The Martial Unity

His conversation with his father was relaxing.

The man knew not to pressure his son for an outcome that could not be guaranteed. Instead, he appreciated Rui for everything that he had done up until now.

It certainly helped Rui feel better.

“Do what you can.”

that was his father’s message to him before their conversation ended.

Rui heaved a deep breath as he began preparing for the Transcendent Prophet.

He didn’t wear any fancy Martial attire offered by the grooming teams that had been arranged by him. He didn’t feel the need to. He didn’t think fashion and aesthetics would contribute to gaining the acknowledgment of the Martial Transcendent. Thus, he simply donned a clean set of his standard Martial attire, one with the insignia of the Kandrian Empire embroidered on its chest as well as that of the Water Sect. These were the clothes that he had worn in the past two and a half years, traveling around the Panama Continent.

“Good luck.” Amare smiled warmly. “May the Transcendent Prophet see the boundless light within you.”

Rui smiled, bidding her goodbye, before departing from his quarters with a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the distant mountain at the very center of the Virodhabhasa Theocracy. “Allow us to escort you there, Your Divinity.”

Several Martial Sages arrived behind him. Among them was Sage Sariawar, who bowed down to him with reverent body language and demeanor.

“…” He simply gazed at her with a hardened gaze before turning his eyes back to Mt Virodha. “Very well. Let us depart.”

WHOOSH

They took to the skies, walking across it while they drew closer and closer to the abode of the Martial Transcendent.

Not a single one of them uttered so much as a word.

The air grew profoundly heavy.

The sheer weight of the meeting he was about to have was truly settling down on his shoulders, weighing down on him. A Martial Transcendent.

One of thirteen supreme beings of Martial Art with godly power.

If not for their voluntary withdrawal from worldly matters, they would be nothing short of the absolute overlords over all of human civilization.

And yet, they graciously allowed human civilization to breathe and develop of its own volition, allowing even nations and powers that were once their absolute enemy to remain unscathed.

Nobody knew what the limits of their power were. There had been an extremely scant few times that they had ever moved, and each time they ever had, they had only ever exerted themselves to a lesser extent. They were rightfully worshipped as gods of Martial Art.

And now, for the very first time in his life, Rui would be graced with an audience with a Martial Transcendent.

The atmosphere tingled as they drew closer to their destination.

It tingled with anticipation.

Rui felt his heart rate accelerating as he drew closer and closer.

He generally didn’t lose his cool very easily, not even when a Martial Sage had attacked him. And yet, his heart began blasting against his chest.

STEP

They had arrived at the base of the mountain as a powerful presence descended upon the world around them. The Martial Pontifex gazed at Rui with powerful eyes.

“Only you may go beyond this point.”

Mt. Virodha was considered absolutely off-limits.

It was patrolled by Martial Artists at all times, including a Martial Sage, to ensure that only the authorized could ascend the mountain.

The Martial Pontifex met Rui’s sharp gaze with stoic eyes before the latter heaved a deep breath.

“Return to Amare.”

“Understood, Your Divinity.”

The Martial Sages disappeared to follow his orders while Rui’s gaze remained fixed on the Martial Pontifex.

“All of this could be avoided if you were even the slightest bit reasonable.”

The Martial Pontifex closed his eyes. “My decision is final.”

Rui’s sharp gaze lingered on the man slightly before returning to the peak of the mountain.

“Fine.”

And thus, Rui began his journey to ascend the mountain while the Martial Pontifex simply watched him depart towards the mountain peak.

“Why do you fail to recognize his divinity?”

The Martial Pontifex glanced behind towards the impassive voice that called out to him. “…Anti-Life.”

The brand-new Martial Sage simply gazed at the peak Sage, waiting for his answer.

“…or should I say Nathen?” the Pontifex mused, turning his gaze back to the distant Dawnbringer. “I fail to recognize his divinity because he fails to recognize it, for one.”

Nathen narrowed his eyes. “He is the Antithesis, with or without it.”

“I suppose that’s true,” the Martial Pontifex readily admitted. “However, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to submit to somebody who thinks he is engaging in deceit.”

“…Be that as it may, this isn’t the time to be picky.” Nathen sharpened his gaze. “I don’t know if you have noticed, but we are undergoing an apocalypse that could potentially destroy human civilization.”

“You are not wrong,” the peak Sage shook his head. “However, the most important reason I set the condition I set was to ensure that I wouldn’t be making a mistake by entrusting him. The best way to ascertain is to have him gain an audience with His Transcendence.”

“…” Nathen simply stared at him with a hint of dissatisfaction.

“What I find more interesting is why you have suddenly come to develop a fondness for the lad,” the peak Sage raised an eyebrow. “Have you suddenly come to not only abandon your claim to the name of Lord Virodhabhasa but accept his claim to it? Even though in his mind, he’s only doing it to deceive everybody?”

“It’s not so much as accepting his claims to it but making my own observations to it,” Nathen retorted with an impassive tone. “If he isn’t the Antithesis, then this whole religion is bust. That is why you should pray that he is the Antithesis, too. Because I can guarantee…”

His eyes sharpened. “…that nobody will ever get as close to the title of antithesis as he is. Not now. Not ever. He is your only option.”

The Martial Pontifex shook his head as his gaze returned to the mountain with a hint of piety.

“That is for His Transcendence to decide.”

–