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.

battle for his

He was almost there.

So close.

He closed his eyes.

death in the eyes?"

heard a click in his

had

He was ready.

right blitz punch;

WHOOSH

BAM!

to the maneuver as he adapted to her attack with the help of the

their power

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

been

passed since the fight began and for some reason, none of them

still alive through their seismic signatures. Yet

to vent it

die."

even bother exchanging

warping the environment itself. She widened her eyes as she experienced a mental pressure that exceeded that of anything

felt fear for the first time since stepping

she

mere

"You... You will die."

back as she propelled herself forward at a speed that beggared the

she tore

Yet.

WHOOSH

Rui avoided.

took a combination of the prediction and adaptive models the

he avoided

BAM!!

chest with a

unfurled a flurry of strikes at him, the power of each strike was beyond even Fae, even what Squire Kyrie had struck him with, even beyond what the blond bandit had

crashed into empty air as Rui

tell that an aggressive offense was not something she was comfortable with. On top of that,

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

he was doing