Bianka's confused voice made Shu pause for a moment, but he quickly shook off the unnaturalness and assumed a combat stance.
In Bianka's eyes, firefly-like specks of light appeared around Shu, drifting towards him and eventually forming a faint glow on his body.
It was the same familiar feeling. Bianka also cast aside her doubts about the situation and prepared herself.
Without a doubt, he was a strong opponent, even stronger than her!
And at this moment, he was showing a strong desire for battle and guidance. With such a good opportunity in front of her, Bianka had no reason not to seize it.
After all, ever since she had become a true MANTIS, she had not experienced a complete battle.
The battle with the Herrscher of Binding was not enough for her to fully master all her abilities, and the base did not yet have a training ground that could support her. Otto had already approved the documents, but construction would not be completed in a short while.
So Bianka was in urgent need of an evenly matched battle, or one where she could punch above her weight.
She had originally planned to ask Senior Shu for a favor after this assessment, but now, "Kevin" could also meet her needs!
Taking a deep breath, Bianka could see that Shu had no intention of attacking first. He was letting her make the first move...
"Forgive my impertinence!" Bianka warned. The next moment, the ice beneath her feet suddenly shattered, and the power that erupted from her small body launched her directly at Shu.
BANG—!!
A muffled sound made the huge block of ice tremble twice. A tangible shockwave spread out from between the two of them.
Bianka's clenched fist was stopped firmly in an open palm. The force, which was almost her full power, was like a clay ox entering the sea, receiving no feedback at all.
Bianka's expression went blank for a moment, completely unable to understand why this punch had resulted in such an outcome.
But Bianka's body didn't stay idle. The moment her fist was caught, she had already twisted her waist and swept a swift and sharp kick directly at Shu's head.
But Shu had already seen her intentions. He smiled at Bianka, but made no move.
What he wanted wasn't a physical brawl with Bianka, a back-and-forth of moves. He wanted to stimulate Bianka's use of [Hope].
So... he would only use [Hope] to set an example!
The faint light on Shu's body suddenly flashed. Bianka's pupils trembled. An unstoppable force rushed towards her, like a fierce wind, or a tsunami. It had no offensive power, just a force that pushed her away with an irresistible might...
Her small body flew off the ice floe she had created, skipping several times on the surface of the sea before falling into the water.
A second later, Bianka resurfaced, sputtering. After taking a deep breath, she looked at Shu, who was standing on the ice, in disbelief.
"What is that?" Bianka asked, swimming quickly towards the ice floe, unable to stop herself from asking Shu. "Why does it feel so... familiar?"
Bianka was a little slow at times, but she was by no means stupid.
She could see at a glance that Shu was deliberately using this power to fight her, most likely to guide her to use it as well...
But... she really didn't know how...
Bianka didn't know that her thoughts were being broadcast live in Shu's mind. Regarding her concerns, Shu maintained a smile on his face and extended a hand to Bianka, who was clinging to the edge of the ice.
"You're just used to your own fighting style. Trusting your first instinct is a good thing in battle. Thinking too much can make one timid and hesitant. This is your advantage."
As Shu spoke, he began to slowly and undisguisedly mobilize his [Hope] in front of Bianka.
Bianka struggled to pull herself out of the water and onto the ice.
She was mesmerized by the changes on Shu's body. The flow of the faint light on him was like a series of paths with clear directions, almost as if he were about to take her by the hand and show her where to go.
But biological instinct was not something that could be easily defied. Perhaps willpower could carry a broken body out of a desperate situation, but right now, Bianka's body was by no means at its limit.
And it was impossible for Shu to really train Bianka to her limit. Although Bianka would probably be willing... Shu himself wasn't confident.
Even with [Hope] to monitor Bianka's physical condition in real time, who knew where the true limit was?
Weren't these Kaslanas best at pulling new powers out of thin air to support their friendship, bonds, and dreams?
Shu had never doubted Bianka's willpower, and he didn't think she needed such extreme measures to learn something.
"Follow my lead," Shu's voice deepened slightly as the [Hope] within him finally reached its peak.
The next moment, the light on Shu's body suddenly intensified. A visible sphere began to expand rapidly with Shu at its center. The immense impact force crushed the ice surface.
This was the most direct impact of [Hope], with no complex conversion process, just brute force.
Bianka's breath hitched. She quickly steadied herself and began to mobilize...
How do I mobilize it?!
Until the impact reached her, Bianka still couldn't mobilize even a little bit of the power within her. The moment before she faced the impact, she closed her eyes in resignation, crossing her arms in front of her to try and mitigate some of the damage.
SLAP—
After a crisp sound, Shu watched as Bianka's figure skipped across the surface of the sea several more times before silently sinking into the water. For a moment, Shu began to hesitate whether to reduce the output power of his [Hope].
But if he reduced the power... the trajectory wouldn't be as clear...
Or was his method wrong? Did the operation of [Hope] not rely on trajectory?
Shu's teaching was indeed wrong... he thought he was showing the trajectory of [Hope], but in reality, it was just the flow of Honkai energy in the Herrscher Core.
Everyone knows how to use their arms, but few can accurately say how they control them.
The operation of [Hope] should not focus on the objective logic of its operation, but on the subjective goal that one hopes to achieve with it.
Shu had received many [Wishes], so many that they covered almost all the wishes he needed. And with long-term use, Shu had also mastered a more advanced technique, which was to fine-tune others' [Wishes] to suit his own needs.
But Bianka...
The [Hope] within her... was pitifully small.