The Martial Unity

His father’s new ambition was extraordinary.

It was the kind of ambition that would affect not only him but everybody else in the entire world.

It was surreal.

Perhaps it was because he had just regained life and was looking forward to making the most of it.

Perhaps it was because he truly believed in the revolutionary power of the priceless treasures that Rui had brought home with him. The Silas Clan and its Eye of Prophecy, the Divine Doctor, the Elder Tree network, and the time-accelerated dungeon—each of these had the potential to revolutionize nations and skyrocket them beyond their limits.

Kandria had gained all five.

Any ordinary leader in his stead would have quaked in fear even if their eyes were lit with greed.

After all, no nation would tolerate its peer growing astronomically stronger than it. Especially if it could foresee said astronomical growth ahead of time.

That was exactly what revealing the possession of these treasures would do; it did not take a genius to see that allowing Kandria to monopolize them freely was the same as agreeing to be forever inferior to Kandria.

That was never going to happen.

They would either plot to rob Kandria of said resources or destroy those treasures. At the very least, get access to a solid piece of the pie in exchange for not waging war.

His father was disinclined to go down these routes.

Rui was able to parse scenarios where Kandria didn’t get wiped off the map by the sum total military power of three Sage-level powerhouses and many Sage-level and Master-level nations. However, achieving those scant few positive scenarios would require extraordinarily effective geopolitical, diplomatic, and even domestic strategies and tactics. His father would not only need to carve out a plan that was highly effective but also execute it with a certain degree of accuracy. Even a single mistake could spell disaster for Kandria.

“…And even if you do come up with the most effective strategy and execute it with extreme perfection, war will be inevitable,” Rui murmured out loud. “In this particular case, not being defeated alone can be considered a great victory. We will still need to fight tooth and nail to secure such an outcome.”

“That is correct.” Emperor Rael smiled. “Train hard, my son. I suspect that when the time does come, even your current level of power will be rendered insignificant in the face of the sheer amount of pressure that we will experience. If you want to make an impact, if you want to make the most of it, you will need to be strong enough to participate in it as a Martial Artist.”

His tone was light, but his words were heavy.

If Rui, as a Martial Master in the upper echelons of the Master Realm, could be rendered meaningless, then that spoke to the sheer volume of pressure they would be experiencing from the rest of the continent when the time for his father’s ambitions came.

Yet, this realization did not bring him despair.

No.

His eyes lit up with fire as his drive grew stronger than it had ever been in his life.

“Do what you must, Father.” His voice grew steely. “I will be ready when the time comes.”

A proud smile cracked at the edge of his father’s mouth. “That’s my boy. Prepare yourself. Fortunately, you have time. I have only just woken up. In addition to regaining my lost political power, I will also need to stabilize the domestic power dynamics and the balance between various power blocs of the Kandrian Empire to minimize civil conflict and friction. The foundation of the Kandrian Empire’s supremacy is harmony. Should it ever cease to exist, this nation will be torn apart by civil war and will be weakened enough to be suppressed by our enemies.”

He exhaled deeply. “…Once these most immediate concerns are settled, I can begin creating my master plan and commence preparations to execute it.”

Rui sharpened his gaze. “What will you do with the Divine Doctor, the Elder Tree, and the time-accelerated dungeon in the meantime?”

Emperor Rael shook his head. “Until I am certain that we have obtained the means to endure their consequences, we must restrict their utility and impact on Kandria. We absolutely cannot allow the other nations to learn about them prematurely. Thus, one of my highest priorities at the moment is to secure them with absolute secrecy.”

“That is prudent.” Rui nodded, relieved that his father was approaching the treasures with extreme caution and sense despite the insane ambitions he held. “It will be impossible for me to plan and accomplish this all by myself, thus I intend to involve the most important military and Martial stakeholders in the nation with this plan. Grand General Aramoeus and the Grand Admiral Geron, the Sage Council, and the strongest of Martial Masters. And perhaps, you too.”

Rui furrowed his eyebrows at those words. “I told you, I’m not going to engage in politics anymore.”

“I’ wouldn’t be inviting you in the capacity of a politician this time,” Emperor Rael calmly replied. “I would be inviting you in the capacity of a Martial Artist. Martial Artists are also involved when it comes to military and Martial strategy. As the largest stakeholders of the net power of a nation, Martial Artists possess a voice that cannot be ignored and must be given its due.”

Rui stirred at those words, acquiescing lightly.

He did not want to engage in the roles of a politician that involved lobbying and leveraging, negotiations and diplomacy, legislation and executive, bureaucracy and management, but he didn’t mind offering his two cents on Martial Art-centric matters when it came to the strategizing and planning.

“Fine.” Rui heaved a sigh. “I’ll help you out with chalking up a strategy. But that’s it. Nothing else. I will not be involved with the execution, management, oversight, or any other responsibility of any other kind.”

His father chuckled. “It seems like your experience as a politician has left you wanting to stay away from that world.”

Rui snorted. “That, it has.”

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