The Martial Unity

Chapter 3059: The Annexation of all Sages

The Martial Sages enjoyed themselves to the luxury that the Kandrian Empire imparted to them, bantering with each other while they ate food that wasn’t simply bland and often disgusting, but nutrient-dense food pills to sustain themselves in the Beast Domain. Or the bare roasted meat of edible monsters and beasts.

”I bet I was the one who killed the eldritch chimera.”

The Martial Sages threw a contemptuous glance at Sage Zeamer, who boldly claimed credit for their victory with steepled fingers and a serious expression.

They immediately pounced on him.

”Give me a break!”

”I saw you trying your shitty hypnosis on the Beast, it didn’t work!”

”The only thing you did was flirt with the women!”

”Did he even kill a single quasi-Transcendent beast?”

”I bet he just pretended to be useful...”

The women glared at him with contempt and disgust while the male Martial Sages were hardly content, raising their fists against the hapless pervert.

RUMBLE...

Playful roughhousing between Martial Sages could trigger earthquakes.

The Martial Sages, having spent years together, had developed a camaraderie that simply didn’t exist before. Even with Martial Sages that hated each other’s guts and had even stood on the opposite sides of a war with the sole intent of destroying each other.

The mutually shared hardships for a mutual goal in united front against the monsters that threatened to destroy human civilization had forged together a powerful kinship that could not be broken very easily.

”Say...” Sage Shinken directed a sweeping gaze across the entire hall. ”...Where is Damian? Also... where is the man himself? The Dawnbringer?”

The noted absence of one of the three Transcendent candidates of human civilization and the leader and MVP of the effort against the eldritch chimera was not missed.

STEP

”I’m afraid the Devil is no longer with us.”

The powerful voice of the Emperor of Harmony echoed across the hall as he entered.

”As for my son...” Emperor Rael continued with his rich voice. ”He is... resting.”

Suddenly, the air grew tense.

The atmosphere tingled with a hint of peril.

It was the Emperor of Harmony himself.

Behind him were the Boundless Light and the Reverend of Reckoning.

His attire was immaculate, as was his groomed appearance.

And yet, his eyes were sharpened with grave severity.

His expression darkened with an intensity that they had never seen before.

The Martial Sages hardened at his words, misunderstanding their meaning.

”Before I begin what I’m about to say...” the Emperor of Harmony began with a shaky tone. ”I would like to begin by thanking all of you on the behalf of human civilization with utmost sincerity from the bottom of my heart.”

He directed a sweeping gaze across all of them.

”Thank you for protecting human civilization from the Beast Incursion. Thank you for all the hardships you have undertaken to protect human civilization from forces beyond our power. Thank you for ending the Beast Incursion.”

A euphoric wave of positivity flushed across all of them as they reflected upon everything they has gone through and everything they had accomplished.

”And forgive me...” Emperor Rael’s voice grew intense with reckoning. ”Forgive me for being unable to give you the peace and rest that all of you deserve.”

The air darkened.

It grew intense.

”Please listen to what I’m about to say very carefully,” Emperor Rael continued with even greater severity. ”And above all, please maintain your composure.”

What followed was one of the most shocking stories that the Martial Sages had ever heard in their entire lives.

Less than twenty-four hours had passed in the real world since the Unfolding.

And yet, the Emperor of Harmony bore out a story that could last a lifetime.

The anomaly. The environmental disruptions. Day-night destruction. The shifting of the continent. The true world. The attack on the Esocline Federation. And the threat of a world much larger than the Panama Continent.

The revelations of the eldritch chimera and the manifold, the Unfolding, the Devil’s breakthrough to the Transcendent Realm.

With each passing moment, their expressions grew horrified beyond belief.

It was the most absurd, terrifying, and chilling story that they had ever heard.

Not a single one of them could bring themselves to believe it.

And yet, the Boundless Light and the Reverend of Reckoning stood behind the Emperor of Harmony with serious expressions, silently lending credence to everything he said, even though the Emperor of Harmony produced evidence and proof, showing them images and footage of everything that had happened thus far.

The peace, tranquility, hope, and optimism that they had upon the their waking in the Kandrian Empire and a heartful first hour upon recovery was all gone.

Suddenly, they felt chills crawling across their skin.

They were the frontline defenders against a threat that was vastly more dangerous than the Beast Incursion. They were the vanguard against alien civilizations with significantly superior technology than their own.

They were the underdog once more.

The sheer weight of the responsibilities of these revelations bore heavily on them.

”You have two choices,” the Emperor of Harmony continued with a serious tone, drawing all their attention. ”You can go back to your respective nations. Or...”

His eyes sharpened.

”You can remain right here in the Kandrian Empire.”

The Martial Sages widened their eyes with shock.

”If you remain in the Kandrian Empire,” the Emperor of Harmony continued. ”I swear in the name of Kandria an oath that your nations and homes will receive absolute protection from the Kandrian Empire via our World Bridge.”

A quick explanation of it was enough to make the Martial Transcendents see the sheer utility of his technology.

”If you remain in the Kandrian Empire,” the Emperor of Harmony continued. ”Then, if your nations, organizations, and homes are attacked. I will use the World Bridge to deploy as many Martial Sages as needed to protect them. This...”

His eyes sharpened.

”...is the Kandrian-Panama Martial Insurance Pact.”

Just like with regular insurance companies, where users paid a certain amount of money for much larger sums of money covering various services in the event of a calamity, the Emperor of Harmony offered a Martial insurance system where Martial Sages could contribute themselves to the Kandrian Empire and to human civilization in exchange for much greater protection in the event that an attack happened.

The Martial Sages were dumbfounded by the offer.

And yet, they saw the merits of it.

It was the best way to protect their respective nations.

The Kandrian Empire had already proven itself as a reliable steward of human civilization. If their nations were targeted as invasion points of foreign alien invasions, then they would not have the power to defend against these invasions due to Martial Sages being scattered across the entire continent.

Additionally, psychologically, they had become very accustomed to fighting alongside each other in a tight group and even living alongside each other in a united group for the sake of all of human civilization.

The Emperor of Harmony understood that, reading them like a book.

He knew that his proposal would leverage their psychological state of mind for his benefit.

And thus, the Emperor of Harmony enacted one of his hidden schemes.

A strategy to annex all Martial Sages in human civilization.

To make all Martial Sages in human civilization live in the Kandrian Empire.

”...I’m in.”

One Martial Sage broke the silence.

Her expression was grave.

”My nation cannot guarantee its survival without this Martial insurance.”

Her participation broke open a damn as many more Martial Sages came forth, provoking even Martial Sages to come forth. It was an easy choice as far as they were concerned, with merits that vastly outweighed the demerits, especially with the ironclad credibility and trustworthiness of the Emperor of Harmony and the Kandrian Empire.

The smallest of smiles cracked at the edge of Emperor Rael’s mouth.

The collectivist reforms. The Summit of Salvation. The promise of absolute protection.

All of it was to set up circumstances where he could viably annex all Sages and become the single most powerful man in the world as the Emperor of not just the Kandrian Empire but all of human civilization.

And just like that, the Emperor of Harmony brilliantly manipulated all of human civilization to steal their power, for just their own sakes, but most certainly also for the sake of the Kandrian Empire, having foreseen everything that has unfolded.

This was the genius of Emperor Rael.

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