The Martial Unity

Emperor Rael had been having a good day. In fact, it was not an exaggeration to say that this was the best day that he had had in the past two months. In contrast to his normally serious demeanor, his expression lit up with an uncharacteristic smug smirk when he read the real-time reports he got from multiple intelligence sources. “I did not expect you to be able to neutralize so many Martial Masters by yourself.” His otherwise composed tone betrayed a hint of pride. “Revolutionary is an understatement. The Martial Union and the Panamic Martial Federation may very well have to redefine the tiering system just to accommodate the power that you have come to gain. Perhaps all grade-thirty Martial Masters will need to be able to accomplish such a feat.”

The projection of Rui sitting across from him shrugged. “It’s really not that big a deal. It actually feels like cheating to a certain extent. If it hadn’t been for the information overload, I wouldn’t have been able to beat so many Martial Masters by myself.”

Emperor Rael shook his head. “Neither the political sphere nor the Martial World cares about such technicalities. Results are results, and power is power. Your power is giving the Kandrian Empire a lot of breathing room and has made my job of earning the trust of potential undecided allies easier. Now, I just need to point out that we are effectively no longer at a numeric disadvantage.”

“Good to know,” Rui replied with an uninterested tone. “That being said, not going through the available intel before jumping into battle was a deeply irresponsible and dangerous thing to do.” Emperor Rael narrowed his eyes. “You could have died.”

“I was looking forward to approaching just one step away from it, so close enough.”

“I’m aware of what you’re trying to do.” Emperor Rael gazed at him knowingly. “I don’t know who told you about it, but you are trying to reach the Sage Realm through an extremely risky and dangerous route that is known to increase the probability of a breakthrough eventually.”

“Well, you said it yourself,” Rui replied calmly. “It increases the probability of breaking through.”

“Yes, but it exponentially increases the probability of death.” The voice of the Emperor of Harmony was stern. “There is no need to—”

“Yes, there is.” Rui’s tone grew stronger as he sharpened his eyes. “If I don’t do this, I will die before I reach the Sage Realm. If I don’t put my life on the line with everything I have, then I will never learn who I am. I don’t wish to spend my life as a lost coward who was too afraid to do what it took to gain enlightenment of self.”

There was an edge to his voice that he was unable to hide.

Emperor Rael carefully studied the projection of his son, analyzing his body language and demeanor to ascertain what was wrong.

He sensed a deep and desolate desperation.

The same desperation he had sensed when he had spoken to Rui for the first time since waking up after the Divine Doctor had healed him.

He didn’t understand.

Most people did not harbor such emotion for the philosophical question of who they were. Even Masters aspiring to reach the Sage Realm simply regarded it as a criterion that they needed to fulfill. Many of them were desperate to achieve enlightenment of self because they were desperate to reach the Sage Realm.

However, it was almost the reverse for his son.

Rui appeared to be desperate to reach the Sage Realm in order to learn who he was. Of course, Emperor Rael knew that his son harbored great Martial ambition, Project Water, for which he yearned for the Sage Realm more than anything. Yet when he looked at Rui, he could sense a buried hint of distress at the criteria of knowing who he was. Just what had happened to him in the Beast Domain for the young man to be so desperate to find the answer to a question that nobody else innately cared about?

Emperor Rael didn’t know. To that day, Rui refused to confide in him the truth about what had happened in his voyage to find the Beast Domain. He heaved a sigh. “I’m not scolding you. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t take risks that are unnecessary. You could have read up on the intelligence and then entered the fight; you would have still been undergoing the same dangers in battle.”

Rui shook his head. “It would reduce the probability that I would be pushed to my limits. I am already finding it difficult to feel threatened; being prepared ahead of time will make it impossible for me to be challenged.”

Normally, such a statement would almost certainly be out of arrogance, but in Rui’s case, it was entirely true. He became capable of even greater things when prepared ahead of time.

“…Alright, if you are aware of all the risks and still choose to go down this path, then I won’t stop you.” Emperor Rael heaved an exasperated sigh. “I suppose I will have to form even greater contingencies for Kandria in this war if you happen to die due to your recklessness.”

Rui smiled wryly. “I know you well enough to know that you have already made those plans from the very start. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if you assumed I was always going to die at some point.”

His father didn’t deny his accusations.

“How long is the war going to last?” Rui asked with a hint of interest. “I need to know how much longer I have before the ease of fighting Masters drops.”

“Only forty percent of the undecided potential allies remain,” his father calmly informed him. “We are in the final stretch. Up till this point, the alliance has failed to acquire the necessary Martial Sages needed to defeat us. On top of that, we have gained a resurgence, making our outlook more optimistic.”

“Forty percent…” Rui muttered. “That’s still enough for the war to go either way.”

“Yes, I cannot heave a sigh of relief and relax now.” Emperor Rael nodded. “However, I believe that we will win. I do not foresee our defeat unless something absolutely massive happens that throws all my plans for a toss. But…”

He shook his head. “With your grandmother keeping tabs on the sole person capable of doing something like that, it is highly unlikely.”

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