Rend Flow? With Rend... right, I have my Rend Network. What if... Emmet’s mind raced with possibilities, returning to the core idea of sharing his physical prowess.

  What if others can access my martial art too? He imagined Jasper, already being strong, and Haya, a seemingly elite fighter despite her young age, suddenly having access to the same martial art he possessed.

  Possession? He dismissed the term immediately. I don’t think that’s the right word. What if another me possess them?

  He checked his Rend Network in his inner world. He saw the icons connecting each Unwoven to him: the lungs, the bone, the ear, the hair, and the eye icons, each representing a borrowed Unwoven trait from his family. The Rend Network was the key.

  They already gain a portion of my strength... what if they can access all of my strength? And with it, all the borrowed Unwoven traits, the same way I can borrow all their traits?

  He tried to reach out with his mind, imagining the necessary expansion. Well, first the Rend Network has to evolve too. He readied his Rend Crystals from his dimensional ring. I know you’re power-hungry, but I think this will work.

  In his inner world, the Rend Network currently looked like a spider web with the icons scattered across the strands. He needed to integrate his own physical trait into the system. I don't have my own Unwoven trait in the network, so there should be one...

  He focused his intent for an icon of muscle to appear.

  But the Rend Network started to change. Instead of a new icon appearing, the sensation was overwhelming, as if he, too, was being affected, yet it felt strangely harmless. The spider web network began to coalesce and reform into the shape of a tree. The existing icons—lungs, bone, ear, hair, eye—became something like fruits hanging from its branches, and the trunk... he felt it.

  That’s my representation, he realized. The trunk, the anchor, the source.

  Ahh, even better.

  Ahh, that took half of my Rend Crystal supply, but it’s worth it. Emmet thought of the immense benefit: giving them all access to his overall strength would be perfect. He was excited to share it with the others but decided, I should check and study it first.

  For two days, he dedicated himself to studying how the Rend Tree worked and why it evolved the way it did. He found little to no answers; it was clear that theory alone wouldn't suffice. It will never work with just assumptions. I need application before I can make any conclusions.

  He had no choice but to summon them.

  Emmet gathered everyone in an open field somewhere outside Rongan Kingdom. Emmet stood without an upper shirt, exposing his slim yet muscular body. In his right hand, he held the Behemoth spear.

  "Everyone, pay attention," he commanded.

  Everyone sat in the grassy field while Emmet began performing his Rend Flow katas with the spear. He executed strikes in different forms; his movements were smooth, the force incredibly strong yet perfectly controlled. A casual observer wouldn't perceive the destructive power until it connected, but if anyone were hit by it, they would be utterly destroyed.

  Haya and Jasper, the only two keenly interested in martial arts, were mesmerized. The martial art was different from their own—fluid, with the immense strength applied subtly. It gave them sudden inspiration for their own fighting styles, and they desperately wanted to unlock its secrets. They knew instinctively that it could only be performed by combining all the Unwoven traits.

  Then, Emmet instantly paused. The air around him seemed to stop, and for a moment, he appeared both present and absent. He settled into a standing pose.

  Cliff broke the silence. "Well, good martial art, Master, but what is this all about?" He noticed Haya and Jasper were still in a state of trance, trying to understand the movements they had witnessed. "Hey, are you two okay?" Cliff asked.

  Jasper replied, "Remarkable. If I could do the same, if only I had the same abilities as Emmet, I could definitely do those moves. But it seems it's only exclusive to Emmet."

  Emmet smiled. "You spot it on, Jas. What you saw is my very own martial art creation: the Rend Flow." He explained, "It uses all the borrowed Unwoven traits from all of you, creating a smooth, flowing martial art powered by Rend."

  Haya said, "But Big Brother, we can't do those. It seems only you can do that."

  "That is true," Emmet replied. "Now, Haya, come over here. Try to perform the same kata I just made."

  Haya protested, "It’s impossible."

  "I know," Emmet said. "But still, try to do it."

  So Haya tried to copy the moves, but she looked disjointed, simply striking and jumping. Even though she had seen the art, she couldn't apply the fluidity herself.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  "That’s enough, Little Sister. Now listen up," Emmet announced to the group. "All of you can access Rend Flow. The Rend Network has evolved, and it became a Rend Tree, where I became its trunk."

  Everyone was speechless and confused.

  Emmet clarified, "The Rend link that connects you to me—the link that allows me to borrow your skill and you to borrow my strength—has been upgraded."

  Cliff said, "Ahh, okay, now we understand. So what about it, Master?" Lenka and Tierra, though not interested in martial arts, were listening intently.

  "Now, I want you all to learn how to activate it. By accessing the Trunk, you can access the Rend Flow—my very own martial art, with all of our traits accessible by everyone."

  "Haya, come. I want you to imagine it, the link that connects you to me, the Rend link. Feel and follow it until you can find that Trunk. Well, for you, that would be something that holds all the lines; think of an anchor being the trunk. It’s connecting you to me." (This visualization was easier for Haya due to her blindness, relying purely on the sensation of the Rend link.)

  "I think I found it, Brother," Haya said. She had followed the link and saw the tree Emmet spoke of.

  "It really looks like a tree?" Emmet asked. "Describe what you see."

  "I can see it," Haya affirmed. "There are icons of the eye, lungs, ear, hair, and bone. Does that represent each one of us?"

