot it toward Zhang Zheng.
Seeing Di Leina's quick reaction, Zhang Zheng nodded to himself. As expected from a deity nurtured by the Sun Star for many years, although still young and unable to unleash her full power, her combat instincts were excellent. She immediately changed her strategy to a ranged attack upon realizing that sheer force alone wouldn't be enough to suppress her opponent.
Zhang Zheng, while admiring Di Leina's combat awareness, wasn't bothered by it. After all, he had only gained his powers a year ago and usually lived as an ordinary person. He had only truly engaged in battle twice: once against the Taotie Void Warrior and once against the god Snu of the River Styx. Both encounters were straightforward displays of brute force.
Facing Di Leina now gave Zhang Zheng a chance to improve his skills.
Thinking this, Zhang Zheng charged forward to meet the solar flare. As the flare was about to hit him, he tilted his head to dodge it and simultaneously swung the Storm Battle Axe toward Di Leina.
Di Leina, seeing Zhang Zheng's swing, showed no fear. She raised the Dawn Shield to block the Storm Battle Axe, producing a deep metallic clash. While blocking Zhang Zheng's attack, she summoned the Sky-Top Blade in her right hand and thrust it directly at Zhang Zheng.
Zhang Zheng, seeing the blade thrusting at his abdomen, quickly withdrew his axe and stepped back to dodge Di Leina's strike. He then turned around and swung the Storm Battle Axe horizontally at Di Leina's head.
Di Leina wasn't flustered. She bent down and dodged Zhang Zheng's horizontal sweep, then, as the axe passed over her head, she stood up and delivered a side kick to Zhang Zheng's chest.
Due to inertia, Zhang Zheng had no time to dodge and could only raise his left arm to block Di Leina's kick. Although he blocked the kick, he was still forced back several meters.
The two resumed their standoff.
The exchange, though intense, was completed in just a few seconds.
From a distance, Du Qiangwei and the others hadn't yet recovered from the initial shock when they heard another loud bang and felt another wave of heat. They saw that Di Leina's solar flare had created a deep pit with a diameter of several meters on the other side of the training field.
Looking at the two fighters in the field, Du Qiangwei and the others were speechless and deeply worried. Was this the kind of war they would face in the future? Would the enemies be this powerful? Rui Mengmeng started to feel a bit afraid.
Du Qiangwei didn't notice Rui Mengmeng's change in emotion because she was focused on the standoff between the two.
The attentive little policewoman, however, noticed Rui Mengmeng's unease and approached to comfort her. "Mengmeng, don't be afraid. According to Commander Lianfeng, we are also carriers of super genes and will become as strong as them eventually. Have a bit more confidence in yourself."
Upon hearing Qilin's words, Rui Mengmeng's anxious heart finally calmed down and she no longer felt as uneasy as before.
…
Back to the ongoing confrontation.
Di Leina suddenly charged at Zhang Zheng, her Sky-Top Blade emitting a dazzling golden light—a result of Di Leina channeling fusion energy into the blade.
Seeing Di Leina charging with such grandeur, Zhang Zheng remained calm. He raised his axe and threw the Storm Battle Axe directly at Di Leina.
The flying Storm Battle Axe released blinding blue lightning and cleaved straight toward Di Leina, carving a deep trench in the ground below.
Di Leina was startled by Zhang Zheng's unexpected move. "What's this?"
Despite mentally criticizing Zhang Zheng for not playing by the rules, Di Leina acted swiftly. While the Dawn Shield blocked the Storm Battle Axe, she was still knocked back by the tremendous force and slid across the ground for more than ten meters.
Reacting quickly, Di Leina stabilized herself and used the Dawn Shield to deflect the Storm Battle Axe before charging at Zhang Zheng, now unarmed, intending to teach him a lesson and make him remember his place.
In Di Leina's eyes, Zhang Zheng was now just a fool. What kind of warrior throws their weapon away in a fight? The axe was for close combat, not a ranged weapon like a throwing knife.
As Di Leina imagined how to punish Zhang Zheng and make him kneel before her, she saw Zhang Zheng extend his right hand toward her with fingers spread wide.
