The Martial Apprentices that had gathered around the ring spectating this important fight were gaping with their jaws dropped. The sight of Fae unveiling a powerful trump card no one had seen before was rather shocking.
At this stage, almost all of them had fought Fae at some point or the other, and all of them had lost. However, when they realized that she could have shaved their flesh off at any point during their fight, they all gulped, sweating inwardly. A few of them even felt a bit relieved that they weren't strong enough to force her to use this terrifying trump card.
At the same time, they felt powerless in comparison. She swept past all of them cleanly and smoothly without even using her strongest weapons? It was a humbling realization, albeit unpleasant. Even the former rank one Martial Apprentices of the top twelve Martial Artists couldn't help but grow a bit bitter. Many of them had fought her and believed to be not too inferior to her, despite losing.
But she had showed them how misguided their notions were.
Even Avi Seth, who had pushed her the most asides from Rui, realized they if they had a rematch now, she would almost certainly crush him if she went all-out from the start.
The reason she didn't use this move against him was probably because she had already been too poisoned to employ the sheer amount of force the attack probably required. If they fought against, she would just use it from the get-go and skin him alive!
His expression sank as he watched Fae and Rui dash at each other.
Rui had been bleeding due to the gaping wound, especially because he had subjected himself to high-speed maneuvering, exacerbating the issue.
He didn't have much time.
If this continued, his condition would fall below the tolerable threshold and he would lose any realistic chances of winning.
WHOOSH
Rui carefully avoided a Whirlpool impact from Fae with his maneuvering techniques and Primordial Instinct.
BOOM
The attack struck the ground, cracking and grinding the ground.
('I need to time it perfectly.') Rui's alertness skyrocketed.
This was it.
If he waited any longer, it would be too late.
He subtly shifted all his weight to his left leg, completely freeing up his right leg for a swift attack without any warning, as he flexed the muscles in the big toe of his right foot, turning the toe into a rigid bullet.
Fae launched herself at him.
Just one more Whirlpool impact.
If she could just land a single impact, the fight would be over. Rui's condition would have degenerated to the point where he simply couldn't sustain optimal fighting condition.
Just one.
Just one!
('Just one!')
Fae's determination skyrocketed. She would do anything to land one last Whirlpool impact. She rejoiced when she saw Rui standing stationary as she approached him.
('He made up his mind.') Fae realized. He was no longer running away, that strategy had already failed.
That was good enough.
The ground shook as Fae gathered every ounce of force from ever strand of muscle fiber!
She coiled her left arm, launching herself at Rui. Her left palm rotated with such force that even the very air helplessly followed suit, forming a miniature tornado!
Rui stood his ground as the attack approached, even as Primordial Instinct begged him to run.
WHOOSH
The Whirlpool had arrived.
He ducked to avoid the attack.
('Too late!') She thrust her attack forward, abandoning defense.
She was willing to endure whatever Rui threw at her!
As long as the impact landed, she would win!
The attack swiftly soared forward, chasing after Rui.
Half a meter.
Quarter.
Ten centimeters.
('It's over!') Fae rejoiced as the attack was centimeters away from Rui's face. It was too close!
Too close.
Yet, too far.
CRACK!
Fae froze. Excruciating pain assailed her mind.
The attack was almost there. Just a single centimeter away!
Yet she froze.
Victory was almost there.
Yet, she froze.
"It's over." Rui whispered.
Fae glanced down at the source of her pain. Her eyes widened as she beheld a bewildering sight.
His toe!
His toe was in her chest!
It was only then.
It was only then she understood.
The crack she heard was not from Whirlpool landing on Rui.
Not at all.
It was from her very own sternum breaking.
She was still frozen.
And she wasn't alone.
For the briefest of moments, everyone was frozen. It was such a wildly abrupt outcome that their minds struggled to keep up!
SPLAT
Rui extricated his toe as he retreated. Blood gushed out immediately.
It was a success.
The sternum guarded important blood vessels, such as the Superior Vena Cava and the aorta. The fragments of her sternum as well as the Stinger had puncture multiple blood vessels.
('I just need to stop the bleeding!')
Fae pressed her hands against her chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding with pressure. Rui had bled much more than her. As long as she contained the bleeding, she was still in the fight!
Yet, her focus was on the wrong thing.
The most dangerous thing wasn't her wound.
No.
The most dangerous thing was the one who had inflicted that wound.
The pain, the shock and the panic had eluded this simple fact from registering, causing her to divert too much of her attention to her plummeting condition.
That was all Rui needed.
He launched the swiftest swing he could, exploiting her delayed reactions.
POW
A clean uppercut slammed into Fae's jaw, rocking her head wildly. The abrupt and intense oscillations shook her brain, triggering blunt force trauma and causing her consciousness to shut down.
THUD
She collapsed.
A pool of blood had begun to enlargen immediately, from her collapsed body.
THUD
Rui fell to his knees. The entire front half of his Martial uniform was drenched in blood. If not for Helical Breathing supplying increased levels of oxygen, he would have fallen unconscious during the battle.
He glanced at her as a team of medics worked furiously to heal her. Her condition was not light. Neither was his.
Rui's vision blurred as the world spun.
THUD
The world went dark as his head hit the earth.
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