At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a self-destructive attack.

However, from the Crown Prince’s perspective, it was something he had carefully thought through.

After being shown that level of evasion, there was a high chance that any normal attack would simply be avoided.

So he concluded that he had to use an attack outside of Li’s expectations to catch her off guard.

The result of that thinking was the mid-range dropkick.

It was certainly an attack that didn’t exist in Li’s expectations.

But that was only in the sense that it was far too poor of a choice as an option.

Naturally, she had no intention of just standing there and taking it.

After all, Li was a delicate maiden.

Of course she would avoid it.

And so, it ended in self-destruction.

The aim wasn’t bad, but the thinking behind it was shallow.

“Grr… reset! Let’s go, Li!”

Having stood back up, the Crown Prince this time seriously launched a kick from a distance.

Li had already read that as well.

She stepped back half a step to evade, then closed the distance in a single stride and swept away his supporting leg.

“Your footing is wide open.”

She said this while looking down at the Crown Prince, who had fallen cleanly onto his backside.

“It’s not over yet!”

Without standing up, the Crown Prince tried to grab onto Li.

Li easily deflected him without effort.

Watching the scene from outside, the saint gave her impression.

“It kind of looks like he’s trying to push Li down.”

“But he’s not even being taken seriously at all!”

“At this point, it’s less comical and more pitiful.”

At the words of Patricia and Alberta, the noble young ladies nodded in agreement.

“Ooooooo!”

With a shout, the Crown Prince lunged again—only to take a counterstrike to the jaw.

Dropping to his knees, he trembled on all fours.

“Is that all?”

“Shut up! It’s not over! I… I must win!”

As he stood up with trembling knees, the voices of his entourage rang out.

“Your Highness! That’s enough!”

The Crown Prince couldn’t even tell who had said it.

He simply looked at them.

All of them wore expressions of concern.

Seeing that, the Crown Prince let out a faint laugh.

“It’s alright, don’t worry. Li is strong, I admit that. But even so, if I lose, then this country loses. You all lose. I will never allow that. As long as you believe in me, I will stand up again no matter how many times! That is the bright red oath in my heart!”

Then he pointed sharply at Li.

“Come at me!” the Crown Prince roared.

Overcome with emotion, his entourage shouted, “Your Highness!”

“What is that? Why are they acting like the victims?”

Lady Alberta cut in sharply.

“This is kind of disgusting.”

Lady Patricia spoke bluntly.

“At this rate, Li looks like the Demon King final boss. No, considering her strength, maybe more like a hidden boss.”

The saint muttered quietly, as if watching something amusing.

As for Li, she tilted her head.

Was that really something the one at a disadvantage should be saying?

“Here I go, Li!”

Even though he had said “come at me,” the Crown Prince was the one who attacked.

What they were hoping for was a dramatic comeback from here.

However, Li—who had become the ‘Demon King’ in their story—had no intention of playing along.

It was something like secondhand embarrassment.

Being dragged into this whole farce had become deeply embarrassing.

Up until now, she had only responded after the opponent moved, never attacking first.

But now, Li switched to offense.

She walked straight toward the Crown Prince.

Even the Crown Prince, wary now, stopped his movement.

Li accelerated only for a brief instant as she entered his range.

Then, bending the tip of her stepping foot, she feinted a frontal approach while circling to his side.

Unable to follow the sudden acceleration and change of direction, it felt to the Crown Prince as though Li had vanished from in front of him.

As he stood frozen, Li moved from his side to directly behind him and lightly kicked the back of his knee.

A not-so-gentle knee buckle.

As he dropped to his knees, she placed a knife-hand at his neck.

“Will you continue?”

At Li’s question, the Crown Prince let out a strained groan.

Seeing that, Li lowered her hand.

“Shall we end it with the next exchange?”

“Liiiiiiiiii!”

The Crown Prince was crying.

It was the first tears of frustration in his life.

Even as his face crumpled, he stood up and raised his fist toward Li.

“Heart and intent, intent and qi, qi and strength form the inner three harmonies. Hands and feet, elbows and knees, shoulders and hips form the outer three harmonies. With the unity of inner and outer, it becomes the Six Harmonies of Mind and Intent!”

Li stepped inside the Crown Prince’s punch and deflected it with her elbow.

At the same time, she struck upward at his jaw with her opposite elbow.

Then she drove her shoulder into him and sent him flying.

But it didn’t end there.

As the Crown Prince fell backward, Li grabbed his arm.

Using the rebound as he was pulled forward, she drove a headbutt into his chest.

Then she stepped forward again.

“This ends it!”

Li drove an elbow strike deep into his abdomen.

A brutal close-range combination.

If used by a well-built man, each strike would carry lethal power.

Li deliberately turned it into a series of blows.

Because she was using the body of someone physically weaker, she made it a combination attack.

With a thud, the Crown Prince fell onto his back.

There was no strength left in his body.

His spirit had completely broken.

He simply cried without making a sound.

“Match over—”

The male instructor’s somewhat lackluster voice echoed through the training grounds.