The Martial Unity

The Path Entangler wasn’t just a technique.

It was a system of grade-ten techniques, each extraordinarily unique and powerful in their own right. Together, they allowed the monster to usurp his opponent’s body for himself and eventually even their mind.

That was why not even in his wildest dreams could the monster have imagined that Rui would adaptively evolve to it.

Just in time.

BOOOOOM!!!!!

The monster’s skull rattled as a thundering blow blasted against the side of his head. The impact of the blow deviated the trajectory of his death strike by just enough.

Just enough to miss his heart.

WHOOSH

The killing blow had missed its mark.

In that moment, their eyes met.

His sky-blue eyes came face to face with the endless darkness within Rui’s eyes.

An infinite void that hungered.

In that moment, he felt transparent.

Invisible.

A single whisper escaped Rui.

“Touch of life.”

BOOOOOM!!!!!

Another blow ravaged the monster’s ribs as Rui squeezed out every ounce of force he was able to muster from deep within his body.

“Rraghghrr!” Every last bit of composure within the monster crumbled as he surged towards Rui with vicious aggression.

And yet—

“Your balance is imperfect.” BOOOOOM!!!!!

A thundering blow to the shin effortlessly destabilized his approach, leaving him stumbling to his side.

Just in time for a roundhouse kick to the face.

BOOOOOM!!!!!

The monster staggered where he stood with a stunned expression as his vision grew dazed.

He didn’t understand.

He didn’t understand what was happening.

One moment, Rui was paralyzed.

The next moment—

BOOOOOM!!!!!

A damning flying knee kick ravaged his ribs.

The monster coughed blood, trying to exert control over the cells that had seized his opponent’s nervous system.

He could feel them.

He could feel them exerting his opponent’s movements.

And yet—

BOOOOOM!!!!!

The impact ravaged his body.

It rend his skin.

Cracked bones.

Tore muscles.

And yet, even in all that pain, the monster hadn’t failed to notice.

SSS…

He hadn’t failed to notice the smoke emerging from Rui’s skin.

He hadn’t failed to notice his skin charring.

His eyes widened as he understood.

He understood Rui’s solution.

BOOOOOM!!!!!

It was simple.

If there was something blocking his nervous system, then he would beat it with pure force. A powerful electromagnetic field around his nerves generated an electrical current down his nervous system with an electromotive force that far exceeded the resistance of mere cells.

It allowed him to successfully communicate with his muscles once more, allowing him to throw a extremely powerful attacks.

And yet, it was not without a price.

‘His nervous system is burning,’ the monster realized. ‘He has no more than a minute.’

One minute.

That was all how long he needed to last.

If he could last one minute, victory was his.

‘One minute—!’

BOOOOOM!!!!!

An astronomical impact crushed the monster’s gut into a crumpled mound flesh, leaving him reeling.

“Focus.”

Rui’s tone was chilling.

The endless depths in his eyes bore deep into the monster’s.

“The battle is just beginning.”

BOOOOOM!!!!!

BOOOOOM!!!!!

BOOOOOM!!!!!

BOOOOOM!!!!!

BOOOOOM!!!!!

Blow after blow.

Attack after attack.

Each and every single one of them ravaged his opponent’s body.

The monster gritted his teeth with agony, leaping away as fast he could, only to discover that the earth beneath his feet pulled him back towards Rui.

It was as though Gaia herself was aiding Rui.

“You’re predictable.”

BOOOOOM!!!!!

CRACK CRACK CRACK!

A surging Flowing Canon ravaged his guard, cracking his arm with immense force.

“Your foundations are lacking.”

BOOOM BOOM BOOOM!!!

A barrage of blows peppered the monster from all directions as the man maneuvered evasively to the best of his ability.

WHOOSH

He ducked, evading a ferocious hook to the jaw.

Only to run into a furious knee blast.

BOOOOOM!!!!!

The sheer weight of the impact launched him away, shattering his wrists.

And yet, even that was within Rui’s predictions.

BOOOOOM!!!!!

A pillar of earth erupted from the land, blasting into the man’s ragged body, launching him to Rui.

“Beneath all those flashy high principles are flaws and holes.”

His cutting tone hurt more than the blows that ravaged his entire body.

BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM!!!

“Inefficient torque.”

POW POW POW!!!

“Predictable footwork.” BAAAM!!!

“Insufficient conditioning.”

BOOOOOM!!!

The more he fought the monster in this critically wounded state, the more he realized that there was a reason that the Martial Master had been able to obtain mastery over high principles.

It was because he had pursued them at the cost of the basic principles.

Rui had been able to see it before with his other techniques and principles centered around an internal quantum communication system. However, now that his condition has deteriorated enough for all that glitter to disappear, it became apparent about just what the monster had sacrificed to achieve mastery of principles that otherwise might have been beyond each.

The decision had allowed him to reach an extraordinary amount of power.

That was something that not even Rui could deny.

But…

“But it isn’t enough to defeat me.”

Blow after blow, he ravaged his opponent.

A minute was all he had.

He could feel his nervous system fraying under the electric current flowing through them.

It burned.

A minute was all he had.

And a minute was all he needed.

BOOOOOM!!!!!

A thundering uppercut rocked the monster’s skull, rattling his brain.

The blunt-force trauma had crossed a critical threshold.

The man’s eyes rolled backward as his body went limp.

THUD

He fell unconscious.

THUD

“Huff… huff…” Rui fell to his knees as he felt his vision blurring.

His arms shivered as his skin charred even deeper. Even though he had dialled down the current to much lower than the lethal level that the Anti-Life used to send to the brain in the opposite direction, he had completely fried his nervous system.

“Rui!” Amare’s tone was of panicked concern as she rushed to his side. “What have you done?”

He closed his eyes as he slowly began losing consciousness.

“…I won.”

And just like that, he, too, fell asleep.