Awakening: Starting With The Villain System-Chapter 65 - 64: Training (2)

Then, one dummy broke from the pack. It charged at me, its movements fluid, holding a wooden sword identical to mine. It didn't just run; it moved with purpose.

I positioned my katana, my feet settling into a stable stance, ready for its attack.

The first attack came, a sharp, precise thrust aiming straight for my chest.

Fast. Faster than a human of its supposed level should be.

I sidestepped, the wooden sword tip whistling past my ribs.

I felt the displacement of air against my shirt.

It didn't pause. It twisted its wrist, the thrust seamlessly transforming into a horizontal slash aiming to take my head off.

I ducked down, the blade passing over my hair, and simultaneously slashed at its legs.

The dummy deflected my blow with a quick, downward parry, but the force of my swing pushed it back a step, upsetting its balance.

I took that chance, surging forward to thrust my katana into its exposed torso.

Suddenly, my instinct kicked in. A prickle on the back of my neck, a sixth sense honed by having a domain.

I cancelled the thrust mid-motion, my muscles screaming in protest, and leaped backwards.

The moment I leaped back, a brutal slash came down from beside me, right where I had been standing.

The second dummy had flanked me silently, its attack perfectly timed with my forward momentum.

Its wooden sword smashed into the floor with a loud 'crack'.

But it was over-extended. Open.

While its slash was still embedded in the floor, I didn't hesitate.

I lunged forward and slashed at the flanking dummy's head with all the speed I could muster.

The strike hit its head before it could recover or dodge.

A solid 'thwack' echoed in the chamber. The dummy staggered, its systems flickering, and it powered down, collapsing into a heap.

I didn't have time to celebrate. The first dummy robot was on me again, recovering from its stumble.

It slashed at my side. I twisted, dodging it by a hair's breadth.

After dodging, I saw my opening. As its arm extended from the slash, I stepped in and kicked the hand it was using to hold the katana.

My foot connected with its polymer wrist with a satisfying thud.

Its grip loosened due to the force I used. The wooden sword clattered to the floor.

Defenseless.

I didn't need a fancy technique. I just casually thrust my sword into its chest, putting my weight behind it.

The dummy shuddered, a low whine emitting from its core, then fell backwards and turned off, joining its companion on the mat.

The timer on the screen continued its relentless countdown.

My breath was even, my body humming with focused energy.

Two down. More to go.

The others didn't move. They just observed, their glowing sensors fixed on me, processing the data of their fallen comrades.

They were hesitant. It was a chillingly human reaction.

They probably already knew that coming to me one by one was a bad idea, that I could pick them off if they challenged me individually.

They probably were already planning, or rather, preparing. Coordinating.

A silent, digital conversation was happening between them, and I was the target.

I couldn't let them set the terms. I had to control the battlefield.

I took a deep breath, centering myself. I activated 'Simple Domain'.

The moment I activated it, I felt the shift around me.

It wasn't a sound or a light, but a fundamental change in the atmosphere.

The air within a few feet of me became… mine.

It was simply indescribable. It was like my personal concept of space was detached from the rest of reality, cordoned off into a separate reality of my own.

A bubble where the normal rules were suggestions, and I alone ruled.

My own domain.

The feeling was intoxicating, a heady mix of absolute control and immense responsibility.

As if my activation of the domain was a starting pistol, all the remaining robot dummies charged at me in unison.

No more hesitation. They had their plan.

The first one to breach the perimeter came into view, a blur of polished polymer.

It leaped towards me, its leg extended in a powerful, piston-like kick aimed at my head.

The moment the kick reached the edge of my domain, I didn't just block it. I deflected it.

With a thought, I subtly altered the vector of its force, guiding the trajectory just enough.

At the same time, I brought my wooden katana up to meet its shin.

It made a dull 'thwack', a wood-hit-metal sound that was oddly satisfying.

The dummy robot was pushed back briefly, its balance broken, still trying to recover from its own redirected momentum.

I didn't give it the chance. Before it could recover its footing, I stepped in and kicked it hard in the center of its mass.

It fell backwards, crashing to the mat with a heavy thud, its systems overloading from the impact.

I didn't know the specific width or length of my domain; all I knew was that it varied depending on my magic power input.

It was a fluid thing, a extension of my will.

Right now, I kept it at the minimum, a tight bubble just large enough to envelop my immediate space.

I was maximizing magic power efficiency so it wouldn't drain all my reserves fast, to avoid it failing me at a critical moment.

It was a delicate balance: enough space to maneuver, but not so much that I'd burn out in seconds.

The second attacker suddenly came into view, exploiting the moment I'd spent on the first.

It slashed at me with its wooden sword, a horizontal cut at neck level.

Inside my domain, I felt the attack coming. I deflected it with my katana, the parry feeling effortless, the domain subtly reinforcing my block.

It slashed again, a downward chop, and I still deflected it again, the impact vibrating comfortably up my arm.

I was a rock in a stream, and its attacks were just water.

It then twisted its body, feinting high before thrusting low at my side.

A clever move. But inside my domain, I felt the shift in its intent a fraction of a second before the movement was complete.

I didn't deflect it. Instead, I just sidestepped, the thrust passing harmlessly through the space I'd occupied, and I slashed at its exposed back.

The dummy robot was fast. It leaped back, evading my slash by inches.

But it was reacting. I was anticipating. Before it could even land from its evasive leap, I was on it.

I leaped forward, closing the distance it had tried to create.

I thrust my katana straight at its chest.

It saw the attack coming and moved its own sword to deflect the deadly aim, a standard counter.

But it was too slow. To me, inside my bubble of controlled reality, its movements seemed sluggish, predictable.

I retracted the katana thrust, a fluid, deceptive motion that dodged its attempt to deflect, and instantly thrust again from a slightly different angle.

This time, there was no defense. My wooden blade stabbed into its center mass.

It shuddered, a spark of blue light flickering in its chest, then powered down instantly, slumping to the floor.

I suddenly sensed that something was aiming at me, or rather, its focus was already fixed on me.

The presence had crossed into the range of my Domain.