The Martial Unity

"Cough… Cough…" Captain Deacon spluttered blood as he panted deeply.

His body was a mess, riddled with deep wounds that refused to stop bleeding. His left eye was missing, causing him to take a stance that tilted his left side away. His Martial Art attire was completely torn, yet he didn't care. He stumbled as he moved forward.

Each step he took splashed around the blood that submerged his heels, produced by all the corpses around.

He glanced around him.

The grade-ten Martial Squires that had taken the lead of their wounded force in the battle against the Root were all dead.

One of them was flattened, while the other one was severed in half, the third one had been throttled away. Considering he never returned, Captain Deacon that he was dead too.

He was the only one left, half a day later.

The raid force had put up a brave fight, the grade-ten Martial Squires rallied the wounded Martial Artists into going all out against the roots. Hundreds of Martial Squires launched long-range attacks one by one as the close-range Martial Artists rushed forward. They mustered every ounce of power they could to resist the nightmare that the roots were.

The worst part wasn't that they were crushed in the end.

No.

The worst part was that they weren't crushed immediately.

The worst part was that they even made some progress, believing they could win.

Hoping they could win.

The worst part was when the roots allowed them to hope, before crushing it mercilessly, leaving behind nothing but despair.

roots, each with the power and speed of grade-ten Martial Squires, crushed any and all resistance

the end, only he, the most invincible Martial

that it was just a matter of time. Yet, he didn't

wasn't quite

afford to care, for the sake of

leader, as

only because of his personal failures but because he knew that his personal failure would destroy everything his father had

he would do

gone and suffered the

of the catastrophe that they had suffered by losing the Martial

was absolutely devastating. It was a political catastrophe of unprecedented detriment. It would cost Chairman Deacon

tell him that his failure as a leader, as a Martial Squire, and as a son,

his father's image appeared in

it was certain that he loved his children

repulsed him. He owed it to his father

turning around

BAM!!!

gotten a brief moment of respite when he

Martial Body had grown stronger over twenty years of growth, and the powerful grade-ten defensive technique that allowed him to

Martial Squires. Of course, they had inflicted far more damage than he had

escaping, a

SLASH

SPLAT!

neck, leaving a wound

think that didn't kill you," Rui murmured from behind his mask. "Grade-ten Martial Squires sure