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

his strike away while simultaneously using Flowing Canon once

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

Gale leaped back, grimacing.

his bearings, he rushed in. Gale panicked when he saw

feint. This time he was a bit more prepared,

didn't dodge

CLASP

reduce the impact while simultaneously grasping Gale's arm with all

The Binding Lash technique.

Gale, dragging outside the realm of striking which is where his specialty lied. In the domain of grappling, Rui had

CRACK

his arm. The Binding Lash technique allowed the user to dislocate

these conditions were

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 the decision with

being much older, but Rui

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

had no qualms about inflicting pain and damage to Gale, had this been on Earth, 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

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

enjoy the act of inflicting pain on others. He carefully let go of Gale's

up slowly, before throwing a bitter smile

He meant it.

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

man." Rui offered a hand to

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. On becoming the representative, or becoming