The Martial Unity

The masks that Martial Artists wore were not meant to protect their face or head, it was meant to protect their identity. Of course, Martial Apprentices got hit in the face and the head regularly thus the masks that Martial Apprentices wore were designed to survive the rigor of Apprentice-Realm combat. Of course, most masks needed heavy maintenance after rigorous extended combat.

Ordinary substances that couldn't withstand the rigors of Apprentice-Realm combat while the esoteric resources with the tensile strength to be able to completely endure Apprentice-Realm combat were strategic resources that also too scarce to be wasted on masks.

Thus, as well as masks were designed to survive and at the very least stay intact, when faced power and onslaught at effectively the pinnacle of the Apprentice Realm, they simply couldn't stay intact.

Rui hadn't even realized that his mask had fallen off until he felt the warm air make contact with his face.

Yet before he could even process his situation, his eyes fell on his opponent, who was in the same predicament.

Golden hair and golden eyes. Perfect, beautiful features.

The man looked like a prince.

Yet it wasn't his aesthetics that shocked Rui.

"You...!" He murmured in shock. Rui's mind flashed back nearly two years ago, back to his bodyguard mission in the Basara Mountains. He had fought a bandit group that was routinely ambushing and plundering supply convoys for high-grade esoteric resources.

The leader of the bandit group back then who had managed to escape was the very man before him.

much as he could, pretending it was his own mask slip he was shocked about. He

just one, but two of the strongest Martial Artists of the Martial

instantly given him away. The crowd immediately his identity

eyes. That's that Apprentice Rui

Lady Freier managed to rope in the finalist of the Martial

There was nothing he could do at this point. He had done his reasonable best hiding his

fighter commission from Nartha. Since then, his goodwill with the members of the Martial Games community had risen,

for the Martial Games.

man loved Martial Art, he went out of his way to ensure that there were no disincentives

man's

not he just felt wary. He glanced at Charles and saw

got their feet as they immediately took their stances

very unfortunate that the fighters' masks have broken." Charles' voice boomed. "It would be unfair to expect them to continue when they were unable to conceal their identities the way they originally wanted to." He continued. "Here at the Martial Games we

of disappointment washed over the guests, but none of them dared raise an objection

those words. His identity was already revealed, the mask or not, it didn't matter. Yet the fact that Charles insisted likely meant that the reason he wanted had nothing to do with

blond man, scrutinizing him

match? He didn't want even the slightest chance of it being leaked that his representative was a prolific bandit

for sure. He turned back to the blond man,

"Hey." Rui called out.