"I'll be troubling you then, Teacher Kallen."
Irene looked at Kallen standing opposite her. At the edge of the plaza, Pardo was also watching, waving her hand enthusiastically toward Irene.
"How could this be considered trouble?" Kallen smiled. "This Palace of Consciousness you've created is indeed very interesting. Since you have this power, you shouldn't waste it."
"Although the Kaslana family's training methods aren't suitable for you, this will at least allow you to better utilize our strength while in the Possessed state."
Irene's Possession did not grant her their strength in its entirety; more accurately, she obtained their abilities. As for how to utilize them, that depended on Irene herself.
This was why Irene had leaned more toward using Pardo's card rather than Kallen's. It was shameful to admit, but compared to the Cat's combat style—which relied entirely on instinct and Super Luck for quantization—Kallen's Power of Binding was not something Irene could learn and apply proficiently in battle so quickly.
'Binding · Blood' and 'Binding · Stasis' were already the limits of what Irene could familiarize herself with in a short time.
And that was only because these two skills were the ones Kallen used most frequently—they could even be called the cornerstones of Kallen's skillset—allowing Irene to grasp them this fast.
Any Binding techniques that were slightly more complex or high-end were simply beyond what Irene could master in such a short period, even with Kallen's consciousness teaching her directly in her mind.
This had nothing to do with Kallen's teaching ability. Some things, unless experienced firsthand or used personally, simply couldn't be understood in terms of specific mechanics.
After all, those techniques were skills Kallen had developed after long periods of research. But fortunately, Starry Judah was still Judah; it could unleash a portion of its abilities autonomously.
For example, when facing Yuno, the chains of light that automatically entangled the opponent upon impact were a constraint triggered by Judah itself.
As for why she didn't practice in reality... just like using the Cat's card, if used for too long, her main body faced the risk of quantization.
When using Kallen's card, Honkai energy and the Power of Binding would also appear on her main body after releasing the Possession.
Technically, the Power of Binding itself would inhibit Honkai energy erosion, and the transformation time wasn't long. Otherwise, Irene would have likely seen a "Game Over" screen directly after her first transformation into Kallen.
Now that her Honkai Resistance had reached 'Good,' Irene dared to use Kallen's power for extended periods. But even so, her Honkai Resistance was only at 'Good.'
Exactly how much could the usage time be extended? Irene wasn't sure. For now, she could only treat Kallen's power as a trump card.
But even if it was just a trump card, she needed to be clear on how to use it.
In reality, even though Irene's Honkai Resistance was up to par, she couldn't practice easily because of a certain blonde man's prying eyes.
Here, however, there were no such concerns.
[Skill: Palace of Consciousness: Expands a mental domain and can create a quasi-materialized palace within one's own mental sphere. Can materialize one's own consciousness or the consciousness within Possession Cards.
Note: Your exclusive in-brain VR training capsule + Tea Party clubhouse. Efficient, safe, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly—as long as you don't 'overload' your brain.
Friendly Reminder: The 'muscles' trained here exist only on the level of consciousness. In reality, you are still a scrub with a combat power of 5.]
Just as the system introduced, this Palace of Consciousness was definitely not just for holding tea parties. Its greater function was to allow her to attempt using the abilities within the Possession Cards without any risk.
She wouldn't have to worry about the danger of being unfamiliar with abilities because she was too afraid to use high-risk cards in reality.
Irene made a grasping motion in the air. Specks of light spread from her hand, gradually constructing a Starry Judah in the void identical to the one Kallen held.
In this mental space, she could simulate physical fitness and abilities identical to Kallen's. What she needed to learn next was experience.
"Irene-nee, Kallen-nee, do your best!" The Cat stood on the sidelines, cheering for both of them.
"Not going to attack proactively?" Kallen stood her Judah next to her, as if she had no intention of attacking at all. "Or are you waiting for me to send you an invitation?"
"Attacking proactively..." Irene set [Judah] upright in front of her like a giant shield. "Isn't that a bit too difficult for me?"
"Is that so? In that case—" Before Kallen finished speaking, she shot forward like an arrow leaving the string, the distance between them shrinking rapidly.
