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.

the battle for his sake made him feel unparalleled

He was almost there.

So close.

He closed his eyes.

to look death in the eyes?" She had

a click

final piece had finally fallen in

He was ready.

blitz punch;

WHOOSH

BAM!

counter to the maneuver as he adapted to her attack

power combined, yet she

was a defensive Martial Artist. The reason she was fighting aggressively was that there was a huge gap

it should have been

since the fight began and

that Nel, Fae, and Hever were still alive through

vent it out on

need to die."

even

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

time since stepping into the

she felt

mere Martial Apprentice humiliate

"You... You will die."

back as she

as she tore

Yet.

WHOOSH

Rui avoided.

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

avoided it

BAM!!

crashed into her chest with a

she didn't so much as blink. She unfurled a flurry of strikes at him, the power of each strike was beyond even Fae, even what Squire Kyrie

empty air as

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

see in a Martial Artist. These flaws made it easier for Rui to predict her.

doing merely just