The Martial Unity

He couldn't defeat her, not by himself, at the very least.

But he didn't need to.

He wasn't fighting alone.

BOOM!

A powerful invisible collision crashed into her head, rocking her body. It threw her attack off-course, missing Rui by just a few millimeters.

Fae and Nel appeared out of nowhere, latching onto her arms in arm-bars with their whole bodies, doing their best to restrain her movements.

Her reactions were heavily delayed due to her surprise and confusion.

She felt an invisible force grabbing her shoulder and chest; Hever.

Rui grinned at the sight. ('Kane, you mad lad, you actually succeeded.')

Kane had healed all of them with the healing potions that they each carried while Rui kept the Squire busy. He then carried them over while using the Void Step technique. Theoretically, Void Step wasn't limited hard to a single person. However, in practice, it was extremely difficult to expand it beyond one's self.

Yet, Kane's mastery and fortitude allowed him to succeed in doing just that for three people. He appeared out of thin air a few moments later, collapsing to the ground, exhausted. He would not be able to fight anymore for the time being.

Yet he had already done more than enough. He had dispelled defeat and given them another chance, it was more than Rui could expect from him.

Not even a moment had passed since they appeared. Hever's extreme muscle memory flashed as it activated the improved Meteor Swing technique in the briefest of moments. He elevated her over his head before plummeting her down headfirst at incredible speeds. Fae and Nel coiled on her as though their lives depended on it. In a way, it did depend on it. Their legs coiled around her neck and head, holding both in place.

Yet, even as she plummeted headfirst, she wasn't afraid. She had already withstood this attack unharmed earlier. The other two Martial Apprentices were not hurting her, just momentarily restraining her.

She was vulnerable momentarily, yes. But she did not think it could be exploited, Hever's motions were too fast for any kind of coordinated attack. She had already decided to kill them all the second she landed.

That was when she heard it.

PEW!

A whistling sound, as if something sharp were cutting through the air at high speeds.

It was only after that she realized what it was.

the world turned in her vision and she saw a foot flying straight toward her head, its thumb-toe aiming straight up at her

his tumultuous emotions, nor his physical

None of it.

prevent Rui Quarrier from ceasing the dimmest light of hope

he told her that none

power to hinder her. They were too

As for Hever?

even need to

literally had only one technique in his arsenal. In all that time, he

appeared, there was chaos in Rui's mind. He did not know what he ought

nothing,

did what he had already done, they

What should he do?

a way to figure

"...!"

thundering realization flashed in his

Rui's dark pupils dilated.

slowed down

His eyes widened.

Mind Palace technique was that it

matter what he put in it,

Mind Palace at this very moment.') He had realized, looking at the four Martial Artists before

one? What if accurately

and sharper into

to figure out the best

no different from seeing the very future

model, inputting the parameters like a madman as he had watched Fae and Nel latch onto the

of four predictive models. The adaptive model of the VOID algorithm hastily swallowed the data up and instantly, the result

best move possible in that scenario. Nothing else could give Rui a higher

the likelihood of victory was

up

their lives.

It was heavy.

It was painful.

It was fearful