The Martial Unity

One of the reasons that Emperor Rael had chosen to freely divulge the existence of the seven new Sages of the Kandrian Empire was because he needed to project power in the battle against the Sekigahara Confederate.

In this case, an open display of power was much more desirable than hidden trump cards due to the fact that he would lose the war for allies if he did not convince the Sage-level nations that the Kandrian Empire had the power to win.

After all, the choice of allying with either side was inherently risky for the Sage-level nations.

After all, what if the side they chose to ally with lost the war?

Then, they would have made an enemy of the victor and the most dominant power in East Panama.

That was a nightmare of a situation.

In other words, it didn’t matter what treasures the Kandrian Empire offered them if nobody believed that it could win. Nobody wanted to make an enemy of the Britannian Empire, the Sekigahara Confederate, and the Republic of Gorteau if they were going to win the war anyway.

However, the outcome of the battle against the Sekigahara Confederate, one of the most intimidating powerhouses, was overwhelming. The Sekigahara Confederate was bullied and pushed back and deeply wounded and scarred.

Although nobody said it aloud, just the fact that the three Sage-level powerhouses felt the need to go as far as creating an alliance and making threats against all those who allied with the Kandrian Empire was proof that the Kandrian Empire was a serious threat to them even if they allied.

Then, the addition of the fact that the Esocline Federation had also allied with the Kandrian Empire to keep the Sekigahara Confederate in check and cripple their net war potential gave them more confidence that the Kandrian Empire truly had what it took.

On top of that, there was the heavy reputation of the Emperor of Harmony, who had led the Kandrian Empire to victory and greatness in spite of such hurdles. He was a man who was widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers of the Age of Martial Art. If anyone could lead Kandria to victory in these circumstances, it was him. People would have been much less inclined to trust the Kandrian Empire’s odds of victory if it had been one of his heirs sitting on the throne.

“Now, we just need to win over their support with sweet offers of breakthroughs now that the second phase of the third Great East Panamic War has begun,” Emperor Rael lightly remarked. “If we can do that, we can achieve the conditions for victory.”

“Second phase, huh?” Rui raised an eyebrow. “That must be a record for how quickly a phase of war has ever been completed.”

“Certainly, although my plans had fully taken into account a quick transition to the second phase of the war, I had expected that it would take much longer. I had predicted that it would most likely take half a year to transition to the next phase of the war, after a gradual escalation in conflict until it reached Sage-level conflict, which would then mark the beginning of the war with allies once it became clear that they could not destroy the Kandrian Empire by themselves.”

“However, I’m guessing the lunatic aggression of the Sekigahara Confederate caused the escalation to accelerate, prompting an early transition to the second phase,” Rui hazarded an educated guess. “Yes, it has its pros and cons. On the one hand, an early transition meant that we could avoid the grueling losses that would have wounded both sides. On the other hand, we also missed the years of training time inside the manifold during this period.” His father sighed. “Ultimately, it is what it is. It is time for me to focus on winning over the Sage-level nations. I intend to begin negotiations with them with an important figure from the Kandrian Empire to convey how serious we are about this alliance. An important figure like…”

He turned to Rui.

Rui immediately frowned. “I thought I told you I want no part in politics. I only wish to participate in this war as a Martial Artist, not a politician.”

“I have not forgotten. But this is a role that Martial Artists sometimes undertake for the same reason that you were chosen as a representative for the G’ak’arkan Tribe endeavor by the Martial Union, and given that your services will also be what we’re offering, it may be worth considering. On top of that, you will also be burdened with the duty to protect them from attacks from the East Panamic Treaty Alliance.”

Rui raised an eyebrow. “You’re willing to deploy me outside of the nation for missions in spite of the danger that it will pose to me?”

Emperor Rael smiled. “Well, if things went my way, I would rather you never left Kandria and spent your time around a Martial Sage the entire time. But I know that you will not accept such arrangements and will insist on fighting despite the dangers that you face.”

Rui shrugged at his father’s words.

He was entirely right, of course. Nothing could stop Rui from fighting on the front lines.

Emperor Rael heaved a soft sigh. “I won’t ask you to stop. You are intelligent enough to comprehend the full consequences of your actions. Thus, if you are determined to fight, you may do so.”

Rui was glad that his father knew better than to try to stop him from partaking in the war. He had mixed feelings about serving as an ambassador for the Kandrian Empire, but he liked the idea of fighting other Martial Masters to protect the allies of the Kandrian Empire.

“I’ll think about it.” Rui shrugged. “I have many considerations to make.”

He would rather go for the choice that would expose him to as much life-threatening Master-level combat as possible but not to Sages who had been dispatched to kill him.

The issue was that the East Panamic Treaty Alliance would very much like to kill him, no matter the expenses of such an operation. He found himself in a tough spot.

“How do I avoid enemy Sages but not enemy Masters…?”

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