  "Yes, and the Trunk is me. Now, I have set it so you can access the power of the Trunk, but I don't know how you can do it, so maybe you can try it and let the flow be your guide."

  "Okay, Big Brother, I think I understand," Haya said, seeming to comprehend everything Emmet said with innate ease. Like she was becoming the Trunk... that’s it, Haya thought, she was the ear. By making the ear become the Trunk...

  At that moment, Lenka gasped. With her Unwoven eyes, she saw the change: Haya’s form altered physically, and the flow of Rend around her was completely different. It was like Haya was a different person; it was like she was... Emmet himself. It was like seeing Emmet in Haya.

  Emmet, who could see the same thing using his own Unwoven eyes, confirmed, "That's it, Haya! Now try to perform the Rend Flow."

  Haya felt that she also had her eyes, despite being blind; she could see. This made her heart soar. Her body felt abnormally light using the Unwoven breath, her physical strength was immense, and she felt the sturdiness of a perfected skeletal system... and her hair became white, like locks of pure energy.

  Everyone’s jaw dropped in amazement. It was like Haya had become a different person, performing the Rend Flow martial art almost identically to what Emmet had just demonstrated.

  This turn of events creates a perfect moment of dramatic tension, especially Jasper's failure to activate the skill, contrasting sharply with the others' success.

  Emmet watched Haya’s flawless execution, utterly stunned. He hadn't expected the activation to be so easy; he was hoping for days of brainstorming, trial, and error. Was Haya this gifted? Even so, seeing the result for the first time made everything worth it. Haya’s movements, though not yet as smooth as his own, managed to imitate his form with almost the same devastating power.

  The activation for Haya seems easy, Emmet thought. What about the others?

  Then Lenka did the same. For her, it was simple: the Rend link was clear and visible using her Unwoven eyes, allowing her to trace the energy lines directly to the Trunk. Cliff also managed to access it with surprisingly little effort.

  Are they all geniuses? Emmet wondered, watching Cliff's physique briefly swell.

  Tierra, although having difficulty finding the right mental path, also managed to access it. Her change was the most monstrously visual: her already long hair expanded dramatically, taking on a chaotic, white-purple hue, and her petite physique hardened and changed.

  Jasper, however, seemed unable to access it. He was focused, frowning in concentration, but nothing happened.

  "What’s the problem, Brother?" Emmet asked, walking toward him.

  "I don’t know," Jasper replied, his voice laced with worry. "I can’t do it." He thought frantically, Why can't I access it?

  "Don't worry, Brother," Emmet said, placing a reassuring hand on Jasper's shoulder. "There is no need to rush."

  Emmet checked the Rend Tree in his inner world, focusing on the skull icon representing Jasper's Bone trait. What's the problem here? There is nothing wrong.

  Meanwhile, Haya’s Rend Flow instantly ended. The surge of borrowed strength vanished, and she almost lost her balance as the sight, the brightness, and the feeling of light weight disappeared, her body snapping back to normal.

  The sudden loss of the Rend Flow seemed to overload her natural traits. Her Unwoven Ear and Chaos Traits immediately locked onto everyone, sensing the unfiltered surge of their malice and emotions. Though she rarely did this with her family, she couldn't help but listen.

  She saw Tierra, still looking monstrous, whose internal thoughts echoed: Master will like it that I performed it easily... I hope Master is happy.

  She sensed Lenka's fear: I hope I won't stand out, please let me disappear.

  She registered Cliff's self-satisfaction: Of course, I can easily activate it. Master said I am a genius, and what do you know? I always knew I was a genius, hahahaha!

  And she heard Emmet's worry mixed with pride: Everyone is a genius; they are now stronger than me, and that's good. I'm worried about Jasper, but I'm sure he'll figure it out. Not everyone is the same.

  But Jasper's thoughts were the most poignant: My family is strong. I will protect them no matter what... my beloved family, I will die for you, even if it breaks me.

  Haya instantly deactivated her unwoven traits. She rushed over and hugged Jasper. "Big Brother," she whispered. "You are always thinking of us."

  Jasper paused, still consumed by his worry over the power he couldn't access.

  Haya clasped his hand, talking him through the block. "You think too much of others' safety, you worry too much, Brother. Please relax. Think this way: you need to activate it so you can protect us better."

  Like an enlightenment, the reason struck Jasper. That’s right. I should be their shield, their weapon, their protector! I won't let them down. Emmet made us all strong; I won't disappoint any of them. In order to do that, this new power, I must be able to use it too.

  With that absolute resolve, Jasper’s focus shifted from worry to absolute need.

  While the others had already ended their temporary Rend Flow state, Jasper now succeeded.

  His body became instantly and terrifyingly massive, even larger than Emmet's. His eyes glowed with an intense crimson light, and his hair began to shine with a powerful, chaotic energy. His presence alone seemed to press down on the field, shaking the ground beneath them. It was as if a monstrous, powerful god had descended.

  "Whoaahh!" Cliff shouted. "What is that?"

  Jasper's form was an overwhelming eruption of power. His already sturdy physique was amplified to grotesque perfection; thick, visible veins pulsed beneath his skin, and the raw Rend energy flowed across his body in tangible, crimson waves. His transformation was defined by an explosion of sheer, undeniable physical force, unlike the subtle flow the others had demonstrated.

  Jasper unleashed a deep, guttural scream that echoed across the Rongan Kingdom, a blasting sound that announced the arrival of his true power.