The Martial Unity

The air boiled with tension as the Martial Sage’s hand rested on the handle of his greatsword.

He didn’t draw the blade out.

He simply gritted his teeth, glaring at Rui.

“What’s the matter?” Rui raised an eyebrow. “Scared?”

“You little shit…” the Martial Sage gnashed his teeth with frustration. “You know that the only reason that you’re getting away with this attitude is because you have political protection!”

Rui’s grin widened with derision. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I have no reason to fear you, protection or not.”

It was a paltry provocation, and the man’s haughty arrogance refused to allow him to ignore it even if he knew it was a provocation.

The atmosphere chilled with peril as the two of them faced each other.

The Blood Goddess clenched her fists, gritting his teeth. “Why is he provoking a Sage?!”

Amare heaved an exasperated sigh. “He’s irritated and is venting. Also, he’s bored since he didn’t get a turn to fight in the Blood Cult.”

She had come to be able to read him well after having spent two years traveling the continent with him. She had long known that he would get itchy if he didn’t get to see some proper action after a while. She believed that all the battles he had had in Sage-level powerhouses inadvertently occurred because he was subconsciously manipulating events to ensure that they happened that way.

“…Bored?” her eyes widened with shock. “He’s bored and irritated, so he did something as crazy as provoking a battle with a Martial Sage all by himself?”

She didn’t understand.

She didn’t understand what kind of warped mentality decided to act on boredom and irritation by challenging a Martial Artist with a whole Realm of power ahead of one’s self. “What if we get mixed up in this?” the Blood Goddess whispered to Amare with urgency. “I don’t want to do something as suicidal as fighting a Martial Sage!”

“We probably won’t. Rui is not that inconsiderate,” Amare heaved a sigh. “After all, he has yet to activate his Martial Mind and Gigabrain without considering the civilians of the entire nation. But…”

She shrugged helplessly. “At worst, I will also join him if things get really bad.”

Yet her tone made it clear that she was doubtful about her efficacy against a Martial Sage.

The two of them simply watched Rui and the Martial Sage face off against each other, frozen on the spot.

The Martial Sage’s expression grew incredulous as he realized that Rui was entirely unmoved by the man’s bloodlust and weight of presence, as though it was just a slight breeze.

Although the Martial Sage knew that Rui was a distinguished peak Martial Master, he didn’t think he would be this defiant in the face of such power.

He closed his eyes. “Fine.”

The metallic hum of the greatsword slowly leaving its scabbard echoed through the air as the Sage slowly drew his weapon.

“Execution it is.” The peril in the air reached its crescendo as the murderous bloodlust in his eyes flared with power.

And yet, just as he surged to swing.

His body froze.

It froze in a prison of heaven.

“Enough, Sekiei.”

Rui’s expression sharpened as a tremendous presence shadowed everybody else’s.

He glanced up at it with narrowed eyes as he beheld the woman who froze his would-be opponent where he stood.

She towered above him as though she was in an entirely different Realm of power.

Well, she was, but her blatant condescension was irritating to him. He was less irked, however, because she was a peak Sage.

Elder Diana of the Heaven Sect.

She had represented the Heaven Sect in the Human Summit and had advocated for allowing the quasi-Transcendents to enter the Human Domain.

Her cold eyes looked down on Rui from her ascended position in the sky.

“Dawnbringer.”

Her voice had a rough, cruel edge to it. “You may have political protection that even I must regard, but the fact of the matter is that you have violated our laws and committed crimes.”

Rui narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t know it was a crime to enter that building by force,” Rui’s tone was laced with snark. “After all, nobody came to guide me on where to go and what to do.”

Amare and the Blood Goddess stiffened at his blatant petty lie to throw a jab back at the peak Sage.

The older woman simply looked down on him as though she were watching a child commit mischief right under her nose. Her attire and garbs were absurdly long, stretching out far beyond her limbs. Her hair length, too, exceeded her height.

She gave the impression that she was above all manner of beings and people in an ethereal plane for herself.

She heaved a sigh of contemptuous disappointment.

“Such pettiness was not what I had expected from the Dawnbringer, touted as one of two pillars of hope and salvation,” the Elder huffed with a haughty tone. “Oh?” Rui raised an eyebrow. “Then what did you expect? Did you expect me to be some selfless saint who travels the world spreading priceless treasures for practically free and giving human civilization the power to fight against the Beast Incursion? Oh wait…”

He feigned innocence.

“I’m already doing that, aren’t I?”

His eyes sharpened. “But perhaps I shouldn’t, considering that even though I’m going out of my way to do all this for this nation that isn’t even willing to acknowledge my arrival.”

Haughty arrogance appeared on Elder Diana’s face. “We never asked for your gifts, nor do we care for them. It is you who needs us to partake in the Solution of Harmony. Regardless, you have committed a crime in the Heaven Sect, and that is something that I cannot overlook as the leader of this nation. Even if we don’t execute you, you will pay for your crimes.”

A smile cracked on Rui’s face. “I could just call the Virodhabhasa Theocracy and the Kandrian Empire to my aid, you know?”

She snorted. “Go ahead. I am willing to bear the price of staying true to the standards I adhere to. But the second you act on the threat, you have no more protection from it.”

Her eyes flared with bloodlust.

“I will kill you right then and there.”

–