Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine

Training: Day-4

Evening…

Leo's group arrived at the forest. The "not allowed" ribbon was plastered around, fluttering in the breeze, but Leo and his group barely glanced at it.

"A-Are you sure about this? What if we get caught by the police?" Raphael said, her voice trembling as she crouched low, parting the ribbon with hesitant fingers. Her steps faltered, boots barely making a sound against the moss, but her eyes flicked from shadow to shadow as if expecting sirens to burst through the trees.

Azrael, bristling with heavy gear, guns slung at her side, a bulletproof vest gleaming dully in the fading light... glanced at Raphael with a deadpan,

"We already got past that checkpoint, my dear friend. You're worrying about the wrong threat." She smirked, voice sly, gaze sliding to Leo. "Isn't that right? Leo~?" Without warning, she hopped onto Leo's back with the reckless delight of a child who never learned fear.

Raphael's lips twisted, "Get away from him, witch!!"

Azrael stuck her tongue out, an exaggerated gesture meant to annoy, her laughter sharp as she darted away, Raphael immediately lunging after her.

Leo chuckled, an amused sound slipping past his lips as he glanced at Ophis perched on his shoulder... her legs swinging lightly, eyes wide and curious as a child's.

Leo looked up at Essa, who was walking briskly ahead of them.

He wanted to ask a thousand questions about what happened that morning. But the fear of shattering this fragile peace... of making things awkward between them, forced him into silence.

Heck, he was still confused whether it had been a dream or reality.

Meanwhile, Essa moved with ease, yet her thoughts were anything but calm. 'He is staring at me! He is definitely staring at my body!!' she screamed inwardly.

Her mind churned with a storm of embarrassment, her movements stiffer than usual.

'Tsk, just calm down. He's not going to stare at your ass…

There is nothing there to begin with,'

Her Master's voice echoed, only making Essa grit her teeth harder.

Soon, they reached a plain surface, ringed by trees.

"This is perfect… Let's practice a real situation," Essa declared, eyes hard as steel as she regarded her disciples.

They nodded.

"Ophis and I will be running around, weaving through the trees. Leo, Raphael, Azrael—you three will try to shoot us. Understood?"

Everyone nodded again!

Raphael suddenly broke the silence, "What if the bullets hit your body? It'll harm you, right?" Her eyes flicked to Ophis, whose innocent expression never wavered.

Essa smiled beneath her hood, "Don't worry. We'll enchant our bodies with a barrier... small, but strong enough to turn aside the bullets. You can go all out."

Raphael raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Okay…" Then she frowned, "Wait. If you two can enchant yourselves, what's stopping the monsters from doing the same?"

Ophis chuckled, "Don't worry, Big Sis. We actually enchanted the bullets to bounce off when they touch our barriers, it's just like a magnet, so don't worry." She winked, "Also, after the training, we enchant them enough to pierce through weak barriers... It's just like the spells we use… only sharper."

"Oh?... Okay then," Raphael relief loosening her shoulders... she didn't expect them to go this length!

Soon, everyone began.

They wore the bulletproof vests... they too echanted so the bullets won't hit them too and checked the guns that Leo had ordered.... which, to their surprise, had actually arrived on time.

Raphael picked up a rifle and inspected it, while Leo reached for his own, except for Azrael, who grabbed two massive guns with barely contained excitement.

"The tips are made from a new alloy—tungsten carbide mixed with depleted uranium. The shell is pure titanium… Each bullet packs enough power to pierce through a rock up to thirteen inches," Azrael announced, her tone almost lustful as she ran her fingers over the mesmerising, shining shells.

The seductive gleam of the tips made her gulp, her throat tightening with anticipation.

Both Leo and Raphael stared at her, eyebrows raised, exchanging a look of mutual confusion.

"Was she… into bullets?" Leo asked.

Raphael nodded, deadpan. "I think so…"

Azrael's lips twitched, clearly having heard them. "Come on, I'm not interested in that… You know!" She turned her gaze to Leo, her eyes narrowing, almost sultry. Leo felt a chill run down his spine as he quickly turned away, suddenly feeling far too exposed under her stare.

"Anyway… can these guns even handle the recoil?" Leo asked, changing the subject as he ran his hand over the polished surface of the rifle.

"Don't worry. The old man made them perfectly. We could go all out—no need to hold back, and no worries about overheating or cooldown periods," Azrael replied, locking the magazine into the gun.

She slipped on her safety glasses, glancing at Essa and Ophis, who were stretching their limbs like predatory cats preparing for a hunt.

Essa's eyes glinted as she said, "The moment we touch you… You're dead meat. Got it?"

Everyone nodded. And before anyone could react, the two vanished... gone with the snap of the breeze, their forms blurring into the shadows.

The trio immediately raised their guns, eyes narrowed, bodies tense. They scanned every direction, senses sharpening, adrenaline beginning to surge as they moved in practised formation.

