The Martial Unity

Amare raised an eyebrow, directing a dubious expression at Rui.

Rui shrugged with a wry smile.

“It will be fine, they can survive without us,” he remarked lightly. “Not to mention, the next stage of the war will not begin right away. The phase of rapid and rushed mobilization is over. They already tried that for one month, and it ended in spectacular failure. From this point on…”

His expression grew serious.

“This will be a long-term war.”

Amare pondered the matter. “Because they cannot penetrate the sea as easily as before?”

Rui nodded. “The Great Nam Ocean is impregnable. Quasi-Transcendent beasts and monsters are not that strong compared to top-level fighters like us, but inside the ocean, they are basically invincible. I’m sure that the true world has highly sophisticated submarine technology, but even then, it is highly unlikely that land-dwelling civilizations will be able to overcome a literal ocean of monsters underwater.”

This was for the same reason that the monsters of the ocean were impotent on land. Their power was not meant for land, and they needed water to survive; everything about the way they deployed their power and all of their biology was specialized for water.

“So, doesn’t that mean that the only way for them to reach us is through the skies?” Her eyes lit up.

“Yep, but aircrafts have limits. They cannot single-handedly transport all their warriors or all their siege technology. They lack the massive capacity of their titanic warships, and if they try to wage war exclusively through the air, they will lose,” Rui explained patiently. “They almost certainly know this, of course. Which is why they won’t do something that hasty and unwise.”

“Then… how do they intend to invade us?”

“Think even higher,” Rui replied. “Think of a region even higher where they have an advantage over us.”

“…Outer space!” she gasped as she understood the direction this war was headed.

“Precisely,” Rui nodded. “My father has received intelligence that leads him to believe that they will likely pursue an assault from outer space. The tekvores were attacking our satellites systematically, which indicates the presence of an outer space force that exceeds us. On top of that, wiping out human civilization is just easier from outer space.”

Gravity was on their side.

“This mountain beneath our feet,” he gestured with a tap of his foot. “Would not be able to do much damage even if it crumbled. But if tossed from space, the sheer momentum it would accrue would wipe out an entire country. Defending from their assault from outer space will be impossible, and they know that. Since they already have an advantage in that area, it is the most logical decision to pursue.”

Amare’s expression grew a little anxious as she understood the gravity of the situation and the sheer calamity that would ravage the Panama Continent if they didn’t deal with it correctly.

“What are we going to do?” she asked with a grim tone. “Not even you can stop them from carpet bombing every inch of this continent from space, can you?”

“I wish I could, but no, I’m not quite that strong yet,” Rui’s tone was wistful. “However, we are also acting. Right now, the Esoterist and the Astromind have already moved into the manifold to accelerate their design plans for a Panamic Space Station owned and overseen by the Panamic Alliance. We need an outer space presence. Until then, my father will send your grandmother and Sage Jinryong with healing fruits to protect our satellites along with a legion of other Martial Sages.”

Amare’s expression grew complicated. “Yes, but none of them have any experience fighting in space. They can’t even breathe in space.”

“The latter can be solved with esoterics,” Rui replied lightly. “As for the former…”

He shrugged.

“We will have to develop a new field of Martial Art dedicated to interstellar combat.”

Her eyes widened. “Interstellar Martial Art? Do we need to go that far?”

“It is the future, dear Amare,” he heaved a sigh as he gazed at the sky. “The universe is filled with infinite resources that await claim. According to intelligence from the dark elves, the true world was on the verge of a space race for greater resources. The ambition of a few powerhouse nations caused a space race fever to spread across the six continents. Nations were propelled forward to invest in space because of greed for the resources that awaited them or because of fear that their enemies would get to them.”

“…and that space race must have been interrupted by the Panama Continent,” she realized.

Rui nodded. “Our continent is a literal treasure trove. They struggle to get their hands on esoteric matter either through high-energy experiments in a lab or in outer space, while we have an unfathomable amount of esoteric matter and even more that we have yet to tap into because of its depth within the crust of our continent. So as far as resources go, our continent is more attractive than outer space for the moment.”

“So all their efforts have diverted from space to our continent?”

“Not quite,” Rui shook his head. “As I said, space is their best chance to get their hands on our continent. That means whoever is strongest in space will have the strongest ability to lay claim to our continent. So my father thinks the space race will continue, but with a slightly different objective in mind. But thankfully…”

He directed a knowing look at Amare.

“Space mobilization takes time. Far, far more time than warship or aircraft mobilization. That is why war will not immediately break out and why we can explore the true world for a year, maybe even a few. But the second war breaks out, we will have to return.”

She nodded. “…In that case, I can come with you. Although I was planning to spend some time getting stronger. The fastest rate of growth in my entire life has been traveling the continent with you.”

Her tone was nostalgic as she thought about their days traveling from nation to nation.