Once the sun set, today's training would probably come to an end. Sophie launched her third assault, and this exchange lasted considerably longer than either of the previous two.
Jane watched attentively as Sophie continued adapting. Almost immediately, she realized Sophie had adjusted her strategy once again, and now she was deliberately attempting to use her supernatural gift.
Every memory-related ability shared one basic requirement: physical contact. The longer that contact lasted, the greater the chance the gift would activate.
During the first two exchanges, both fighters had separated almost instantly, so Sophie had never possessed enough time. Now, during the third clash, she consciously began creating opportunities for herself.
Jane found Sophie's rapid improvement deeply satisfying. Before she realized it, a faint smile appeared on her face.
Noticing his sister's obvious good mood, Alec teased her. "Jane, it looks like you're about to gain a bodyguard who's actually good at close combat."
Demetri immediately seized the opportunity. "Our Alec is about to lose his job."
The joke referred to Alec's long-standing role as Jane's personal protector during missions. Jane's gift of pain was so overwhelmingly powerful that she had rarely bothered practicing hand-to-hand combat, and combined with the fact that the twins were almost never separated, Alec had always been enough to protect her. As a result, Jane's close-combat skills had gradually fallen behind.
Alec deliberately rolled his wrists with an exaggerated crack. "Care to test that theory?"
Demetri surrendered immediately. "We should probably pay more attention to Jane's future bodyguard."
Being the one beaten up personally was far less enjoyable than watching someone else take the beating. Although Alec secretly worried about his sister's dislike of close combat, he had never intended to force her to change. Instead, he simply continued improving his own abilities so he could protect Jane whenever battle came.
If Jane's new subordinate truly became skilled in close-quarters combat, then the two of them could complement each other perfectly during future missions. That thought alone reassured him considerably.
After several exchanges, Sophie finally began understanding Felix's habits. Direct confrontation was unquestionably where he excelled, and likewise, his guard over every vital point never wavered.
Taking advantage of her smaller frame, combined with her superior agility and comparable strength, Sophie repeatedly darted behind him, searching patiently for the perfect opening. Then she drove a vicious kick straight into his back, sending Felix crashing face-first onto the ground.
Without wasting even a heartbeat, Sophie seized his wrist tightly. Her gift activated, and focusing with everything she had, Sophie searched for the threads of memory woven throughout Felix's mind.
The first time had been unfamiliar. The second was much easier.
As the familiar white threads gradually appeared before her eyes, Sophie immediately gathered them together, twisting them tightly into a single tangled bundle. Felix's memories abruptly vanished, and his enormous body, which had been on the verge of breaking free, froze completely.
Even his muscles relaxed. For a brief moment, he had forgotten why he was lying on the ground at all.
Seizing that fleeting opportunity, Sophie released his wrist. Driving one knee firmly into the center of his back, she wrapped her forearm around his neck from behind, locking him securely in place.
The next step should have been carrying out Jane's command.
Use all your strength.
Twist off his head.
But Sophie stopped.
Reason told her that vampires could only truly be killed by fire. Simply tearing off a head wouldn't kill one, and as long as it was reattached quickly enough, venom could repair virtually any injury.
Emotionally, however, Sophie still thought of herself as human. To overturn decades of instinct and casually rip another person's head from their shoulders, she simply couldn't do it.
"Finish it!" Jane could no longer remain silent. "What are you waiting for?"
She had watched every second of the fight. When Sophie finally succeeded, a surge of indescribable delight had filled her, but then Sophie hesitated, and that delight instantly transformed into anger.
Jane's shout reminded Sophie, but it also awakened Felix.
Snapping out of his brief lapse in memory, Felix immediately realized he was pinned in a vulnerable position with his neck completely exposed. His combat instincts reacted before conscious thought, and grabbing the arm wrapped around his neck, he locked onto Sophie's elbow and twisted violently.
"AAAH!"
Only a heartbeat later did the pain finally reach Sophie's mind. Her forearm had been torn completely off, and she collapsed onto the ground, rolling in agony.
Felix's strength dwarfed even Demetri's. Unlike Alec, who had merely dislocated or fractured her arm, Felix had ripped it clean from her body and tossed it aside.
In a single instant, the battle turned around.
Felix gave Sophie almost no time to scream before flipping her over. Repeating the exact same motion, he tore off her remaining arm as well, and her last chance to resist disappeared.
Another agonized scream echoed through the mountains. Felix raised his elbow, carefully aligning it above Sophie's neck, then drew back slightly and drove it downward with all his might.
A full-powered strike from Felix was capable of shattering an entire mountainside. If that blow landed, it wouldn't merely crush Sophie's neck. Her entire head would explode.
"Felix, stop!" Jane shouted the order immediately.
But Felix had become completely immersed in the battle, and his temporarily disrupted memories still hadn't fully recovered. For the first time in his life, he committed something he would never have dared while fully conscious.
He ignored Jane's command.
They were too far away. Jane couldn't possibly reach them in time.
"Felix, stop!"
This time, her red eyes widened as she stared directly at him. A scream tore through the training ground, and a body collapsed heavily onto the stone.
"Felix!"
Jane activated her gift. Demetri reacted instantly, sprinting toward the fallen pair to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, Alec quickly grabbed Jane's hand.
"Jane. Calm down. It's only training."
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