The Martial Unity

Rui turned to study the unconscious woman immersed in the column of fluid. “…So you will have to wake her up?”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t be too enthusiastic about that,” the Blood Lord remarked. “The Blood Goddess is, well, a little too willful, shall we say?”

Rui raised an eyebrow.

“I should remind you that I have political protection in general,” Rui informed him with suspicion. “I don’t think that political protection extends to… forceful extraction of seed, Your Highness,” the Blood Lord shook his head. “The other nations only care about you being alive. The Kandrian Empire might move, but your father will probably not be inclined to do so if you aren’t attacked by Sage.”

Rui’s eyes widened. “Surely she wouldn’t—”

“I wouldn’t be sure about that, Your Highness.” Blood Lord Vrukshus shook his head. “As I mentioned, she is extremely willful.”

Rui heaved a sigh. “Wake her up anyway.”

“…Alright, if that is what you want.”

He turned towards the scientists and scholars who were monitoring her condition, nodding.

They nodded in acknowledgment. “Commencing awakening protocols A-16.”

The scientists hurried about as they began working on waking her, the Blood Goddess.

“Why is she in this condition in the first place?” Rui raised an eyebrow. “Is she sick or something?”

“Not quite; we wish to delay her aging as much as possible. Thus, we have shot her up with as many life-prolonging potions as possible to preserve her fertility while slowing her metabolism as much as possible.”

“…I see.”

He had mixed feelings on the matter. On the one hand, he understood why they did this; her fertility was a miracle and a priceless treasure for humanity. On the other hand, he couldn’t imagine prolonging what was surely a poor life.

The air tingled with a hint of tension as she was slowly from her inhibited state.

Her body stirred as they unshackled her from the state she was in. And then, she woke up.

Her eyes opened as her blood-red pupils flared with predatory power.

Her gaze found itself resting on one and only one person.

Her pupils dilated as her heart rate spiked.

BOOOM!!!

One moment, she was suspended in the column of fluid.

The very next? She blasted out of it with ferocious momentum, surging straight towards Rui with predatory eyes. Rui leaped away, widening his eyes with surprise.

And yet, he didn’t need to. BAM!!!

Amare interceded, smacking her away from Rui with furrowed eyebrows, which, by her standards, was a fearsome glare. “Stay away from him!”

The Blood Goddess landed some distance away harmlessly, simply tilting her head lightly as her cold gaze shifted to Amare.

All of it happened in the blink of an eye, before most of the people in the facility could even react.

Everybody bowed down to her with a reverent expression, kneeling to the ground with their forehead pressed to the ground.

“It may not do you too good to push yourself right after waking up, My Goddess,” the Blood Lord bowed to her with reverence. “For your womb is the forge of transcendence. The cradle of Divinity. The garden of Godhood.”

Her blood-red eyes turned towards Vrukshus with a dangerous light. “I do not recall giving you permission to speak.”

Her voice was soft and light, and yet it was laced with a menacing intensity that sent chills across one’s skin.

Blood Lord Vrukshus knelt even deeper.

She simply stared at him for a moment before shifting her unnerving gaze back to Rui with a tilted head. “Vrukshus… that male…”

Her tone was perilous. “…is the next seeder, is he not?”

“Yes, My Goddess. Unfortunately, he doesn’t consent.”

A spontaneous giggle emerged from her. It was mirthless.

It was bitter and resentful.

“…Since when did such a thing matter in this godforsaken organization?” her tone was chilling. “Why have you not apprehended him like always?”

“…He is important, My Goddess.” Blood Vrukshus informed her with a quiet tone. “Assaulting him is… unwise. At the very least, involving Sage-level force is unwise. It will lead to our destruction.”

She simply stared at Rui with her blood-red eyes.

A glint of interest emerged on her face.

“Important, you say?” A hint of curiosity entered her tone. “…Is he more important than I am?”

Blood Vrukshus fell into thought as he considered the question.

“No.”

His tone was firm.

A cold smile cracked at the edge of her mouth.

“Then, there won’t be any problem if I extract his seed myself.”

Rui simply stared at her with narrowed eyes while Amare’s expression hardened with severity. She placed herself between Rui and the Blood Goddess protectively, taking her open-palmed stance with determined eyes.

The Blood Goddess’ chilling gaze shifted to Amare, who had intercepted her seed extraction attempt.

“I will say this once.”

Her voice was menacingly cold.

“Move.”

Her blood-red eyes sharpened with a blood-curdling bloodlust.

Her malevolence sent chills across the skin of all those who beheld it.

It sent shivers down their spine.

She would kill Amare and then have her way with Rui.

Rui knew that.

And yet, an excited smile cracked at the edge of his mouth.

Not because he was into that sort of thing; he definitely was not.

But because she was strong.

He wanted to fight her.

He wanted to adaptively evolve against her.

And yet—

“Stand back,” Amare’s tone was uncharacteristically unyielding. “Get as far away from her as possible.”

Rui frowned. “But—”

“Trust me.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not saying she is stronger than you, but she doesn’t need to be stronger than you to take from you what she wants. I’ve fought her before, so I know what she is capable of.”

She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. “…Please have some faith in me.”

Rui stared at her with a deep gaze for several moments before heaving a sigh.

“Fine. I will place my trust in you, Amare.”

He leaped away, giving them some space.

Amare heaved a deep breath before returning her gaze back to the Blood Goddess, whose bloodlust prickled at the skin.

“I won’t let you get to him.”