Was this a provocation? Just as Di Leina wondered, she heard a tearing sound behind her and quickly dodged to the side.
In the blink of an eye, the Storm Battle Axe returned to Zhang Zheng's hand.
Seeing Di Leina awkwardly avoid the axe, Zhang Zheng knew it was time to end the fight. If this continued, Di Leina's arrogance might lead her to use her ultimate move recklessly.
Zhang Zheng didn't want to see such a result.
As expected, Di Leina was now surrounded by glaring golden solar energy, with a miniature solar flare forming in her palm.
"Please, Goddess, have mercy. I surrender," Zhang Zheng shouted at Di Leina.
Hearing Zhang Zheng's surrender, Di Leina reluctantly dissipated the miniature flare from her hand. However, she said, "The duel isn't over yet. How can you surrender?"
Zhang Zheng, looking at the fierce Di Leina, replied helplessly, "If you don't surrender now, someone might get hurt."
He glanced at the girls on the sidelines.
Zhang Zheng wasn't afraid of a miniature flare, but if Du Qiangwei and the others were caught in it, besides Du Qiangwei who could use a micro wormhole to escape, Qilin and Rui Mengmeng would either be seriously injured or worse.
Clearly, Di Leina didn't understand Zhang Zheng's concern and thought he was simply scared. She had forgotten her earlier clumsiness.
Walking up to Zhang Zheng with a carefree attitude, Di Leina patted his shoulder with her fair hand and said, "Although you lost, this goddess recognizes your ability. From now on, you'll be my top subordinate. Listen to me, and I'll look out for you on the battlefield."
Without waiting for Zhang Zheng's response, Di Leina turned and walked toward the girls on the sidelines, even adding a touch of her usual dramatic flair, "I am a goddess…"
Zhang Zheng watched as Di Leina talked to Du Qiangwei and the others, and his earlier displeasure dissipated. Though she was a deity, she was just a kind-hearted, albeit naive, girl.
Thinking this, Zhang Zheng also walked quickly to join the others.
"Thank you for saving me," Qilin suddenly said to Zhang Zheng.
"Oh, no need to mention it. You're making me feel embarrassed. If I had acted sooner, you wouldn't have been hurt," Zhang Zheng said, feeling a bit shy.
"It's not like that. Even though you acted a bit late, you still saved many people," Qilin, being kind-hearted, didn't blame Zhang Zheng for her injury but thanked him for defeating the aliens and saving many lives.
Di Leina and the others looked at Zhang Zheng's guilty expression and Qilin's defense with ambiguous smiles.
"Wow, a terror attack," Zhao Xin said in amazement. He and Ge Xiaolun had been chatting in class when they heard the thunder and explosions from the training field. Out of curiosity, they came over but arrived too late to see Zhang Zheng and Di Leina's fight.
From a distance, they saw Zhang Zheng chatting with Qilin, while Di Leina and the others looked on with ambiguous expressions.
Curious, they decided to ask about the situation. However, before they got close to the girls, they saw the devastated training field and couldn't help but exclaim.
Ge Xiaolun and Cheng Yaowen also saw the scene and remained silent, not sure what to think.
Only Liu Chuang, being straightforward, asked, "Hey, what happened to Sister Leina? Was there really a terror attack?"
"Get lost… Get lost… Get lost, there was no terror attack. It was just a little sparring between me and Zhang Zheng to understand each other's combat abilities. It's just a minor scene," Di Leina said proudly, her smile radiating with undeniable charm.
If it were usually, a few admirers would have already grovelled at her feet. But now, the three stood there, questioning, "Is this really within human capability?" This was the unspoken sentiment of Ge Xiaolun, Zhao Xin, and Liu Chuang.
Coming to their senses, they looked at Cheng Yaowen, who was calm, and asked, "Yaowen, what do you think?"
"I've seen more destructive force than this, so there's nothing surprising here," Cheng Yaowen said with a hint of melancholy, thinking about his lost planet.
Hearing Cheng Yaowen's words, the others were even more stunned. "Greater destructive force?"
"Just work hard, and you'll reach this level soon," Di Leina said.