The Martial Unity

“I’m quite relieved to have your presence, esteemed Master Sera,” King Aramon said as he regarded her with respect. “You, along with Your Sagehoods, certainly allow me to sleep easily, knowing that my nation is well-protected.”

“As Her Sagehood said, Your Majesty, we are simply doing our duty to an ally that helped us when we needed it the most. I can speak on behalf of the entire Martial Union when I say that we will do right by you,” Master Sera replied graciously.

King Aramon nodded, pleased. “Allow me to introduce you to our very own native Martial Sage, Sage Nella Belmenta, as well as the commander of our Master-level battalion, Master Sinkol.”

A female Sage and male Master stepped forward from behind him, greeting the Kandrian Martial Artists with the standard Martial greeting, the joining of a fist into a palm.

The Kandrian Martial Artists returned the greeting as both sides sized each other up. It became very clear very quickly that the Kandrian Martial Artists were simply cut from a different cloth.

For one, their Martial Bodies were simply much superior.

The Divine Doctor had long worked his magic on every single Martial Artist of the Upper Realms, giving them the strongest Martial Bodies of any Sage-level nation in all of human civilization.

Additionally, the bounties of the Beast Domain had greatly increased the supply of potions. These potions had further empowered their Martial Bodies.

This was the power of Sage-level powerhouses. It was a level of wealth and access to opportunities to grow talents that not even Sage-level nations could compare to. This was especially true in the Kandrian Empire.

On the one hand, the Selizantaran Martial Artists were jealous and envious of their Kandrian counterparts. On the other hand, they were glad the Kandrian Martial Artists lived up to their lofty reputation, for it meant that the likelihood that they would repel attacks was much greater.

“Now then, why don’t we go inside—” King Aramon paused as his comms artifact began aggressively beeping.

His expression grew somber. “…Our intelligence force has just picked up a dispatch of Martial Artists moving from the Sekigahara Confederate straightforwardly in the direction of the Selizantar Kingdom. Estimated time for arrival is a few hours. We… will soon be under attack.”

The air tingled with a hint of tension and severity as the Selizantar Kingdom was due to experience war for the first time in more than a century.

Clearly, the enemy alliance under the leadership of the Britannian Prime Minister had a phenomenal intelligence network that allowed them to learn of an alliance between their enemies the very moment that it occurred or perhaps even before considering how quickly the attack commenced.

King Aramon heaved a deep sigh as he prepared himself psychologically. He was not a ruler accustomed to war. Even the Selizantaran Martial Artists were tense.

The Kandrian Martial Artists, on the other hand, didn’t so much as flinch at the news of an impending attack.

Over the past three to four months since the Sekigahara-Kandria Battle, the Kandrian Martial Artists had thoroughly gotten accustomed to routine large-scale battles and protecting Kandria’s allies from the attacks of the enemy alliance.

“That is indeed unfortunate, even if very expected, news to hear, Your Majesty,” the Flickering Elder remarked. “Please transmit all intel you have on the upcoming attack and let us directly coordinate with your Martial Artists and take the matter regarding security into our own hands. You will only slow us down and produce a lesser result if you try managing matters yourself.”

“That is indeed unfortunate, even if very expected, news to hear, Your Majesty,” the Flickering Elder remarked. “Please transmit all intel you have on the upcoming attack and let us directly coordinate with your Martial Artists and take the matter regarding security into our own hands. You will only slow us down and produce a lesser result if you try managing matters yourself.”

King Aramon closed his eyes as his expression grew severe. “…Fine. Protect our nation and our people from the barbarians of the enemy alliance. Meanwhile, I will initiate an emergency evacuation.”

“You have our word, Your Majesty.”

Soon enough, the Kandrian and Selizantaran  Masters got together, forming a simple and cohesive interception and defense plan that was based on a template that the Emperor of Harmony himself, using his deep military strategy background and foundation, had created for precisely these circumstances.

This was because he couldn’t be personally involved in every single fight.

He had created a system of thought that would allow Kandrian Martial Artists to make the most optimal military strategy after taking into account variables such as border integrity, extra-territorial infrastructure, and domestic structural integrity to ensure that they were able to estimate the most optimal distance from the Selizantar Kingdom to have the battle.

“The Selizantar Kingdom is an agricultural-rich country, but that also makes it extremely sensitive to environmental disruptions, Your Sagehoods,” a Kandrian tactician informed the Sages and Masters. “Thus, you need to adjust your estimations and intercept the enemy Martial Sages even further away from the kingdom than you otherwise would.”

“So we would need to intercept them several thousand kilometers even further away from the Selizantar Kingdom?” the Sloth Sage lazily asked. “Hm, that sounds tiring.”

“Not just Your Sagehoods but also Your Masteries.” The tactician turned to Master Sera. “You cannot intercept them merely a thousand kilometers away. Only if it’s further away will we be able to perfectly protect the Selizantar Kingdom.”

A lot of thought went into the battle and military strategy as more and more intelligence updates came into the picture, allowing them to refine their strategy. The Selizantar and Kandrian Martial Artists were able to come up with a plan that ensured that there wouldn’t be any friction between the two sides due to unfamiliarity. In the first place, most Martial battles did not involve a lot of coordination with each other. Thus, there wasn’t much room for error.

The one question that all of them were wondering was who the enemy alliance was going to send to match the Harbinger. She had already killed a peak-grade Master in the war previously and, with the death of the Convergence, the enemy alliance didn’t have any more known peak-grade Masters to deploy.

If she wasn’t contained, she would cause the enemies to suffer grave losses with her lethal Martial Art.

Thus, each of them couldn’t help but be curious about who could possibly be strong enough to fight her. “This should be interesting.” Master Sera smiled precociously.

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