The Martial Unity

"Commencing trial W68-21," Rui remarked aloud. "The goal is to examine the effect of lowering temperature on the polarization index of the domain medium Mark54634. Previous experiments have yielded results that plot a parabolic locus on a temperature-polarization index graph. The goal of this experiment is to, hopefully, reach a state of complete darkness."

"Must you say that shit out loud each time?" Kane snorted.

"It makes remembering it a little easier," Rui replied. "I have noted, through empirical experiments, that the memory associations of sound are easier to retain in my Mind Palace than pure thou—"

"I literally don't care," Kane cut through what was undoubtedly going to be a mind-numbing monologue. "Just end this nightmare already."

Rui smirked. "As you wish. Commencing experiment."

He began his heaven-bending, altering temperature to manipulate the polarization index to try jamming light entirely.

"Woah." Kane's eyes widened with shock as pure darkness overtook the entire world. "I can't see anything… It worked!"

Rui's eyes lit up with ecstasy. "FINALLY!"

Kane almost began sobbing with joy. "No more being subjected to the most torturous experiments anymore."

Rui walked up to Kane, putting an arm on his shoulder.

"What are you talking about? Now that the domain has been worked out, we are going to move on to the hypnosis phase. I will have you serve as a proper test subject for that as well."

"No! I refuse!"

Rui laughed at his expense, thoroughly enjoying the tantrum his best friend threw before returning to his own devices.

Half a year had passed, and he had finally made significant progress on the first half of Project Telepath. He had also fleshed out the SOUL System in the last six months, thoroughly ironing out the protocols of thought.

During this period, they had grown used to camping out in the Valley of Prisms. For one, as Martial Seniors, there was nothing there that could threaten them. However, they had experienced the chaos of the Beast Domain even in a region like the Valley of Prisms. Every day, there was some regional disruption of some kind.

Sometimes, it was the invasion of another species of beasts or monsters immigrating from a different part of the Beast Domain. Other times, it was an earthquake triggered by some seismological event happening deeper in the Beast Domain. Most days had some sort of weather disruption that made no sense whatsoever. On other days, it was a Squire-level predator moving into the region to feast on the weak Apprentice-level catoblepas.

Naturally, Rui did not allow so much as a scratch of harm to be inflicted on the catoblepas.

How could he? They were precious carriers of intelligence about the Divine Doctor. The moment Project Telepath was complete, he would use his newly created domain technique and the SOUL System to extract every ounce of information about the Divine Doctor that he could.

In time, however, even the excessive chaos of the Valley of Prisms as a region of the Beast Domain eventually became something that the two of them got used to. The unpredictability became part of their daily routine.

The two of them rapidly grew stronger as they each trained their own techniques. Kane decided that he could not afford to fall behind Rui anymore than he already had. He began working on honing his skills and developing a new technique alongside Rui.

Naturally, he didn't take nearly as much time.

Project Telepath was definitely more complicated than the Hypnomatrix or the Yggdrasil System. It even put the Greater Phantomind Void technique to shame.

It possessed a degree of sophistication that was in the same tier as the VOID algorithm and the Angel of Laplace, increasing the size of Rui's nascent Martial Mind by a whopping fifty-percent.

"Thankfully, the domain technique has been created; I just need to nail down the hypnosis," he remarked. "I shall add this new technique to the Yggdrasil System since it is fundamentally a domain technique. I also need to come up with a corresponding name to match the SOUL System…"

He lingered on the matter before a fitting name entered his mind.

"Soul Void."

He didn't really care about whether that was truly an accurate description. The rule of cool trumped all other considerations.

Regardless, with Soul Void complete, the most difficult and challenging part of the trance-induction part of Project Telepath was done. He then spent his days refining the hypnosis that would go hand-in-hand with the Soul Void technique while also refining the SOUL System's protocols.

On the outside, when he wasn't using Kane as a test subject, he appeared to simply be meditating peacefully.

But internally, his mind was furiously processing a maelstrom of information as it worked towards reaching its desired outcome. During that time, the catoblepas of the Valley of Prisms lived their lives peacefully under the protection of Rui and Kane. They didn't know that they were no different from livestock awaiting slaughter.

Or, in this case, livestock awaiting traumatic recollection of scarring memories.

Unfortunately for them, their mental health was not a priority Rui cared much about. He didn't mind breaking their minds if that was what was required to extract even a single shred of useful information that pointed him in the direction of the Divine Doctor.

In just a blink of an eye, eighteen months passed. His thirty-

third birthday slipped by, unnoticed and uncelebrated. Neither of them, especially Rui, particularly cared for such a thing.

Atop a mountain overseeing the Valley of Prisms sat Rui. His demeanor was one of serenity and peace.

It conveyed profound harmony.

Profound harmony and profound peril.

So much so that the region around him became devoid of life. Be it flora or fauna, be it the microbes that resided in the air and the land, nothing remained in his presence.

Yet, he didn't care.

His mind converged onto a single point.

A mega-structure of data science protocols coalesced into a single mental entity.

The SOUL System.

It radiated unfathomable power from deep within.

He reached forward to it, putting the final block in place.

The final piece of the puzzle.

CLICK

It was complete.

RUMBLE!

The Valley of Prisms shook as the SOUL System came to life, brimming with incomprehensible unfathomable power.