The Martial Unity

Rui opened his eyes slowly. An clear sky entered his field of vision.

He frowned.

Where was he?

He got up to his feet as he gazed forward, squinting as his eyes adjusted. A beautiful landscape extended as far as the eye could see as he gazed down at the breathtaking sight, appreciating its beauty.

But he was still confused.

He turned around, glancing at what was behind him, yet what he saw shook him to his very core.

He saw a path.

A path with profound depth.

A path he was on.

Yet what shook him wasn't the path itself.

No.

What truly shook him was treacherous calamities the path winded through.

Monsters.

Earthquakes.

Meteorites.

Land-breaks.

A torrent of devastating catastrophes littered his path.

It was a horrifying sight that inspired primal terror.

And yet, it inspired awe.

Through his terror, he could see profound boundless beauty in that path.

enchanted him, mesmerizing

a path he wanted

his first step, the world shattered into

woke up a shock, jerking upright as

glanced around spotting his squire instructors

took him a few

dream again...') He thought

to my match?" His eyes widened as he glanced

silent for a

"You managed to get her with the Stinger, inflicting a critical wound. But the damage

Rui sighed,

inwardly he concealed immense disappointment and frustration. He had given that fight his everything, but

as he exhaled deeply,

that has been cultivating techniques for six years. The odds were stacked against you in every way, in every possible parameter, yet you managed to not only push

nodded at his words. "Remember what I told you before the preliminary contest. Your Martial Path extends far beyond the Martial Contest, this is merely a checkpoint in your life. Do not let this halt or

The fact that Rui was already half-way to being a Squire Candidate at the age of fourteen was truly astonishing. Furthermore, he had fulfilled the harder and more important condition of Squire candidacy

genius back in her era, yet even she couldn't

Voidbringer...') She mused. ('How

I do not intend to let this failure hold me back." he said solemnly. "Instead, this failure will make me stronger, stronger

as a

his world view of what was possible and what wasn't. It expanded his view of

as he thought of all the various techniques he would

eyes had already left the past, greedily

* * * * *

chair as she gazed outside the window of

a table

a matter of boundless

was in a pensive mood, unsure of

knew what she felt. She wasn't sure about how she felt of what she

and given that cup

KNOCK KNOCK

She

"Miss." Her butler bowed.

"What is it?"

summoned you." He said,

simply nodded, having

dismissed him as she walked towards the center of the Roschem Family

center, where the study of