The Martial Unity

2054  Cracking Attacks

Try as he might, Master Gerlin could not move.

His Body was fine.

Yet his mind…

”Rgh…!” He gritted his teeth as his expression crumpled with strain.

The sheer amount of information that Rui projected was so great that the Martial Artist couldnʼt process all of it!

Because his mind could never process all of it before more entered, it couldnʼt so much as make a coherent decision or even focus on Rui.

This was what was known as incapacitation.

Sage Lemolen heaved a sigh. ”Winner by incapacitation, Master Rui Quarrier Silas Kandria.”

Rui immediately turned his Heart and Mind off, allowing the man to breathe.

THUD

He fell to his knees, panting for air.

”For what itʼs worth,” Rui calmly addressed him. ”I am sorry.”

Unfortunately for Rui, he wasnʼt even listening to him.

He was still processing the fact that he lost to Ruiʼs Martial Embodiment before Rui even used his Martial Art.

He gritted his teeth, choking under the anger and frustration.

He felt as though his pride as a Martial Master has been trampled on.

He gazed at Rui with a mixture of defeat and despair. ”You…”

He halted, at a loss for words, as his eyes widened with shock.

Rui was more displeased than he was.

He was hoping to genuinely fight a Martial Master for the first time in his life. It was frustrating to be denied that opportunity when it was this close to him.

”Master Gerlin,” Sage Lemolen sternly addressed him. ”The battle is over. Please vacate the battlefield.”

”…I understand, Your Sagehood.”

The man left the battlefield with vacant eyes. Sage Lemolenʼs eyes returned to Rui, gazing at him deeply before announcing the next combatant.

”Master Zereela Mhel, grade nineteen, of the Fire Sect.”

Ruiʼs eyes lit up with interest as a second Martial Master arrived at the battlefield with a fiery expression.

The air boiled under the sheer heat of her glare. ”You shall learn that all actions have consequences, Your Highness,” She snarled. ”Take your stance!”

”I look forward to a good duel.”

”Hah!” She snorted. ”Iʼm just going to beat you up, boy!”

Sage Lemolenʼs eyes shifted towards Rui.

”…Do you wish to exercise your right to consume potions before the fight commences?”

He was allowed to make use of the highest rejuvenation and healing resources, as availed by the Martial Union itself between each round. ”…Itʼs unnecessary,” Rui calmly remarked, taking his stance. He hadnʼt expended any meaningful amounts of energy against Master Gerlin. Instead, his attention had shifted to Master Zereela. A single fact had become evident to him.

She was strong.

Unfortunately, as he discussed with Master Reina, that didnʼt mean much. He had already begun studying her the moment she had arrived.

Her body was well-chiselled, yet did not possess the overwhelming physical power that he had come to expect from Martial Masters of the Fire Sect.

Instead, the physical configuration of her Martial Body maintained a good balance between power and mobility.

The VOID algorithm processed her stance in the briefest of moments, revealing much about her fighting style from it alone. Her centered legs facilitated ease of maneuvering at the cost of positional stability, which indicated she was most certainly a moving Martial Master.

Her upper body twisted, coiling with power.

He had no doubt that she would leap at him, ready to blast him the moment the battle began.

”Begin.” Sage Lemolen commenced the battle.

BADUMP!

She did as he predicted.

Unfortunately for him, she was much faster than he had ever imagined.

BOOM!!

Ruiʼs eyes widened as he barely managed to react in time to the incoming blow that crashed into his guard.

The sheer weight of the attack launched him away.

That wasnʼt all.

SPLAT!

He grew stunned as blood began spilling out of a puncture wound in his arm, leaping away, alarmed.

Unfortunately, this was a tactic that her Martial Mind forbade.

WHOOSH

Ruiʼs eyes widened as the land where he sought to step caved into the earth while it rose at her feet, propelling her forward with powerful earth-bending while he had no leverage to move.

BOOM!!

Rui blocked a powerful blow from her blinding attack with a grave expression.

SPLAT

A second puncture appeared on his arms.

His eyes barely caught a glimpse of her bloodied fingers before she blurred a third time, determined to puncture him a third time.

WHOOSH

Her attack crashed into an empty image of Rui.

A feint.

BOOM!

A powerful Flowing Canon armed with the full power of Flowing Canon, Outer Convergence, and Reverberating Lance crashed into her chin.

A finisher.

Or so he thought.

CRACK!

”…Eh?” Ruiʼs eyes widened as he felt his knuckle fracturing on the spot.

A vengeful grin appeared on her face as a powerful spear hand jab surged at Rui, threatening to puncture him yet again.

WHOOSH

Rui evaded the incoming attack, launching a powerful spiraling kick to her gut.

CRACK!

His eyes widened as he felt a bone in his foot cracking upon impact. Master Zereela surged at him once with a flurry of spear jabs.

”Breathing Crucifix.”

BOOM

He launched a third blow, blasting her away with a heavy impact.

This time, he didnʼt feel any bone cracks.

”I see…” His eyes narrowed. ”Thatʼs a nifty Martial Mind you have there.”

”Hehehe…” A bloodlusted smile appeared on her face as she adjusted to the powerful hypnosis shackling her breathing. ”You havenʼt seen anything yet!”

Even as she surged towards him yet again with her spear hands at the ready, Rui leaped away as he understood what was happening.

ʼHer Martial Mind contains a system of thought that allows her to shift the area of impact of the collision such that all the damage is incurred by the attacker rather than herself,ʼ he realized. ʼI cannot hurt her in close combat, no matter how powerful my attacks are.ʼ

Even in battles between humans, often times, the one throwing their fists would be the one to have them broken.

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