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.

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

his body and bare basic hand-to-hand capabilities. The Exploration Stage had given

many peers across the Kandrian Empire. He had stepped outside the Kandrian Empire for the first

him any

awake. "I see

replied. "My arms are

treated and healed all your wounds. We'll just conduct

long before Rui left the medical wing in his

when he saw Rui

in response. "Instructor

really sorry for what I did, my boy." Dylon sighed as he apologized. "I

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 what

Rui nodded, consoling Dylon.

"Though I wouldn't hold it against you if you were resentful. A direct hit with a

some more as Rui revealed that he was going to be

sighed, with a mixed smile. "I

to retire as an instructor?"

accident in our

those words. "I see... Don't worry, I'm sure that the Martial Academy will recognize that this isn't something worth losing a Martial Squire instructor of your caliber. I have learned a lot from you, and I'm grateful for all of it. I'm

old man." Squire

training facility after bidding him goodbye before immediately heading to the reception