BANG!!

Leo and Azrael both flinched, spinning towards a tree just as Raphael fired.

"What was that?"

Raphael's face turned red. "J-Just a leaf moving," she muttered, lowering her rifle, hands shaking a little.

Azrael let out a sigh, "Raphael, you really need to calm down. Even if something moves, don't just panic and pull the trigger. That's absolutely wrong! Fire only when you're a hundred percent sure it's your target. Like this—"

BANG!

"ARH!" Ophis, who had been trying to sneak up behind Leo, suddenly yelped as the bullet struck her forehead. Thanks to the barrier, it bounced harmlessly off, leaving her only a little stunned.

Raphael and Leo stared, mouths open, as they watched Azrael lower her gun with an effortless confidence. They couldn't help but clap, a genuine burst of admiration for her sudden, accurate shot... she hadn't even hesitated or blinked.

Azrael smirked, sliding her finger off the trigger. "That's one point for me~" she announced, voice dripping with playful pride.

Ophis, rubbing her forehead, groaned and shouted, "YOU BITCH!!" She launched herself at Azrael, only to get hit by another bullet before she could even close the gap.

"Two~"

Ophis gritted her teeth before she vanished from sight, leaving only a shimmering afterimage where she'd stood. She had honestly only wanted to tease Leo and sneak up behind him, but since this bitch wanted a piece of her... Ophis would show her just how dangerous she could be.

A sudden hush fell. Leo's focus sharpened, every sense screaming as he pressed his back tighter to Raphael.

In the corner of his eye, a blur—movement, fast and deliberate—flashed between the trees. Instinct screamed at him to pull the trigger, but he froze. Azrael's earlier lesson echoed in his mind: Never shoot unless you're certain.

"Good, but you should do better," a voice breathed in his ear low, sly, almost a whisper.

He spun, heart lurching, but the voice's owner had already disappeared into the trees, gone before his eyes could even focus.

BANG!

Raphael caught sight of Essa leaping away from Leo... With a breathless shout, Raphael squeezed the trigger. The bullet struck true, grazing Essa's foot as she twisted through the air, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

Raphael staggered from the recoil, boots skidding in the dirt, but she gritted her teeth, set her stance again, and aimed.

The forest rang with the sounds of pursuit... firing, running, branches snapping under boots, laughter mingled with shouted curses.

The group scattered and reformed, Ophis zeroing in on Azrael with wild, feline focus, Essa vanishing and reappearing as she hunted Raphael and Leo.

While Leo and Raphael moved back to back, covering each other's flanks.

"NO! It was supposed to be me!!" Azrael screamed, frustration crackling through her voice as she caught sight of Raphael and Leo's backs pressing together.

Even though they were deep in the game, to Azrael's eyes it was… well, a little naughty.

"Then die, bitch!!" Ophis suddenly appeared at her side, a wild grin stretched across her face, hand darted for Azrael's head. But Azrael tilted away just in time, hair whipping as Ophis's hand sliced through empty air.

Azrael spun, raised her gun, and aimed low with a sly glint in her eye.

BANG!

"HIKKK!!!" Ophis's scream echoed, weird and indignant as the bullet bounced off the shielded curve of her ass.... She whirled, face twisted in fury. "You fucking lunatic bitch!!"

Ophis weaved through trees, her motions a blur, body twisting and sliding along trunks, leaping between shadows as Azrael's shots chased her heels, bullets sparking off branches, leaves torn by wild energy.

Essa darted from shadow to shadow, her silhouette barely visible, moving with a silent grace as she stalked Raphael, who spun, gun drawn, eyes wild, firing bursts at fleeting shapes only to catch a hint of laughter as Essa vanished.

"Right side!"

"I see it—cover me!"

BANG! BANG!

Bullets zipped through the forest.

Soon, night fully arrived.

The training came to an official close... A voice called out, telling everyone to leave the premises.

Bodies exhausted, legs trembling, the group staggered out from the trees. Raphael's shoulders and hands felt numb... arms heavy from recoil and tension.

Azrael bore fresh cuts and scratches... thin, burning lines across her skin, souvenirs from Ophis's razor-sharp nails disguised as "accidental" touches.

Azrael winced with every step, glaring at Ophis.

Ophis rubbed her backside, which had been shot so many times it now felt numb. She scowled, muttering under her breath, "That fucking lunatic bitch…ass!"

Except for one person… Leo.

While the others limped and complained, Leo was still deep in battle... fighting with a wooden sword against Essa.

"Come on… move faster. You've only reached two minutes, forty-five seconds!" Essa called out, eyes never leaving his.

Leo's lips and nose were sealed... he couldn't breathe, couldn't even gasp, every muscle straining as he swung and parried, sweat pouring down his face.

Who could do that?

Two minutes and forty-five seconds without a single breath... lungs emptied and still fighting on.

Truly, hats off to that person.