Ruth and Javier eventually came to understand the reason behind Raiden's preemptive apology. This was a significant concern for them because they were all on track to graduate from their current floor together within the next two or three weeks.
Despite their progress and the shared goal of completing the floor as a team, Raiden had to make a decision that required him to part ways with them temporarily. His apology had signaled that he anticipated this separation and wanted to prepare them for the possibility.
Once again, Raiden and Javier were going to face each other, but this time around, Javier didn't look that eager or confident. Raiden improved his skills more than a little bit in a few days, after all. Besides, the aura around him was also sharper, or perhaps more obvious than before.
"This time, both of you can use your techniques the way you see fit since this is also a graduation test," Altria declared and then looked at both of them. "Start."