The Martial Unity

The air in the human summit was charged.

Despite the presence of thousands and even tens of thousands of leaders having gathered at the Summit of Salvation, the summit was silent.

Deafeningly silent.

They gazed at the Emperor of Harmony with desperate, pleading gazes.

“However, in order to pursue the path of Salvation, we need to be able to see it. We need clarity about where we are to know which direction to go, and at this moment…” His powerful golden eyes sharpened. “Human civilization is drowned in uncertainty.”

It was true.

Humanity was overwhelmed with uncertainty.

About the Martial Sages.

About the Beast Incursion.

About the True World.

“Today, leaders of human civilization, we intend to provide clarity and dispel the fog of uncertainty that plagues our mind,” the Emperor of Harmony. “Starting with…”

He waved his hand as a virtual report appeared before them.

A brief report from the sole operational Martial Sage of human civilization.

“We have confirmed that the Martial Sages of human civilization are alive if temporarily incapacitated,” the Emperor of Harmony continued with a positive tone. “We have also gained explicit confirmation that the Dawnbringer is alive.”

A visible wave of relief washed over the leaders of human civilization.

To hear that their greatest warriors were alive and well was truly relieving and inspiring. They had lost contact with the Martial Sages after the battle began almost twenty-four hours ago and since then lived with terror at the outcome of the battle.

Even as they digested and processed the sweet knowledge of the well-being of their Martial Sages, the changes in their demeanor and body language were visible to their eyes.

Their eyes grew steely with certainty and confidence.

Yes, their circumstances were dire, but they had their Martial Sages.

They had the Dawnbringer with them.

“In addition, the report also mentions that there is no sight of any monster or beast within the epicenter of the Beast Domain, which the Omni-Martial has described as a barren battlefield devoid of life and marked by the power of Transcendence.”

A wave of whispers swept the leaders of human civilization as they pondered the meaning of those words.

“Where did the Beast go?”

“Even if they defeated it, the carcass should still be left.”

“Did the Martial Transcendents intervene?”

“Impossible. Those useless bastards never do anything…!”

Resentment against Martial Transcendents had grown greatly in the past seventeen years since the Beast Incursion had begun. Resentment against them for callously watching as human civilization suffered tremendously under the destructive attacks of the Beast Incursion.

Ever since the Moonforger created and flung the moon into outer space with a single hand, the leaders of human civilization realized that Martial Transcendents possessed unfathomable, godly power.

Their abstinence from human civilization during the Age of Martial Art was previously appreciated, for they could easily divide human civilization into thirteen sections and rule humanity with an iron fist.

But in the Era of Darkness, knowing that the Martial Sages could stop the Beast Incursion quite easily if they wanted to but chose to watch with cruel apathy as hundreds of billions of innocent humans died miserable deaths, caused great resentment and hatred against Transcendents to fester in the leaders of human civilization.

“Do not jump to conclusions,” Emperor Rael’s powerful voice drew their attention once more. “Remain within the realm of facts. You will go mad with speculation. The Martial Sages will soon return to human civilization where we will make space in our manifold to to accelerate their recovery. We will learn the truth when they wake up soon enough.”

The calm and composed rational voice of the Emperor of Harmony restored a sense of order within the Summit of Salvation.

He was right. There was no point in speculating when the truth would undoubtedly reveal itself soon.

The absence of the Beast That Roared was eerie, however.

They knew that the Beast was alive shortly after the anomaly occurred because they had heard the Beast roar shortly after the True World Unfolded.

This had happened just nine hours ago.

Since then, so many things had happened that it felt like a month had passed, but in reality, not even a day had passed since the True World.

Thus, if they had heard the Beast roar just nine hours ago, then where the hell was it?

With satellite surveillance of the Panama Continent, they would have spotted the monster had it escaped from the epicenter of human civilization.

And yet, neither did the satellites spot it, nor did the Omni-Martial.

“The Martial Sages will be able to provide more clarity on the Beast’s status when they wake up,” the Emperor of Harmony continued. “However, regardless of the status of the Beast itself, I am pleased to inform all of you that we have gained clarity on the status of the Beast Incursion.”

He gestured to the side as two individuals emerged upon the stage.

The Divine Doctor was as unmoved as ever, his eyes clinically as clinically impassive as always. His frozen smile was devoid of warmth, sending chills across the skin of the leaders as his inhumanly clinical gaze washed over them.

His attire was that of medical laboratory attire with a white overcoat atop a safety suit.

The Ecologer felt a lot more human and alive than him, though her bizarre outfit fashioned from organic botanical fabric with leaves checkered all over her attire gave her an eccentric vibe.

They were, however, the two greatest authorities on the Beast Incursion. They took the podium while the Emperor of Harmony stepped aside and deferred the floor to them.

“Over the past nine hours, we have studied a variety of specimens of beasts and monsters across different species, families, genera, and even kingdoms,” the Ecologer began. “We have scrupulously measured a variety of physiological parameters of the various specimens in our custody.”

“Upon a rigorous and elaborate comparison of this data in comparison data, we have collected over the past seventeen years and data collected before the Beast Incursion, in conjugation with satellite data collected by the Esocline Federation and the Kandrian Empire.” The Divine Doctor’s smile remained frozen. “And we have concluded that the sustained state of heightened epinephrine and catecholamines and associated aggression has verifiably concluded.”

“…”

The leaders of humanity stared at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“All that to say that the Beast Incursion has definitively concluded,” the Ecologet helpfully translated.

Immediately, the summit erupted with cheers of triumph, jubilation, and relief.

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