The Martial Unity

Had Rui been there, he would have made deeper insights into the second round of the entrance exam. He would have immediately mentally plotted distribution graphs with classes of badge number, with a certain range, and the proportion of badges that fell within each of those classes, based on his observations, allowing him to figure out exactly how many applicants would need to be disqualified for the winners to win.

And he would have more or less correctly come to the conclusion that only twenty percent of the applicants could possibly pass the second round of the entrance exam. That was why the number 1500 was chosen when the average was 1026.

Max and Mana immediately had each other's back as the applicants around them increasingly began getting broiled in more intense conflict.

They were cognizant of the fact that their badge numbers were decisively below the required net number to pass the second round.

"What should we do?" Max asked urgently.

"We should target one applicant together," Mana responded.

Max nodded. "You're right! Big brother said that we should work together, just like we do in training!"

The two of them scoured their surroundings as they looked for a suitable target. They did not have any foolish thoughts of chivalry or honor, they knew that they were the underdogs and that were disadvantaged individually against pretty much all the applicants. Rui had drilled teamwork into their heads.

"There." Max pointed at a girl. "She looks about our age and although her badge number 538 isn't enough by itself, it's our best shot."

Mana followed his gaze, before nodding. "Good thinking."

The two of them watched their target, Crea.

She had been laying low as she herself had been looking for a target, yet suddenly she felt something approaching her. She turned, just barely in time to react to Max and Mana rushing towards her.

POW POW POW!

her with a quick flurry of jabs. Crea gritted her teeth as she just barely managed to square a guard

Mana had surrounded her as they began circling her, throwing attacks in her

or block almost all of their attacks despite

POW!

to her thigh, retreating his leg that she almost managed to catch and would have no doubt kneed to

THWACK

on her

Mana swiftly, yet Mana had seen

POW!

BAM!

THWACK!

faded from her eyes. A faint memory resurfaced even as she withstood all the attacks that her opponents bombarded her with,

can't avoid getting

cannot." Rui shook his head. "The sheer chaos, the sheer numbers, not to mention your disadvantages, it

just defend against all of

hard, I'm afraid," Rui replied, shaking his head. "At most, you can guard,

I do?" She scratched

is make it count."

count?" She tilted

the opportunity created by you not wasting your physical resources into futile defense and the opening created by an attack to launch a counterattack. If you're going to get hit, then make sure every strike they

trying to convey. "I see. I just have to make it count. I feel like I

POW!

Crea hadn't bothered with trying to guard. Her arms lashed out toward his elbow and shoulder even as a painful impact assailed her right shoulder with pain. Yet she ignored it as she

BAM!