The Martial Unity

Reactions to the Sekigahara Mandate Treaty were far more muted than they would have been had this occurred in the past before the Beast Incursion. The reason for this was not that it wasn’t important.

It was important. However, it simply didn’t reach an overwhelming majority of nations.

The esoterification of human civilization had crossed a critical threshold. So much so that even the mysteriously all-knowing Beggar’s Sect was unable to communicate as easily throughout the continent in its current condition, it was rather shocking to all nations when they realized that even communicating across the continent had become an incredibly laborious task.

All functioning communication infrastructure had been seized and controlled by the respective states of each government to ensure that key communication channels between important nations and allies could still be preserved.

The Bradt-Kandria Seafaring Enterprise and the Britannian Empire, for example, were entities that everyone wanted to maintain contact with to obtain their food supplies. Being able to receive broadcasts from the Kandrian Empire was of the utmost importance due to the Kandrian Empire being the bona fide leader of the world. Each of its announcements was of crucial significance.

“And so, from this day forth, the Sekigahara Mandate, formerly known as the Sekigahara Confederate, will now be a vassal state owned by the Kandrian Empire,” Emperor Rael’s heavy tone bore across the entire conference room that he was in.

His rich voice was heavy, conveying the sheer importance of this decision. He sat at the head of the table with his elbows resting on the table and fingers interlocked before him authoritatively. He donned the Royal attire of the Kandrian Emperor, with the Kandrian Royal Sword by his side and the sparkling golden crown atop his head, signifying his authority as Emperor.

His gaze swept across the series of three-dimensional holographic projections of leaders gathered around the table. Among them were not just the leaders of the Sage-level powerhouses but also those of all other Sage-level nations.

“…To think the saintly Emperor of Harmony, who criticized the Britannian Empire for its colonialism, is now conquering a ravaged and destroyed nation,” Prime Minister Edward sneered darkly.

The air grew heavy as the Britannian Prime Minister couldn’t stop himself from taking a jab at his old rival.

Emperor Rael simply gazed at him with an unmoved expression. “Only an imperialistic war-monger would think that the peaceful, voluntary, and consented transfer of authority and ownership is the same as violently and forcefully seizing lands.”

“Only a harmonious coward would think that giving them no other choice in the face of destruction is voluntary and consented,” the Prime Minister fired back.

The Emperor of Harmony heaved a sigh. “Ah, yes. It would have been better for all of humanity and for Sekigahara to have faced complete annihilation, depriving us of a powerful nation and defender of humanity. I do not care to engage in this childish back-and-forth. If you have any actual criticisms of the takeover, you may call for a special international tribunal to inquire into it, but if not, shut up.”

The Britannian Prime Minister snorted, folding his hands with a grudging, amused silence. Having poked at his old rival and enemy for a bit, he had managed to come away largely satisfied.

The other leaders simply waited patiently for the two leaders to finish their bickering. Having participated in many hundreds of meetings, all of them gathered, they had long grown accustomed to the incessant need for the Britannian Prime Minister and the Emperor of Harmony to verbally and rhetorically joust with each other.

If not for the severity of the meetings, they might have even found it in themselves to enjoy the back and forth, wondering which one of them would win the particular exchange.

“Coming back to the point,” Emperor Rael continued as he leaned forward on the table. “From this day, all engagement with the Sekigahara Mandate will go through to the Kandrian Empire. Naturally, I will institute minimal red tape and low protocol complexity to ensure that there aren’t any unnecessary delays. If there are no more objections or clarifications, we shall move to the second agenda of this meeting.”

His eyes sharpened seriously. “The Beast Incursion has greatly reduced in its intensity, as all of you have doubtlessly observed.”

A wave of nods emerged from the projections of the leaders of humanity.

“We have observed a shocking eighty-percent reduction in the intensity of the beast tides in the domain of influence of the Republic of Gorteau,” President Melwinyr remarked with a strong, steely tone.

The eighty-first president of the Republic of Gorteau was a hardcore hawk nationalist, an old man who sought to take aggressive measures to cull the Beast Incursion. The Republic of Gorteau was among the nations most affected by the loss of trade, causing the entire nation to fall into a decade-long economic depression that had yet to heal.

“We, too, have observed a substantial decrease in the intensity of our local beast tides,” King Kuhn of the Solaris Kingdom remarked as his golden skin was made to almost glow in the projection. “We have particularly observed a sharp plummet in the density of Sage-level beasts and monsters,” the Britannian Prime Minister remarked with a more serious tone. “I have had my analysts cross-check the absence of the Sage-level beasts with the temporary increase that had occurred, and the two seem to balance out, making me conjecture that the former is caused by the latter. I would need more data to have that ascertained.”

The Emperor of Harmony nodded with an appreciative expression. “Thankfully, we do not need to guess. Shortly after the ambush of the second wave of the beasts and monsters, the Kandrian Empire was contacted by the Ecologer, who informed that she had important intelligence to share with us regarding the Beast Incursion.”

The projections of the gathered leaders lit up at those words.

In the past fifteen years, the Ecologer had become as important to humanity as the three Keepers of Immortality and the Esoterist, with how crucial she was in aiding their intelligence on their opponent.

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