The Martial Unity

The Kandrian Empire's initial plan in regard to the Serevian Dungeon was simple;

Expand aggressively and fast.

Prevent the closest competitors from expanding.

The former was, of course, to capitalize and colonize as much land and as many resources as possible. The latter was to ensure that none of the Kandrian Empire's closest competitors could colonize land and drain it of resources.

It wasn't good enough to seize land already seized by the competitors of the Kandrian Empire. If the Kandrian Empire seized lands from other nations, those lands will likely have already been completely drained of their fruit. The fruit extraction process was rather easy and quick, after all. Even if the Kandrian Empire invaded and conquered territory only a few days after they had been initially colonized, it was entirely possible that all the fruits will have been entirely plundered by the colonizing group that the Kandrian Empire conquered the land from.

That was why, in the context of the Kandrian Empire, prevention of colonization was more important than stealing colonized lands. That was why the second objective of the constant assault on the territories of the closest competitors was there at all.

By having the offense team constantly assaulting the territories of the small nations, the Kandrian Empire could significantly slow down if not entirely impede the expansion of the small nations outside their core territories. This was why the offensive team comprised the best of the best that the Martial Union was able to gather in a short amount of time.

Days flew by as the Martial Apprentices of the offensive squad continued conducting an increasing number of assaults into the expanded territories of the Kingdom of Nochus, the State of Hreefal, and the Republic of Jerefin.

BOOM!!!

A large section of the fortified wall barricading the territory of the Republic of Jerefin in the Serevian Dungeon collapsed.

Dozens of Martial Apprentices of the Kandrian Martial Union leaped in.

The very atmosphere contorted and wrung under the combined weight of mind of all the powerful Martial Apprentices.

Yet, among all of them, a single Martial Apprentices stood out.

All of the Martial Apprentices of the Republic of Jerefin were drawn to him as they gazed at him with fear.

He met their eyes.

What was a meaningless gesture to him sent chills down their spines as they found themselves unable to break eye contact? His eyes froze their gaze, as they greedily sucked out the light from the air.

It was as though they were naked before his gaze.

The titanic pressure he exerted on them was almost crippling. But not nearly as crippling as the onslaught he unleashed upon all of them.

It wasn't as though he had godly physical power. It wasn't as though he moved as fast as lightning. It wasn't as though he was as tough as a mountain.

Yet, Martial Apprentices collapsed like bowling pins before his rampage.

Later on, when the Martial Apprentices of the Republic of Jerefin were asked to fill in their reports, it was discovered none of them could quite describe it.

None of them could quite describe the reason for the sheer dominance that Rui displayed on the battlefield. When the intelligence department pressed them for an answer that was vital for understanding the prowess of the Martial Artist combat asset that had wreaked havoc, the explanations provided were so ridiculous that the intelligence officers felt embarrassed typing them out into the profile created for the extremely dangerous Martial Artist in their database.

"It was... magic." One Martial Apprentice described with a whisper.

"I felt like a puppet. My movements were pre-ordained, known, and seen through. He was no Martial Artist, he was a prophet." Another murmured.

Yet, to the horror of the higher-ups of the Republic of Jerefin, confusion was not the worst symptom of fighting the powerful Martial Apprentice.

No.

"I can't see it." The hands of a Martial Apprentice shivered as she held her held.

"See what?" The intelligence officer asked, confused.

"I can't see my path... I-I can't see my path." Her sense of balance deteriorated. She held her arms out as though she were balancing on a ledge. "I can't... Path. I can't. Where Wait, I can't..." She began mumbling incoherently.

"I'm going need to medical aid here." the intelligence officer spoke through a communication device. "Apprentice Ferlin is showing signs of disorientation and incoherence."

"I'M NOT SICK." She screeched. "HE DESTROYED MY MARTIAL PATH."

She wasn't the only victim.

"What do you mean you're retiring?" A staff member asked politely, confused.

"Knowing that... thing... exists in the Martial World..." The Martial Apprentice whispered. "I don't want to fight in a world where that Martial Artist exists. I think I'll just inherit my father's farm and lead a peaceful life. I do not ever wish to see that void ever again."

"You're in the middle of a grade-ten mission!"

The Republic of Jerefin was far from the only sovereign state that had experienced such bizarre anomalies. The State of Hreefal and the Kingdom of Nochus had experienced similar happenings. Martial Artists that survived an extended battle against the menace Martial Artist were all psychologically impacted.

Confusion and incomprehension were the most basic symptoms. Not a single Martial Apprentice understood what was happening. As time went on in their fights against him, it was as though a mystical force was warping fate in his favor.

Why did every attack, every defense, every maneuver, all of them magically work? Why did each of their fights feel like a scripted fight from a cheap action play where the hero magically defeated the villain impeccably?

They didn't know. Their ignorance was a void, it ate away at them the more time passed. Many went to sleepless nights as they struggled to understand. Yet try as they might, they were unable to fathom.

Very quickly, an urban legend spread through the dungeon teams of the three nations. The Voideater, The Antithesis, The Scourge. The intelligence agencies tagged the profile of this anonymous Martial Artist with many a title.

The legend of Rui Quarrier spread through the Serevian Dungeon.