The Martial Unity

Funnily enough, this hadn't been the first time Rui had been defeated by a Squire-level technique. He, along with Kane, had been knocked by Squire Kyrie with a Squire-level technique. Although, she had done it in an extremely safe manner with the precision of a surgeon while Squire Dylon had done it in the most extreme way possible.

Of course, their circumstances had been extremely different.

Rui had woken in the medical wing of the Academy later. The first thing he did was glance at his arms.

"All healed up." He sighed with relief. They had been crushed by a single attack from a Martial Squire. "Man, he's so strong."

Rui muttered, sighing as he tried to squash his increasingly intense desire to break through into the Squire Realm. But alas, it wasn't time yet.

He closed his eyes as he directed his thoughts toward his Martial Art. He didn't quite feel the instinctive certainty about the maturity of his Martial Art that he had been told he would feel once his Martial Art reached maturity.

He shook his head. "Perhaps it will come once I cement my current level of power with experience."

It wasn't impossible after all.

He put those thoughts aside as he considered his situation at the moment. ('What to do from here?')

His immediate goals were, of course, still Squire candidacy and the Squire Realm, but he still had to plan and take steps to reach that level.

"For now... it's time to leave the Martial Academy." Rui murmured.

It had been nearly a perfect three years since he first joined the Martial Academy. He had already become

and bare basic hand-to-hand

his many peers across the Kandrian Empire. He had stepped outside the Kandrian Empire for the first time only when he had accepted his very first international commission, learning more about the world

could no longer provide him any meaningful value. He did not want to continue being a

nurse noticed him awake. "I see you're awake. How are you

fine actually." Rui replied. "My arms

The nurse replied. "We've completely treated and healed all your wounds. We'll just conduct a final

his sparring

exclaimed when

smiled in response. "Instructor

Dylon sighed as he apologized. "I lost control there for

of. Squire Kyrie has always held back and the Martial Squire my friends and I defeated could not be considered a genuine Martial Squire. In hindsight, I'm glad that you did

Rui nodded, consoling Dylon.

Dylon sighed in relief. "Though I wouldn't hold it against you if you were resentful. A direct hit

head, chuckling. The two bantered some more as Rui revealed that he was

mixed smile. "I might be

retire as an instructor?" Rui knitted his eyebrows in

head. "But, the accident in our spar might lose me

of your caliber. I have learned a lot from

old man." Squire Dylon chuckled, before gesturing Rui away. "Good

left the training facility after bidding him goodbye before immediately heading