The Martial Unity

Prime Minister Edward hadn’t expected to lose.

However, he was far too careful not to have prepared for it. Even before he departed for the Shionel Confederation, he had very carefully prepared an operation that would only be executed if he somehow happened to lose. And while he was surprised that he had failed to bring the guildmaster over to his side, he did not let it stop him from doing what he needed to.

“Commence the attack.”

At that moment, the Martial assault forces that had been waiting immediately erupted from their temporary hidden locations, surging towards the Shionel Confederation. Sages, Masters, and even Seniors surged from a hidden spot in the geographic vicinity of the Shionel Confederation, converging upon it at rapid speeds.

On a map, they resembled sharks converging on their prey.

It was a matter of minutes before they would arrive at the Shionel Confederation.

The sheer power that they possessed radiated through heaven and earth.

RUMBLE!

Rui’s expression darkened with grave realization. “You…”

“I told you…” the prime minister spoke to the guildmaster while his eyes remained fixed on Rui. “I would make you regret it.”

Guildmaster Bradt glared at him as his fists clenched. “You dare…”

The prime minister’s bloodshot green eyes shifted to meet the guildmaster’s severe gaze. “Did you think I was jesting? Tell me, Bradt…”

He stood up, leaning towards him as a piercing gaze pinned the guildmaster frozen. “…Did you really think I was not going to do exactly as I said?”

His voice oozed with malice and peril. “Do I look like a man who will not keep his word?”

The guildmaster’s expression darkened.

A hint of regret flickered in his eyes.

One that was not missed by the piercing eyes of the prime minister.

“Ah…” A faint murmur escaped Edward. “…There it is.”

A flicker of glee lit up in his eyes. “The consequences of your foolish decision.”

RUMBLE!

The tremoring of the ground grew even more intense.

“Your Highness,” Sage Glacken remarked with sharp concern. “We should leave. We should leave as soon as possible.”

“Speak for yourself.” A wide grin emerged on Damian’s face.

He earned a warning look from Sage Roschem. “…We are bodyguards, Damian. Do not forget your duty.”

Damian merely snorted with contempt.

Yet, he didn’t retort.

He was many things, but he was not someone who didn’t value his word.

“Your Highness,” Sage Roschem urged. “Your safety is paramount. We must leave immediately. We do not have much more time.”

RUMBLE!

The tremoring intensified even further.

“Going to run, little prince?” Prime Minister Edward smiled at Rui. “To think you would not even plan for an attack immediately after the victory that you sought to achieve, the moment when this nation and alliance were at their weakest…”

He tutted with disapproval and disappointment. “You should have stayed in your lane.”

Rui gritted his teeth as he clenched his fists, glaring at the prime minister.

He understood what the man was trying to do. He was trying to provoke Rui into choosing to remain here.

He wanted to ensure that the Void Prince not only chose not to retreat but was baited into a fight where he could finally be killed. So long as Rui was surrounded by the Sages and had the damn instant transportation artifact, Prime Minister Edward couldn’t kill him.

And the worst part of the ploy was that even though Rui knew that he was merely getting baited, it was difficult not to fall for it. The second he departed from the conference hall, the guildmaster’s life was as good as forfeit unless he chose to undo his decision and ally with the alliance. Even then, the Britannian Prime Minister would definitely make him pay the price for not having chosen the alliance initially. In the worst-case scenario, the Shionel Confederation would become a colony of the Britannian Empire.

This was how the Britannian Empire operated. This was how Prime Minister Edward operated.

Unlike the warm and mutually beneficial harmony that the Kandrian Empire tended to engage in, the Britannian Empire was cold and domineering. It forced its lessers to kneel with their heads to the ground under its boots. Unlike the Sekigahara Confederate, which left only ruins behind, or the Republic of Gorteau, which only sought to squeeze capital from its victims, the Britannian Empire looked down on everybody and everything else.

“Make up your mind, boy.” Edward’s cold sneer broke Rui out of his stupor. “What’s it going to be? Live to fight another day and abandon the Shionel Confederation, or use the power that you have now to risk your life to protect the Shionel Confederation for as long as you can until reinforcements from the Kandrian Empire come along?”

RUMBLE!

The intensifying tremors reminded everyone of the haste of the matter.

“Your Highness?” Prime Minister Edward smiled. “What’s the matter? You were so lively just a minute ago.”

Rui glared at him with deep bloodlust.

Yet, the prime minister merely relished in it with glee.

“When you inevitably choose to run away with your tail tucked between your legs…” Edward’s tone was sharp. “I want you to look the guildmaster in the eye and tell him that you betrayed him.”

Rui’s rage heightened while Prime Minister Edward’s cruel smile widened. “I want you to look the guildmaster in the eyes and tell him that you’re abandoning him.”

The Prime Minister’s piercing gaze bore into Rui’s eyes.

In their depths stirred an endless darkness.

A void.

Awoken by the emotions that boiled deep within.

Edward’s smile widened as he walked over to Rui, never once breaking eye contact. His bodyguards stiffened, yet they didn’t follow him.

The closer he got, the more he was at risk.

Yet, not even the slightest hint of fear could be seen in his eyes.

He arrived by Rui’s side, entirely at the mercy of Rui and the Kandrian Sages.

“Three minutes left.” His piercing gaze bore into Rui’s dark eyes. “Time’s running out, little prince.”

His cruel smile widened.

“So, what’s it going to be?”

RUMBLE!

The tremoring intensified by the second.