Unfortunately, the war raged on for longer than he had hoped. Month after month, a few dozen Martial Squires would die inevitably.

Given that the scale of combat was rather large, it was actually a small number that was lower than predicted.

The reason that it was lower than normal was because the duration of the battle was shorter.

The reason for that was that the weapon that the Kaddar Treaty Organization used actually appeared to have a time limit. It could not be used continuously without any limitations whatsoever or anything like that.

The weapon's time limit had long been measured by the Kaddar Treaty Organization. That was the reason that each conflict between the Floating Sect and the Kaddar Treaty Organisation did not reach its true natural conclusions, and was in a way cut short before they could reach their proper climax.

This was probably something that frustrated both sides, but was also probably not something that either side could possibly deal with with ease. That was the reason that the clashes were so frequent.

If each clash lasted as long as they would organically have lasted had it been a normal war. And many Martial Squires would have passed away with each battle, that was the trade away. It would also finish quickly.

At the rate that things were moving, it would take quite some time before both sides had bled enough.

Regardless, he continued to fight in the war, fighting like a demon as he defended his current temporary training place.

Rui's performance was eye-drawing. While it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as Squire T0kugawa Ieyasu, he was still performing extremely well.

That was one of the reasons that Rui's fame in the Floating Sect continued to escalate.

It was often the case that he would take down the most powerful Martial Squires standing on the field. Rather than taking down many smaller fries, he focused on taking out the heavy hitters of the Kaddar Treaty Organization. That was why Rui knew that the best way to contribute to the war was by taking down the peak of what they had to offer.

Furthermore, fighting powerful grade-nine and grade-ten Martial Squires was a good exercise for him.

Every once in a while he would end up fighting a Martial Artist whose Martial Art was just perfect to get countered by one of the three Martial Bodies that Rui had created. 

That on top of the pattern recognition system meant that every time Rui managed to nail the Martial Body, he would be able to counter them to a degree that not even he had seen before.

After all, these instances were quite endearing and made the weight of the battle lighten up for him, allowing him to make the most of the battle with a calm and relaxed mind.

Floating Sect had always had a small advantage, but it was as though that small advantage had been magnified by the very existence of Rui going all out during battles.

He even volunteered for these defenses against the Kaddar Treaty Organization every time because that was what would help speed up the war.

That was why Rui was shocked that the Kaddar Treaty Organization made an announcement.

It announced that it was going to be deploying Senior-level military assets in the physical conflict between the Floating Sect and the Kadar Treaty organization.

This came as a shock to everybody. The Kaddar Region had been hesitating about deploying Martial Seniors because the nations that deployed them would be weakened, and the nations of the Martial Seniors that passed away in combat, would be completely devastated.

In a region where the peak of Martial Art was Martial Seniors, each and every Martial Senior was nothing short of a national treasure.

No nation wanted to be the one that prematurely was parted from their Martial Seniors, and worse, be the ones that lost them permanently.

That was why Rui was shocked that the Kaddar Treaty organization had finally managed to get its shit together and actually present a proper united front when it came to Senior-level combat against the Floating Sect.

That meant that the three Martial Seniors of the Floating Sect were finally in turn to do their part in the battle against the Kaddar Treaty Organization.

Though many people probably found it stupid that the Kaddar Treaty Organization went out of announcing the fact that they were deploying Martial Seniors, Rui actually understood why they had done so.

The war was taking a toll on their economies and their societies. This was one avenue where the Floating Sect had an advantage over the Kaddar Region. The Floating Sect was a singular group with a very direct chain of command, and its members were employees who were all coerced into being a part of the group and remaining a part of the group. The guardians were Martial Squires who were aware of the incentives and disincentives and still chose to be a part of the Floating Sect despite that because the benefits outweighed the detriment.

That meant that the Floating Sect did not have an economy or a society that could be dissuaded from remaining there just because of a war.

The same could not be said for the civilian populations of the Kaddar Region, that meant that had the war dragged on too much, then many civilians would have simply gotten sick of the war and moved house from the Kaddar Region to another Region outside it.

A mass emigration of those exiting the country was not something that any of the governments of the nations of the Kaddar Region wanted.

That was why the Kaddar Treaty Organization had announced that the dire situation had forced several key members into finally acquiescing and partaking in the war against the Floating Sect much more wholeheartedly.

The announcement of the Martial Seniors assault was something that greatly reassured the citizens of the Kaddar Region that the war was going to come to an end, one way or another. content.

*****

AN: Sorry for the late chapter.