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 struck

strike away while simultaneously using Flowing Canon once he reached striking

Direction had crashed into Gale, leaving him reeling. He just barely managed to throw up a

Gale leaped back, grimacing.

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

he was a bit more prepared,

didn't dodge or

CLASP

moving with it to reduce the impact while simultaneously grasping

The Binding Lash technique.

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

CRACK

to cleanly dislocate his arm. The Binding Lash technique allowed the user to dislocate and break arms as long as the timing was perfect and the physicality gap

these

his 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 decision, while the Primordial Instinct technique allowed him to execute

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

struggling with everything he had. Despite the advantageous position Rui had, he didn't give up

a career ending injury, but in

even if Gale somehow broke through,

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

before throwing

He meant it.

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 more power than most Apprentices in the Academy

Rui offered a hand to Gale's good

he almost would not