The Martial Unity

The two of them decided to stop by a Master-level powerhouse that welcomed them with deep hospitality and gratitude. After all, which nation wouldn’t want to be graced by a visit of the Dawnbringer?

There were many Master-level nations, and Rui couldn’t afford to visit each and every one of them. Each time he was known to be passing through a particular region, each nation would be praying to their stars that the Dawnbringer would visit them. And in the case of the Commonwealth of Dincarne, their wishes were fulfilled.

“WELCOME TO DINCARNE, DAWNBRINGER!”

“BLESS US WITH YOUR POWER!”

“DELIVER US FROM THE WICKED MONSTERS!”

Rui simply smiled at them warmly while cursing under his breath. “Damn beggars and their relentless propaganda.”

“Wow, they love you so much!” she smiled with amazement as her eyes lit up. “The entire world loves you!”

Rui glanced at her to his side, seated atop the grand chariot that guided them to their quarters that had been prepared for them ahead of time. “It’s just the Beggar’s Sect aggressively promoting me. Don’t think I wanted this.”

She turned to him with bright eyes. “Don’t you want to bring hope to people?”

He stared at her with a deep gaze. “Not by being deified against my will, no.”

“Why are you so against it?” her tone was pure as she gazed at him with an inquisitive tone. “Doesn’t it make you happy that you are able to spread so much hope and happiness?”

Rui swept his gaze at the massive crowds that had gathered on either side of the street. Men, women, and children of all ages called out to him with smiles on their faces.

They chanted his epithet with hope.

With longing.

His Martial Mind could sense the optimism, positivity, and hope that his arrival to the Commonwealth of Dincarne had given rise to.

And yet, he also sensed their devotion and piety.

“I suppose it does make me happy knowing that I help people feel better,” Rui remarked aloud. “But I don’t want to be elevated upon a pedestal. I don’t want to be worshiped. My name is not Dawnbringer. My name is Rui. And I’m a person, just like everyone else. However, the more famous I become, the more people seem to forget that.”

She gazed at him deeply. “You are a person. A wonderful person. I understand why you don’t like this. But if you ask me…”

She smiled at the people with warmth. “I would gladly sacrifice my personhood if it brought people hope and happiness in this era.”

Her tone was light.

And yet, her words were heavy.

He could sense the genuine sincerity with which she uttered them. “You are kind.” His voice was calm. “Perhaps the Beggar’s Sect should make you the target of their evangelical propaganda. You would probably do a better job than me.”

She smiled bitterly. “I’m not strong enough. I cannot make as large of an impact on this world as you. Grandma said that when I attain Nirvana and become a Bodhisattva, I would be able to spread Genism around the entire world and make everybody pure and happy.”

Rui stirred at her words. “Well, then, we better find out the truth of your origin as soon as possible and get you to unlock your memories as soon as possible. I have some leads in mind that I will need to look into, so I will focus on them during our stay in Dincarne. Additionally…”

His eyes narrowed. “I will also familiarize myself with the Solaris Empire today after I finish breakthroughs and Hellbringer bestowing.”

“…I think I will spend some time with the people,” her tone was enthusiastically warm. “I want to speak to them. I want to understand their emotions. And I want to help them as much I can.”

Rui nodded. “You do that.”

And thus, the two of them split up as they each focused on their tasks.

Amare very quickly became a beloved saint in Dincarne within a single day. She had a very natural magnetic warmth and light to her that attracted everybody around her. While Rui served as a distant symbol of hope and salvation, Amare brought them hope and salvation standing right before them. She held their hands.

She bore her heart.

She spread her light and warmth.

She spread the tenets of Genism, teaching them how to free themselves from paralyzing fear, despair, and grief.

The people of Dincarne, having lost much, having suffered extensively, and having been on the brink of collapse, accepted her teachings with deep relief.

That, in addition to the breakthroughs and the Hellbringer model that Rui rapidly bestowed upon them, offered a very visible and noticeable sense of relief to the entire nation. Together, Rui and Amare changed the nation forever.

Before departing, however, Rui made sure to get his hands on all the intel that the Commonwealth of Dincarne had on the Solaris Kingdom. What he was particularly interested in was the leadership of the nation, which was most relevant to him. He wanted to get a more thorough understanding of the nation in general, as well.

Yet, what he learned stunned him.

The Solaris Kingdom was a kingdom of light benders.

Their Martial Artists were known to possess the power to bend light to their will and imagination.

A godly power that only those who possessed the blood of Solaris could possibly wield.

This trait was so important that it even decided who ruled the empire. The one who could bend light the best was naturally regarded as the most pure-blooded sol and thus would be crowned ruler of the nation.

The worst part was that his fears turned out to be true.

The current Queen Lianiala was known to be a cruel, racist Sage regarded to be one of the most pure-blooded sols of the entire Empire, as measured by her ability to bend light. Thus, she was regarded as the queen, and her family became the Royal Solaris Family.

In other words, he was dealing with a family that regarded themselves as the most pure-blooded descendants of the literal Sun.

He was dealing with people who regarded dawn and day as sacred and the night as cursed.

And correspondingly, they regarded the color black as cursed as well. So much so that the color black was banned in all goods, services, and infrastructure in the nation.

“Great, this is going to be fun,” he grumbled. –