The Martial Unity

When Rui woke up, he already knew what had happened.

“Damn…” He groaned. “Even though I had resolved to not use that technique again…”

Admittedly, in this particular situation, it was prudent. He would much rather waste a lot of time sleeping than lose an important battle because he didn’t want to waste a lot of time. This was especially true for battles that he had come to enjoy.

And enjoy, he did.

A smile emerged on his face as he recalled their battle.

Her normal output was beyond anything he had ever seen in his entire life, considering how effortless it was. She possessed power on par with his strongest attacks without deploying any special effort or high principles.

It was truly an extraordinary level of mastery.

Her Martial Mind was quite unique and unlike anything he had ever seen in his entire life, allowing her to flexibly adapt to her opponents. All of that was powerful by itself.

And yet…

“It was nothing compared to the sheer amount of power that she gained later…” he murmured with a hint of amazement. “I would have lost if not for Gigabrain.”

It truly spoke to just how powerful Amare was. She was much stronger than just the average peak Master.

And yet, what shook Rui the most was not her power but what he saw in her Embodiment when she gained the flood of power.

Memories.

Memories that surely weren’t hers.

It had taken him merely a split-second for him to understand what was happening. To understand what he was looking at.

“A reincarnator. No…” his eyes sharpened. “An inheritor.”

He had a strong suspicion of who it was, too.

That was the most shocking revelation in the fight. The fact that she had memories of a different person from a different era was what was truly beyond his wildest expectations. And yet, from the looks of it, it appeared as though she herself had been unaware of it this entire time. He didn’t know what to make of it. It was so outside the bounds of what he had expected to see from her that he truly had a tough time wrapping his head around it. And yet, his powerful cognition had already begun digging away from the truth.

“Given the abrupt change in her power, demeanor, and Embodiment that featured her memories, it is clear that she had either forgotten those memories or they had been sealed,” He keenly noted. “Secondly, given the reaction of most of the Bodhisattvas, it is clear that they didn’t know. None of them know. None of them except Abbot.”

His eyes narrowed.

It appeared that he would need to speak with her in a frank conversation.

“Another conclusion I can draw is that this was not the result of a standard soul transference ritual,” Rui realized. “The normal soul transference ritual leaves no discrepancies regarding the memories. The subject recalls all memories after waking up.”

He recalled how the Divine Doctor had changed bodies when they left the Beast Domain. It was very clear that this was an acute process that happened all at once.

“I will need to speak with the Divine Doctor when I get back home.” Rui’s eyes narrowed.

For some reason, he felt vaguely protective of Amare.

Even though he had only met her a few days ago.

It wasn’t like she needed his protection, either. Had she lasted several seconds longer in their battle, the roles would have reversed. And yet, he didn’t want to see her suffer.

He didn’t want to see her suffer through the despair of an existential identity crisis like he had. He didn’t want to see her go through the horrifying pain that he had.

He didn’t want to see her positivity, warmth, and light turn into a pit of despair, fear, and horror.

Perhaps it was because they were birds of a feather.

Perhaps it was because they were the only ones who could understand what the other was going through, even if their situations were different.

CLACK

The door to his medical room opened, and a monk entered, bowing to Rui.

“The Abbot wishes to speak with you, Prince Rui. If you are willing and able, then I shall guide you to her. Amitabha.”

Rui nodded at the man. “I wish to speak with her as well.”

It wasn’t long before he found himself sitting before Bodhisattva Maitreyi in the Central Chamber.

“Prince Rui,” she began with a composed tone. “I am pleased to hear that you have finally woken up after all those days.”

“Er, how many days has it been?”

“Thirty-nine, I’m afraid,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi informed him. “Your power is beyond anything I imagined possible in a Master. However, it appears that your power is not entirely without its conditions and flaws.”

“Yeah, I try not to use it,” Rui heaved a sigh. “I didn’t think I’d have to. Amare’s power was much greater than anything I had expected from her.”

“She is indeed unique beyond all measure,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi remarked with a hint of pride in her eyes. “I must confess, your performance was beyond my expectations.”

Rui narrowed his eyes knowingly. “That whole thing about testing me with Amare for my worthiness or whatever was bullshit, wasn’t it?”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi smiled with a hint of mischief. “You are shrewd.”

“Your main goal was to use me as a tool to unlock the immense power sealed within Amare,” Rui continued with a displeased tone. “That was the only reason you had me fight her.”

“Not the only reason, but yes, certainly the main reason,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi freely told him. “In a way, I was also testing your worthiness. Your worthiness for another role.”

Rui raised an eyebrow. “Another role?”

“One that is entirely up to you,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi replied. “I hope you help her gain Nirvana, for I fear that she may not be able to gain Nirvana by herself. You have already displayed your ability to draw out her sealed memories. And you are traveling the world in your voyage to give humankind the power it needs to overcome the Beast Incursion. My request to you is that you take Amare with you on your voyage, should she request you.”

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