The Martial Unity

In the past week, the world may as well have ceased to exist.

For Rui, at least.

He immersed himself in a deep meditation.

He refined his concentration, honing his focus.

The world around him slowly ceased to exist as his mind entered a state of mental singularity, filtering out all information outside of the state of concentration. A state of consciousness is often referred to as the zone or flow state.

It was delicate and fragile.

Fickle in its ability to be achieved.

Rui would often immerse himself in psychological conditioning to allow him to enter such a state.

Yet, he had never entered it in less than a week outside of spontaneous luck.

This time, however, it was as though the sum totality of his being understood the gravity of the situation that he was in.

It understood the consequences of failure.

Thus, it readily complied, allowing Rui to enter a state of mind where he could exert more than a hundred-percent of his regular power.

That, along with all the gains that he had made in the past five years away from Kandria, meant that he was the strongest that he had ever been in his entire life. Fitting, considering he was going to face what was undoubtedly the strongest opponent he had ever faced in his entire life.

A Master-level beast.

It was almost surreal.

What had he been thinking, he often wondered.

It was almost as though he had been in a trance when he chose to be the bait.

His eyes opened facing the distant, dark core of the dungeon.

Within it lay what could be the most glorious accomplishment or the most inglorious blunder.

He had considered sneaking a peak into the Master-level core of the Mellow Dugeon many times in the past two years.

How could he not even consider it?

If he could gain data directly on the Master-level beast, it would increase the probability that he would survive.

Yet, he knew that the moment he entered the Master-level core, the creature would detect him. It was undoubtedly tranced as well, considering that it never once left the core. That meant that it would undoubtedly pounce on him as well since he was entering an area that the dungeon considered 'restricted.'

It was due to this that Rui ultimately avoided the master-level core. Triggering the battle against the Master-level core prematurely and that too in the core itself, would have been utterly disastrous.

The time he spent meditating was merely a week, yet it may as well have been an eternity within the depths of his mind.

Within the depths of his mind, he painstakingly erased every single superfluous and irrelevant thought as he focused the sum entirety of his concentration and focus on his breathing and heartbeat.

His focus increasingly sharpened, honing itself.

His concentration gathered, becoming a force unto itself.

He had reached such a deep state of immersion that Kane winced when he arrived at him, almost as if the sharpness of Rui's mental pressure had physically cut him.

"Hey…" He gently called to Rui. "…It's time."

Rui's eyes opened, turning to Kane.

Yet, he wasn't looking at Kane. His eyes were fixed on the objective of Operation Prisonbreak.

At that moment, nothing else mattered.

Nothing else ought to matter.

Had anything else mattered, he would be weaker.

Therefore, he painstakingly entered a temporary state where nothing else could matter.

STEP

He got up, gazing at his own hands.

His body was at its absolute peak. In the past week, he abstained from consuming any rejuvenation potions, letting his body get a full, natural night of sleep. He adjusted his diet perfectly, to ensure that he wasn't even the slightest bit hampered in the ensuing fight.

"Let's go." His voice was steely.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the Divine Doctor's makeshift abode. The man was clearly prepared, armed with a variety of tools and test tubes filled with various substances.

"I'm all ready." His voice contained a hint of cheeriness. "What a lovely day it is today."

Almost as if he was embarking on a picnic than an operation, the failure of which would lead to his death.

"Tsk," Kane grumbled. "Read the atmosphere."

"I care not for brooding anxiety of death," the man lightly replied. "I'm immortal, remember?"

Kane scowled at him.

"Is everybody ready?" Rui asked calmly.

"I have everything I require for my role in the plan," the Divine Doctor lightly commented.

"Same." Kane patted his trusty twin daggers.

"…Good," Rui closed his, turning around. "Then, I'll get into position."

WHOOSH

He sky-walked away from the Mellow island, heading to the very other side of the Mellow planetoid. He arrived at the point most opposite to the very center of the dungeon, standing well above the Mellow Lake.

"Ready?" Rui called out, manipulating heaven to permeate it far further than it would have ever been able to otherwise.

"READY!" He heard Kane's voice emerging from the other side of the planetoid.

"Huff…" Rui heaved a soft sigh as he placed a hand on his heart.

At that moment, it was as though the weight of the very world pressed down on him.

Yet, it was a weight he felt strong enough to carry.

BADUMP

His Martial Heart blazed into existence as a surge of power emerged from within the depths of his body. Bright red streaks emerged from his heart, spreading across his entire body.

Time slowed down in his eyes as his senses deepened and spread across the entire manifold. An extraordinary rush of energy emerged from within each cell as the Martial Heart shined in all its glory.

He constructed a powerful Mind Mask rapidly, one that was more powerful than any other Mind Mask he had ever donned in his entire life.

A fake Master-level aura spread across the entire manifold, reaching every nook and cranny of the Mellow Dungeon.

Including, of course, its very core.

RUMBLE!!!

The world shook as all hell broke loose!