"Then, I shall act as the referee."
At Flor’s word, Lydia and Deruku moved to face one another. Despite having just finished a twenty-kilometer run, both were still brimming with spirit.
"Hehe. It’s been a while since I’ve gone up against someone this massive."
Lydia gave a bold smirk. She took pride in having faced her fair share of giants in the past, but Deruku was in a league of his own. He stood nearly two meters tall.
Even for Lydia, his height—reaching into the high 190s—exerted a palpable sense of pressure.
On top of that, Deruku was a seasoned soldier who never neglected his training. He was packed with muscle, and as she had already realized, he was far from a simple meathead.
"Now... begin!!"
The moment Flor’s voice rang out, Deruku dropped his center of gravity and charged. In this mock battle, the use of magic for Physical Reinforcement was permitted.
Logically, this should have given Lydia the upper hand, but...
"Whoa...! He’s damn fast!!"
Lydia, who had lowered her hips to brace for impact, couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise.
Despite that overwhelming physique, his agility was incredible.
It seemed his selection for this unit was no fluke.
"Oraaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Deruku charged straight ahead. He understood that even with magic in play, the weight difference between himself and Lydia was undeniable. His best course of action was to use his massive frame to press the advantage head-on.
"Hmph...!!"
"Ngh...!!"
Their bodies collided with a dull thud, and the two fell into a grinding stalemate.
"Gnuuuuuuuu..."
"U-uoooooooooooooo!!"
Lydia was superior in magical technique, but Deruku held the advantage in raw weight and muscle. Their power was now perfectly matched.
Watching the spectacle, Flor looked as if she were witnessing the impossible.
"...Wait. She’s actually matching the Sergeant in raw power?"
Abby answered immediately, her gaze fixed on the duel.
"Yes. Lydia has possessed abnormal muscle mass and magical sense since she was a child. If anything, I am the one surprised that the Sergeant can match her strength."
"Ahaha... Honestly, what is with this unit?"
While they spoke, the battle continued to intensify.
"Roar, my muscles! Thunder and scream!! Uooooooooooo!!"
Lydia funneled even more Inside Code into her frame. Then, in a feat that defied the laws of physics, she pivoted and executed a perfect Ippon Seoi on Deruku, slamming him into the dirt.
The sight of her—so small compared to him—sending his massive body airborne was an utterly surreal spectacle.
However, Deruku wasn't finished yet.
The fight transitioned into grappling, but Deruku firmly locked his hips, refusing to be moved from the spot. Lydia looked for an opening to secure a joint lock, but his defense was ironclad.
"Fuhahaha! Excellent! I am in awe of those overwhelming muscles!!"
"Heh... You’re not bad yourself, Lydia! No one’s ever managed to send me flying before!!"
Hehe... Ahahahaha!!
They began praising each other's muscles mid-fight; the scene was nothing short of bizarre. Abby watched with an air of "business as usual," while Flor put her hand to her head and sighed.
Henrick wore a beaming, satisfied smile, and Carol was hopping up and down on the spot, caught up in the excitement.
The battle raged on for some time... until eventually, Lydia emerged as the victor.
"Haa... haa... haa... ugh... That was intense. Deruku, you were seriously strong... I think I'm going to barf..."
Lydia stayed on all fours, gasping for air as she tried to compose herself. Deruku was equally spent, his shoulders heaving.
"Damn it... I was so close..."
"Hehe. No, you should be proud. You actually pushed me this far!!"
Lydia had assumed that using Physical Reinforcement would make the victory easy, but the reality had been quite different.
Above all else, Deruku was persistent. He fought a gritty, dogged fight, refusing to stay down. Furthermore, his technical skill was top-notch, parrying Lydia's strikes with surprising finesse.
Though he was a training school product rather than an elite Officers' Academy graduate, he had proven he possessed the skill required for this unit.
"Lydia. Your muscles were the best."
Flashed a wide, white-toothed grin, Deruku offered a hand. Lydia took it with a smile of her own.
"Heh. Yours were the best too, Deruku! Let's hit the weights together next time!"
"You bet!"
And so, two muscle devotees were born within the unit.
Time flew by after that.
Throughout the training curriculum, not a single person dropped out as they progressed through the grueling drills. Through rain, wind, and storm, the girls continued to devote themselves diligently to their craft.
Finally, six months passed.
As of today, the training curriculum had officially come to an end. They were graduating from the Officers' Academy.
The trio headed to the office of Henrick Fahrenheit, just as they had a year ago. There, they stood waiting for his arrival.
"That felt kind of fast..."
"You seemed to be having the time of your life every day, Lydia. For me, there were some pretty tough stretches."
"Caro-caro had a hard time too~. If you two hadn't been there, it might have been dicey~☆"
Lydia, for her part, had breezed through the training with room to spare. She was brilliant, possessed high natural physical capabilities, and her magical talent went without saying. Over this past year, she had grown even further as a sorcerer.
While Abby and Carol had certainly improved, Lydia's rate of growth was simply abnormal.
Whispers had already begun to circulate regarding her appointment to the Seven Grand Sorcerers; her magic was rapidly approaching a level of absolute perfection.
"Apologies for the wait. It seems I've run a bit late."
Henrick offered a polite apology as he took his seat.
"Now then, as you already know, the three of you have officially graduated from the Officers' Academy. You have successfully completed the training curriculum. Compressing a four-year program into a single year was a monumental task, but you handled it superbly."
It wasn't mere flattery, but the plain truth. The very idea of condensing the curriculum to such a degree was unheard of. For girls who were only fifteen—now sixteen—to accomplish it was truly unprecedented.
Three "talents of a century" had appeared at the same time, and they were even more exceptional than the rumors suggested.
"With your graduation comes a promotion. Your rank will now be Second Lieutenant. There is no precedent for a sixteen-year-old Second Lieutenant, but for you three, it is only fitting. I have no doubt you are destined for brilliant careers."
Hearing those words, Lydia puffed out her chest proudly. She was never one to shy away from praise.
"Furthermore, your assignment will be a new special forces unit—Special Selection Unit 'Astral'."
"Special Selection Unit 'Astral', sir?" Abby asked.
It was the first time she had heard the name, and she couldn't help but repeat it.
"That's right. It means 'star'. I came up with it myself. Catchy, isn't it?"
"A-ahaha... I suppose so."
Abby gave a strained laugh, but Lydia and Carol were far more enthusiastic.
"Special Selection Unit 'Astral'!? No way, that's seriously cool! It's just like the shining me!!"
"Yeah, yeah! It's the perfect name for us!"
Abby reaffirmed to herself that she fundamentally did not share the same aesthetic values as these two.
"Hehe. I'm glad you like it. Your official duties begin in one week. Until then, you are all on leave. This past year has been grueling, so you've earned the rest. I will see you in a week."
With the briefing concluded, they were dismissed.
There was less than a year left until Lydia and the others would meet Ray.