While Irvine is busy dodging and deflecting, the runaway Gnoll seizes the opportunity to snag a spear from one of its fallen comrades. Armed and apparently feeling bold again, it struts back into the fray like, "guess who's back?"
Our skinny hero can only let out a groan. "Oh, come on!"
Meanwhile, Elea just watches his fight silently without the slightest intention of doing anything, silently judging, occasionally impressed. But mostly, she shakes her head as if questioning the life choices that brought her to this moment. She can see Irvine's raw potential. But the amateur impression never eludes him.
Not to mention his quirks. Every so often, she hears him grumbling and talking to himself, making her wonder if he's secretly hosting a podcast in his head.
"I thought calling him useless was harsh. Turns out I was being kind."
Moments later, she notices that the battle elsewhere has ended. A few Gnolls flee into the darkness, tail between their legs. She finally decides to step in. Seeing Irvine still flailing against his six remaining opponents, she figures it's time to show off.
Without even a chant, she dashes toward the truck, her daggers gleaming in her hands. She has the sudden urge to demonstrate her assassin-like close combat skills, just to remind Irvine that throwing fireball is not the only thing she can do.
Leaping onto the truck roof, she then executes a flawless somersault, landing in the middle of the fray like a dancer hitting her final pose. The move is so unexpected that Irvine stumbles backward, landing on his butt with a loud thud.
In the next few seconds, chaos unfolds.
Slash, slash, slash!!!
Elea moves like a whirlwind of death, her daggers slicing through the air. Irvine tries to count her strikes but quickly gives up when severed limbs and Gnoll heads start flying around like confetti after the party, with their blood shot out like champagne bottles have just been uncorked. In less than 10 seconds, the carnage is done, leaving only one trembling Gnoll standing.
This last Gnoll barely has time to blink before Elea grabs it by the neck with one hand and its spear with the other. The design of her daggers, attached to her fingers like deadly extensions, lets her grip both effortlessly.
To Irvine's horror and awe, Elea lifts the Gnoll with one hand, snatches its spear, and then casually releases the monster. But before the poor creature's feet can hit the ground, Elea spins in midair and delivers a brutal back-kick to its chest.
BAM!
The Gnoll slams into the side of the truck with a metallic clang, making the whole vehicle sway. The monster even bounces off like a ragdoll, landing several meters away, where it lies motionless.
Elea isn't done yet. With a flick of her wrist, she tosses the spear into the air. It twirls dramatically before landing with precision right into the Gnoll's skull.
Jleb!
She then turns to face Irvine, her expression icy and unimpressed. Irvine, meanwhile, is sitting slack-jawed on the ground, visibly torn between terror and admiration.
"Is that the best you can do?" Elea teases, her smirk dripping with condescension. "For a Seed E student, I suppose lasting this long is… acceptable. But if you really want to become a top-rank Ezlenmir soldier, you'll need to step up your game."
Finishes with that, she easily cleans her daggers from the blood simply by a swift stroke, and then sheaths them back before walking away.
Her words hit Irvine like a bucket of cold water. Only two days ago, Atniel had assured him that becoming an S-rank Ezlenmir soldier was within his reach. But now? It feels like he's trying to climb a mountain with a toothpick.
<< Not gonna lie, >> Atniel chimes in. << She's leagues ahead of you. But hey, if she can reach that level, there's no reason you can't. >>
"But she's not like me!"
<< What are you talking about? She's just a human being, like you. >>
"She's an elf! Damn it!" Irvine snaps. "Pointed ears? Weird fur on her legs? You can't tell me that's human!"
<< Elves? I thought they were fairy tales. >>
Irvine glares at the empty air in frustration. "Seriously? You're supposed to be wise! How do I know more than you?"
Feeling thoroughly defeated, by both Elea's skills and Atniel's ignorance, Irvine drags himself back toward the group, hoping his mood will improve along the way.
But he can't be more wrong. There is something far more disturbing going on with them. This is about the conflict that Lily has caused after trying to kill their two medical ladies.
And now, Barry the cop is questioning Lily's worthiness to be included in their mission. "How could you put someone as crazy as her in this team?"
"I should be the one asking that question to you," Lily retorts. "And to these useless nurses. I know every mission needs medical personnel. But not two useless bitches like them."
"What's this all about?" Elea comes to them.
"They are here to ensure our safety, and this barbaric girl tried to kill them only because of a trivial matter," Barry explains impatiently.
"A trivial matter you say?" Lily's eyes blaze with anger. "Those two bitches are plotting to get my friend kicked out of the academy! Maybe that doesn't mean anything to you, but it's our lives at stake!"
Litzy, one of the medics, sneers. "Your friend doesn't belong in the academy anyway. She should've been kicked out ages ago."
"Excuse me!" Jack cuts in, raising a hand like he's in a debate club. "I don't care about your drama, but you don't get to decide who's worthy of being an Ezlenmir student."
The other medical lady named Rebecca interferes. "I was also an Ezlenmir student before you, thought I never graduated from there. I'm telling you, once they know that she was praying to God during a mission, they will immediately kick her out of the academy. And I don't need to conspire anything. It's one of the unwritten prohibitions, but it is actually the most sacred rule in the academy."
"Are you being serious?" Jack grimaces. "She's praying to some invisible guy in the sky. I get it, it's silly. But why the hell would the academy take it that seriously?"
Elea steps forward, her face unusually serious. "She is telling the truth. If they learn about this, she will be expelled from the academy for sure."