It was one thing to predict, on paper, after having analyzed historical data.
And it was entirely another to experience that prediction in the flesh.
For none of them were ready.
None of them were ready for the unhampered and unhindered bloodlust of a Martial Senior.
Even Rui shuddered as he gritted his teeth. His mental fortitude among them was probably the greatest, but even he was not mentally prepared for the avalanche of pressure that washed through them all.
It felt like a bomb had gone off on the island. The fauna in the forest broke into a frenzy as the creatures, regardless of their status in the food chain, ran away from that section of the forest as their lives depended on it.
Of course, they did.
"Don't retreat," Rui managed to squeeze out when he noticed the Longranger Martial Squire instinctively backing away, nearly making for a run. "Have faith in your senior!"
They barely heeded his words.
Rui was the only one who maintained a fierce expression.
He opened his mouth, aiming to launch a Sonic Bullet at one of the K'ulnen Martial Squires.
Yet he froze, once more.
His eyes widened as a tiny figure entered his vision in the distance behind the K'ulnen Squires.
It was merely a dot in the distance.
Yet, it was larger than all.
Not even the Sun drew as much attention to itself.
Not even the Sun shined brighter than the tiny figure emanating bloodlust so thick that one could nearly cut it with a knife.
Rui blinked, yet when he opened his eyes. His heart nearly jumped out of his mouth.
"You..."
She stood right before him.
In just a second, she crossed the many kilometers between him and the K'ulnen Village.
She, matriarch R'An'Alnen of the K'ulnen Tribe, stared at him with bloodshot wide eyes. The sheer amount of power that was contained within her feminine figure made Rui feel insignificant.
Staring him in the eyes. "You d-!"
Every hair on Rui's body stood on edge as an unprecedentedly powerful wind attack slammed into her, just barely missing Rui!
Rui was frozen in midair, unable to move. He felt like he just barely avoided being hit by a tactical nuke!
Before he could even process what happened, a tremendous explosion shook the entire island to its core!
Rui turned to the right, his eyes widening in shock.
Where a hill used to be, was a mighty crater!
"What... No, this can't b-" Rui subconsciously murmured.
Another mighty presence washed over the entire area, one less chaotic and more focused.
And one that was more familiar.
"Rui."
It was soft, yet it reverberated across the sky.
Rui turned his head in the direction it came from.
"Senior Ceeran!"
He heaved a sigh of relief.
"Good job distracting her," A brief smile cracked at the edge of his mouth. "You've all done great. Now leave. This is beyond you."
At that moment, Senior Ceeran appeared larger than life. Had Rui been an ordinary man, he may very well have gotten down to one knee and bowed in devotion to one that many may call a god.
He never even looked at Rui.
No.
His eyes were fixed in the direction of the second Senior-level aura.
Rui didn't even need to turn in that direction to know that she had already emerged out of the crater of that attack. Every sense in his body, even ones he didn't know existed, told him that he needed to get out of there immediately!
Whether it was out of consideration for their own Martial Squires, or whether they were sizing up each other, they did not engage in hostilities immediately.
It gave the fearful Martial Squires the time that they needed to get as far away from the battlefield as they could.
None of them had any thought of trying to circle around in order to try and continue their battle with the other side. At this very moment, both sides needed to return back to their respective homes.
The Longranger Martial Squires especially needed to be careful, they needed to protect their settlement from any side effects that may come in their direction. Even though the two Martial Seniors were situated far away from the Martial Union settlement, only an idiot would think that that mattered at all! Especially after witnessing what Rui just had.
In a single second, she crossed a little under half the distance between the K'ulnen Tribe and the Martial Union Settlement.
Furthermore, Senior Ceeran launched an attack from so far away that Rui could even sense it despite his incredibly large sensory range.
Furthermore, that attack sent the matriarch of the K'ulnen Tribe a dozen kilometers away, crashing into a sizeable hill, and leaving nothing but a crater behind. The flying debris alone crashed a small part of the forest!
That was what shocked Rui the most.
Of course, he always knew that Martial Seniors were incomparably more powerful than Martial Squires. Perhaps to an even greater degree than Martial Squires were stronger than Martial Apprentices.
Still, it was hard to visualize what that looked like.
Now, he didn't need to.
Now, he knew.
They were forces of nature. Calamities bound to human form. There was no other way to describe them.
Yet, as shocked as Rui was, he was even more excited.
And as excited as he was, he was even greedier.
He yearned to elevate his Martial Art to that level of power!
When would the day come when he could alter the topography of a small region all by himself?
('Not anytime soon, that's for sure,')
He knew that he was a truly long way from becoming a Martial Senior. He did not know what the conditions for breaking through to the Senior Realm were, and whatever they were, he needed to go through much before he was qualified to undergo the breakthrough process to the Senior Realm.
RUMBLE!
The land shook, startling Rui.
"They've begun," He murmured. "This battle will decide the fate of many people."
