The Martial Unity

He narrowed his eyes as he prepared himself. He had been analyzing the abyssfeeder deeply, gaining insight into it with every movement it made. There were several things that he found out about it.

Its patterns were actually incredibly simple, as a creature that adapted and changed in the same manner that plants naturally sought out sunlight, it did not possess complex thought that caused some incredibly complex patterns in behavior.

That sounded well and good, but it came with a deep problem

Its patterns were simple, it was just that the patterns continued changing as the body did, undoing a bit of his progress every time he changed it.

It was frustrating because it was in a way adapting to his adaptation by making it difficult to adapt to him. Of course, he knew that this wasn't actually the case. This was an unintended consequence of the nature of existence as opposed to an active adaptation measure that it took to counter his adaptation.

Nonetheless, it had been effective. He was not able to form a perfect predictive model because, by the time he did, it had already formed a different body that mostly invalidated the predictive model he had built before. That was the reason he needed to come up with something new.

He refused to believe that the VOID algorithm had become obsolete. This was the first time that something had refuted his predictive model so definitively.

However, he was firm in his belief in the pattern recognition model of the VOID algorithm. The universe and all of reality were made up of all kinds of patterns on every level. Why would a single monster defy that rule?

It didn't, he just needed to expand his scope.

If the patterns of its movements keep changing with its body then… Rui's eyes had narrowed. I'll just have to create a predictive model to predict the future changes in its body, based on the past!

That was the goal he had established for himself early on in the battle.

Since he knew that the adaptive choices made by the abyssfeeder were not as a result of thought, but more of a result of biochemical processes that followed a whole bunch of patterns such as the laws of physics and the principles of biochemistry.

All he needed to do was pay attention to the right parameters and begin noting down parameters.

Unfortunately, unlike a predictive model for movements, Rui had never actually created a predictive model for physiological and anatomical change.

He needed to create a new framework then and there.

A horrifyingly complicated task that needed to be accomplished perfectly in the middle of combat against the abyssfeeder.

Furthermore, that wasn't enough.

He needed to create a predictive model that would not only predict what kind of body it would have but also the predictive model that would be necessary for the body.

Ordinarily, predicting future movement predictive models for predicted bodies just by looking at the body would be impossible.

Predictive models predicted movements by scouring through an incredible number of patterns and evaluating what outcome had the highest probability. They required time and effort because each person was an incredibly complex individual.

Each person that was.

Abyssfeeders were entirely different, they were much simpler. They were not too different from automated toys in a way, the only issue was that their body kept changing due to the physiological changes.

Still, it was a massive undertaking nonetheless, not only would his body predictive model need to predict what kind of body it would have in the future, but it would also need to give him the elementary predictive model for the movements of that body.

Every Martial Squire would not even know where to begin.

It was an absurd proposition, barely within the realm of possibility for a Martial Squire.

And yet…

"Heh…"

Rui did not even notice the smile that had crept up on his face.

I will do it.

His body pushed itself to the absolute.

I will accomplish it.

His mind sharpened, honing itself into a razor that cut through the fog of uncertainty. His vision fixed on the abyssfeeder.

For a moment, he was under the illusion that he could communicate with it.

I beg you…

An earnest request surged up in his mind.

…Don't fail before I succeed.

A butterfly that broke through a cocoon without its own effort would never fly. The very act of breaking through a hurdle was the foundation of growth.

In that moment, the Martial Contest, the final tournament, the predicament of Chairman Deacon, even Senior Xanarn's treatment…

They all faded away.

They may as well have not existed. They no longer even sat at the back of his mind, they simply ceased.

His mind was focused on more important matters.

Mass distribution, range of combat, coefficient of drag, linear and angular velocity, also, surface area to mass ratio… He immediately began computing the variables needed to create such a predictive model, furiously computing together a rough statistical and data analytical process to compute all the information and yield a predictive model that would output predictions based on the current data on the abysfeeder's body which he collected using his powerful senses.

It was a race.

If he succeeded before the creature fully adapted to his long-range combat, then he could turn the battle around.

If he failed, then it was game over. He didn't think he would die at this stage of the contest, but he would rather die than fail.

He had already reached a state of mind where his life no longer mattered to him. He fought not even for victory in the Martial Contest.

He only fought to validate his Martial Art. The failure would mean that he was unable to overcome something that was the antithesis even of his Martial Art. It would be a severe blow to his spirit.

Such a thing must not be allowed to happen. Every cell in his body roared with agreement as he pushed himself to the absolute limit.

BADUMP