The Martial Unity

“So then, you decided to attack him then and there.” Rui stared at Master Reina with a hint of incredulity. “In the middle of a battle to protect the Kandrian Empire from the Beast Incursion.”

“I was doing women a favor,” she scoffed.

Rui simply stared at her before turning to a grinning Master Zeamer with a dubious expression. “The crazy thing is… I’m inclined to agree.”

“Hah, women love me, boy!” Master Zeamer attempted a charismatic smile, only to earn a look of disgust from Reina.

Rui, who had also partaken in the shift along with Ieyasu, had been called back to break up the quarrel between two nigh-peak-grade Martial Masters. He was beyond surprised when he found none other than the Hypnomaster running around naked while chased by none other than the Silent Shadow.

Meanwhile, the commotion had caused some Master-level beasts to pass by the Martial Masters, almost allowing them to reach the border if not for Rui noticing them in time and intercepting them before it was too late.

Once the shift was over, Rui chewed out Master Reina and the Hypnomaster for their reckless disregard.

“Don’t worry, lad, she has deep affection for me. She’s just not good at showing it.” The Hypnomaster grinned, earning a deep scowl from the Silent Shadow.

“Come, let me show you my affection.”

“Hey, stop! I’m kidding!” “Enough.” Rui groaned as he massaged his head.

He knew that the two of them didn’t have the best relationship. Master Zeamer continuously hit on Master Reina and tried to get her to sleep with him.

He failed, much to his chagrin.

“Master.”

Ieyasu arrived, skywalking down to the small crowd as he paid regards to his mentor.

“Ohhhh!” Master Zeamer’s eyes lit up with intrigue. “Ieyasu, my lad! You are in the Kandrian Empire as well! Hohoho, that’s good. Good!”

“I’m surprised you have survived this long, Master,” Ieyasu calmly replied. “You have the alertness of a man drowning in pleasure—none at all.”

“Hah, you underestimate your mentor.” The Hypnomaster beamed with pride. “I am peerless within the Master Realm!”

Master Reina, Rui, and Ieyasu stared at him.

“…Maybe peerless is a bit of an exaggeration.”

They continued staring at him.

“Ok! It is much of an exaggeration! There, happy?”

“You should know your place, lecherous beast.”

“Hah, you are not my equal, little assassin. But you two on the other hand…”

He studied the two Martial Masters with genuine interest.

He had trained Ieyasu for quite some time as a Squire.

He had also trained Rui since he was a Senior seventeen years ago.

“You two have exceeded my wildest expectations.”

He could already tell he would lose in a fight against either of them as they were now. This was extremely rare for him as there were only a handful of Martial Masters in the Panama Continent who were powerful enough to defeat him. It wounded his pride to know that the two young Masters in their forties, which was adolescence by Martial Artist years, had already surpassed him.

“It is all due to my tutelage, without a doubt.” He shamelessly took credit. “Ah, where would you all be without me?”

“In a better world, that’s for sure,” Master Reina snorted.

“Hehehe, I can show you a better world… at night, in my bed.”

“You are not going to a better place after I kill you.”

“Kidding! Kidding!”

“Enough.” Rui felt a headache at having to stop them from fighting yet again. “Master Zeamer, you said you are going to join the nation for refuge, correct?”

“Indeed, I would be unable to indulge in love-making with all those beasts and monsters ravaging the Human Domain.”

“We do indeed have a refugee program for Martial Artists.” Rui nodded. “If you want refuge in the Kandrian Empire then you must fight and protect it. At least one shift out of three every day.”

“Tsk tsk, oh dear, and what of my beloved Cloudia?” He gestured to the cloud that floated well above the Kandrian Empire. “You can anchor it here, if you please,” Rui remarked. “But it will be considered land of the Kandrian Empire and the women within it will be subject to the laws of the Kandrian Empire as well, got it?”

“Tsk,” he tutted with disapproval. “Oh to be bullied by a Sage-level powerhouse. Ah well, so be it. I accept these terms and conditions.”

And thus, the Hypnomaster joined the Kandrian Empire. The Kandrian Empire continued receiving a flood of Martial Artists with each passing day, bolstering its defenses in rapid succession. Within two weeks, it was able to set up additional shifts for Martial Artists of the Lower Realms, giving them much more respite than before. The number of Martial Artists in the Upper Realms that arrived the Kandrian Empire was proportionally lower for Martial Artists of the Upper Realms were extremely powerful and less desperate for refuge, unlike the Martial Artists of the Lower Realms who were entirely doomed unless they found a proper base of support and protection that they could contribute to. Still, a small yet steady influx of Martial Masters from the fallen nations and bases that surrounded the Beast Domain entered the Kandrian Empire. The Kandrian Empire rapidly integrated them into Martial Union, or government, offering a solid incentive structure, commitments, and requirements to ensure that they could be properly harnessing each and every refugee Martial Artist to the best that they could. Two weeks into the Beast Incursion and the patterns associated with the Beast Incursion and the state of humanity became increasingly apparent.

The rate at which human civilization lost territory and population to the Beast Incursion was continuously slowing down and there were massive amounts of diaspora that migrated and redistributed across the entirety of human civilization. Human civilization scrambled to accelerate the development of seafaring and maritime affairs to restore at least the most important supply chains for strategic and necessary goods and services needed to sustain a nation, desperately struggling to survive until they could finish the massive construction projects that had already gone underway.

The day of the Human Summit was approaching, desperately awaited by the Martial World and the political sphere.

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