The Martial Unity

“Ḓ̵̨̖͆̄̀à̵̬̺̑̈́m̵̛̘̲ȋ̵̠̊͗ǎ̵͖n̴̯̖̈́̓͊…̷̢̱̅” Transcendent Emperor Arthur whispered as he gazed into the Devil’s eyes. “Ḉ̶̘͛͘o̸̫͒̅n̶̰̹̎v̸̩̥̉͗ȩ̵̣͑̈̕y̸͖̪̍͝ ̴̻̩̀͝m̶͑̈́ͅy̴̢̗̱̔̽͐ ̵̗̪͊̆̃m̶̤͉̗̀e̷̤̮͚̋̓̏s̸̠̒̈̉s̸̰̭̲̄̿à̷̛̟͝g̴͕͈͖͑̆͝e̸̼͐͐͘͜͜ ̸̧̧̍̀̏t̵̖̊̈͝o̶̞͊̍́ ̶̧͙̿ť̶̮͔̈h̴̛͖̠́ẹ̶̀ ̵͕̈́̏Ę̷͙͇͑̉m̸̨̙̀p̵̨̲͗̂e̵̝͚͝r̷̢̤̜̂̕o̸̘̕̚r̷̤̪̉̃͝ ̷̺̏o̸͔͕̓̍̄f̴͚̍̃ ̴̠̻͕̌̐H̴̯̫̕a̶̖̲͗̿͠r̶͓̹̩̈́̈́͘m̶̨͇̱̿ợ̷̟̜̇̆ñ̸̡͠͝y̷̜̓.”

Sage Damian’s eyes narrowed at his words.

“T̸͔̐ê̴̺̲͎l̸̠̼̝͂l̷͕͋̽̍ ̷̥̿̑̕h̸̘̮̑̓ī̵͈̳̱m̸̙͒̍…̷̡̖͓͐̒” the Martial Transcendent continued, “…̶̘̠̎̾t̸͕̖͖͒̋̇h̴͎̱͍̉́͘a̸͈̾̆̽t̶̠͍͘ ̷̪̳̝̅͝t̷͉̦̏h̸̤̹͎͂̉͘î̴͙̙̪̈́̌s̵̢̿̀̕ ̴͓͘͜w̴̧̛̘a̸̙̘͋̾r̶͓͕̆ ̷̭̱̖́̓͛ȉ̸̛̲s̸͙͋ ̶̫̮̗͊̓͠ṁ̵̡o̶͔̰̥͊r̵̡̥̈́ë̵̱̲͖́̌̈ ̵̜̗̝̀͋͒i̸̘͐m̴̳͑̀̕p̷̳̜̈́͌̄ȯ̵ͅr̶̢̺͝t̶̝̊a̶̡͑̚ņ̷̩̠͛͘͝t̶͙͉̳̔ ̶̬̟͔̈t̷̜͛h̸̗̤̒͒̋a̴̠̬̮̓͋n̶̝̚ ̷̨̲̹̏͒h̶͇̏e̵̼͐̃̓ ̷̪̤͘ͅŕ̵̢̾̚ẹ̷͝a̶̡̍̃l̷̬͒̓ͅi̸̫̪͑́͜͠z̶̜̝͒̆͑ë̷̺̜̤̊s̶̢͇̜̅̐.̵̫̅̈́”

His powerful eyes bore deep into the Devil’s.

“Ḣ̸͕͇̈e̶̙̿̋ ̵̞̌̃͠m̷͓͘̚u̶̬͆͌s̵̩̊̎͑t̵͉̓ ̷͔̬͍̈́n̵͇̎̓o̷̥͙͝t̴͕̐͜ ̷͖͈̀s̶͈͖͂̒͘ǘ̴̳͎͠c̷̱͗̿̈c̴̟̿͑ͅu̶̻̰͑͛̀m̷̨͌͠ḃ̴͕̫͓.”

The Devil’s eyes widened with shock.

