After deflecting my attack, the punch I threw shot straight toward Auntie.
No—at least, that's what I thought.
My eyes widened as I realized she had caught it on the tip of her [Raging Heart] barrel.
Had she really paused as if lost in thought, or was that just my imagination?
While I was pondering that, I swung another fist, pressing the attack—but the way she effortlessly parried each blow with her [Raging Heart] made me smile in genuine admiration.
"When did you master staff techniques?"
"[Raging Heart] is a bombardment weapon by default, so I learned close-quarters techniques from Sushang just in case!" she replied.
"Impressive!"
I threw another punch, but she had already grown accustomed to my offense, gracefully intercepting my strike and letting it slide off.
Even granting she was shrugging off my Super Saiyan–powered blows, what amazed me even more was the Qi radiating from her—it kept climbing.
When I first swung at her in Super Saiyan form, I was clearly on top. Yet now her Ki had surged to nearly match mine.
She really has grown stronger to the point that my heart races.
It's been ages since I felt this exhilarated.
Everyone's been busy recently, so I haven't had a proper sparring partner in forever. Training in the simulator only goes so far.
Besides, I was retired, so I couldn't even use Cheonmyeong's internal training simulators.
"So you didn't just learn how to defend?"
"Huh? Guh?!"
Her sudden strike to my midsection forced me to hunch over.
She parried my attack, then leveraged the momentum to drive a kick into my gut.
Yet her kick gave me an opening.
With a burst of speed, I slipped behind her, brought my palms together, and unleashed a concentrated energy wave.
"Ha!"
[Accel Pin]
At the announcement from [Raging Heart], Auntie vanished from my sight—no, she had dodged upward.
I canceled my energy wave in midair and pursued her with another surge of speed.
We blinked back and forth in a blur of movement, each trying to anticipate the other. Knowing this would drag on, I closed the distance and threw a punch.
As I expected, she swung her [Raging Heart] to parry—but then something unexpected happened.
"What?"
She tossed her [Raging Heart] upward, then caught my punch with her left forearm and countered with a straight fist.
I managed to block it—at least, I thought I did.
Yet the blow was so heavy I felt it vibrate through my arm. Rather than hold my ground, I flew backward to dissipate the shock, then charged back in.
But every strike of mine was met and stopped by her.
"Guh?!"
I was knocked backward with a proper hit to the face. Before I could recover, Auntie—wielding [Raging Heart] once more—traced a magic circle on her palm and rushed forward.
I scrambled to regain my stance and landed a counter on her jaw, but she ducked under it and, in a motion like an uppercut, smashed her palm into my torso.
"Strike Smasher!"
From the magic circle on her hand, a pink bombardment burst forth, slamming into my midsection.
"Uwaaah?!"
That unguarded blast sent me rocketing into the sky. Before I could even regain my senses, Auntie, now above me, spun her entire body and brought her [Raging Heart] crashing down like a guillotine—my spine screamed in pain as I slammed into the ground.
Despite the agony tearing through my back, I toppled headfirst.
Dizzy and winded, I staggered to my feet just as a colossal bombardment fell from above. I darted aside at the last second.
But the instant I saw the blast plummet, pink chains materialized and bound my limbs.
"What?!"
"Delayed Bind. I knew you'd dodge there, Captain."
Looking up to where she'd been, I saw Auntie still firing the bombardment.
But wait—why did she say that?
"This isn't just a bombardment!"
"Not just a bombardment?"
Could it be…?
A cold sweat broke out as I stared at the beam cannon approaching me. My fear proved correct.
"A Beam Saber?!" I cried out.
"Hyaaaah!"
With her shout, the wave of pink energy—no, the Beam Saber—sliced through me like a blade.
*
The crowd was left speechless as the bombardment-turned-saber cleaved their Captain in two.
Who would have guessed that a mindless blast could become a sword? And if the Captain had misread her intent, the attack would have failed.
Yet Theresa pulled it off flawlessly—she had simulated every outcome to find this method.
Moreover, the force behind that Beam Saber rivaled that of a Limit Break, even if only for an instant.
Onlookers gazed at her in awe.
"Incredible, Auntie."
"Yes, indeed."
None more so than the Kaslana sisters.
One wields Stigmata power as Cheonmyeong's strongest, the other is the pinnacle of Limit Break, the Harbinger of Finality.
Both have faced the Captain at his peak. Few know his strength better.
Although he hadn't shown 'that form,' even Super Saiyan 2 would struggle against such a blow.
"She's right, Kiana. Simply astounding."
From the dust, the Captain's voice emerged—and then he appeared.
"I never expected you'd unleash this form."
His hair had swelled to a lush mass, slicked back and cascading down to his waist. His brow ridge had thickened, obscuring his eyebrows completely.
His aura changed too—golden energy crackled with sparks so vivid you could see them.
Theresa smiled at the sight and said,
"Super Saiyan 3."