Just as Irene braced herself, the charging Kallen stomped heavily on the ground. Gripping Judah's chain tightly, she used immense force to uproot the Judah that had been standing on the ground and smashed it viciously toward Irene.
Watching the Starry Judah falling like a meteor, Irene pulled up her own [Judah], intending to block it. A dull impact sounded, and the [Judah] in Irene's hands automatically emitted the Power of Binding, helping her resist the shock.
But just as Irene breathed a sigh of relief, Kallen's voice suddenly rang in her ear. Kallen's figure appeared before Irene like a ghost.
"You cannot focus overly on the enemy's attack. The enemy themselves is also a target you must watch."
As soon as Kallen finished speaking, Irene felt a sharp pain in her chest. She was kicked flying by Kallen, only stopping after she smashed the [Judah] she was holding heavily into the ground.
"Don't be nervous, this is just training." Kallen stood in place, casually setting Judah beside her just as she had at the start of the battle, and beckoned to Irene.
"Even if Judah is a Divine Key, it is only a weapon. You can trust it, but you cannot rely on it."
"I've learned my lesson." Irene understood that she couldn't stay on the defensive anymore. She could only try to mimic what she did against Yuno—using brute force to throw [Judah] directly at the opponent.
"Mm." Kallen stood still, quietly waiting for Irene's [Judah] to fly toward her. Then, just as it was about to reach her body, she swiftly shouldered her own Judah and knocked Irene's [Judah] flying with a direct collision.
Irene stood her ground, wanting to pull Judah back. As for learning from Kallen and rushing in directly? Forget it. Kallen's combat experience was far richer than hers. Even if she rushed in, there was a high probability she would just get beaten up.
This wasn't something that could be solved by having identical physical stats; this was a gap in combat experience. Attacking from a safe distance was what she should be doing.
[Judah]'s chains tightened rapidly, but before [Judah] could fly back, the sound of violent wind breaking reached her ears. Kallen's Judah smashed toward Irene with a sweeping momentum.
Irene could only allow herself to be dragged away by [Judah]'s chain to escape, but she was still grazed by the iron chain of Kallen's Judah. And with just that graze, several chains of light suddenly appeared on Irene's leg, locking into the surrounding void.
Binding · Immobility. Utilizing the Power of Binding to constrain position. Unless the Power of Binding is exhausted or the binding range is destroyed by brute force, the bound object will be anchored in place, unable to move.
"Ugh!" The Power of Binding fixing Irene's leg in mid-air clashed with the force originally dragging her toward her own Judah, causing Irene to let out a muffled groan.
"Judah is the Key of Binding, after all. You still need to remember this point."
As Kallen spoke, the originally incredibly solid chains gradually dissipated, allowing Irene's Judah to drag her back to its side.
But the moment she landed, Kallen's figure appeared beside Irene like a shadow. However, before the fist could land on Irene's body, Irene's hand crashed into [Judah]'s thorned chains first.
Instantly, Kallen's hand was locked in mid-air by a mass of light chains, unable to move. Kallen smiled as she felt her hand immobilized in the air.
"See? Doesn't this look a bit like the real thing now?"
*
"Teacher Irene, Teacher Irene?"
A knock sounded at Irene's door, accompanied by Mei's gentle voice. "Are you asleep? It's time to eat, Teacher Irene."
Just as Mei hesitated on whether to open the door to check if Irene was asleep so she could wake her for dinner, the door opened from the inside.
Irene walked out of the room holding her waist. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I fell asleep just now. Time to eat, right?"
"Yes, Teacher Irene." Mei nodded, then looked concernedly at Irene, who was clutching her waist. "Teacher Irene, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"Ah, it's nothing. I just slept in a bad position." Irene smiled at Mei, then straightened her back. Of course, this was a lie.
The truth was that Kallen hit way too hard. According to Kallen, sometimes teaching doesn't guarantee learning, but if you get hit by a move, it definitely leaves a deep impression.
At least, that was how she had been trained for a period of time back then. Since Irene's Palace of Consciousness wouldn't cause actual injury, it was even more suitable to use this method.
