The Martial Unity

And she was right.

The insects grew larger and larger as they moved in the direction that Siliscia and Ria had identified. Their attacking patterns grew more sophisticated as well, they didn’t merely throw themselves, they began using coordinate fire systems.

FWOOSH!!!

Ria’s amber eyes sharpened as she simply bent the fire to part it, rather than trying to redirect it towards them. Instead, she simply surged forth, thrusting at them with her palms and fists.

They cracked like eggs.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

Hundreds if not thousands of insects swarmed them, trying to destroy them. And yet they didn’t stand so much as even a single chance. The Martial Artists among them hadn’t even activated their Martial Heart yet, of course. It was utterly effortless for them.

As they sprinted through the forest, the primitive trees began to grow less and less primitive, and more and more complex. The cell count composing their bodies only increased, allowing the trees to reach higher and higher, while having more complex functions.

Climbing them were other multi-cellular creatures that also grew in volume with them. Complex animal forms that were optimized for survival in a dense tree-like environment.

They had four limb-like appendages for smooth locomotion through the trees, while those appendages had further sub-appendages that resembled fingers. They even had mannerisms that reminded all of them of very familiar creatures back in Gaia that shared such movements.

”Primates?” Misha’s cybernetic eyes lit up with curiosity. ”They can replicate primates?”

Indeed, they could. The marcobes had arranged themselves within a body in a manner that clearly matched the broader anatomical structure of primates. Of course, in this case, it was simply another form of convergent evolution. There weren’t an infinite number of efficient applications of matter and energy to be highly mobile in a tree-filled environment.

Having four deft and nimble limbs with finer sub-appendages for finer motor control, this was the blueprint that led them to the most optimal system for tree navigation.

They leaped at the five pathwalkers in a coordinated manner, attacking them without any concern for self-preservation. As if their lives were merely an instrument in the dedication to protecting whatever was at the epicenter of the manifold.

They didn’t stand a chance, of course.

But they did force the pathwalkers to exert more power.

BADUMP

Runark activated his Martial Heart, finding himself at the limit with merely the power of the Squire Realm.

SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT!!!

He reduced them to pulverized confetti with his attacks, even if he appeared a little displeased. They had resolved to avoid activating their Martial Hearts as much as they could, prolonging the amount of time and distance that would pass before they would need to activate it.

Ria was completely unfazed even with merely her Martial Body. She didn’t even use her fists, instead, using her fingers to poke at the primates, like they were balloons that could be popped.

And evidently, that wasn’t far from the truth.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

She could see the causality of countless cells composing a highly complex being like a Martial Artist in the world. Being able to identify the critical chemical tensile weakness in each cell, a place where the chemical bonds were least organized and least solid.

She has already determined that the macrobes were mostly composed of gas that was of a lower density than the atmospheric pressure, allowing her to cause a rushing influx of gas upon even the slightest hint of a tear.

She allowed the atmosphere to do the rest of the work, minimizing her energy usage.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

The number of the incoming macrobe animals only grew larger and larger, with thousands and thousands ganging up on them. If not for the absolutely overwhelming gap in power, it certainly would have been problematic to face such large numbers with only the five of them.

But they had brushed up on their teamwork well.

Siliscia handled range and crowd control, ensuring that the number that each of them faced was never excessive. Nature manipulation was not easy, and rather than simply burdening her with wiping out most of them, it was easier for her to make merely make it easier for the rest of them, allowing for a more even balance of power.

Misha handled long range artillery, using her hemotechnology to create massive plasma cannons that could greatly weaken the flood of macrobe animals attacking them.

Sternon, Ria, and Runark cleaned up the rest even as all of them ran towards the center of the manifold.

They only limited their engagement with the creatures that they ran into directly, never once going out of their way to fight with them. It was much easier to pass around them in most cases.

If they had to fight every single living creature in the manifold, then they would never be able to complete it in the span of an hour or so.

They needed to be practical about the way they went about it.

”We’re facing some serious avian enemies this time,” Ria warned as she spotted massive birds of prey flying above in the sky, before eventually shooting down towards them the way that hawks did.

It created a hail of the most potent attacks that they had faced up until then, with each of the birds packing enough power to level towns.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Despite the tremendous amount of destructive power from their opponents, Ria didn’t once feel the need to activate her Martial Heart, instead choosing to preserve her stamina and her potions much as she could.

She merely gently caressed the beak of the hawk-like birds moments before it struck her, redirecting it at the final moment with all the power she could muster.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

Her motions were spiral in their trajectory, making her resemble a merry-go-round.

Not even an army of birds from the sky could stop them as they sprinted at high speeds. They emerged from the forest, heading deeper and deeper into the domain towards the very epicenter.