The Martial Unity

While Ria handled the core of the business planning and strategizing, Runark pursued a different set of activities.

”So?” Kane’s voice hung in the air of the combat facility as he directed a deep gaze at his son. ”What’s this ’three-year training session’ thing all about, hm?”

The man wore simple, old-school Martial attire, as did Runark standing some distance away from him. The two of them were in a wide open battle arena with plenty of space for maneuverers like themselves to whiz around.

Runark’s expression, however, tightened at the question.

He decided to be honest.

”I’m too weak, Dad.”

Kane simply gazed at his son with a calm expression, waiting for him to continue.

”I know I’m supposed to be a… ’genius’ or whatever, but I sure as hell don’t feel like it,” Runark clenched his fists. ”Ria is just on a whole other level. She makes progress down her Martial Path so effortlessly that it makes me feel…”

Jealousy was not the right word.

He wasn’t jealous of Ria.

He wanted to be with her.

He wanted to stand beside her.

”…inadequate.” Runark’s green eyes flared with an intensity. ”I’m too inadequate to be with her. She’s a whole Realm ahead of me in terms of combat power despite being younger than me because of this manifold.”

Kane cracked his joints as he warmed, his expression growing thoughtful at his son’s words.

It was all too easy for him to understand his son, of course. He had experienced the exact same thing with Rui when they were younger, before Kane had decided to start a family.

Yet, he knew that his son wasn’t talking to him to get understanding or empathy; he got plenty of them from his mother.

He had called his father to the manifold for a solution.

”Why now?” Kane raised an eyebrow. ”You’ve been with her two years, and the last time you came around, you didn’t seem as dissatisfied.”

Runark’s green eyes grew hazy as he thought back to when Ria had been easily torn apart from her party by one of the homoarachnoids, while they had been held back with a single other homoarachnoid.

What was the point of a party for Ria if it couldn’t help her be safe? Ultimately, in all the times she had been in danger on Planet Amadeus III, her party had been of very little use.

More than anything, Runark knew just how personally useless he was for being able to protect Ria.

”I’m far too weak, even compared to the other members of my party,” Runark gritted his teeth.

”It’s not fair to compare yourself to a neo-evosapien and a hemosapien half-blood, though.” Kane shook his head. ”They have genetic advantages. You have an elf on your team. I doubt she is as powerful as they are.”

”Yes, but she is useful in ways outside of direct battle,” Runark remarked. ”I am a Martial Artist. If not for combat, I’m utterly useless. And I’m the most useless one in that group right now.”

He heaved a deep breath.

”Coming back to Gaia Prime was an unexpected opportunity. While Ria and the others handle the business, I will grind away for the next three months in this manifold until it is time to depart.”

Kane smiled at his son.

”I’m proud of you, Runark.”

Those words softened the young man’s expression.

”A desire to grow stronger to be with someone you care about, I understand that more than anybody else in the world,” Kane spoke to him with a reassuring tone. ”And I can help you achieve that goal better than anybody. Let’s get started.”

Runark nodded.

CLACK

He picked a helmet from a stand on the side of the training facility, strapping it to his head. The helmet buzzed, activating as streaks of circuitry illuminated the surface of the device.

As he fitted it on his head, an apparatus emerged from the inner surface of the helmet, before pressing against his skull.

They were exo-electrodes and neural stimulators that could pass micro-currents through the brain from the outside using nano electromagnetic inductors and stimulate bioelectric activity in parts of the cerebellum.

It could accelerate the formation of muscle memory by severalfold. It accelerated the development of new neural connections which allowed one to master in a much shorter period of time what would have otherwise taken years.

It was one of the several core technologies in the Era of Expansion that had revolutionized Martial Art growth and training.

It was partly why the average of breakthrough to the Master Realm had fallen to merely thirty years old, something that was much lower than the previous record prior to the Era of Expansion, held by none other than the Emperor of Water.

”You’re not wearing yours?” Runark asked.

”Don’t need it,” Kane replied.

The speakers projected a voice into the combat training facility.

[Commencing mechano-kinetic and psycho-physiological analysis and evaluation systems.]

Another technology that had greatly improved the rate of growth of Martial Artists was that of computational potential. It could systematically evaluate all the movements made by Martial Artists, identify patterns, inefficiencies, and areas of improvements, while providing targeted training regimes that would help them grow faster.

STEP

”Let’s go.” Runark sharpened his eyes.

Kane smiled before rushing into action.

WHOOSH

He appeared before Runark in the blink of an eye, unleashing a powerful swing at the man’s torso.

WHOOSH

Runark barely managed to evade the blow before unleashing a powerful kick to his father’s head.

”Tsk tsk,” Kane tutted, effortlessly dodging the attack. ”Kicks against fast opponents are high risk for every little reward. Focus on short and crisp attacks.”

BANG BANG BANG

Runark barely managed to guard against the attacks as he defended himself against his father’s attacks. Kane was an evasive maneuverer, but he could very easily mount a set of attacks against his son that were just strong enough to push him to his limit.

Runark’s eyes sharpened with determination as he exerted himself as best as he could, determined to get stronger over the next three years.