The Martial Unity

Rui rested and recuperated from his tiring battle before that, of course. He wanted to ensure that he was at his peak by the time he consumed his potion. He took a long and much-needed sleep, completely knocked out.

And when he woke up, it was finally time.

“Alright…” he grabbed at the vial attached to the breathing apparatus. “Time to suck this baby in.”

“Are you sure that you don’t need to take precautions?” Amare asked with a hint of concern.

“Yep, we’re good; just remain on standby, ok?” “…Alright.” Her uncertain tone didn’t inspire much confidence.

“And now…” He put the breathing apparatus to his nose, activating it.

Instantly, the drop of blood turned into a red mist as the device vaporized it into a gaseous state.

Rui inhaled the rest of the mist in its entirety in a long, deep breath.

CRACK!

The vial broke after falling from his hands while his body shook tumultuously.

“Rui!” Amare surged to catch his falling body, placing his head on her lap.

She turned towards the Golden Guardian in a panic. “Do something!”

The Sage remained unmoving, simply gazing at Rui with a neutral expression.

“Ugh… that hurt.”

Her eyes lit up with delight as Rui finally returned to normal. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. “You… you dummy!” she complained. “How could you give me such a scare! I thought you were going to die!”

Rui smirked with a hint of mischief. “I must have forgotten to tell you that this was normal.”

“Liar, that’s so mean of you.” She glared at him while he chuckled. As comforting as her lap was, he found himself to be more curious about the condition he was in. What he discovered, even at first glance, was quite amazing.

“Incredible…”

His body grew completely pitch black as he activated the ability granted to him by the Blood of Solaris. He began sucking in light with such an incredible efficiency and force that it beggared the mind. He felt a surge of power and energy.

Like he could fight forever.

“With this…” A smile emerged on his face. “I don’t think I will ever be in a stamina disadvantage. This was totally worth it. But, I need someone to spar against to test my limits.”

He turned towards Amare with an eager smile. “Amare, will you join me?”

“…I still have not forgotten the prank you pulled on me,” she pouted, turning away from him. He laughed heartily even as her pout deepened.

It was probably not a good idea to tell her that he found her anger to be adorable and endearing.

“I’ll make it up to you, Amare.”

His tone was gentle.

His hand stretched out to her.

“So, please?”

She stirred as her reluctance melted away at his welcoming smile. “Hmph, being nice isn’t enough…”

And yet, she took his hand.

He smirked as he pulled her to the sparring arena, where they spent several hours together.

By the end of it, Rui has gained a firm understanding of the boost that he had gained by virtue of the Blood of Solaris.

“This…” He murmured as he gazed at his hands. “This is amazing. I don’t even feel tired. I could do this all day!”

He glanced at Amare, who was completely floored, panting with exhaustion.

“I… don’t think I can do this all day…!” she squealed at his words. Rui whistled as he nodded with appreciation. “This is much more impressive than any potion. The sheer stamina boost it provides is astronomically superior to the Sandflower Nectar Potion that I consumed many years ago as a Master.”

It was no wonder that this was regarded as a national treasure. He suspected that the Sages of the Solaris Kingdom were extraordinarily powerful because they had their hands on this power.

With this, a lot of strategies that were previously impossible due to insufficient stamina were now possible. He would never have to worry about abusing the Metabody System for too long. He would also be able to use Megamind for longer.

“And, I could potentially make Soul Retcon a staple aspect of my Adaptive Evolution.”

It was an extremely draining self-hypnotic ability, preventing him from being too keen on utilizing it amidst a battle on the regular. In the case of the Royal Solaris Contest, he had had a month of preparation to carefully calibrate and recuperate from the exhaustion of having used it.

It was an immense benefit that was totally worth all the shit he had to go through to get his hands on a drop of the Blood of Solaris.

“Thanks for all the hel—” He turned to Amare.

She had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Her long, brown hair was spread around her while her luscious skin sparkled with her sweat. He even found her little soft snores to be adorable.

He gently lifted her, carrying her in his arms with a soft smile as he took her to her quarters, tucking her in while he fell into thought.

He could leave her side, for it meant leaving her without any protection. The Golden Guardian would not remain by her side if he left. That was not something he could afford to do in the Solaris Kingdom. He had already sensed the bloodlust that the Radiant harbored against her.

The very thought of the man bringing any harm to her evoked a spark of anger in his eyes. If not for the fact that it would be politically untenable to kill him and the fact that he would be disqualified, Rui would have gone all-out and ended his life then and there. His hand ran across her hair, gently tucking it behind her ear.

“Mmm…” she pulled his hand to her heart as she turned, pulling him in closer and closer to her. He gazed at her with gentle warmth before acquiescing to her drowsy pull and lying down next to her.

Together, they fell asleep in each other’s warmth.

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