The Martial Unity

Chapter 4007: Identical

Amare spread her senses into outer space as she tried finding Rui in the vast expanses of the solar system. With the nebula cloud withdrawn from where it came, she could see more clearly across the solar system, trying to use her powerful senses to find him desperately.

She knew that he would pay the price of the Transcendent Realm; she had already accepted that. But she sought to see him one last time. To speak to him one last time for who knew how many decades or even centuries before he would return.

”Rui…” she whispered, searching through the solar system. ”Rui!” Her amber eyes lit up with power as she pushed her vision to the absolute limit, scanning the fabric of outer space within the solar system as she sought to locate him. She relied on her gravitational sense, sensing the very warps and bends in the geometry of space, trying to correlate that with her vision. Her body burned with materia prima, pushing itself to her very limit. And yet, she wasnʼt able to find him.

”Rui…” Her eyes watered a little as a tear escaped them, floating into space freely as she wiped them, suppressing herself from expressing open grief and sorrow in front of thousands of Sages and Masters.

And yet, even they understood what had happened. They lowered their heads with a hint of sorrow and grief on their expressions. Many of them had been personally broken through by Rui at some Realm or another. Many of them had greatly benefited from the Water Sect, and while his law and order was more stifling than the Martial World used to be, he had created a world of greater prosperity for them to enjoy the most of, as some of the most powerful people in society.

And now, he was gone.

None of them looked forward to what was to come.

PAT Kaneʼs hand patted her bat in a gesture of support as a deep melancholy emerged on his face. He gazed deep into outer space, his green irises filled with both sorrow and gratitude.

”Thank you.”

His voice was sincere.

”And Iʼm sorry.”

He was sorry that they were so weak that Rui had to go that far to protect them. In his heart, he resolved to get stronger.

In this day and age, there was no excuse for being weak.

”Iʼll never forget what you did for us, my brother. Iʼm looking forward to your return.”

Kane had known Rui his entire life. From the age of twelve, when they first met in the Martial Entrance Exam, they had gotten along quite well. The two of them had been inseparable their entire lives, and even when Kane had found a higher purpose in raising a family, they had never stopped being best friends.

In fact, they had grown closer after Ria was born. The thought of Ria made him feel even sadder. He hadnʼt been told about the clone, so he had assumed that Ria would have to grow up without a father. His fists clenched as he swore to step in and do what he could. He would ensure that she would grow up feeling as if she had a family, even if she would undoubtedly miss her father.

Amareʼs sobs were quiet at first, before growing more unshackled as she expressed the grief and sorrow she felt at having lost him once more. It had been pure torture for her to go through ten thousand years of mental memory reliving in her mind after he resurrected her. But she had always thought that they had grown strong enough to never be separated again.

The fact that they had chosen to have a child together was proof of the strength of their bonds, for they would have never started a family if they werenʼt confident in their ability to maintain it.

And yet, only now did she fully realize the consequences of having too much power. The price of the Transcendent Realm was worse than the price of weakness, in many ways. The complete cessation of existence for a long period of time made the power extremely limited, unless one was completely untethered and cared for nothing. She could have never imagined that power itself would be the source of their separation, making her wonder if it was even worth pursuing the Transcendent Realm. ”Amitabha, my precious granddaughter, you mustnʼt lose heart,” her grandmother gently spoke to her, having arrived by her side. ”For you still have a daughter to look after.”

The thought of Ria broke her heart.

How was she supposed to tell her daughter that her father was gone?

How was she supposed to tell her that her most favorite person in the world would no longer be there with her?

That she would have to grow up with her precious papa?

It was too cruel for her to even bare.

And yet, almost like a magnetic force, she was drawn to her daughter, leaving behind the entire army, violating protocol as she teleported back to Vargard, Kandria, flying straight to the Royal Palace even as tears escaped her eyes. WHOOSH

She arrived at the balcony of their royal quarters, flinging it open to speak with her daughter. ”Ria—” ”Papa, letʼs go whoosh!”

Amare froze as her eyes widened with pure shock.

Her mouth dropped open as her eyeballs almost popped out of their socket with how hard she stared at what was happening.

There her daughter was, playing with her father, in his loving arms. And there he was, playing with his daughter in his loving arms.

He turned towards Amare with a glint of mischief in his smile, a smile that she had seen many times in the time that she had come to know him.

It was identical to how she remembered it.

At the cellular and even at the molecular level.

It was absolutely identical.

His mind and body were to her senses exactly how she remembered them.

He wordlessly stood up, opening his arms to her, as did Ria, inviting Amare into a hug.

Amare didnʼt need more of an invitation, leaping into their arms as the family shared a deep moment of intimacy.