The pace of training at Shadow Academy was suffocatingly fast. Yesterday's forest assault was just an appetizer; the real test began now. The next day, Rin's training group was summoned to a new simulated battlefield—an abandoned industrial factory. It was dimly lit, crisscrossed with steel frameworks, and piled high with discarded machinery, making it a perfect spot for ambushes and confrontations. Today's mission was a team vs. team combat exercise, their five-person squad against another five-person team of new students.
The instructor's cold voice echoed through the loudspeakers: "The rules are simple. Defeat your opponents, or be eliminated. There are ten sensor flags inside the factory. Capture five, or 'eliminate' all enemy members, to win. Move out!"
At the command, both teams surged into the factory like hungry wolves. Rin's gaze immediately locked onto Ye Xue. Her figure was agile, her ink-black hair cutting an arc in the dim light, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the steel frames. Rin knew she possessed extraordinary instincts and skills.
"Flank from the right. Buzz-cut, you feint from the front. Ye Xue and I will break through the middle!" Rin's voice was low and calm, carrying an undeniable leadership. This was a habit carried over from his past life as the "Blade of Demise," commanding a team; it emerged naturally.
The buzz-cut boy and the other two team members froze for a moment, clearly surprised by Rin's command. After all, he had been bullied by them just yesterday. However, the powerful aura Rin exuded, combined with yesterday's "perfect throat slit," made them instinctively obey.
Only Ye Xue remained still. Her eyes coldly flickered towards Rin, giving no response. She proceeded directly towards what she considered the "optimal route"—a narrow passage on the factory's left side—clearly disregarding his instructions.
Rin's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He had anticipated Ye Xue's distrust, but not that she would so directly ignore his command. This caused a slight discomfort in his former assassin's instinct to control every situation. However, he had no time to dwell on it. He quickly adjusted his tactics, gesturing for the buzz-cut boy and the others to proceed as originally planned, while he changed his route, moving in parallel to Ye Xue's left, attempting to cover any potential vulnerabilities her independent action might create.
Soon, Rin's team encountered an ambush. Three opponents lunged from behind a discarded shipping container, targeting the dispersed Ye Xue. Though Ye Xue was agile, facing three opponents simultaneously put her at a disadvantage. Her throwing needles were sharp, but she couldn't suppress all enemies at once. One opponent seized an opportunity, a rope with a barbed hook swinging fiercely, aiming for Ye Xue's ankle.
In the nick of time, Rin moved. He darted out of the shadows like a ghost, with astonishing speed. Almost the instant the rope was about to ensnare Ye Xue, Rin's short dagger flashed like lightning, precisely severing the rope. Simultaneously, he forcefully pushed Ye Xue away, pulling her out of the attack's range.
In that moment, Rin's body acted purely on instinct. He didn't even have time to think that by pushing Ye Xue away, his own position was exposed to the encirclement of the three enemies.
"Got you!" one opponent sneered, swinging a short stick at Rin's head.
However, just as Rin pushed her away and Ye Xue lost her balance, a purer killing instinct erupted from within her. Her eyes suddenly became cold and sharp, almost identical to the gaze of the "Blade of Demise" in Rin's memories. She didn't hesitate, showed no emotion. Her body twisted unnaturally in mid-air, like a snapped willow branch, evading Rin's pull. At the same time, her right hand shot out like lightning, fingers hooked, precisely grabbing the wrist of the opponent charging at Rin.
"CRACK!"
The crisp sound of bone breaking echoed clearly through the factory. The opponent shrieked, his short stick clattering to the ground. Ye Xue didn't stop. Her body executed a perfect mid-air flip, her left leg kicking out like lightning, hitting another opponent squarely on the jaw. That person grunted, their body flying like a sandbag, crashing heavily against the steel framework behind them, instantly "eliminated."
Almost simultaneously, Rin launched his counterattack. His movements were equally concise and efficient, like a black bolt of lightning, weaving between the other two opponents. His dagger slashed, precisely carving several wounds onto the opponents, which, though a simulation, were enough to send sharp pangs of pain through them. Before the two opponents could even react, Rin deftly disarmed them, instantly neutralizing their combat capability.
The entire process happened incredibly fast. From Rin pushing Ye Xue away to both of them subduing their opponents almost simultaneously, it took less than three seconds. Their coordination was so fluid, it was as if they had trained together countless times, without any wasted motion or hesitation. It was more than mere synergy—it was a symbiotic cooperation born from life-and-death encounters.
From a distance, the buzz-cut boy and the other teammates stood dumbfounded. They just saw a blur, and then all the enemies were down. Was this a hastily formed team? No, this was clearly a pair of top-tier partners, forged through countless trials!
When the dust of the combat settled, Rin and Ye Xue stood rooted in place. In the factory's dim lights, both were breathing heavily. They didn't speak, just quietly stared at each other. A complex emotion flickered in Ye Xue's eyes: shock, confusion, and an indescribable sense of familiarity that she instantly suppressed. She saw in Rin's eyes the same cold composure and killing instinct that mirrored her own, a power that transcended that of a new student, making her uneasy.
And Rin, he was stunned by this astonishing coordination. This was far beyond what partners working together for the first time could achieve. The way they anticipated each other's attacks, the familiarity with each other's movements, it was as if they had fought side-by-side countless times before. This synergy was the instinct of his "Blade of Demise," and also the natural manifestation of some latent power within Ye Xue.
"You… won!" The instructor's voice came through the loudspeakers, tinged with unconcealed amazement. He had seen the entire process clearly; the power of this duo far exceeded his expectations.
Rin and Ye Xue ignored the instructor's praise. They silently walked past their "eliminated" opponents, continuing to complete the task of capturing the flags. Along the way, they maintained a respectful distance, without conversing. But between them, an invisible connection seemed to have formed.
They each carried their own questions; the source of this "synergy" became a shared enigma deep within their hearts. Rin knew that his relationship with Ye Xue was far from a simple student-to-student one. That deeply ingrained coordination seemed to silently convey a brutal truth: regardless of whether they were lovers or enemies in their past life, they had been, and would continue to be, an inseparable part of each other's existence. And this, was just the beginning.