The Martial Unity

“Relax, I don’t care for formalities.” Rui gestured for him to return to his seat as he took the one opposite him. “I got here just now, when you were just getting done scolding one of my half-brothers or half-sisters for soliciting your support for the throne war that has already begun brewing in the shadows.”

The minister’s expression grew embarrassed rather than fearful, a reaction Rui found interesting. “I’m sorry you had to see me lose my composure, Your Highness. But that was the seventh solicitation that I’ve received this morning. It’s truly disgraceful. And for the same reason…”

His eyes grew serious.

“…I’m going to have to refuse Your Highness’s solicitation as well.”

His tone was fearless. Like the Royal Secretary, he didn’t give a damn if Rui was the most powerful man on the continent.

Rui raised an eyebrow as a small smile cracked at the edge of his mouth. ’My father was a really good judge of people.’

“I’m not here for your solicitation,” Rui replied calmly. “I have no need for it. At least, not yet. I’m here to demand that you deploy additional personnel to the Royal Funeral Committee handling my father’s funeral.”

“…I see, it’s moving that you want more personnel to handle His Majesty’s honored funeral, but I’m afraid that your request comes at an extremely poor time,” the Minister of Domestic Affairs maintained a respectful tone. “Right now, we’re still counting the dead and commencing the immense rubble clearing that we will need to do. We have personnel deployed to oversee tentative migration plans, to oversee emergency food imports from the Britannian Empire to sustain our evacuated populations still living within evacuation shelters in West Kandria. We’re also dealing with rising crime, and we need personnel to coordinate Martial Artists of the Union and the various agencies and bureaus to hold riots back. My duty as Minister of Domestic Affairs is domestic stability, above all else. I cannot acquiesce to your request.”

Rui was impressed because he remembered dealing with ministers when his father was still in a coma and how corrupt they were. Many of the old ones that his father had instated had retired or passed away by then, and the new ones had been instated in accordance with emergency protocols.

They were much weaker and malleable, and they succumbed to pressure from him even when he was just a Martial Senior.

In comparison, the new Minister of Domestic Affairs did not yield. Rui knew that he could make him falter simply by inspiring tremendous fear within him by flexing his aura, or through hypnosis, or through more unsavory means; he ultimately decided against that.

Once a new regime was put in place, the Kandrian Empire would likely need this man. Instating someone new would mean an acclimatization period, and the current state of the nation was such that they couldn’t afford anything of the sort.

He would much rather earn this man’s respect than fear and contempt.

As a leader, that is. Everybody already had tremendous respect for him as a Martial Artist, but that wasn’t enough for him to truly take responsibility as a leader.

“I can tackle all of the other aforementioned matters,” Rui replied. “I can quell all riots and crime. I can get rid of all the debris. I can identify and save all of the stranded survivors and teleport them to medical facilities. I can even use nature manipulation and the rapid wood expansion technology that we got from the dark elves last year to accelerate construction, but that’s probably too much. I will defer that to the dark elf colony that has been established in the Kandrian Empire.”

The Minister of Domestic Affairs widened his eyes with shock. “…You can do what?”

“Does that truly surprise you?” Rui’s ethereal voice remained calm. “I am the most powerful Martial Artist alive and among the most powerful pathwalkers in all of existence. My power is beyond your comprehension.”

Minister Danes’ expression grew complicated as he studied Rui’s ethereal existence. It was as if only part of his body existed in the material realm, while the rest existed in a higher plane. It took every ounce of discipline that Minister Danes had not to succumb to the sheer splendor and magnificence of the Dawnbringer’s existence.

“If you have that much power, then why don’t you just…” The Minister’s voice trailed off before he shook his head. “No, sorry. I am deeply grateful for your power and your willingness to ease my burdens with it, Your Highness. If you are truly able to do what you say you can, then I will transfer as many personnel to the Royal Funeral Committee as you please.”

Rui smiled. “Thank you. Then, I shall get started immediately. Fulfill your promises immediately.”

WHOOSH

Just like that, Rui was gone.

He appeared high in the skies of the Kandrian Empire as he studied his beloved homeland with a sorrowful expression. The farther extents of the right side of the nation were completely ravaged, turned into a destroyed wasteland of rubble.

From the rest of the nation, he could sense deep anguish, misery, despair, and terror. His mind sense sensed a profound emotional pit of negativity that swirled around, spreading to other people and magnifying and growing with each passing moment.

’I will… fix my mistakes and undo the harm they have spread.’

He understood more than anybody why the Kandrian Empire’s morale had suffered such a tremendous blow, of course. The reality was that the Kandrian Empire had fared, much, much better than the rest of the continent for quite some time now.

During the Era of Darkness, they were perhaps the only nation that didn’t suffer a single civilian casualty. They had deep faith in their Martial Artists and in the Emperor of Harmony that they would be protected.

Even when they were being invaded from the True World shortly after the Unfolding, they had not suffered any damage as Kandria’s defenses held strong.

This was the first time that those defenses had been truly overwhelmed. Two top-ten pathwalkers were too much even for the Kandrian Empire, and the shock of sustaining such heavy damage and destruction to life and property shattered Kandria’s spirit.

He gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist.

“I will raise this nation and its spirits together with my own two hands, if I have to.”

RUMBLE!!!

He activated his Realms of power as heaven and earth themselves beheld his tremendous might.