The Martial Unity

Chapter 3489: Path for the Future

”Strong enough to defeat the Dragon Emperor?” Lord Maruthi raised an eyebrow as his large primate eyes bore deep into Lord Gajanan’s.

”Strong enough to be worth betting on,” Lord Gajanan replied. ”The top ten strongest beings in the world have something or the other that sets them apart from virtually every other pathwalker in the world. Mother Maeria has achieved what they now call the Enlightenment of Oneness. The Suneater consumes power from the Sun itself, while God’s Hammer is the most powerful war artifact in existence. NOVA is the most intelligent entity in our world. Anthea was capable of limitless evolution. I sense that the Dawnbringer, too, is cut from the same cloth.”

Lord Maruthi’s expression grew serious. ”...Fascinating. I would have loved to have met him myself in person once before this conflict began.”

Lord Vakratunda shook his head. ”He is busy with something extremely important. On top of that, your movements would draw immense attention. They are watching us like hawks. It’s one of the reasons that I have not left my abode. Perhaps you will have the opportunity when we execute our plan.”

”You don’t leave your abode in any circumstances,” Lord Maruthi huffed. ”Protecting all of us from the influence of the Dragon Emperor takes up all your time and forces you to remain in one place the entire time.”

”All the more reason,” Lord Vakratunda remarked. ”Just stay put until the time comes. Then we will strike together and hold back the War Coalition while he deals with the Dragon Emperor. In the worst case, even if he fails, I can handle a weakened Dragon Emperor.”

It was why Lord Vakratunda was willing to bet on Rui. Even if he didn’t succeed, he would give Lord Vakratunda the opportunity to succeed. It wasn’t possible for him to defeat Lord Shenlong in a head-on battle, but if he was weakened and tired, then he could draw a victory from those circumstances and liberate Kiriket from the clutches of the Dragon Emperor.

In fact, in some ways, it was the ideal circumstance for him. While he did not actively want Rui to die, he would be lying if he said that the existence of an entity that could mind control the entirety of the population of Kiriket with his Authority of Alpha was something that was existential as a threat to therianthropes around the world.

”I will need to develop my own Authority of Alpha, eventually, so that I can negate this influence and protect our people.”

Lord Maruthi raised an eyebrow. ”Didn’t you get a confirmation from him that he wouldn’t use it negatively? Normally, words are entirely meaningless, but if you were to confirm his intentions, then I’m fine with them. Nobody can evade your eye of wisdom.”

”I confirmed that he has absolutely no ill intent against the therianthropes of Kiriket. He does not have any hostility towards them and is merely acting in favor of the survival of his people to protect them from the warmongering Dragon Emperor. Once that threat is eliminated, the Emperor of Harmony of the Panamic Alliance will likely make attempts to forge an alliance with our people. I look forward to a trade deal with them so that we can live in harmony, just as our faction has always sought.”

The issue was that even if Rui had no hostile intentions against the people of Kiriket, it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t have them in the future. It didn’t mean that things couldn’t change, that he couldn’t change in a way that would make him into someone who was even worse for the therianthropes of Kiriket than Lord Shenlong was.

”At the end of the day, power is the only thing that matters,” Lord Vakratunda remarked. ”Such is the world we live in.”

”...Should we succeed, you will be the new leader of this continent,” Lord Maruthi asked, stroking his furry beard. ”What do you intend to do?”

”I will start by giving our people a taste of freedom,” Lord Vakratunda replied. ”Free from the suffocating oppression of the Dragon Emperor. I will show them how much there is to the world than just war. How much the Dragon Emperor keeps from them to have them slave for his goal of global subjugation. I believe that this is the path to the future.”

Lord Maruthi nodded. ”...I hope to see that, my friend.”

BZZZT

The call cut as Lord Vakratunda found himself alone once more, heaving a deep breath as he found himself immersed in thought. He didn’t like fighting, but very soon, he would need to fight with the leaders of the War Coalition.

”Perhaps I should warm up a little.”

He was not violent by nature. If he had it his way, he would have loved to live a peaceful and idyllic life in nature. He simply didn’t care for the things that the Dragon Emperor was obsessed with. He didn’t desire territory or power, but instead adopted them because it was necessary for the survival and prosperity of himself and his people. The world he lived in was too different from the world that he sought to live in, and yet he powered through anyway, hoping that eventually he would be able to build a better world for his people and for his race.

He got up, stretching a little as he began cracking knuckles and joints, breathing deeply as he pushed his body to the very limit.

RUMBLE!!!

The world shook violently as the biotechnological cold fusion mitochondrial system activated, bursting to life with immense power as his body fused hydrogen nuclei into helium, creating a burst of power within his body that coursed through his veins. The sheer amount of matter compressed within his body was great.

Enough to warp the very fabric of space around him, if not for his active intervention to negate it. And yet, it was a mere fraction of the total power that he was capable of summoning from within his body.

”How many years has it been since I unveiled my true form?”

RUMBLE!!!

The world shook as his body unfolded, warping as it changed shape and grew larger.

He became an elephant.

The most powerful elephant on the continent.

RUMBLE!!!