The Martial Unity

“You mean… Amare?” Fae murmured with an uncertain tone. “She is extraordinary, maybe even more so than Rui. I only saw her once at the Esocline Federation, and she was like a goddess in human form.”

“As long as one of them hits Transcendence, I’m good,” Kane shrugged. “We need to keep doing our part until then and even after then.”

Fae’s expression grew tense. “…I truly hope war does not break out.”

“It’s inevitable unless something changes the equation,” Kane remarked. “I don’t think there’s anything that can change the fact that the Evolutionary Army and the tekvores are going to try to kill us and take our continent from them. I just have put my faith in our Martial Artists, our weapons systems, and the Kandrian Royal Family.”

The Emperor of Harmony and Rui were at least fifty percent of the reason that many people were confident of winning the war. The Emperor of Harmony had proven his genius in strategy many times. Even in war, his title did not mean that he wasn’t capable of performing in times of conflict, having successfully won wars that would have been utterly impossible to win by anybody’s estimation.

If the Emperor of Harmony could allow the Kandrian Empire to win a war against the other three powerhouses of East Panama, then he could allow human civilization to win against the hostile forces of the true world.

“I’m hoping that Rui can do something to prevent the outbreak of war by killing the problem before it blows up in our faces, but I think that might be asking too much of even him of all people,” Kane murmured. “There are limits to what even he can do. When the time comes, I will have to fight to protect the world that my son will grow up in.”

“I will fight too.”

“No.” Kane shook his head. “You will need to stay with our son. If he loses both his parents, that will be much worse. As a Martial Sage, I cannot possibly not partake in a battle for the truth of human civilization.”

He gazed at his hands with a serious expression. “I’m stronger now that I truly have something to protect.”

His Martial Drive had grown stronger since becoming a father, strangely enough. Had they been living in an era of peace, then Kane would undoubtedly put his blades down and simply build a larger family, but now that there were existential threats to human civilization that exceeded even the Beast Incursion, he gained a burning desire to grow stronger and gain more power. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꜰire.net

It was a drive that was even more powerful than his old drive of wanting to keep up with Rui to escape the Arrancar Family. His son motivated him to go all out and gain every ounce of power he could to keep up with his training.

He didn’t expect to become more Martial after getting a son, although he hadn’t pushed himself very hard after his son was born. For the moment, his son needed his presence more than he needed his power. That didn’t mean that Kane was willing to simply sit still for the time being, of course.

He knew that there were powerful pathwalkers out there who were even stronger than he was. He hadn’t expected to feel insignificant as a Martial Sage, but the world had truly changed too much, growing much stronger.

The number of Martial Sages also continued rising at such a tremendous rate that becoming a Martial Sage didn’t have the same meaning it used to have back in the day.

In the Kandrian Empire, in particular, there were far too many Martial Sages. Once upon a time, there had only been fifteen; now there was well over double that, and Kane wasn’t even particularly special among them in terms of his power.

Fae wasn’t fond of the idea of allowing her husband to fight by himself without her, but she understood that her contribution on the battlefield was far lower than his. Their son was important enough to both of them that it was worth it for at least one of them to stay with him if the war accelerated or escalated.

“…I should have spent more time training,” she muttered. “There was no point in becoming the leader of my family. I’ll have to start trying for the Sage Realm.”

“The Sage Realm isn’t just about growing stronger,” Kane warned. “You need to develop a profoundly deep understanding of yourself if you want to become a Martial Sage. It’s not easy, and it usually takes a long time. Rui managed to accelerate it with his shenanigans, but everybody else will need to do it the hard way.”

She nodded. “Our son will be much safer once I become a Martial Sage.”

It was the kind thought that many Martial Artists had had about their families. In the minds of most people, the Beast Incursion was still a very recent event, one that had scarred humanity both geographically and psychologically. People had hoped for true peace after it ended, but now they were being confronted by a new war with the true world that they had now become exposed to in recent times.

Opponents more dangerous than even the beast tides that swept through the continent. The realization had caused the air to grow tense once more, even if people enjoyed the relief that the end of the Beast Incursion and the rebuilding phase had brought with it.

With each passing day, the war drew closer, affecting each and every single person in the world.

He pulled Fae in closer, kissing her as they gazed at baby Runark with love and affection.

Almost as if sensing the intensity of their emotions, baby Runark woke up, opening his vibrant green eyes as he began waving his little arms and legs in his cradle vigorously as he smiled at the two of them, earning him their cooing and affection.