The Martial Unity

The two dashed towards each other.

('I'm faster.') Rui realized.

Yet despite this, Gale's strike reached first.

WHOOSH

Rui dodged the strike.

Gale continued dishing an onslaught of strikes and Rui avoided all of them cleanly. Ever since he mastered Primordial Instinct, his timing had grown much sharper and more accurate. Its synergy with the VOID algorithm was truly impressive.

Gale didn't stop, his strikes were straight forward and had a huge range. He launched all of them from outside Rui's striking range, so Rui wasn't able to do much.

('He's a long-range striking specialist.') Rui realized. Each strike had a huge reach, and he launched them in a way that deliberately prevented Rui from reaching close enough to launch his own attacks.

Rui keenly observed this before making a decision, he stopped avoiding Gale and instead dashed against him once more.

A flash of surprise morphed into Gale's expression as he quickly launched a straight jab at Rui, growing even more surprised when he saw Rui didn't avoid them, and instead ran into it even faster. Just as the strike was about to hit Rui

WHOOSH

Rui disappeared.

('A feint!') Gale realized.

BAM

impact

draw his strike away while simultaneously

managed to throw up a guard as Rui pummeled him with short range blows boosted with the power of Outer Convergence

Gale leaped back, grimacing.

to let him recuperate and regain his bearings, he rushed in. Gale panicked when he saw Rui dashing

another feint. This time he was a bit more prepared, he didn't want to be

didn't dodge or

CLASP

moving with it to reduce the impact while simultaneously grasping Gale's arm with all four

The Binding Lash technique.

a grapple counter as the most apt way of defeating Gale, dragging outside the realm of striking which is where

CRACK

pain as Rui managed to cleanly dislocate his arm. The Binding Lash technique allowed the user to dislocate and

of these

but counter-offense as well, allowing him to increase the accuracy of his timing immensely. The VOID algorithm allowed him to consciously and actively analyze, evaluate

of being much older, but Rui had nailed the timing too well, that shoulder's

everything he had. Despite the advantageous position Rui had, he didn't give up and ruthless pressed and twisted the already

in the world

Rui's arm three times, indicating his resignation. The pain was far too excruciating and even if Gale somehow broke through, he had no chance of winning with a

a sigh of relief. He did not enjoy the act of inflicting pain on others. He carefully let go of Gale's arm, not

Gale exhaled deeply, getting up slowly, before throwing a bitter smile at Rui. "You're truly

He meant it.

Gale had spent a long time in the Academy,

Rui offered a hand to Gale's good hand. "You're

Gale said, now that he had lost to Rui this cleanly, even if he won every other fight, he almost would not be chosen as the representative of the Academy. "I haven't