The Martial Unity

The two of them treaded past the snow, heading straight for the blizzard.

"I can't even see the Pave of Graves anymore," Kane complained.

"I doubt the road survived all of this," Rui narrowed his eyes. "We'll just have to rely on my memory."

"…I know you're memory is good and all, but you're sure you have this, right?"

"Don't worry, I'm good," Rui replied.

The map he had memorized every detail of was intentionally extremely high-definition. He could actively track their position on it in real-time by translating the distance covered in real life to the distance covered in the map, allowing him to know exactly where they were.

"I don't have time to waste," Rui narrowed his eyes.

BADUMP!

His Martial Heart burst into life, empowering the entirety of his physicality. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs to their maximum capacity.

THWOOM THWOOM THWOOM THWOOM THWOOM!!!

He launched his most powerful long-range attack.

BOOOM!!!

The tier-five Transverse Resonance attack crashed into the blizzard, instantly dispelling all the winds as the intense sound dispelled the winds swiftly, clearing a way for them.

"It'll reform soon; let's go," Rui remarked as the two of them shot forward and past the blizzard region swiftly. They maintained a brisk pace, crossing the snowy region within an hour and arriving on the other side quickly as they arrived at a cliff overseeing an enormous region that extended far into the distance.

The two continued traveling for hours.

Days even.

They stopped only for basic necessities, often prolonged because one of them needed to be awake when the other was asleep.

Region after region.

Zone after zone.

They continued traveling through the outermost regions of the Beast Domain to minimize the distance that they needed to cover.

The things that they came across were truly stunning. Rui had to readjust his worldview on the things that were possible.

He had always thought that the Human Domain was fantastical and magical. After all, it had places like the Umiana Trench, the Thundering Valley, the Great Forest of Hypnonarak, and the floating island.

Yet, those were bread and butter for the Beast Domain.

They come across a pillar of water that extended from the ground, reaching all the way into the depths of the heavens. It remained in place like a solid pillar spanning an enormous area that left them no choice but to try and cross it.

"Woah," Kane murmured, trying to reach for it.

Yet the moment he tried touching, the water retreated precisely enough to avoid his touch, leaving a cavity in the shape of his arm.

Rui grabbed a rock, throwing it at the pillar of water.

CLACK

The pillar of water retreated to avoid the trajectory of the rock, allowing it to hit the ground normally.

He expanded his senses into the large pillar of water, detecting many fish-like lifeforms.

Nothing unusual, if not for the fact that these were liquid lifeforms whose bodies were in a liquid state.

Rui splashed a bit of water into the pillar, which it did not reject.

"It's solid-phobic," Rui remarked. "It evades contact with all solid states of matter."

"That's crazy," Kane admitted.

"Confident in holding your breath?" Rui raised an eyebrow, turning to Kane with a wry smile.

Kane grinned. "You're on."

The two of them took a sprinter's position.

"Ready…Set…GO!"

BADUMP!

Their Martial Hearts blazed into life, propelling them at extraordinary speeds as they flashed through the pillar of water.

Much to Rui's surprise, the pillar managed to evade them cleanly despite their speed, never once touching them.

That was until they reached the center of the enormous pillar. The two shivered as they felt an enormous sense of peril.

It was the water.

The water that previously evaded them suddenly converged on them predatorily. Rui belatedly realized that the pillar of water was an actual living being and not just a lifeless medium like a sea!

'Shit.'

BOOOOOOM!!!

Rui and Kane rushed forward even as an enormous wave swept them, trying to consume them.

Alas, Rui was not that easy to kill.

'Hypertrophic Surge,' Rui narrowed his eyes as his muscles inflated, growing extremely powerful as he activated the Metabody System, massively amplifying Outer Convergence and Fire Breathing.

BOOOM!!!

His power crashed into the crushing weight of the water as an enormous shockwave erupted from the clash, flinging them out of the water.

The two of them gasped for air as they spun through the air, struggling to gain their balance in midair.

"What the fuck?!" Kane glared at the pillar of water that had already begun to return to its original shape. "Since when was water alive?!"

"Thankfully, it could only rely on its weight," Rui remarked. "It underestimated the power of the Senior Realm.

"Man, that shit is crazy…" Kane huffed as he turned around to get a good look at the region they had arrived at.

What he saw stunned him stiff.

In just a moment, his demeanor shifted, growing severe.

The air prickled, growing more tumultuous.

"This…" Kane's eyes widened with shock. "Isn't this…?"

His voice grew incredulous.

His mouth dropped at the scene before him.

Rui followed his gaze, immediately narrowing his eyes.

His expression grew grave.

"Am I dreaming?!" Kane exclaimed with shock.

"No…" Rui shook his head.

Before them, spanning an enormous distance, was a region filled with the ruins of civilization. They stood in the sky, overseeing a region that spread far into the distance, one covered in light forests and trees.

What stood out of place was the presence of remains of the foundations and bases of once-large buildings. A large half-

broken tower stuck out of the forest like a sore thumb.

The remains of what once were roads spread across the entire region, indicating the presence of a once-large metropolis.

Kane shook at the revelation.

"But how?!" He stared at the region before them. "How can there be ruins of human civilization in the Beast Domain?! Didn't we conquer the Beast Domain from the very edges of the continent moving inwards?"

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