The Martial Unity

With just that question alone, Rui’s sharp mind was already able to surmise the strategy that she had in mind. Light bending was the most important ability and measure of blood purity with the Sun God Solaris. It was so important that it decided who the ruler was going to be, and it served as the scale by which sociocultural and even Martial hierarchy was decided.

Although the combat power of a Martial Artist was not solely decided by light bending, because the culture was so engrossed in light and light bending, almost all their Martial Artists integrated light into their Martial Art. Thus, the strongest Martial Artist was also regarded as the strongest light bender and thus queen.

“The fact that you even asked that question means that you already have some certainty about my light-bending ability,” Rui deduced. “If you didn’t, the plan you have in mind would not be something you would have arrived at. Which means… you have followed the Great East Panamic War very closely.”

An appreciative expression appeared on her face. “You are perceptive. Indeed, I have heard of your domineering victory against Master Brigsby of the Britannian Empire. I heard how you defeated him, bending his light, while simultaneously fighting against some of the strongest Masters of the East Panamic Treaty Alliance and still managed to emerge victorious. That is impressive, as Master Brigsby was a grade twenty-nine light bender. And so…”

Her expression grew serious.

“How good of a light bender are you?”

He smiled at the question. “That depends on how much time I have.”

She frowned. “Do you intend to train in that time?”

“…Something like that,” he shrugged. “Frankly, I don’t quite understand how strong I am these days in general, let alone in any particular field. My power is…”

He stirred as he searched for the right power. “…a variable. An uncertainty. It changes with opponents, and these days, there is no concept of constancy or consistency. So, as silly as it sounds, I don’t know how good of a light bender I am. It all depends.”

She stared at him with a perplexed expression. “I have heard extraordinary legends of your Adaptive Evolution. About how you have reached such an extraordinarily great height that you are able to momentarily bridge the gap between Realms. Then let me ask you this: if you were to face the Masters of this nation in a battle of light, would you lose?”

This time, there was no hesitation in his answer.

“No.”

His voice was unyielding, solid, and steely.

Queen Lianiala raised an eyebrow. “Had anyone else said that I would have marked them as arrogant, but with your history record, I can only quietly accept your answer. However, the challenge that I’m presenting is going to be much harder than any other you have faced in your entire life. All the extraordinary feats you have accomplished were when you were wielding your own strength without shackles. What I’m asking you to do is obtain victory with light bending, which is not your main specialty. And thus, I ask you again…”

Her golden eyes bore deep into Rui’s. “Prince Rui Quarrier Silas Kandria, are you able to obtain victory against the Martial Artists of the Solaris Kingdom in the domain of light bending so as to not leave any doubt of your superiority in this regard, thereby destroying any resistance that the Martial Artists of the Solaris Kingdom have against you?”

Her piercing golden gaze met his dark eyes.

And the only thing she could detect was uncertainty. “Yes. I can.”

She heaved a soft sigh. “Then, so be it. This is the only way to earn the approval of the Martial Artists of the Solaris Kingdom. I can assure you that light bending holds much greater weight within the borders of this empire than the color of your hair and eyes. The former is what gives me the right to overrule the objections of the latter.”

That made sense.

Rui hadn’t forgotten that despite the full weight of all the virulent opposition and contempt that was openly thrown at him, everybody shut up when the queen decreed it, even if she may been in the minority.

Light bending was the most important trait in the Solaris Kingdom.

Of course, the biggest glaring issue in the entirety of the matter was that he didn’t have an extensive background in light bending. Queen Lianiala had put too much faith in the background he had in light bending.

And yet, Rui didn’t feel even the slightest bit of peril or anxiety about winning a light-bending battle.

He had the Forge of Creation.

Furthermore, in addition to that, he had made some truly incredible gains in his battle with Amare, gains that he had yet to fully process and condense. Gains that he believed could help him emerge victorious in a battle of light against even the strongest of the Solaris Kingdom.

And yet, it wouldn’t be easy.

He welcomed the challenge.

“And what specifically do you have in mind when it comes to pitting me against the Masters of the Solaris Kingdom?” Rui asked. “The execution of this matters more than the idea itself. A poor execution of this could lead to disaster. But the perfect execution could lead to excellent results. Are you just going to line up a bunch of Masters and have them fight me? That will just leave them resentful. It will turn you into their enemy, and people will think that you favor them.”

She fell into thought. “You are correct. The execution of the concept matters more. I will have to think this over—”

“If I may,” Rui interjected with a smile on his face. “I have the perfect way to ensure that the demonstration of power will not foster negative reaction. The key, in my opinion, is incentivizing the competition properly. Simply ordering them to fight me will not sit well. They need to be properly motivated.”

She nodded. “Your words make sense. What do you propose then?”

A smirk emerged on his face. “A free-for-all light-bending battle among all Masters. The last Master standing will get their hands on the Blood of Solaris.”

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