The Martial Unity

’Before we continue our conversation, I believe it will be helpful for you to face Mierul, our strongest dark elf,’ the Mother of Nature responded. ’Then you will have a greater understanding of our situation and whether or not you have a potential solution for us with your Martial specialization.’

Rui raised an eyebrow. “Mierul?”

’The Genoran Guardian, of course. The strongest dark elf on the continent. She trains here at the very epicenter of the Forest of War within the vast expanses of my body.’

Far away, on the surface of the Mother of Nature tree, a piece of the bark opened up, allowing a single individual to pass through.

Her body was more muscularly developed than any of the other dark elves he had fought.

Her skin was conditioned and rendered rigid and tough, while scars covered much of her body, taking on a slightly lighter tone than the rest of her skin. Her long, silver hair was tied up in a bun while her golden eyes sparkled with a fierce battle-lust.

Rui smiled as he sensed a true warrior in her, before taking his stance.

“My name is—”

“Don’t care,” she gruffly huffed as bark emerged across her entire body, from under her skin, cladding her in a tough armor that had a strange metallic tone to it.

Her golden eyes flickered with a glint of battle lust as she charged at him with stunning speed.

His eyes widened as she arrived before him at astronomical speeds far outstripping any of the dark elves he had fought by then, as her fist surged to strike his jaw with a ferocious speed and momentum.

WHOOSH

He evaded the attack, only to find a spinning back kick aimed at his head immediately after.

WHOOSH

The moment he ducked to evade the attack, she spiraled about at a blindingly high speed, igniting the air around her with the sheer friction of the moment as her fists shot at Rui with great power and momentum.

BOOOM!!!

Rui’s expression grew stunned as he blocked the heavy physical attack, dispersing the impact with Flux Earther.

This woman could react, process, and even keep up with him in combat.

Her speed and power were truly stunning, allowing her to reach a level that he didn’t even know was possible for dark elves. She specialized heavily on the Inner Realm of the Nature Path, internalizing nature into her body and reaching a ferociously powerful level of power.

“We’re just getting started,” she growled.

With a speed that beggared his reactions, her fists and palms flew forward at him with a devastatingly tremendous momentum, threatening to shatter his body if he was even slightly off-beat.

BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM!!!

Each blow pushed Rui’s defense to the very limit, ravaging his guard with an absurd degree of power that not even Martial Masters could achieve.

“Rargh!” she snarled as her fist coiled back, before being flung forward as her whole body contracted to throw a tremendously powerful attack at him.

BOOOOOOM!!!

CRACK

Rui’s eyes widened as he felt a hairline fracture emerge on his bones, even if it healed at a rapid pace. He quickly activated Nemean Blossom as his eyes lit up with genuine amazement and fascination as to where all this power was coming from.

And yet, he already knew.

“This power…” he murmured. “It doesn’t come from within you.”

She scoffed at his words.

“We follow the Nature Path.”

BOOOOOOM!!!

Rui defended more appropriately as she launched a barrage of blows so heavy that even he found it difficult. His eyes sharpened as he realized that underestimating her in close quarters just because she was an elf could prove to be disastrous.

He immediately activated his systems of thought as he leaned back a step, evading a wild haymaker swing from her.

WHOOSH

And yet, a thundering kick of extraordinary power was already aimed at his solar plexus, threatening to incapacitate him right then and there.

BOOOOOOM!!!

Much to his shock, he barely managed to intercept it in time as several more blows had already made their way to his face.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!!

He evaded them by a hair’s breadth, barely evading her attacks with a stunned expression, before raising his guard up just in time.

BOOOOOOM!!!

RUMBLE

The sheer force of the attack shook the world around them, leaving him barely any time to deal with the swift hook kick that threatened to knock him out then and there.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

He barely dealt with the combo of attacks, evading each of them with the highest speed he could muster.

And despite his Martial Mind being active, she was faster still as her attacks blazed through the air with tremendous speed and velocity.

BOOOOOOM BOOOOOOM BOOOOOOM BOOOOOOM BOOOOOOM!!!

His expression hardened as he defended himself against her furious attacks.

And yet, with each passing moment, she began growing even faster and even stronger.

Her reflexes and reactions only began growing greater and greater.

Her ferocity only continued to increase with no signs of slowing down!

Rui’s eyes widened with surprise as he watched her power grow with no end in sight, as she began pressuring him with greater and greater force.

He already knew, however, from one look that this power came from outside her.

With his mind sense, he could sense that even though her mind was brimming with tremendous cognition, none of it had anything to do with her growing reaction speed. Just like with the other elves, her consciousness was brimming with harmony with nature in the Hymn of Mind and Soul.

Her Hymn of Mind and Soul was much stronger than any of the elves that he had fought.

What was even more shocking was the fact that when he tried to use the SOUL System on her, it was simply ineffective.

’I can’t sense her inception of intent.’

A person’s intent and decision-making incepted in the depths of their subconscious mind before they were even conscious of it, which was what the SOUL System relied on.

And yet, when he peered into her mind, there was no subconscious inception of intent.

She simply moved.

Where did the decision and intent to move come from if not from her subconscious mind?

Rui’s eyes widened as he understood the answer.