The Martial Unity

The consequences of the failure of the non-Martial Faction’s dastardly plan were not light. Of the many things that happened to them, first and foremost was sanction from the Kandrian Empire.

It was shocking how quickly the Kandrian Empire learned of what had transpired in the Nest of Terra. Regardless, the nation was explicitly sanctioned by a Royal Order from the Emperor of Harmony himself.

The Kandrian Empire had very rapidly become one of the largest seafaring trade hubs in the entire world, ensuring that essential goods and services reached every corner of the Panama Continent. With the trade agreement that Rui had forged with Prime Minister Edward regarding the Cornucopia, the Kandrian Empire possessed the supplies to feed the entire world, giving it tremendous influence and leverage.

A single word of the Kandrian Empire and countless parties, organizations, and nations cut all ties with the Nest of Terra.

Additionally, a formal warning was issued.

‘Should any harm befall the prince, the Kandrian Empire would declare war against the Nest of Terra.’

It was a truly stunning threat to make, considering that each and every nation in the world was beset by an aggressive Beast Incursion that showed no signs of slowing down in the short term.

And yet, the Kandrian Empire had accrued so much power that it could fight the Nest of Terra and the Beast Incursion at the same time. The response of the Kandrian Empire and the Emperor of Harmony was chilling to both Consul Sergenilius and Consul Notera. Despite being fellow leaders of the Sage-level powerhouses, they found themselves dreading the notion of picking a fight with the Emperor of Harmony at this particular juncture.

His response was more firm than they had hoped for. After having made a statement as bold as that, there was no doubt that he would live up to it, just to ensure that he didn’t look like he was all hot talk.

It also made Consul Sergenilius realize that he would have faced much deeper troubles if his plan had actually succeeded. He had hoped that he would be able to get away with minimal consequences by temporarily capturing Rui under the excuse of aiding a rebellion and then letting him go scott-free afterward.

In hindsight, he was being naively optimistic.

And yet, the pressure he faced came from within the Nest of Terra when he was exposed for his scheme by the Martial Faction and suffered severe backlash from many interest groups and power blocs.

Even if they were not fans of the Martial Supremacy Movement, they still feared the Kandrian Empire and respected the Dawnbringer too much. And thus, the non-Martial Faction suffered from a collapse of support.

The worst part was definitely losing the Terrampager to the Martial Supremacists. They captured him and kept him unconscious, citing unsanctioned assault and conspiracy to commit murder.

Thus, they essentially deprived their enemies of a powerful Sage and gained great negotiating power.

All of this was a complete catastrophe for Consul Sergenilius and his faction.

However, what stole the spotlight out of the aftermath of this fiasco was the fact that it was a fiasco in the first place.

The scheme had failed.

Not because the Martial Faction had shrewdly seen through it and prepared to foil it with a trap.

No, it failed because of one and only one reason. “The Dawnbringer was too strong.”

Word of his victory against the Terrampager spread throughout not just the Nest of Terra but the entire world, sparking yet another wave of shock.

This wasn’t the first time. And yet, the reactions were even greater.

After all, once could be dismissed as an extraordinary bout of luck or some other excuse that took the feat away from the Dawnbringer’s merit.

Twice, however, was not a coincidence.

And it was difficult to attribute it to luck. On top of that, the result was much more shocking than before. How was one supposed to interpret the fact that the Dawnbringer had overcome a Martial Sage when ambushed and caught off-guard with a turf disadvantage?

It was truly mind-boggling that there were simply no excuses that could be applied to explain away the discrepancies of the strongest. The Martial World was forced to confront the uncomfortable reality that there was a Martial Master who could bridge the gap between Realms, even if barely.

Of course, the fact that the Dawnbringer was still asleep in a hospital meant that the battle was anything but easy for him. Many expected that the Dawnbringer would wake up soon enough after being healed and begin distributing his services to the Nest of Terra, but much to their shock, he didn’t wake up shortly after the battle ended.

Day after day, he remained asleep with his fellow companion by his side, refusing to leave him alone in a nation that had already betrayed them once.

It was only after a month, when people began fearing that he was in a permanent coma, that he finally woke.

He found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling when his eyes finally opened.

A familiarly warm sensation enveloped his hand.

Amare had fallen asleep sitting on his bed.

“It must have been her…”

He recalled how the earth-bending technique knocked out the Terrampager moments before he would surely have killed Rui.

“Tsk…” he tutted with displeasure again. “Failed to close the gap again.”

He had grown a lot stronger since his battle against Sage Himari, but he had still failed to fully cross over the threshold of Sage-level combat power. This was despite his use of the Gigabrain technique that had many downsides. He had all the right to feel proud of the achievements he had made, but in that moment, he found it difficult to cherish defeat.

The Terrampager had been the weakest of Martial Sages of the Nest of Terra, and he had been nothing short of a monster of an opponent who would have nearly killed Rui if not for Amare’s timely intervention.

“I need to grow even stronger…” Rui’s eyes narrowed with determination. “Much, much stronger.”

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