“H̸̨̜̜̄̃̆e̵̡̺̽ ̶̤̱͕͑̈m̷̮̤͙̓̾u̷͍̐̏s̵̡͈̠͘t̴̪͗ ̵͓͚̤͑ó̶͔̭̍͗v̸͕̲̊͑̆e̴͎̓r̵̘͚͋͜c̸̖̯̳͝o̶͎̱̽̕m̵͉̺̉e̶̳̙̒ ̸̩̰͕̒ţ̸́h̵̭̅̑͌ě̷̩̠͈ ̷̡͑͂t̷͕͘ř̸͕͎i̵̤̕͠b̸͔͗ù̷͎͇̟͊͌l̸̠͙̜̋̾̇ǎ̴̢̘͂t̴̙̖̫͗͊̚ì̷̪̬o̷̦̍ͅn̶͕̺̭͂̀s̴̢̖̔̔̚ ̸̺̆͗h̷̼͐̔̂e̵̬̮̓͠͠ ̷͚͍̆h̷̛͚̯̋̂a̴̻̖͚̔s̸̞̳̕̕ͅ ̸̛̻̻i̴̡̿̔n̶̡̳͖͛̕v̶̜̰̈́̀͜i̴̹͔̍ṭ̸̨̬̏͐e̷̫̥͌ḑ̵̤̂́ ̷̢̚ư̵̩̣̭͑̈́p̴̪͕̝̏̔õ̵̡n̷̡̮̐̀̋ ̷̨̯̏̂h̵̤̗̙̎̊͆i̶͖̬͍̍m̶̤̤̠̕s̸̱͇̙̓̍̔e̶͇̙̳̽ḽ̵̼̂͛͑f̶̝̀̓.”

Sage Damian could hardly believe what he was hearing.

“F̷͖͗̑o̸̖͛r̶̥̳͒̎̇ ̴͈̈́̊̑t̷͕̱̕h̴̙̲̏̈́ȩ̵̮̘̏ ̷̟̙̌ş̵̙͈̐ã̵͕̈́̓k̶̟͎͑̍͠e̶̗̹͛̉ ̶̧̑͗̀͜ő̷̰f̶͍͎̓̀ ̷̱̊h̵͓͌̏u̵̩̺̕͝͠m̷̺͠ä̵̤̼͜n̸͎̓͝ ̵̟̰͑̚͜c̵̼̲̈ï̵̩̱͕͂v̴̜̻͍̂̓i̵̻̣̔ḻ̶̟̆ị̷̣̗̊̏z̴͉͊̂a̸̰͎̱͌t̸̨̯̻̅̏̂i̷͍̇̏ỏ̷̦̣̓͐n̷̳͔̳͌̿̀,” the Transcendent whispered. “F̶̡̼̱̑̂̎o̷̟̞̥͒͆̒r̶͚͆̓ ̴̘̘̑͜͠ţ̸̜̀͊h̷̤̟̙͊͆͐é̸͚̜̤̽̏ ̸̻̥̀s̷̛͈͎a̶̖̺̒̃͂k̶̢̭̄̀ë̷̦́ ̶̟̭̈ó̷͈f̷̪̫̔̆̐ ̴̢̖͋̈́̐G̸͓̊̾̒ḁ̷̥͙̇͒̚i̴̮̎͛á̸͔͙͒͝.”

RUMBLE

The world trembled as the Martial Transcendent’s form began fading.

He glanced at his own Body with knowing eyes.

It began growing increasingly transparent by the second.

Almost as if he was fading out of the very fabric of reality itself.

“Ỵ̵̖͕͛ȏ̴͚u̸̝͘ ̴̫͇̚m̴̢̠͇̋ṳ̵̮͛ṣ̶̯̗̿̉t̵̡̂͐ ̷̙̊̓͝g̷͙̰̈́r̴̮͝o̷̜̹͋ẘ̴͍̩̤͗ ̶̗̮̾̈́̀s̷̢̭͈̋̄̚ṯ̸̎r̴̬͆̏ō̴͉̠ņ̸̝̅̉ͅg̵̱̘̊ȇ̸̞r̷̢͎̓,̷̜͐̕ ̸̧͊̿D̶̨͖̽ͅa̷̙͊͝m̴̧̙̥̕͠i̴̲̎̑ȁ̶̻̀n̸̩̗̄.” His voice began fading. “Ā̸̹̘͗l̴̹̈́͒͗l̷̳͠ ̸͔̙͇̚ȏ̴̗̗͛͝f̵̝̲̠͗̀ ̴̤̃̉͝y̷̺͎̽o̸̤̤͇͐ü̷̗̦̒ ̴͖̠͗m̸̨͕͚͑͝ũ̷̧̫̝̀̔s̴̹̬͂̽t̵̥̘̽ ̸̠̒̐̚g̷̖̓̈́r̵͓̜̈́͊̃o̵̫͖̱͋͝w̴̼͊̆ ̸̪̌̅̏š̸̢͂t̴̼̭̍̃̚r̵̢͓̐̓ǫ̸̟͙̅̀͛n̴̛͔͆͒ġ̶̖ě̸̤r̸͙̞͊.”

