Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Chapter 557 Nothing to do

Clementine gave an approving sound, but her hands didn't pause for a second. The scythe slashed from a tricky angle, carrying a scorching wind, not aimed at Zixuan's vitals, but precisely striking the side of her staff where it was most difficult to exert force.

"What..." Zi Xuan raised her staff to forcefully defend herself, and only because she had some basic close combat skills did she not lose.

However, Clementine controlled her power with exquisite skill. This attack precisely shattered the elemental power that Zixuan had gathered, causing her to stagger backward and almost lose her balance.

Just as Zi Xuan lost her balance, Zhao Heng thrust his spear forward like a dragon emerging from the sea, attempting to force Clementine back and buy Zi Xuan a chance to catch her breath. However, Clementine seemed to have eyes in the back of her head; she parried the spear tip with her scythe, and using the momentum, she spun around, the scythe carrying an even hotter shockwave, slashing back at his lower body.

The transitions between offense and defense are fluid and seamless, without any hesitation.

Zhao Heng had no choice but to withdraw his gun and return to defense, while simultaneously shifting his footwork to narrowly avoid the slash. Clementine's offensive didn't stop; she seemed to have locked onto both of them simultaneously. With each swing of her scythe, flames and thorns intertwined to form a dangerous net, forcing Zhao Heng and Zi Xuan to be on high alert and struggling to defend themselves.

Meanwhile, the other trainees in the training field had already stopped their own training and were watching intently as the "guest" and the "instructor" clashed.

Sirius, however, watched with great interest, showing no sign of worry even as the two were about to be defeated.

On the field, Clementine's attacks were like a tidal wave, one wave after another. She made full use of the elemental properties of fire and thorns, sometimes using flames as the main attack to force the two to reposition; sometimes using thorns to restrict and create traps. Her combat experience was extremely rich, and she could always anticipate Zi Xuan and Zhao Heng's intentions and stop them in advance.

Although Zi Xuan and Zhao Heng's teamwork was gradually improving, they still found themselves struggling against Clementine's all-around, multi-faceted suppression. Their counterattacks were often easily neutralized, and every seemingly casual attack from Clementine targeted the slightest flaw in their coordination or rhythm.

"Is this the power of a dual-element contractor...?"

Zhao Heng gritted his teeth and readjusted his rhythm with Zi Xuan. However, no matter how they tried, their opponents always appeared in the most unexpected positions, dismantling their offensive in the most effortless way, and then applying just the right amount of pressure, forcing them to constantly adjust and exhaust themselves, but they were never able to form an effective counterattack.

Just a few minutes later, Zhao Heng and Zi Xuan were finally defeated, while Clementine remained in control, even with a focused and gentle smile on her face, as if this was just an easy warm-up.

"That's enough." Clementine sheathed her scythe, and the flames and thorns surrounding her instantly vanished.

Zhao Heng leaned on his gun, and Zi Xuan held onto her magic staff; both of them were panting heavily.

"You've done a very good job."

Clementine walked up to them, her tone sincere.

"Your teamwork is excellent, your reactions are quick, and your fundamentals are solid. However..." She paused, tilting her head, "...when facing opponents who are far more experienced and equally adept at multi-elemental coordination, your tactics seem somewhat simplistic. In the trials, you may encounter all sorts of unexpected enemies, requiring more flexible approaches."

Zhao Heng nodded silently. Zi Xuan wiped the sweat from her forehead and said with a wry smile, "I have to say, Miss Clementine's strength is truly unfathomable."

Clementine smiled slightly: "Is that so? But in the past, even as a dual-attribute contractor, my strength was relatively backward in the training camp."

"No way," Zixuan said incredulously.

“Of course, after all, I wasn’t like Pepe back then, who was decisive in everything she did.” Claire turned around with her hands behind her back. “Oh, right, although I know you guys are eager to join in the fun, if you slack off again, all your training today will be tripled.”

Her voice remained gentle as she glanced around at the young trainees who were so engrossed in their training that they had even forgotten what they were doing.

The trainees were immediately jolted awake, quickly averting their gaze and throwing themselves back into their tedious basic training, sweating profusely and daring not to slack off in the slightest.

Seeing this, she let out another soft laugh.

"Heh heh, alright, you two don't need to stand here anymore." She came to their side, bent down slightly, and made a playful gesture. "How about it? After working up a sweat for so long, how about doing something relaxing?"

"An easy thing?" The two looked puzzled.

……

Inside the kitchen, Zixuan and Zhao Heng quickly changed their clothes under Clementine's arrangement. They were dressed in casual clothes and wearing aprons, and on the table in front of them were ingredients such as eggs, sugar, and almonds, as well as many cake-making tools.

Zixuan paused for a moment, then asked somewhat awkwardly, "Excuse me, what are we going to do?"

Claire, holding up the hem of her apron with both hands, spun around gracefully: "Obviously, making a cake."

"what?"

The two were stunned for a moment.

Seeing this, Claire smiled gently: "It's not good to be constantly tense during training. Sometimes it's a good choice to relax a little."

"That's what you say, but actually you're the one who wants to eat it, right?" Sirius said with interest, leaning on a chair and resting his head on his hand. "After all, I heard from Brother Rek'os that ever since you guys came to the training camp, this kitchen has become like your personal place."

"Hehe, Sirius understands me best. But I'm not doing this entirely out of selfishness. After all, you two are too obsessed with the trial. If we don't find a way to distract yourselves, things will only get worse. So, as a way to relax, making delicious desserts might be a good choice. Besides, desserts you make yourself will make you feel even happier."

She stood with her hands behind her back, facing away from the two of them, then bent down slightly and turned her head back, making a playful gesture again.

At that moment, Zhao Heng and Zi Xuan exchanged a glance.

“What you said… seems to make some sense,” Zixuan said, spreading her hands.

“Okay, let’s give it a try then,” Zhao Heng nodded.

Sirius leaned back in his chair and smiled slightly: "In that case, I'll wait here for your results."

Upon hearing this, Zixuan immediately put her hands on her hips and said with dissatisfaction, "Hey, you're too shameless!"

"Hmm?" Zhao Heng paused for a moment, then blinked. "The tone of that sentence... it sounds like Karin."

"Ah, is that so?" Zixuan straightened up, rubbed her forehead and sighed angrily, "Sigh, I guess I caught it from her. But to be honest, with Kailin not here, I feel like I've taken over all the complaining."

As soon as she finished speaking, Clementine had already neatly placed the materials and tools needed for the first step on the cutting board.

"Gentlemen, let's begin without delay."