The Martial Unity

The Bodhisattvas frowned. “Recently?”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi nodded. “I only realized what was sealed inside Amare when the BeasT Incursion happened.”

The Bodhisattvas had been away on a pilgrimage and had unfortunately chosen the worst time. They would not have been able to make it to the Gen Temple in time to protect it from the Sage-level beasts and monsters.

The Omni-Martial herself had warded them off for long enough for the Bodhisattva Maitreyi to make it in time. “That was when I learned the truth,” she informed them with a calm expression as she recalled that day. “Her memories… they were of the day when She came to Mount Jinrae and bestowed upon all of us the power of Martial Art.”

The other Bodhisattvas could not help but grow extraordinarily stunned at her words. “Are you actually saying…?”

“Indeed,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi nodded. “Amare is the reincarnation of the Progenitor.”

Her words shook the other Bodhisattvas where they stood. The words that Bodhisattva Maitreyi had uttered were so unfathomably blasphemous that had anyone else uttered them, they would have been sent off the purification process to rid of them the sheer arrogance and delusion that one must have harbored to believe such a ridiculous thing.

And yet, Bodhisattva Maitreyi was calm.

“Nonsense!” Bodhisattva Namuk exclaimed with an incredulous expression. “How can you possibly be certain that this is the case? Maybe she has a mental disorder. There are a hundred explanations that are more likely than her being the literal reincarnation of the Progenitor herself.”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi shook her head. “I know she is because I recognized what I saw in her Martial Embodiment.” Her tone was wistful and wise even as an aged smile appeared on her face. “I recognize them because I, too, have memories of the day the Martial visited Mount Jinrae.”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi was six hundred years old. She was one of the eldest Martial Masters alive, having lived both before and after the Age of Martial Art.

“No matter how many centuries pass, I still remember that day like it was yesterday,” she murmured with an immersed tone. “The Panamic Martial Federation has long rejected my testimony of the Progenitor due to suspect of theistic and religious embellishment, But I know the truth. The Progenitor traveled around the world for many centuries, spreading the gift of Martial Art over an unimaginably long time.”

Her expression softened. “I was but a child back then. And in my eyes, the Martial was nothing short of a God.”

She directed her gaze at the Bodhisattvas. “When we found her, we could not have expected that she would be who she was. I don’t know why the Progenitor has returned to us. But I must believe that it must be for a reason.”

She gazed at the sleeping Amare with eyes of affection. “Regardless, the Progenitor has done enough for this world. This time, I just want her to be happy.”

The Bodhisattvas had remained silent the entire time as they listened to words with profound expressions and realized, with each passing second, that this was the truth.

They gazed at Amare with a reverent expression.

Genism did not espouse an explicit deity, but if there was one person that all followers of Gen worshipped, it was the Progenitor.

They worshipped the Progenitor very devoutly.

Perhaps that was why the Panamic Martial Federation, the Association of History, and other organizations took their testimony with a pinch of salt. It was too easy to dismiss all of this religious and theistic delusion or propaganda.

Nonetheless, it didn’t impede the Gen Temple’s reverence for the Progenitor.

The Bodhisattvas included.

“She has yet to unseal the centuries of memories hidden within her,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi remarked. “When she does. She will gain ultimate power. After all…”

She closed her eyes with a hint of reverence. “The Martial was the most talented Martial Artist in history with an extraordinary affinity for all things Martial Art. Her talent defined an entire era. And it will continue to define all eras till the end of time. All Martial Paths are said to have been within her own Martial Path, which was Martial Art itself.”

She opened her eyes and gazed at Amare with a profound expression. “Just like Amare.”

The Bodhisattvas nodded slowly as they understood the sheer extraordinary miracle that was Amare. “What now?” Bodhisattva Pinaka whispered. “What are we supposed to do with this sacred knowledge? Are we just supposed to live life from here on out normally? Are we just supposed to pretend that the Progenitor’s incarnation herself is not living amidst us? Are we just supposed to let her scrub the temple grounds as she has been doing for many years?”

This was a question that plagued many of them.

It was such a shocking revelation that they truly had no idea what to make of it all.

They could barely parse the implications of the second coming of the Progenitor.

“Yes.”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi’s voice was firm and sharp.

“You will make Amare unhappy if you change the way you treat her,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi calmly replied. “This one will not tolerate anybody hurting Amare.”

The other Bodhisattvas stiffened when they heard her words. They knew that Bodhisattva Maitreyi was extremely protective of Amare, having raised her as her own granddaughter. It would not do them any good to anger her by making Amare unhappy if they started treating her like a deity in blood and in the flesh.

“You will continue to treat her like normal,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi instructed them calmly. “As for Amare….”

She turned towards the unconscious Omni-Martial.

“She will have two choices before her when she wakes up.” Bodhisattva Maitreyi calmly informed her. “Last time, she had forgotten what had happened due to the poor condition she had been in against the beasts and monsters. This time, however…”

Her eyes grew deep. “She will remember. And then she will have to contend with the reality of the matter that she is the true incarnation of the Progenitor who has chosen to descend upon this world a second time.”

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