The Martial Unity

They all got into position, even if Nel urged rush forward and attack.

In the distance, a silhouette could be seen through the dust, walking in their direction.

STEP

STEP

STEP

It took its time.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Yet, their eyes widened.

The air grew taut as an unimaginable amount of pressure crashed onto them. The air froze, and they haplessly followed suit.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

They felt primal fear arise from within their depths, crippling their body.

It was as though time itself had slowed down.

STEP

She emerged from the dust.

Completely naked.

Not a single shred of cloth covered her ample breasts or her pelvis. Yet the sight of her generated nothing but unparalleled fear in all of them.

Rui's eyes widened as he recognized the sensation Primordial Instinct was sensing.

This wasn't just fear.

This wasn't just danger.

Nay.

This was a sensation that only those in a higher Realm of existence could exert onto one.

This was a sensation that only those at a far deeper depth of their path could exert onto one.

"Martial Squire...!" Rui whispered, shocked.

The research facility had succeeded. They had managed to discover the secret to the Squire Realm just in time.

The woman examined them expressionlessly. Raw hostility emerged from her, crashing onto them. Rui was the only one who was able to maintain some semblance of composure. He adopted a stance in defiance. Yet, he was the only one.

The woman adopted a bull-rushing stance, aiming at them.

Rui snapped out of his reverie. "Shit. DODGE!"

Yet he was the only one who dove to the side. The other four were frozen, not even Nel had been able to move.

"NOOOOOO!!!" he bellowed with terror as the woman launched herself at the four of them.

BOOM!!!

The woman launched herself at a with an astronomic speed that far exceeded even that of Kane's!

Her body tore the very atmosphere apart!

The sheer titanic power she had launched herself with would absolutely have killed the four of them on the spot.

Would have.

Yet, it didn't.

She went flying far over their heads crashing through a part of the wall many meters above the ground, crashing through more obstacles until her tremendous momentum had finally been killed, landing a great distance away from them

She... missed?

('...Huh?????') Rui was so mind-boggled he just stared at her with an expression that was saturated with confusion.

Even the four of them who had been paralyzed turned over in shocked confusion. The woman got up, unharmed. Yet she wasn't pleased, she glanced at her own palms in irritation.

It was then that Rui understood. His mind flashed back to a conversation he'd had with Squire Dylon a long time ago.

"Because we are fundamentally different, our techniques function mechanically different." Squire Dylon had once told him long ago when Rui had asked him about the difference between Apprentice and Squire level techniques. "An Apprentice-level Martial Art technique simply cannot utilize our full power because it is not meant to handle our power. Squire-level techniques are simply techniques that can handle the power of Martial Squires, and can only be used by Martial Squires."

"So, they're just designed to be compatible with the power of a Martial Squire?" Rui had asked him back then.

"Yes, and it's harder than it sounds." He had directed a pointed look at Rui back then. "The difference between us exceeds your imagination."

Rui's eyes widened in elation as tinge of hope entered his eyes. It was quite clear she was a test subject in this facility, which meant it was extremely likely that she had only very recently broken through to the Squire Realm.

Which meant she had not mastered any Squire-level techniques! It was especially impossible since Rui highly doubted the Commonwealth Duchy of Vinfrana even had any Squire-level techniques in the first place.

('No, forget Squire-level techniques!') Rui realized. ('She hasn't even gotten used to her own power, clearly.')

Meaning she could not be considered a full-fledged Squire. She would be crushed by the likes of Squire Kyrie or Dylon. The combination of her unaccustomed demeanor and her lack of Squire-level techniques meant that she was well below the Squire-Realm as far as overall combat power went.

('It's more accurate to think of her as a quasi-Squire.')

The woman took her time leisurely, trying to analyze and rectify her whopping inaccuracy. She didn't immediately rush over and resume killing the Martial Apprentices.

In her mind, they were already dead.

She was a Martial Squire. They were going nowhere.

A new-found arrogance had already taken her mindset, but this worked in Rui's favour. If they had any chance of not dying. It would only be if all of them worked together.

Rui glared at all four of them, focusing all of his mind on them. The sheer pressure he exerted drew their attention in an instant.

"Is this how you want to die?" He asked. "Is this how you want to go down? Frozen in fear like pathetic cowards? Dying at the hands of a Martial Artist that hasn't even mastered her power?"

He insulted them on purpose. They all had their well-earned pride, such an insult would surely evoke defiance.

Nel was the first to crack.

"SHUT UP! I'm going to fucking CRUSH her! You'll see!" He snarled at Rui, turning to face the woman with determined eyes.

That shook them all out of their reveries as determination crept into all of their faces. They turned around.

"That being said..." Rui said. "We need to run away."

He immediately dashed off in the direction of the security floor at top speed.

"What was that about cowardice?" Kane caught up to him, grumbling.

"This is a strategic retreat." Rui insisted. "If I have to choose between fighting a Martial Squire and running away from a Martial Squire, I'll choose the latter in a heartbeat."

"I thought we were going to fight her!" Nel complained.

"You'll get to fight Martial Squires when you break through." Rui retorted. "So shut up and train when we get back!"

The elevator could be seen in the distance.

Yet;

WHOOSH

She arrived in front of them.

"Did you really think I would let you escape?" She spoke in Sanskrit

Rui narrowed his eyes. "You can either let us go, or die trying to stop us."

"Bravado." She chuckled. "Come, young one, I will show you the power of a higher Realm. I will show you power that you will die too young to achieve."

One moment, there was a deathly silence.

The next?

All hell broke loose.