The preparations were soon made. Each of the Martial Squires equipped themselves with the bare minimum unlike what they would for normal missions. Since this operation involved direct combat and nothing else, there was no need to make other kinds of preparations or take utilities that they wouldn't need.
The only thing they took was a pair of potions, a rejuvenation, and a healing potion. Though, since the G'ak'arkan Tribe was not inclined to accept their technology that they did not understand or trust, using them was not conducive to the goal of the operation.
"Is everybody ready?" Rui asked once they all gathered back in a dispatch facility in the outer ring of the settlement.
He didn't even need to ask, he could feel their steeled wills and determination through their aura.
"We've just gotten word from the intelligence team that the K'ulnen Tribe seems to be about to dispatch a large chunk of their Martial Squires to another battlefield very soon. As soon as we've received confirmation that the battle has begun and that it's too late to call them back, we'll immediately head out ourselves, got it?" Rui informed them, receiving a series of nods in return.
Just then, an extremely potent yet restrained presence entered their senses.
"Senior Ceeran," Rui bowed his head lightly, expressing the respect that the Martial Senior deserved by virtue of being a Martial Senior.
Rui had also noticed the differences in his demeanor as well. Usually, the man was in a light-hearted albeit highly passionate state of mind. He resembled an excited adventurer or even an artist pursuing their craft into the unknown, looking to improve their craft. Yet today, he was nothing short of a grizzled warrior. His focus was single-minded, single-mindedly on the upcoming battle.
He had long been briefed about his role in the battle, and he knew that his role was pivotal, it was no surprise that he took it extremely seriously
Nobody said a word as they all waited. A brief time passed before Rui finally received the confirmation that he had been waiting for.
"Alright, it's time," Rui quickly signed on the last bit of paperwork to commence the operation officially, before eight Martial Squires set out immediately.
They sprinted through the sky at top speed, zipping through the reluctant air.
While they could travel much faster when they were on land, there were far too many obstacles that they would have to permanently destroy in order to surpass their speed through the sky. They had chosen to avoid doing so since their environment was very necessary to their self-sufficiency and sustenance on the island. All of the Martial Tribes were well aware of this. It was why there was an unwritten agreement to avoid certain parts of the island when engaging in conflict because if something went wrong, everybody would suffer.
Martial Squires generally avoided the ground the only time that Martial Seniors clashed on the island had left a gigantic crater that seemed to permanently wipe out any and all vegetation and served as a battlefield for many of the occurring conflicts that came much later.
As they flashed through the sky at tremendous speeds, it was only a short matter of time before they could see the village of the K'ulenen Tribe in the distance from their elevation. Even though the Martial Union settlement and the K'ulnen village were separated by several dozens of kilometers, such a distance meant very little to Martial Squires.
"They're coming," Rui's eyes narrowed as he managed to distinguish several tiny dots escalating from the village, headed directly toward them. "Just as we predicted, all nine of the remaining Martial Squires in the K'ulnen Tribe have been dispatched to defend their village. Let's pause here."
This confused his peers. "Why do you want to stop? Shouldn't we drive the battle as close to their village as possible?"
Rui shook his head. "If we're too close to their village, Senior Ceeran will not be able to intervene in the battle in time, even with his long-range attacks, to handle the Martial Senior that will inevitably be killed."
This made sense. The rest of the Martial Squires immediately acquiesced, none of them wanted to be left alone facing a Martial Senior, that was a suicide battle that they had no hope of winning whatsoever.
"Tsk, looks like they're not so stupid after all." Rui tutted as he saw the Martial Squires of the K'ulnen Village covering their eyes.
It was clear that they were extremely wary of Rui's super long-range accuracy. None of them wanted to have their brains scrambled by a sound bullet crashing into their eyes.
"That's a shame, but it isn't outside of my expectations." Rui sighed. It didn't take a genius to figure this solution out. "Alright, get ready, they're starting to get close enough."
The Martial Union's Martial Squires took their stances as they prepared their long-range attacks.
Rui went even further back since he had a much greater long-range capability. He was arguably the weakest Martial Squire on the battlefield since this battle was meant to showcase long-range techniques. Which meant that he could not use the vast majority of the techniques that he had mastered.
This was a serious handicap. If not for the fact that he had a grade-ten long-range technique, he would be utterly inconsequential in this battle. At best he would be able to provide distractions and brief moments of relief for his teammates.
Of course, Rui had long predicted that this would be the case. He had not come this far only to be helpless in battle.
('This is going to be one the most challenging battles I will be putting myself through since I became a Martial Squire,') Rui grinned. Although he was displeased that he wouldn't be able to utilize his Martial Art, he did enjoy the prospect of pushing his mind to the limit as he tried to make the best of what he had, and he intended to excel at it.
