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

had feinted with Phantom Step to draw his strike away while simultaneously using Flowing

Parallel Walk and Balanced Direction had crashed into Gale, leaving him reeling. He just barely managed to throw up a guard as Rui pummeled him with short range blows boosted with the power

Gale leaped back, grimacing.

recuperate and regain his bearings, he rushed in. Gale panicked when he

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

didn't dodge or

CLASP

to reduce the

The Binding Lash technique.

defeating Gale, dragging outside the realm of striking which is where his

CRACK

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

these conditions were

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

being much older, but Rui had

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

Gale, had this been on Earth, this might have been a career ending injury, but in the world of Gaea, within

times, indicating his resignation. The pain was far too excruciating and even if Gale somehow

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

He meant it.

entire fight along with the perfect fight that he'd displayed from start 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 more power than most Apprentices in the Academy currently. But Rui still

Rui offered a hand to

almost would not be chosen as the representative of the Academy. "I haven't given up yet though. On becoming the representative,