The Martial Unity

Chapter 2978: Itʼs Time

The air in the Central Highlands grew tense.

A profound sense of peril lingered in the atmosphere, tingling away at their extraordinary instincts.

A chilling quiet had overtaken their little makeshift base as they made their very final preparations.

They had rested extremely well for an entire month prior, ensuring they each got perfect sleep and had given their bodies enough time to be able to bring out their absolute peak in the final battle.

It would be beyond foolish and irresponsible to carry the exhaustion of their training with them to the final battle. They ate well and healthily, nourishing their bodies with all the nutrients that they would need. They even spent more than a week in mental conditioning, isolating themselves in meditation to bring out their hundred and ten percent.

It wasnʼt something they were accustomed to doing, but in this final battle, they didnʼt dare to hold back even the slightest percentage of power. ”You arenʼt going to join them?” Kane raised an eyebrow, gazing at Rui. The two of them sat beside each other on a pair of rocks at the very edge of the clearing that served as the makeshift base of the Martial Sage task force. They watched the various Martial Sages they had fought beside and trained beside in the past eleven years, doing everything in their force to maximize their chances of victory and survival.

Rui slowly turned to throw a knowing glance at Kane.

The manʼs green eyes had grown more intense in the past year as he prepared for the most intense battle of his entire life. The past eleven years had given him a stronger presence with a sharp edge to it. He was constantly alert and on the lookout, even though they had killed all the quasi-Transcendent beasts and monsters, it had become very difficult to relax due to the perilous life in the Beast Domain.

”…I will hone my mind,” Rui remarked. ”Ever since I broke through to the Sage Realm, it has become vastly easier to enter a state of absolute concentration and focus. It really doesnʼt take much effort anymore.”

Kane nodded. ”Makes sense, youʼve been doing it for so long that it has become second nature to you now. You even spent a decade in that state of mind in the Beast Domain just training that prophecy technique. With the Martial Soul, you can tap into that state of mind very easily.”

He huffed a shaky breath. ”Man… if I donʼt make it…”

”Donʼt say that,” Rui pointedly interrupted him. ”I know, I know,” Kane laughed mirthlessly. ”But still, you gotta wonder, huh?”

Rui understood what he meant. ”Miss Fae much?”

Kane snorted. ”No thanks, life has been good without her nagging at me.”

And yet, he couldnʼt hide the pang of melancholy in his green eyes.

Rui chuckled with a bittersweet tone. ”I envy that.”

His pitch-black eyes grew hazy as his thoughts drifted to Amare, as they frequently did.

He missed her.

Every time he thought about her, his heart ached without reprieve.

And yet, he hadnʼt been able to stop.

Not even in a decade.

Not even in a decade of fighting countless beasts and monsters each waking day of his life. It had been eleven years since he last saw her, but he still missed her from the bottom of his heart.

It was a wound that had never healed.

And yet, he held out hope.

He never let go of his faith.

He trusted that she would return.

That was why he needed to win this final battle.

So that he would still be there when she returned.

So that the world would still be there when she returned.

”What do you think about our current force?” Kane asked with a pointed tone. ”You think we can do it?”

A hint of uncertainty lingered in his voice.

Even a mild glint of fear.

Rui didnʼt blame him.

Only madmen like Damian were entirely fearless and eager to commence the battle. Anybody who had any sense of self-preservation would naturally be concerned about their life and everything that was at stake.

”…Yes.”

Ruiʼs tone was calm and composed.

He didnʼt project extreme confidence and certainty because he wasnʼt extremely confident or certain.

They didnʼt even know what they were dealing with.

In the past month, Matriarch Nephi, Rui, and the third Martial Sage of the Silas Clan had worked together to coordinate their prophetic power to try and foresee what was in the very epicenter of the Beast Domain, and yet, they were simply unable to.

This was eerie as they knew the exact location of their target.

The certainty of that only made things more tense.

”Itʼs time…” Rui watched the various Martial Sages emerge from the jets as he glanced at a pocket watch in his hand. The Martial Sages had each donned crisp, brand-new Martial attire, having consumed certain special potions that gave them meaningful performance boosts.

He closed his eyes as he drew upon the power of his Martial Soul.

He honed his focus.

He sharpened his concentration.

He gathered his mind.

On the spot, his presence underwent a profound change at a rapid pace.

His presence grew heavier, weighing down on the world even harder than it did in the past.

His being grew more intense.

It sent goosebumps across the skin of all those who beheld it even as they made their final preparations.

In the blink of an eye, he gained a menacing gravity that sent shivers down Kaneʼs spine. When he opened his eyes, they ran deep with unfathomable power in their pitch-black depths. He gained a suffocatingly sharp aura that dissuaded anyone from approaching him.

STEP

They watched with awe as he brought out his absolute peak.

In that moment, he was stronger than he had ever been in his entire life.

The sum totality of every ounce of force he had ever cultivated in his seventy-six years of life.

He directed a sweeping gaze across all the Martial Sages of human civilization.

”Itʼs time.”

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