While Senior K'Mala and Senior Ceeran slogged hard to master the ODA system, Rui had been furthering his depth with Project Wavestack.
He had reached a point where he could comfortably do double superposition at any point in time after more than a year of hard work since he first began learning the Mighty Roar Flash Blast technique.
However, he had quickly run into some of the disadvantages of the technique.
('It requires a lot of attention and focus,') He sighed.
Of course, this was expected to a certain degree, but it still was a constraint that he had to work with. Even if the technique did not require active calculations once he memorized the launch conditions of the two sound projectiles such that he could launch them in exactly the right way to constructively superimpose with each other, it still required attention and focus.
Which meant that he could not use the ODA system to the same degree when he was using constructive superposition. The more he used it, the shorter his maximum range grew. He found that simplifying using double superposition had cut his max range by half. Successful triple superposition cut his max range by sixty-six percent.
And he had yet to get even a single successful quadruple superposition attack off. Though he was slowly getting better at triple superposition. He suspected that quadruple superposition would reduce his range to roughly about two hundred and fifty meters.
One of the things that he had underestimated how drastic the power boost he got was, he had expected there to be discrepancies between his predicted values and reality due to things like inefficiencies and loss of energy, but in reality it was even better than what he had expected from it.
('This technique… it's ridiculous. If I theoretically superimposed ten attacks atop each other, then I would be able to launch quasi-Senior level attacks!') Rui gaped at the thought.
He had seen what Martial Seniors were capable of, launching quasi-Senior level attacks was an incredible accomplishment. At the very least, he was certain that grade-ten Martial Squires probably were not ten times above him in offensive power.
Still, when he witnessed Senior K'Mala and Senior Ceeran training with the VOID algorithm, it became all too clear that he was far, far behind them.
THWOOM!
BOOM!!
"TSK!" Senior K'Mala tutted as she tried hitting a target five kilometers away.
Because their inherent accuracy and senses were so much greater than that of Rui's their baseline was still greater than Rui's greatest range limit even though their proficiency of the ODA System was faulty and far below that of Rui's.
Admittedly, Rui felt proud about the fact that two Martial Seniors wanted his technique, but after seeing that even with a highly primitive and elementary use of it, they were still way better than he probably ever could be as a Martial Squire, he had to admit that he was humbled to a certain extent.
It was hard to tease Senior K'Mala when she was launching powerful attacks that would break his body if they hit him.
"Why am I missing?" She turned toward Rui.
"Your execution of the first phase of the ODA system isn't bad, honestly. It's still far from perfect given that you are a Martial Senior and should be able to do better. The problem with you arises from the second phase of the ODA System, I'm afraid," Rui explained.
The second phase of the ODA system was related to the prediction of atmospheric conditions such as pressure and temperature shifts, and air currents. The importance and significance of the second phase of the ODA system increased the greater the distance the target was from the user. After all, wind currents could significantly affect the trajectory of a sound projectile over the course of a kilometer.
This was less true for shorter ranges. Rui had even discovered that he didn't need it most of the time for targets lesser than a hundred meters away. His attacks would cross that distance in a split second and that was too little time for any atmospheric factors to throw the sound projectiles off trajectory.
"I'm actually a little surprised at the power of your projectiles, however," Rui scratched his head. "Though I suppose holding back does make it easier?"
She considered his words a bit before nodding. "You're right, I was restraining myself from the power of the third rank, but my goal is to be able to use this technique with my full power, not without it."
Suddenly, the atmosphere grew heavier.
Rui's felt a chill crawl up his spine as a heavy wave of pressure crashed over him. Red light emerging from deep within her skin glowed as it trickled across her body.
She opened her mouth, and an incredibly dense attack emerged rushing forward at a tremendous pace!
BOOM!!!
A gigantic crater in a barren part of the island several kilometers away emerged.
Rui's eyes widened, as he wiped away some sweat from his forehead. "Maybe… You should dial back the power. Now we don't know if you actually hit it or not because everything within hundred meters from that point has been destroyed…"
Senior K'Mala scrunched her eyes as she studied the site. "Tsk! You're right…"
The red glowing lines subsided.
Rui, on the other hand, had seen enough.
('I was right!') He grew excited inwardly. ('Those are glowing blood vessels!')
He hadn't been able to make out last time because they were too far away from him. But now that he had been given the opportunity to study it up close, he could clearly see that the red lines traced the circulatory system inside. This strongly supported his hypothesis that the red lines that were blood vessels that were glowing for some unknown reason. That would explain this strange and peculiar visage that all Martial Seniors possessed for some reason that clearly had to do with the Senior Realm.
Although this didn't add to his understanding of the Senior Realm, it did bolster his suspicions.
