The Martial Unity

Rui stared at him with a hint of confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m afraid I will have to leave it that way,” the Martial Transcendent smiled. “Don’t be too greedy. I have been quite generous with you, answering more questions than I really needed to. I’m satisfied with the awareness and cognizance that you have gained from my answers. Any more insights will hamper your own development and journey. It will also pollute your own perspective and interpretation of events, which will hamper your journey to Transcendent Realm.”

Rui grew deeply curious about his cryptic words, but he knew that he wasn’t getting any more answers from the Martial Transcendent.

He also did feel like he was getting a bit greedy.

He had never expected that the Martial Transcendent would reveal so many shocking revelations and candidly explain the truth to Rui in such a detailed manner.

“Wait.”

Rui froze.

“You said… eleven colleagues?”

The Martial Transcendent tilted his head.

“Eleven colleagues?” Rui repeated himself. “There are thirteen Martial Transcendents. So, you should have said twelve colleagues, right?”

“Ah…” Realization dawned on the Martial Transcendent. “I, er, misspoke.”

Rui narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Misspoke? You said ‘eleven’ instead of ‘twelve’ by mistake?”

“Even Martial Transcendents make mistakes, dear Virodhabhasa.”

“They’re not even phonetically comparable,” Rui stared at him with pure disbelief. “They don’t even have the same number of syllables!”

“Well, I have always been a clumsy fellow, you see.”

Rui didn’t believe a word he said.

“Can you not do basic arithmetic?” Rui stared at him with even deeper skepticism. “Did you fail grade school or whatever they had centuries ago? How on earth did you even develop a Martial Mind if you can’t count?”

The Martial Transcendent began spouting a bunch of bullshit to cover up what was clearly a slip-up, while Rui continued growing more and more suspicious.

He realized that this fellow was lying.

He didn’t know what it meant, but it must have ultimately boiled down to there being one less Martial Transcendent than the known number.

He had absolutely no idea how to even interpret this. “Coming back to the topic,” the Martial Transcendent steered the conversation away from his uncomfortable mistake. “I have already told you that I am satisfied with the answer That I have given you up until now. I have also recognized you as the Antithesis. Thus, you have long achieved what you came for. Now, don’t be pushy, and appreciate what you have gotten.”

Rui stared at him as though trying to divine more answers from his mind.

Unfortunately, he knew that his SOUL System and hypnosis were entirely useless against a Martial Transcendent. He needed Gigabrain for it to just be effective against the very weakest of Sages in existence.

“Well, you’re right.”

Rui’s tone was one of finality.

“I did indeed get what I came for and more.”

He heaved a sigh, bowing his head to the Martial Transcendent.

“Thank you for everything, and forgive some of my harsh words, Your Transcendence.”

“Hohoho… I’m a forgiving Transcendent, you see?” He smiled mirthfully. “Well, that brings us to an end to this meeting. But before you go, allow me to mark you with my acknowledgment.”

Rui frowned. “Mark me? I don’t like the sound of tha—!”

He froze as an unfathomable amount of power emerged from the Martial Transcendent.

He felt an infinitesimal spark of the Martial Transcendent’s power infringe upon his mind and soul, leaving just the tiniest hint of a mark on them. He felt the nature of his power.

“…Astrality.”

His Martial Art encompassed a universe.

A universe of phenomena associated with the very concept of Astrality, encompassing mind, soul, and hypnosis. A macrocosm that seemed to stretch unto eternity and infinity.

Before such a tremendously colossal Martial Art, his own Water Style was no more than an insect beholding a planet.

And yet, in the infinitesimally brief contact he had with the Martial Transcendent’s power, he couldn’t help but garner the impression that it was incomplete.

It was an otherworldly experience that far surpassed anything Rui had ever experienced in his entire life. It lasted the briefest of moments.

And yet, it felt like an eternity unto itself.

“It is done.”

The Martial Transcendent’s voice was calm and composed.

Rui, on the other hand, was left speechless.

Of all the shocking parts of his meeting with the Martial Transcendent, this was the most moving event. It stunned him silent.

It was a Realm of power that he couldn’t even begin to fathom.

And yet, it was beyond anything he had ever experienced in his entire life. He understood in that moment that Martial Transcendents were beings who were even more unfathomable than he had ever imagined in his entire life. Within their beings, they possessed power so astronomical that even Martial Sages were rendered as mortals before such gods.

It was truly ephemeral.

“This is the power that awaits you.”

Transcendent Raizel’s words were measured.

“Should you reach the Transcendent Realm, you will gain answers to all the questions you see,” he told Rui. “You may very well gain the power to fulfill your greatest objective and ambition. Do not halt your voyage down your Martial Path, Lord Virodhabhasa.”

His smile grew soft. “For the sake of the world.”

Before Rui could even respond, the Martial Transcendent blinked, and the world around him shifted.

Suddenly, he found himself at the very bottom of Mt. Virodha.

His eyes widened as he understood what had just happened.

He was too stunned to even move for a second.

“I see that your audience with His Transcendence is complete.”

The voice of the Martial Pontifex reached him. Rui slowly turned, finding himself meeting the powerful gaze of the peak Martial Sage.

The Martial Pontifex’s eyes widened as he recognized the Mark of the Astral Sovereign.

Instantly, the truth had dawned on him.

He immediately knelt before Rui with his head touching the ground.

“I am at your command, Lord Virodhabhasa.”

–