The Martial Unity

The five of them bantered a bit more, touching more into several aspects and parts of the fight, going deep into them and offering their thoughts and opinions.

"Outer Convergence: Whirlpool huh?" Rui murmured. "That's amazing. If its difficulty is above Outer Convergence then my talent and affinity for offensive techniques is probably not good enough. Still, it was very creative of you adding a conditioning element to it to create that unique attack Fae."

"Thanks." She replied appreciatively. "I had mastered the technique for the Martial Festival and the Martial Contest, but it was too optimistic to not lose without using it. In the end I lost despite using it."

"You came too close." Rui said, shaking his head. "Just the tiniest difference could have been game over for me. In the end, I was forced to reveal my trump card."

"What was that technique?" Fae frowned, glancing at his toe.

"It's a technique known as the Stinger." Rui explained. "Through intense conditioning, the toe is transformed into an extremely durable hard piercing instrument. That along with a kick amplified with Apprentice level techniques allows me to kick with piercing power significantly surpassing even musket bullets."

The four of them were impressed.

"That's a lethal trump card." Dalen sighed. Out of all of them, the revelation that both Rui and Kane had power and lethal trump cards that they had hidden had hit him the hardest. He had lost against both Rui and Fae, but he believed that the gap was not gigantic, if he learnt two or three techniques, he would be on par with them.

This fight had shown him how misguided that notion was.

This was particularly disheartening because he was a defensive Martial Artist. He had endured Rui's and Fae's attacks better than almost anybody else. But now he had learnt that both Rui and Fae could have pretty much easily put him into a critical state with just a few attacks with their trump cards.

Most people would be downed with one or at most two Stingers and Whirlpools. Dalen estimated he could take four-to-five Stingers and Whirlpools. Furthermore, if Rui and Fae truly fought him with intent of killing him, he would last lot less.

He sighed. He still had a long way to go.

The only one who was rather unmoved was Kane. The trump cards were less effective against him because they didn't solve the fundamental that he posed to everyone else.

The biggest issue fighting Kane wasn't being unable to take him down with any attack that they landed on him. The biggest issue was landing attacks on him at all. In that regard, the Stinger and the Whirlpool attacks were not any better than normal attacks. If anything, those attacks may be at an even greater disadvantage than normal attacks against him since he would be extraordinarily careful against them especially compared to normal attacks.

"They're powerful trump cards." he noted. "Are you two going to continue using them now that everybody already knows about them?"

"Yes, it doesn't make sense to hide it after it's already be revealed." Fae replied.

"I'll use them if it is optimal to use them, and won't if it isn't optimal." Rui shrugged. He made his decisions after analyzing his opponent and the circumstances via thinking it through the algorithmic analytic procedures of the VOID algorithm and general circumstantial evaluation.

Kane threw a meaningful look at Rui. He had known from the very start that Rui had hidden trump cards. It wasn't a particularly genius deduction on his part. He knew Rui had learnt three techniques in his last training phase, and four techniques in the training phase before that.

Our of those seven techniques, he was only aware of Phantom Step, Inner Divergence, Outer Convergence and Stinger.

That left three unknown techniques he hadn't seen Rui use.

He still had hopes that whatever those three techniques were, they would be useful against himself.

Little did he know, that his hopes were largely true.

Seismic Mapping and Primordial Instinct were quite useful against him. They were more than just useful. They were Rui's lifeline against Kane. With these two techniques combined. Rui was able to sense which direction Kane was at all times, and also his position vaguely at all times. He could sense Kane's attacks or motions, but beggars couldn't be choosers. He could only thank his good fortune for having chosen techniques that would be useful against Kane.

"Oh right." Rui suddenly remembered. "Nel's fight isn't over yet, is it?"

"Nope." Kane replied. "It's scheduled today."

"Who's he fighting against again?" Dalen scratched his head.

"Hever Mendelieve." Fae replied. "I'm looking forward to that fight."

Hever Mendelieve was now among the only four undefeated Martial Apprentices in the Academy along with Rui, Kane and Nel.

Hever Mendelieve was one of the most unique Martial Artists in the Martial Academy. He was the only elite Martial apprentice who had mastered one and only one technique.

Of course, there were freaks like Nel who hadn't mastered a single technique, but this was rather different. Nel was gifted with godly physical prowess. Hever was a normal man.

Yet, he had made it to the top undefeated having mastered a single technique.

Meteor Swing

This was a technique that was graded nine in regards to both potency and difficulty. It was a counter offensive technique that intercepted attacks with a grasp and used his opponent's attacks energy in addition to their own energy in a swing that was executed with the principles of redirection, center of gravity and balance manipulation.

He was a senior Martial Apprentice from the same generation of Gale, but had long since widened the gap between them.

For the past six years, this Martial Artist had dedicated his everything to the singular mastery of this one technique. And elevated his mastery of application far beyond the general mastery. His timing, placement, body-eye coordination, precision and accuracy with this technique were leagues above any other Martial Apprentices mastery of their techniques.

He was not a rank one Martial Apprentice for no reason.