WHOOSH

And just like that, he disappeared.

As though he never existed in the first place.

The Martial Sages remained frozen with horror.

None of them could even fully parse the shocking series of events that had just unfolded.

They couldn’t even begin to fathom what had just happened.

Yet, the gravity of their circumstances was not something that they had missed.

A historic event of extraordinary proportions had just unfolded.

A Martial Transcendent had acted.

For the first time in centuries.

For the first time since the first time.

A Martial Transcendent had intervened with their own Martial power.

The sheer significance of this event could not be stated.

And yet, the reason for his intervention was not lost upon them. Each of them instinctively understood that they could have never stopped the cosmic monster from gobbling up the world.

They had not been strong enough. Every attack they had thrown at it only made it grow stronger and stronger.

The most extreme manifestation of one of the four fundamental forces of the universe and of one of the highest principles of Martial Art.

It was unlike anything they had ever seen in their entire lives, and if not even the Devil could destroy it, then no Martial Sage in existence possessed the power to.

Thus, it stood to reason that if there ever was a reason for a Martial Transcendent to intervene, it was this.

The destruction of everything.

He swiftly dealt with everything and then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

For several moments, they were all paralyzed in thought.

“Retreat.” Sage Damian’s gruff voice shattered the spell that had been cast on them. The Kandrian Martial Artists stirred at his words as they departed from the battlefield.

The Void Prince had long been evacuated from the battlefield, so they would only be fighting out of animosity beyond this point.

The enemy Martial Sages didn’t even bother trying to rekindle the conflict considering the sheer magnitude of the event that had just unfolded. As much as they would have loved to fight and kill the Martial Sages of the Kandrian Empire once and for all, they simply retreated from the battle themselves.

In that moment, each and every single one of them felt they would be dishonoring the Transcendent Emperor and his intervention to salvage the very world from an apocalypse of their making if they continued fighting.

Additionally, they were tired.

Not just physically.

But also mentally.

They were tired in their Martial Souls.

There was only so much shock, surprise, and horror they could experience before it took a toll on them.

And thus, they each retreated silently, returning home.

Not a single Martial Sages stirred any trouble after what happened.

They simply returned back home, engrossed in the events that had just unfolded.

Damian’s eyes remained sharp as he recalled his old rival’s cryptic message to the Emperor of Harmony.

This war is more important than he realizes, he had said.

The Devil was not sure what to make of that message.

He must not succumb, he had said.

That was what he didn’t understand.

Why did the Transcendent Emperor of the Britannian Empire, the enemy, not want the Kandrian Empire to succumb?

Was he betraying his own nation?

The Devil’s eyes narrowed.

His old rival was not that low a man.

He had dedicated his entire life to the glory of the Britannian Empire until he had broken through to the Transcendent Realm during their battle eighty years ago. He was an honorable man, even if a horrifying ruthless conqueror.

“Huff…” He shook his head.

He didn’t understand.

He didn’t understand what was happening.

You must grow stronger, Damian, he had said.

“I don’t need you to tell me that,” he growled.

His eyes flared with ambition.

He had discovered a form of destruction that surpassed all other forms of destruction he had harnessed.

It was destruction of a caliber that he hadn’t even known was possible.

And now that he did come to learn of it.

“…I will harness it.”

It was extraordinarily dangerous.

Harnessing a celestial monster with the potential to destroy all of Gaia was extraordinarily dangerous venture.

Yet, it was a risk that the Devil was willing to take.

He was willing to put everybody everywhere at risk the sake of harnessing this extraordinary force of destruction that had consumed all his own destruction like it was a nourishing meal.

And with that, he would tread new distance in the Sage Realm.

He would reach unheard of levels of power.

He would get even closer than he already was to breaking through to the Transcendent Realm than he was before.

And thus, a battle that could make or break the future of the Kandrian Empire concluded. They had almost forgotten what they had come for in the face of such extraordinary events happening one after another. Rui lived.

On top of that, they had gotten their hands on one of the enemy’s trump card. Each of them knew exactly where he was.

They just didn’t understand why.

Regardless, while Rui had been defeated, the Kandrian Empire had prevailed.

“With this, our victory is all but certain,” he declared. He didn’t realize just how wrong he was.

–