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

meteoric impact

away while simultaneously

leaving him reeling. He just barely managed to throw up a guard as Rui pummeled him with short

Gale leaped back, grimacing.

Rui wasn't kind enough to let him recuperate and regain his bearings, he rushed in. Gale panicked

a cautious strike at Rui, expecting another feint. This time he was a bit more prepared, he didn't want to be caught

Rui didn't dodge

CLASP

the strike hit him, moving with it to reduce the impact while simultaneously grasping Gale's

The Binding Lash technique.

as the most apt way of defeating Gale, dragging outside the realm of striking which is where his specialty lied.

CRACK

The Binding Lash technique allowed the user to dislocate and break arms as long

these

defense 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 and make a

Rui

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

this might have been a career ending injury, but in the world of Gaea, within the Martial Art, this wasn't much of a big deal. Healing potions ensured that

resignation. The pain was far too excruciating and even if Gale somehow

with a sigh of relief. He did not enjoy the act of inflicting

exhaled deeply, getting up slowly, before throwing a bitter smile at Rui.

He meant it.

to finish. Rui had shown him just how big the gap between them was. Gale had spent a long time in the Academy, and even with his mediocre growth, he had come to accumulate

hand to Gale's good hand. "You're

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 given up yet though.