The Martial Unity

Chapter 3404: Crossroads

”Let’s go,” Rui remarked as he took another bite of his skewered fish, watching Empress Schlieffen taking questions from the press. ”No point in remaining here anymore.”

The bright light of the afternoon Sun illuminated the Capital City of Schleme greatly as the gentle ocean winds brought with it a salty humidity that made the heat even more uncomfortable. Rui had no interest in watching the increasingly mundane press conference now that he had gotten everything he came for.

”Where do we go next?” Amare asked, taking another bite from his skewered fish. ”There’s so much to explore! Their automated carriages are so much different from ours.”

Rui directed a glance at the well-paved roads of the capital city and the many automobiles that sped across the road, resembling cars he was more familiar with than the motorized carriages he had grown used to back home.

The capital city was a lot less crowded and spacious than the port city of Halsch, which was jam-packed with small and large traders alike.

”I dunno, there’s a lot to explore, so—” bringing his skewered fish to his mouth.

Then he froze.

Before he could take a bite.

The skewered fish remained midair.

”What’s the matter?” Amare raised an eyebrow as she leaned to steal Rui’s bite. ”Don’t blame me if I take it then.”

Then she froze.

Suddenly, the air grew heavy as the two of them sensed the same thing.

An impending sense of danger.

An approaching threat that made no attempt to even hide its hostility and power.

An extraordinary force, stronger than perhaps any other Rui had sensed from the true world.

”What...” Amare’s tone grew serious. ”What is that?”

Her eyes wandered about as she immediately grew alert as her senses heightened, reaching their peak.

”It... feels like a beast,” Rui murmured with a familiar tone. ”I would know, I fought them for eleven years in the Beast Domain while you were asleep. There’s no mistaking this raw, feral sense of power. This is a beast or a monster that is rapidly converging upon Grinolia Island. And...”

His tone grew ashen.

”...and it doesn’t have good intentions.”

He closed his eyes, heightening both Primordial Instinct and Eye of Prophecy. The two techniques were remarkably similar and were quite synergistic. While Primordial Instinct focused on the present, which was much easier, the Eye of Prophecy focused on the future, which was much harder.

Together, they could boost the insights he gained.

And then he saw it.

He saw a dragon.

One that sent chills even across his own skin, despite it being a prophecy.

A dragon of unparalleled power and unlike any other beast he had ever fought, with a body that had its own gravitational field and ember scarlet scales that glowed perilously.

”This...” Rui whispered as his eyes widened with realization. ”This is none other than the Dragon Emperor himself!”

He turned in the direction of Kiriket Continent as his pitch-black eyes widened with shock.

”What?!” Amare’s amber eyes widened with shock as she clenched her fists. ”Why is Lord Shenlong coming to Grinolia Island himself and now?!”

”This madman...” Rui’s eyes widened with shock. ”He intends to subjugate the Hlakaschken Trade Empire by himself!”

Rui grew stunned at how brazen and aggressive the Dragon Emperor was. Of course, this wasn’t the most unusual behavior for a powerhouse in the top ten most powerful entities in the entire world, but to exert one’s strength with no regard for the balance of power and the checks that existed was something Rui had not expected.

Trying to subjugate the Hlakaschken Trade Empire with raw power would piss off the entire world!

Although the Hlakaschken Trade Empire was no longer the center of the world, it was still an extraordinarily powerful important trade hub that nobody wanted to see fall into the hands of the Dragon Emperor.

This would earn the Dragon Emperor the ire of all the other five races and of human civilization of the Panama Continent.

With how brazenly and openly the Dragon Emperor charged towards Grinolia Island, Rui and Amare weren’t the only ones to sense it. The sheer energy signature he released was loud and clear to the satellites of all races and species.

Rui turned as he heard an alarmed yelp from Empress Schlieffen, who gazed at her commpad with horror, before hastily canceling the press conference and rushing away with her bodyguards.

She, too, had just been notified by the satellite surveillance division of whatever national security apparatus the nation had. He could sense powerful forces within the Hlakaschken Trade Empire moving, whether it was powerful pathwalkers, powerful defense systems, or powerful weapons.

Rui clenched his fists as his expression grew grave. His dark eyes grew hazy as he fell into deep thought as to how he ought to handle the matter.

Allowing the Dragon Emperor to take Grinolia Island by force was probably the best option for him, considering his circumstances and goals. By taking the Hlakaschken Trade Empire, the Dragon Emperor would piss off the entire world with his actions, including all the other powerhouses and the Evolutionary Army, which was eying the Hlakaschken Trade Empire.

It would cause a fissure in the enemies of human civilization.

No one would tolerate the Hlakaschken Trade Empire being simply seized by one of the six powerhouse civilizations in the world, and there would undoubtedly be backlash, especially since the military treaties that the Hlakaschken Trade Empire had signed with everybody were still theoretically in effect.

It was ideal to allow the Dragon Emperor to do his worst and make an enemy out of everybody.

”We should protect this island.”

Amare’s voice interrupted his line of thought with a determined voice as she gazed straight into his eyes.

”You caused this problem by doing what you did with those dragon therianthropes. It’s not right that the innocent people of the Hlakaschken Trade Empire have to pay for the consequences of your actions,” she insisted. ”We must fight the Dragon Emperor off and protect this country!”

Rui was at a loss for words.