The Martial Unity

The spectating Martial Artists froze as they gritted their teeth.

The air boiled with tension.

The atmosphere tingled with peril.

Everyone could sense it.

The end was nigh.

They could feel it.

They could almost taste it.

There was no more room for miracles.

Whoever emerged victorious in the brutal, gruesome brawl that had overtaken the fight would win.

There was no doubt about that.

They stood poised as their Martial Hearts and Minds came ablaze.

They would readily burn their stamina in vain if it meant reducing the lag of their intervention by a beat.

They stood by in wait as they watched.

They grew mesmerized by the battle that unfolded before them.

A battle that encompassed the future of an entire section of human civilization. A battle that redefined the limits of Martial Art.

A battle that was surely written by the gods of Martial Art, if they did exist.

A battle greater than any other they had ever witnessed in their entire life. They grew immersed in the melodies the two Martial Masters delivered unto the world. They grew hypnotized.

They grew hypnotized as they bore witness to the harmonious symphony unfolded down below.

They wished it would continue forever.

To the very end of time. The divisions of nationality disappeared as they grew united. United in admiration and awe of a battle that resonated with the heart.

It resonated with their souls.

With each passing moment, their hearts ached as they sensed the conclusion of the battle.

It drew closer.

And closer.

BAM BAM BAM!!!

Rui unleashed a furious onslaught of attacks as Ieyasu defended against the attacks with ferocious tenacity. Rui’s condition had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer even employ an attack as delicate as the Yin-Yang Spear.

Yet, despite where his limits were, his fierce determination pushed him forward as an endless number of blows armed with the power of Reverberating Lance, Fire Breathing, and Outer Convergence battered against Ieyasu’s guard.

Ieyasu’s expression grew vengeful as he blasted Rui with a number of Vacuum Palms and Gyroblast Fists. He may not have the VOID algorithm, but he still had the techniques that were most adaptively evolved to deal with Rui’s defenses.

THWACK THWACK THWACK!!!

Rui’s weakened arms barely managed to divert the incoming blows with well-timed interceptions, one after another. He intercepted them with his offense, sabotaging them early on in their trajectory lest they reach him.

WHOOSH!

Ieyasu’s attack crashed into an empty image.

A feint.

Until the trajectory shifted mid-battle, surging to Rui’s true location.

BAM!!!

Rui’s expression grew fiery as he barely managed to disperse the impact before unleashing a hail of attacks, one after another, from a variety of different angles and directions.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM…!

Ieyasu grimaced as he struggled to defend against the multitude of attacks that dug past the holes in his armor. Despite his much superior condition, he had been deprived of both the VOID algorithm and his very own Soul Eye technique.

He was no longer anywhere near the realm of foresight that Rui was in. He merely fought in the present, while Rui fought in the future.

Attacks magically wormed their way past his defense.

They exploited the most obscure chinks in his armor, refusing to give him any leeway to defend against the maelstrom of blasts that Rui inflicted upon him one after another. With each passing moment, Rui grew more and more accustomed to fighting effectively in his condition against someone of Ieyasu’s caliber.

He activated Final Breathing, allowing him to retain as much of his power and stamina as possible while nourishing his body with just one technique to ensure that its poor condition didn’t fall too far anymore.

He didn’t get better, but he didn’t get worse.

And that was enough.

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM…!!!

An onslaught of perfectly timed attacks ravaged Ieyasu across his entire body. All of his active defensive techniques crumbled under the power of Rui’s adaptive evolution and his mind.

His passive techniques were not good enough to protect him against Rui’s onslaught of inevitable attacks that peppered his body, for he had already suffered great damage throughout the entire battle. While his condition was not as severe as Rui’s, he was still deeply wounded and tired. On top of that, his exhaustion meant that he couldn’t activate his healing techniques.

He truly had nothing left.

Yet, he persevered with desperation and ferocious tenacity, refusing to fall. As long as he could hold out long enough, he would be the last one, considering that Rui was just one critical blow away from complete and total defeat.

And yet, not even that was enough to overcome Rui.

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM…!!!

Rui’s offensive maneuvers grew increasingly more refined as he pushed Ieyasu entirely to the defensive. He began a systematic and thorough deconstruction of his defensive maneuvering. Weakened as his blows were, they firmly targeted his opponent’s vitals, ratting them with impact after impact.

Blow after blow.

Moment after moment.

The conclusion of the battle drew closer and closer.

RUMBLE…

The spectating Martial Artists despaired and rejoiced.

The alliance Martial Artists gritted their teeth as they witnessed a nightmare unfolding before their very eyes.

The Martial Artists of the Kandrian Empire grinned as they poised themselves, ready to intercept any hint of an assault that the Martial Artists of the alliance were undoubtedly going to try when their Martial Artist lost.

They needed to intercept at exactly the right moment, or they could potentially fail to protect Rui.

They waited with bated breaths.

Time slowed down in their eyes, infuriatingly so, as the long-drawn battle finally approached a conclusion.

POW POW POW!!!

A barrage of low kicks destabilized Ieyasu’s footing, causing him to stagger and stumble down to a knee.

BAM BAM!!!

Rui busted his guard wide open with two swift, powerful blows, leaving him completely defenseless.

Completely vulnerable.

Rui’s entire body burned with pain.

It burned with exhaustion.

Yet, he gritted his teeth as he summoned every last ounce of power and energy from across his entire body.

From across every cell in his body.

The sum totality of everything he had to offer.

Everything he was. All of it went into a single attack.

The final attack.

A devastating blow with extraordinary speed and power soared towards Ieyasu.

BOOOM!!!

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