Gunner stood at ease while watching the five Apprentices arrange themselves before him. His expression towards them was the same as always, a look of casual indifference as if they were mere strangers to him.
This look greatly bothered the five because they looked up to Gunner despite his harsh teachings because he was awesome in every way, especially when he and Darius were together.
The contrast between their master and Gunner was so striking that no one could forget about such a duo once encountering them. They thought that after five months, he would at least show some recognition towards them.
Well, Gunner did recognize them and despite what they thought, he was not a heartless beast. He was brutal precisely because he cared about them, but in order to never pull his punches during a fight, he conditioned himself to be indifferent.
"You may begin." Gunner instructed calmly, not even taking a defensive position nor using any weapons.
The five immediately entered the optimal battle formation they had agreed upon beforehand.
Ash rushed with his body low to the ground, his upper body bent forward while his sword was held behind him.
Reina jumped back and nicked three arrows on her bow, firing them in tandem with Ash's movement to prevent Gunner from escaping in any direction but where Ash's blade would strike.
Anthony struck the ground with his bo-staff and propelled himself into the sky with a triple flip, then manifested his Nimbus Cloud as he rode towards Gunner from a high position, building momentum and pressure as he spun the staff three times.
At some point James had disappeared, making one wonder whether he had ever existed. It made it near impossible to tell just how close to his target he was.
Had he even moved from his place? Was he perhaps hovering around the edges, waiting for the right chance to close the gap? Or could he already be in a position to strike?
Jonathan hovered near the middle, in a position that would allow him, depending on the situation, to either back Ash up, protect Reina if she came under attack, or coordinate a combination attack with Anthony.
His broadsword was easily wielded by the lad, seeming more like a kitchen knife than something almost the size of an average teenager.
Their formation had been honed after months of trial and error, perfected to an insane degree. Their cooperation was flawless and their skills as well as their movements were level, practiced, and fluid.
Alas... in the face of absolute power, all manner of trickery was useless.
With a neutral glance, Gunner watched Ash run over, Reina's arrows cutting off his paths of retreat as Anthony was gliding downward. The half-giant took a single step forward, then another. He was calmly walking forward to meet their charge, but…
To an onlooker, it would seem as if the Branded Servant was taking a leisure walk and yet the Apprentices, who were using their top speed, seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Reina's arrows reached him just as Ash did, the lad swung his sword horizontally. It was a perfect co-operation, one that would force an enemy with the same stats as them to bring out their trump card or risk serious injury.
Reina would never use normal arrows to fight a monster like him, no her stuff had been custom-made by the best blacksmiths on Fallon.
Her arrows were also enchanted with many different effects like poison, slow, explosion, freeze, fire, and more depending on what she needed. For example, the three arrows she had fired towards the half-giant had been enchanted with a freeze, a smoke cloud, a concussion effect respectively.
Fighting the Branded Servants for months had allowed them to learn his moves and how he handled things. He was a full-frontal fighter, one who was always willing to enter the fray instead of standing in one place taking blows.
Gunner had utter confidence in his body and his power, so unless he was certain an attack could bother him, he would never dodge, only knock it away casually.
As such, the purpose of the freeze arrow had been to lock the arm he should have used to knock it away in ice, while the smoke arrow would have blocked his vision, providing give Ash more space to maneuver when he retreated.
Naturally, they did not expect their first attack to hit at all. Expecting that would be foolish, this was, at best, a probing strike.
In fact, Ash meeting a beast like Gunner on his own would be suicide. The concussion arrow was meant to stun Gunner. Even though it would barely last a split second, it would be enough to continue with their planned formation of attack.
It would then be Anthony's turn to dish out a strike that was charged with all his momentum, using the force of Gunner's (assumed) counterattack to retreat before they proceeded with the second part of their formation.
However, Gunner reacted in a way none of the five had expected. He waved his hand, creating a gust of wind that blew all arrows away before they could do anything and followed it up by raising his right leg, stomping down hard.
The entire training ground shook as if there was a serious earthquake, toppling almost everyone to the ground. Jonathan, Reina, Ash, and even the hidden James were all floored, while the descending Anthony's face changed to one of horror.
His teammates had all been incapacitated with one action. At the speed he was charging over it was impossible to retreat for him. He could only grit his teeth and strike out with his accumulated power, hoping for the best.
Of course, just because one prayed for a miracle, didn't mean one would happen.
Gunner simply grabbed the tip of the offending staff, completely halting Anthony's movement. The remnant force from his approach forced the half-beast forward, his grip leaving his staff as he hustled towards the Branded Servant.
Gunner simply grabbed Anthony before he could crash and hurt himself. Then, he put the lad down and gave him back his staff before returning to his starting position, folding his arms then gazing at them calmly with a hint of slight praise.
However, the frustrated Apprentices did not notice this and rather understood it as a sign of disappointment, since he didn't even utter so much as a single word nor did he comment on their flaws.
Their carefully prepared plan had been foiled by him in just a few breaths.
