The Martial Unity

Kane stared at his father with an incredulous expression upon that absurd explanation. “You… ‘destroyed’ my attack so my arms just stopped moving? That doesn’t even make any sense. In the first place, an attack is an action. Not a thing that can be destroyed.”

“Hah! Everything can be destroyed!” his father snorted. “Especially your pathetic attacks! Don’t think too highly of yourself!”

Kane glared at his father pointedly.

“Still…” his father’s grin widened with interest. “That was good spirit from you back then. You have only grown more driven, even though…”

His gaze sharpened with focus, “…you have already accomplished your ultimate objective.”

Kane simply stared at his father, heaving a sigh.

“For now.”

“Oh?” his father raised an eyebrow of interest. “You think he might catch up? Tsk, no self-confidence!”

“I have plenty of self-confidence,” Kane scoffed. “I know that I am one of the most talented Martial Artists of my Realm. And I reached the Sage Realm at the age of fifty-five. An incredible feat by all metrics.”

“Don’t gas yourself up, you’re still weak as far as I’m concerned!”

Kane snorted. “It’s not that I have low self-confidence. It’s just that…”

A confident smile appeared on his face.

“I know more than anybody else in this whole wide world about just how extraordinary Rui is.”

Kane gazed at his daggers with determination. “He will catch up. He is the strongest pound for pound Martial Artist to have ever existed. It’s only a matter of time before he catches up. And if I slack off, he will surpass me in the blink of an eye.”

His tone was of absolute certainty.

He had an unshakable belief in Rui’s ability to keep up with him. For once, not even the Devil could retort.

He had witnessed Rui’s battle with Sage Sekiei a few months ago, leaving even him profoundly moved by what he beheld in that battle. Even by his very strict standards, the Dawnbringer was extraordinarily impressive.

“Still,” the Devil narrowed his eyes. “The lad did not strike me as very close to the Sage Realm. There’s a chance that he might go on for many more years in the Master Realm. Unlike you, he has had… issues.”

Kane was one of the few people in the world who knew what those issues were. He had been there firsthand and saw what condition Rui had been left in when the Divine Doctor had told him the truth. He knew that Rui’s road to the Sage Realm was going to be harder than any other Master’s.

And yet, he had faith.

“He won’t allow me to leave him behind.”

Kane smiled with confidence. “Besides, from everything I’ve heard from you and others, he might already be stronger than me, even as a Master.”

Even the Kandrian Empire, who was most accustomed to Rui’s extraordinary accomplishments, had been shocked when the Devil returned home with the Blood Goddess slung over his shoulder like a rag cloth, telling everybody every detail of Rui’s battle.

It was one thing to hear that Rui had fought a Martial Sage to a draw; it was another thing entirely to get every detail of how he managed to accomplish such an incredible feat.

“Tsk, no self-confidence!”

“Oh, leave me alone.”

Kane’s relationship with his father had grown much better once Kane broke through the Sage Realm. The man had come to garner a much deeper respect for his son now that they stood in the same Realm for now. Even though he still grumbled and snapped, he was quite impressed with his son’s rate of progress, even if he didn’t approve of his son’s Martial Drive. Regardless, the two of them had mended their relationship as father and son. Even Kane refused to return to the Arrancar Family. He had his own family to return to. “Done training?” Fae smiled as he returned home.

“What training?” Kane grumbled. “That old man just kicked me around the battlefield for a few hours. Man, I can’t wait to get strong enough to beat him up.” “My, a worthy Martial Drive indeed.”

The two exchanged a soft kiss, enjoying each other’s embrace.

Their relationship had finally bloomed in the years that they had spent with each other since the Beast Incursion. Kane’s greatest regret was that he wasn’t able to have Rui at their wedding, but the fact of the matter was that the Solution of Harmony would commence the moment Rui was done with his mission. Kane would simply not be able to officiate their relationship if he waited for too long, for years and potentially decades after. He would be sent to the Beast Domain as well.

The very notion was profoundly unpleasant to him, but alas, the world was rarely convenient, even for Martial Sages. This was especially true for Martial Sages in the Era of Darkness.

The cursed esoterification of the Human Domain made it impossible to get into contact with Rui either. He didn’t even have any idea where Rui was in the wide world at the moment, so even a manual pickup was impossible.

Fae directed a knowing gaze at Kane as she immediately recognized the expression he wore.

It was when he was thinking of his best friend.

“I heard he might have found someone himself,” Fae smiled coyly. “Whoever she is, she must be special.”

“I did hear that too,” Kane fell into thought. “But frankly, I find it hard to believe. He has pursued relationships before, but it simply doesn’t work out because he is too extreme. He grows strong too fast and lives a life that is designed to fuel his progress to Project Water. That is something that no ordinary or even exceptional woman can possibly keep up with.”

Kane had been with him for much of his life, so he knew exactly what caliber of person could possibly keep up with him. He shrugged. “I dunno; if he did find someone to pursue a romance with, she has gotta be insanely impressive. I do want to see just what kind of person could keep up with him of all people, you know? And…”

His smile grew melancholic.

“I would just like to see him after so long.”

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