The Martial Unity

RUMBLE!!!!!!

The ensuing explosion was as powerful as a supernova, compressed at a single point before expanding outward as if it were a supernova. It was so powerful that even Divine Mother —oo-oo— had to put some distance between herself and the explosion, moving to a safer distance where she could more easily protect herself from the light.

A planet’s worth of mass was converted into pure energy. Verses were capable of extraordinary feats, but the sheer amount of metaphysical ’distance’ that would need to be crossed in order to make such an explosion survivable was simply not worth the effort compared to just putting real, physical distance between oneself and the explosion.

Despite feeling that her attack had clearly struck her opponent point blank and raw, she didn’t so much as even relax. Rather, the Divine Mother grew even more alert. She knew that Divine Mother o-o-o-o had lost because she lowered her guard, thinking she had won. Divine Mother —oo-oo— didn’t have any intention of replicating the same mistake as her younger sisters.

She would not underestimate him, no matter what. She was too paranoid to even try using this opportunity to send a message by creating a web of communication. If she was distracted with communicating with her sisters for even a moment, then there was a chance that her opponent would exploit that moment of distraction to attack her.

’He’s strong, but it’s bizarre,’ she couldn’t help but note with confusion. ’He’s flawless as a warrior, but as an Administrator… he’s lacking.’

She could sense the difference. His movements, every one of them he made, she could sense the extraordinary mastery within them. The experience that drove his decision-making was real. It was like she was fighting a battle machine whose sole purpose existed for battle. She almost felt like a civilian in comparison.

But his Administrator skills were clearly lacking. He used his Martialverse like a beginner who didn’t know what he was doing. But more than anything, she could sense that he hadn’t received the right kind of heritage passed down to him from older generations of Administrators on how to use his power.

That gave her an advantage when it came to Verse mastery and application of Verse. But she could tell that that was the only advantage she had over him. Virtually every other category, he was leagues ahead of her.

And yet, because the Verse factor was so important, it could make up for the difference.

RUMBLE…

She raised her guard when the explosion finally ended. The light began dimming until it finally faded, allowing her to better perceive what the outcome was.

FSSS…

Her eyes widened as she spotted him.

She spotted him alive.

But barely.

The explosion had eviscerated his limbs, while his torso was greatly burned. Even with the most powerful defenses that he had mounted, the sheer force of the attack was so great that not even Rui could emerge with his limbs intact, let alone try to emerge unscathed.

Yet, he was alive.

She realized that that was going to be the biggest opportunity that she would get for the rest of the battle. If she didn’t take him down at that moment, then she wouldn’t be able to get out a communication to her sisters successfully.

She immediately charged, restarting the exact same attack. It was metaphysically exhausting, but she pushed herself to the limit, restarting the gravitational webs.

Except this time, something was different.

A single whisper escaped Rui as he opened his burned eyes.

”Flowing Tide of Healing.”

WHOOSH

—oo-oo—’s eyes widened as she watched him heal in the blink of an eye.

In just the blink of an eye, his body was restored faster than hers had ever healed even with her webverse.

”You have my gratitude.”

His ethereal eyes bore deep into hers.

”I should have done this from the start.”

His voice was one of profound realization.

”Why was I trying to turn everything around me into water so much when I have real water in my body that is readily compatible with my Martialverse?” His tone was serendipitous. ”I was so awed at the power to bend everything around me into water that I didn’t stop to think whether that was the correct set of actions.”

Seventy percent of the body was water.

An elementary fact that even children learned in school at a very young age.

He was wrong to have tried to use his Martialverse in the grandiose, extravagant manner that he did. Drowning entire star systems in Water, a fun party trick, but not the optimal path to victory.

Not the way a master of adaptive evolution fought.

Not the way a Martial Artist fought.

”Time to go back to the basics.”

WHOOSH

All the water around him from his Martialverse disappeared as he concentrated it internally, upon his own body.

He took a stance, standing on the very fabric of space and time, decentering his legs a bit, just enough to give him some stability while ensuring he was nimble enough nonetheless. One hand was propped forward defensively while the other one was tucked further behind, charged with great power, ready to lash out at any minute.

It was his stance as a Martial Artist, one that he hadn’t taken in a long time, much to his own chagrin.

Divine Mother —oo-oo— gritted her teeth. On the one hand, the withdrawal of his Martialverse should have made her feel more secure, since it gave her more room to dominate.

On the other hand, she felt a greater threat from him than she had ever felt up until that moment.

She was running out of stamina.

She didn’t have much in the tank left. Once her Webverse ran out of juice, she would cease to exist for a very long time.

’I have to get a message back to my sisters before then.’

She would have only one opportunity left. She tried raising her hand towards him, making the crushing motion yet again to unleash her technique.

And yet, she hadn’t realized that he had closed the distance between them.

Not until his fist blasted a hole in her head.

”Circle of Infinity.”

SPLAT

Her head turned into water, spreading across the entire solar system with the force of his blow.

Just like that, Divine Mother —oo-oo— died.