The Martial Unity

A drop of sweat trickled down Julian's face as he watched Rui and Fiona facing off at each other with anxious tensions. All of the children were silent for once, staring at the two representatives facing each other off, not blinking.

Julian had seen wonders in the time that they had spectated the Martial Contest. He had witnessed the Martial Artists accomplish magical things one after the other. It shaken his worldview. Although he had worked with research teams that conducted research on Martial Art, he hadn't quite seen anything remotely comparable to this.

However, what truly caught his attention was seeing a side of his brother that he hadn't seen. Rui was normally very pleasant, but when he stepped on the ring, he had become incredibly intimidating and scary. He was also very strong, having made it to the finals.

Yet even Julian couldn't help but feel quite anxious when he saw that Rui had to face that monster girl who thrashed everyone she fought against.

He hoped Rui would be fine.

He was not the only one who felt that way.

"How do you think it's going to go?" Fae asked in a different section of audience stands.

"He has an uphill battle." Hever said calmly.

Kane didn't reply. He hated to admit it, but Fiona was stronger than he'd imagined. They were of the same age, but he didn't think he could beat her. In fact, the only reason they could even have a competitive match was because Kane had the Void Step technique.

He simply ignored Fae and stared at the duo.

"Take your stances." The referee instructed, down at the arena.

Fiona didn't move. However, Rui did expect this. He raised his heels of the ground, lightly hopping. It was a stance that facilitated agility.

"Begin!"

WHOOSH

an instant, launching a powerful

WHOOSH

as Rui smoothly evaded her blow. The mildest flash of surprise flicked onto her face. She hadn't expected Rui to be able to handle her first

but spun as he threw a speedy jab at

BAM!

felt a heavy blow crash into him quicker than his own attack. He grimaced as he just barely managed to disperse a portion of the impact with Inner Divergence, shocked at her power. Only Fae could surpass her force, the fact that

POW POW POW!

much as he could and open up some distance between

WHOOSH

Instinct and the Phantom Step. However, the importance of the role his enhanced mind could not be downplayed either. All of these together resulted in extremely quick reactions that could give

reactions in close quarters like she did

her face

stronger. Her offense power was overwhelming. Every

BAM!

raw speed was extremely high, surpassing his. He was

POW POW POW!

lashed out against him, throwing a barrage of strikes at him. Each strike was extremely painful, bruising him visibly. His arm had become a mess in a

he was

WHOOSH

BAM!

misdirecting her incoming strike with Phantom Step, he charged with every ounce of his power, as

BAM!

a bit as

too big a difference. But it was the first strike he had

lashed out at

WHOOSH

cleanly evaded