The Martial Unity

Once Rui dove into training, he immersed himself in it through and through. He began with the foundational mastery aspect of Project Forge. It was the simplest and also the most time-consuming phase of the project; he needed to begin it immediately. He didn’t know how many years this project would take, but he knew it wasn’t going to be something that he could finish immediately.

“…And so, I need you to help me master the foundation of many fields and principles so that I can create techniques on the fly,” Rui explained to Ieyasu. “You are the most optimal person for helping me learn these, for you do something that is not too far apart.”

Ieyasu stared at him with stoic eyes. “…They may appear to be similar, but in reality, they’re very different.”

He tapped the side of his head. “I read people’s minds and am simply able to recreate what I see in their minds within mine. My foundational mastery is simply an auxiliary aspect of that.”

Rui’s eyes lit up with a hint of surprise. “I thought you were able to copy stuff so well largely because of how well you have mastered everything.”

Ieyasu shook his head. “You have it backward. I have mastered everything because I’m able to copy what I see. My mastery of fields and techniques doesn’t help me copy things better. It is just a consequence of a copying ability that I have always possessed.”

Rui frowned. “That’s not quite what I imagined. Surely, you have a foundational mastery of thought for copying systems of thought. Otherwise, how did you copy my VOID algorithm?”

Ieyasu shrugged lightly. “I saw it, and then I took it. My Mirror of Logos simply helps me map all of it because I cannot spontaneously ‘see’ the entirety of the system of thought all at once.”

“What?” Rui stared at him. “So you could theoretically copy even systems of thought without your system of thought if your mind-reading allowed you to read all of it at once?”

He thought that Ieyasu’s mastery preceded his copying ability, which was one of the foundational principles of how he copied other people’s Martial Art. But now, Ieyasu revealed that his foundational mastery was just a consequence of a pre-existing copying ability, not a necessary component of his copying.

Rui activated the SOUL System. “Copy this.”

He inhaled deeply, activating a powerful breathing technique.

THWOOM THWOOM THWOOM!!!

He fired a tier-three Transverse Resonance at Ieyasu while observing him doing the same thing. He observed Ieyasu’s mind with the SOUL System as the man mirrored his movements right down to the inch.

And that was when he noticed what was actually happening.

BOOOM!!!

The two attacks collided, sending a blast of wind from the inception of the collision.

And yet, Rui stared at him with a stunned expression.

A single remark escaped him. “Mirror neurons.”

Ieyasu tilted his head. “I do not know what that means.”

“Of course, I should have realized it sooner,” Rui murmured. “But in our fight, I wasn’t observing myself simultaneously and I only developed my anti-Ieyasu domain very late in our fight. But it makes sense. Your copying abilities…”

His eyes wandered around in thought. “They’re a product of more than just your mind sensitivity. They are also a product of mirror neurons.”

His gaze shifted back to Ieyasu with a profound intensity.

“I observed my own subconscious intent while observing yours with the SOUL System. They were identical right down to the T,” Rui remarked with a stunned expression. “On top of that, you copied me despite having your mind-reading ability blocked by my anti-Ieyasu domain.”

This was what had clued Rui into what exactly was happening. “You have an astronomical abundance of mirror neurons. That is the second half of your copying ability.”

Mirror neurons were a distinctive class of neurons that activated when an animal both performed an action and observed said action being performed by another animal. It was thought to be responsible for imitation and mimicry within a certain species by allowing individuals to inherit the mannerisms and behavioral patterns of the species.

The reason Rui was certain of his conclusion was that it was the only explanation that could account for why the actions and even the subconscious intent preceding the actions were identical. The combination of high sensitivity to the mind and an extraordinarily powerful mirror neuron system allowed Ieyasu to mimic everything that he saw in people’s minds and everything that he saw people do.

The mimicry was extraordinarily powerful by itself but with his blessed high sensitivity to mind, it resulted in a powerful combination that allowed him to simply copy any and everything he saw and make it his own. Meanwhile, Ieyasu simply stared at Rui with a flat expression as Rui finally uncovered the full extent of his copying ability. “Damn, this means that Project Forge is even more difficult than I initially envisioned,” Rui murmured. “One of the reasons I had confidence in it was because I thought that your foundational mastery played an important role in your copying ability, but if not, that means that one of the reasons for the confidence of succeeding is gone. Most likely…”

His eyes narrowed. “I will have to work extremely hard for a long time in order to spontaneously create techniques on the fly.”

In the first place, he knew that Project Forge was going to be difficult, but now he realized that he might very well have underestimated how difficult this venture was going to be. And yet, he was unperturbed.

“This project will revolutionize my Martial Art more than any other project that I have ever endeavored on.”

He truly felt this in his bones. His other systems of thought, revolutionary as they were, did not fundamentally alter his approach to combat as much.

The Angel of Laplace served as an auxiliary tool for the VOID algorithm, while the SOUL System offered the same combat utility as the VOID algorithm. The Tree of Life truly revolutionized his approach, but even this was only limited to beasts and monsters.

Project Forge, however, would alter the very structure of his combat and his Martial Art at the root.

It was a very fundamental upgrade, unlike anything that came before. He was determined to see the project right to the very end.

“Let’s get to training immediately.”

–