The Martial Unity

Throughout the fight, Rui had wondered.

How hadn't they lost yet?

She was a Martial Squire, was she not?

What exactly was happening?

Based on the power and speed she had displayed the first time when she had missed, she should have been able to mangle them with just a few attacks, if not one.

Yet when she fought the second time, she was noticeably inferior.

Rui had been able to dodge her attack, as had Kane. Nel had been able to withstand her attack without losing consciousness the first time, although he did the second time.

It was only after a few exchanges that Rui understood.

('She's given up on using techniques entirely.')

Her proficiency with her body was sub-optimal, adding on top of that incompatible Apprentice-level techniques and these two elements sabotaged her accuracy too much.

She could not fix the proficiency with her body on the spot, that would require a lot of time, experience, and training. But she could get rid of the incompatible techniques sabotaging her accuracy.

But only if she stopped using them entirely.

It was a tough choice. But ultimately, she chose control over raw power, as a good Martial Artist would.

Once she stopped using incompatible techniques, her power dipped well below the Squire Realm, but her accuracy and precision had risen.

Once Rui realized this, he realized that maybe, just maybe, victory wasn't too far-fetched.

But only if they used everything they had. Throughout the fight, he watched her like a hawk. He documented everything about her.

Every twitch.

Every shift.

Every attack.

Every block.

All of it.

Large volumes of information entered his Mind Palace as he watched her toying with his friends with gritted teeth.

prolong the battle

He was almost there.

So close.

He closed his eyes.

death in the eyes?"

heard a

had

He was ready.

blitz

WHOOSH

BAM!

the most accurate and perfect counter to the maneuver as he adapted to

both of their power combined,

was fighting aggressively was that there was a huge

have been easy for her

and for some

still alive

vent it

You need to die." She glowered at

didn't even bother exchanging

weight of his bloodlust. It was almost as if his desire to kill her was warping the environment itself. She widened her eyes as she experienced a mental pressure that exceeded that of anything she had ever felt

the first time since stepping

she

mere Martial

"You... You will die."

she mangled it, pushing it back as she propelled herself

she tore it apart

Yet.

WHOOSH

Rui avoided.

of the prediction and adaptive models the VOID algorithm, Primordial Instinct,

avoided

BAM!!

with a titanic collision fueled by

much as blink. She unfurled a flurry of strikes at him, the power of each strike was beyond even Fae, even what

they crashed into empty

she was comfortable with. On top of that, she was still not

would not normally see in a Martial Artist. These flaws made it easier for Rui to predict her. It was part of the reason

was doing merely just