"What should we do now? You need to leave the imperial capital quickly!" Natasha said with a solemn expression.
"It's fine!" Jiang Yi raised his eyebrows. "Even if the British royal family is assisting Steven against me, they wouldn't dare to act overtly! Besides, leaving the imperial capital is useless. It's better to stay here and play with them."
"That's true. Even if you leave the imperial capital, it's useless. Instead of hiding, it's better to confront them head-on! And we might not lose!" Natasha said.
"Natasha, you should be very clear about my current situation. Even the American royal family is targeting me, and the British royal family might also want me dead!" Jiang Yi looked at Natasha. "It's not too late to distance yourself from me! This is no joke; you could lose your life."
"I'm not afraid. Your business is my business, teacher. I don't care if it's the American royal family or the British royal family. If you're in trouble, I will stand by you and support you!" Natasha said with a solemn expression.
Jiang Yi had said this twice already, but Natasha always said she would stand by him. Jiang Yi didn't mean anything else; he just didn't want Natasha to be implicated because of him. Facing the American and British royal families, Jiang Yi didn't have much of a chance of winning yet.
Natasha glanced at Steven's students, a strange smile appearing on her face. "Teacher, I'll give them a taste of their own medicine later and let them know how powerful we are!" Natasha said.
"Alright, it's indeed time to show them a thing or two," Jiang Yi smiled faintly. Jiang Yi knew what Natasha intended to do.
"Ladies and gentlemen, two rounds of the competition have concluded, and hundreds of participants have been eliminated so far. Currently, only over a hundred fencers remain! I hope you will continue to strive for excellent results in today's competition!" The host said loudly into the microphone. "Princess Meenasha has stated that anyone who enters the top ten in today's competition will have the opportunity to join the Royal Guard and serve the British royal family. Furthermore, Princess Meenasha will personally select a bodyguard from the top ten!"
Hearing this, the crowd below erupted in excitement. Becoming Meenasha's bodyguard was a dream come true for many. Moreover, both joining the Royal Guard and becoming Meenasha's bodyguard represented supreme honor for many.
Steven's students all wore cold smiles; they were confident they would be in the top ten, as they had prepared thoroughly. In recent years, the British royal family had become increasingly independent from the American royal family's control. While outwardly compliant, they completely disregarded the American royal family's commands on certain matters. Thus, the American royal family devised this strategy: using the fencing competition to infiltrate the British Royal Guard with their loyalists, thereby monitoring the British royal family's every move. Beyond this, the American royal family's methods were not limited to this. They also utilized advanced technological equipment to steal secrets from and monitor the British royal family's activities.
"The third round of the competition officially begins. Fencers, please step onto the stage to draw lots!" the host announced. Hearing this, the remaining over a hundred fencers walked towards the elevated stage again. After drawing lots and finding their opponents, they would continue the elimination matches. This time, Natasha finally drew one of Steven's students.
"You defeated Gorda just now, and now I'm going to kill you myself to avenge Gorda!" Steven's student glared fiercely at Natasha.
"Do you think you can get revenge with your meager skills? You must be dreaming!" Natasha smiled faintly. "When you were competing earlier, I had already figured out your fencing style. It's full of flaws, and I can cripple you with a single move. How about this: if you kneel down and admit defeat, I'll let you go!"
"You slut, you're too arrogant!" Steven's student roared angrily. Upon hearing Steven's student call her a slut, Natasha's anger flared. She gripped her foil tightly and attacked. Steven's student immediately engaged Natasha.
"Clang!" Natasha parried Steven's thrust and then kicked him in the chest, sending him flying several meters away. Before Steven's student could recover, Natasha was already upon him. Natasha showed no mercy, directly crippling Steven's student and then kicking him off the stage. Steven's student lay below the stage, having lost consciousness on the spot, severely injured with only half his life remaining! This time, Natasha defeated Steven's student in just twenty seconds. Everyone was stunned. They all knew that Steven's students were incredibly skilled, even if not as good as Steven himself; they had all won championships in world-class fencing competitions. Yet, before Natasha, they were so easily defeated.
"Useless!" Steven slammed the table and stood up.
"Mr. Steven, it seems your students are not up to par! They can't even defeat a rising star like Natasha. So far, two of your students have been defeated by Natasha!" Meenasha said with a slight smile. "I heard your students are top masters, and I thought they were truly formidable. But now, it seems they are not living up to their reputation." In previous fencing competitions, Eagle country's fencers were completely dominated by those from America. This year, they could finally hold their heads high. Steven quickly calmed down, suppressing his anger.
"My students don't usually face strong fencers, so they underestimated Natasha, which allowed her to seize an opportunity. If they were serious, even ten Natashas wouldn't be their match!" Steven said. "My students are the most formidable; there's no doubt about that!" Steven's statement reflects the ingrained cultural essence of the American royal family: finding excuses to cover up their incompetence. Having worked for the American royal family for many years, Steven had long since learned this cultural essence.
"Mr. Steven, since your students are so skilled, we shall wait and see if they can eventually defeat Natasha!" Meenasha said with a smile.
"My students are definitely stronger than Natasha!" Steven stated. Steven refused to believe that the fencers he personally trained would be defeated by an unknown from a small place. Meenasha smiled without a word. Her greatest hope was for Natasha to defeat all of Steven's students and give them a thorough lesson.