The Martial Unity

“Grandma!” Amare’s bright smile lit up like the sun as she rushed towards her grandmother with stretched arms. “You came!”

“My precious baby…” Bodhisattva Maitreyi’s eyes grew affectionate and warm as she pulled her granddaughter in for a warm embrace. “Your grandmother has missed you so much, my dear.”

“I missed you too, Grandma,” Amare buried herself in her favorite person’s embrace. “Did you come to see the duel too?”

“Hohoho… the duel is one reason, too, but the most important reason was an excuse to see my granddaughter again, you see?” Bodhisattva Maitreyi smiled before shifting her gaze to the other peak Master in the room, who simply stood there silent.

“Ah, let me introduce you to my new friend,” Amare smiled as he gestured to the Blood Goddess. “She has decided to travel with us… for reasons.”

It hurt to keep a secret from her grandmother, but Rui had hammered into her that she couldn’t spill the secret of the Blood Goddess to anybody, not even her loved ones from the Gen Temple.

“Hm, it is good to see that you have made a friend of an equal,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi nodded with a knowing expression. “You were simply too strong in the Gen Temple. Too many people looked up to you too much to be your friend. Speaking of which…”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi’s grew more serious. “How is that matter going?”

Amare’s expression grew a tad more solemn at the question. “I have made a lot of progress, Grandmother. In the Solaris Kingdom, and especially in the Nest of Terra. Less progress in the Virodhabhasa Theocracy and the Blood Sect. As for this place…”

She closed her eyes as she dug deep into her mind. “…I have been here. I am confident of it.”

“Hm, you have grown much stronger,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi nodded. “You have gotten closer to Nirvana. I am deeply happy to see that. It appears that entrusting you to the Dawnbringer was the right choice, after all. But more importantly…”

She smiled affectionately. “Have you enjoyed your journey thus far?”

“It’s been very fun!” Amare’s excitement was bright and palpable. “I enjoyed myself so much. You know, I even learned a new dance!”

Amare gushed as she told her grandma all about the past two years that she had spent with Rui on this journey and voyage while her grandmother patiently nodded, listening to her granddaughter with an affectionate expression.

The Blood Goddess quietly left their quarter to give them space.

Yet, that was not the only reason.

Some distance away from her quarters, she gritted her teeth as her expression grew hateful. “Why have you, of all people, come this far?”

Blood Lord Vrukshus appeared out of nowhere before her with cold eyes. “To protect you, of course. If the Dawnbringer dies, you will be deprived of his protection. You will also be caught in the crossfire of the erupting conflict.”

His cold eyes narrowed. “The Devil is here. If the Dawnbringer dies, the Heaven Sect will immediately be embroiled in a conflict with him. The same is probably also true for the Sekigaharan Sages. This place will become extremely unsafe for you. Your womb and your eggs are—”

“Enough,” the Blood Goddess gritted her teeth.

She hated it when this man talked about her like an object.

A piece of special meat.

“…Regardless, I will come and collect you if he dies,” the Blood Lord Vrukshus coldly informed her. “You will go back to living your life as the Blood Goddess of the Blood Cult if he dies.”

“No!” her eyes widened with horror. “I refuse!”

The Blood Lord’s eyes grew menacingly intense.

“You don’t have the right to refuse.”

“You had an agreement with the Dawnbringer!” she protested.

“That contract is null and void if he dies,” the Blood Lord coldly retorted. “The outcome of this battle will decide what I do.”

And just like that, he disappeared, leaving the Blood Goddess in a state of terror.

She realized that everything was at stake. The outcome of this duel would determine the course of her life.

“Rui…” A whisper escaped her. “…Please don’t die.”

And thus, the day of the battle approached with each passing moment, even as the forces of the disaffected parties finally arrived at the Heaven Sect. They had different thoughts and emotions about what was about to unfold.

And yet, they had all come for the same reason fundamentally.

They wished to behold the battle between the Dawnbringer and a Martial Sage without any impurities. They wished to behold the progress that the Dawnbringer had made since they last beheld him. They wished to behold the power that he had cultivated, the power that could bridge the gap between Realms.

And thus, the day of the battle arrived.

The mighty Valley of Gods seemed to brim with anticipation. The hallowed battlefield scarred by the power of many a Sage tingled with electric peril. The many spectating delegations perched themselves atop the mountains that bordered the enormous battlefield as they waited. Elder Diana hovered above the battlefield, looking down on everybody with condescending eyes.

Yet, even her attention was fixed elsewhere.

The first contestant to arrive was Sage Sekiei.

RUMBLE…

The world quivered under the weight of the Martial Sage. His eyes were murderously sharp while his body almost quaked with power.

An unmistakably ferocious bloodlust flared in his gaze.

Pure peril boiled in the air.

For a moment, nobody could actually believe that a Martial Master could defeat him.

And then, his opponent arrived.

The Dawnbringer arrived.

Physically, nothing had changed.

Materially, he was the same as always.

And yet, his presence was unfathomable.

Endless darkness lingered in the depths of his pitch-black eyes. His mind and focus had been honed into a singularity.

A singularity of power.

It sent chills across the skin of those who beheld him.

Not because they could sense his incredible power.

But because they couldn’t. Not a single person could even begin to fathom the depths of the extraordinary power that he hid within himself.

A cosmological anomaly of the highest order.

“With the arrival of both contestants…” Elder Diana continued as the tension in the air escalated. “We will now commence this battle.”

Her eyes sharpened fiercely.

“Take your stances.”

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