As for the results, they were quite gratifying. Irene had gained a greater understanding of Kallen's combat style, though the price was aching all over, as if she had been... oh wait, she had been beaten up.
Although attacks suffered in the Palace of Consciousness didn't cause actual physical damage, there was still phantom pain after being hit.
"Is that so?" Mei watched Irene walk toward the dining room. "Are you really okay, Teacher Irene?"
"Oh my, it's fine. I just didn't sleep well." Irene waved her hand and quickly arrived at the dining room. "It must be trouble for you too, Student Mei, rushing back to the villa after class to cook."
"Mn, no need to thank me." Mei shook her head. "I hope my cooking will satisfy Teacher Irene."
"Then I shall look forward to it properly." Irene smiled, pulled out a chair, and sat down. If one were to list the things a Captain would want to do after transmigrating into Honkai Impact 3rd, the list might be varied.
But one item that would definitely appear on it was tasting the dishes made by the God of Cooking of Honkai Impact 3rd, Mei.
While thinking this, Irene looked toward Kiana, who had appeared rather guilty ever since Irene showed up.
"However, Student Kiana, do you have anything to say about blatantly sleeping during my very first class?"
"Um, I didn't do it on purpose?" Kiana scratched her cheek, but seeing the smile on Irene's face, a chill crawled up her spine.
"I-Irene-sensei, you have to believe me! I definitely planned to support your first class with all my heart!"
"Oh, is that so?" Irene nodded with a smile. "Then since you support it with all your heart, why sleep in class?"
"It's just, um..." Kiana's brain spun frantically as she explained with an ingratiating smile. "Isn't it because I didn't sleep well last night? I just fell asleep while listening. Teacher Irene, you have to understand me."
"Oh~" Irene dragged out the syllable, looking at Kiana with a beaming smile. "You mean how yesterday you told me that in order not to sleep in class, you were going to sleep early, and went to bed at 10 o'clock sharp?"
"And then, you slept until 7:30 when Mei woke you up, and you even stayed in bed for another 20 minutes. You call that not sleeping well?"
Hearing Irene's words, Kiana's face froze instantly. Just as she was about to explain something, Irene's hand reached over, grabbed Kiana's cheek, and pulled.
"Exactly which fellow was it who swore solemnly during tutoring yesterday that she absolutely wouldn't fall asleep in my first class tomorrow, and would sleep early for that reason?"
"I was wroooong..."
"I can't hear you~" Hearing Kiana's admission of guilt, the smile on Irene's face grew even brighter. At the same time, she exclaimed internally: As expected of the Paramecium. This texture feels so good.
"I was wrong! I'm sorry! I'll definitely do it next time!"
"Mn." Irene released her hand. "I hope what you say is true. Otherwise, I will definitely make you understand that the previous tutoring measures were absolutely not the most terrifying tutoring methods you could face."
"Yes~" Kiana rubbed her face. Faced with Irene's threat, Kiana made up her mind: next time, even if she had to drink ten cups of coffee beforehand, she would stay awake.
Not being allowed to go out and play during the holidays, and being locked in a room for tutoring—that was already too terrifying. As for even more terrifying measures, Kiana didn't want to try them.
"Idiot Kiana." Bronya shook her head, then looked at Irene. "Teacher Irene, are you going for a physical examination this afternoon?"
"Did Himeko tell you?" Irene nodded. "Himeko said she needs to do a relatively comprehensive test on my body, though it should just be a formality."
Mei also sat down and looked at Irene somewhat strangely. "Eh? But isn't Teacher Irene a normal person? Does she also need to undergo testing?"
"Who knows?" Irene shrugged, but realized someone was missing from the table. "Speaking of which, where is Teacher Himeko? Is she resting? She hasn't come down yet?"
"Teacher Himeko went out." Bronya looked at Irene expressionlessly. "She said she went out to handle some matters, and incidentally asked Bronya to remind Teacher Irene not to forget to go for the test this afternoon."
"Oh, understood." Irene nodded. "Then let's eat first. You all still have to go to class this afternoon."
________________________________________
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