The Martial Unity

Each and every single person gazed at Rui with a deep sense of anticipation and expectation. The darkness of dusk seemed to come alive as a faint sense of tension and angst hung in the air. A deafening silence hung in the air.

Not a single person made a sound as their attention converged on Rui Quarrier. He heaved a deep breath, directing a sweeping gaze across the entire funeral hall with a knowing gaze.

“All of you have been patient.”

It was an odd remark to start his post-ceremony announcement.

“I’m sure that each and every single one of you has wondered why I went out of my way to invite you to this ceremony,” Rui remarked. “Indeed, my father was the greatest among the greatest, but even then, it was an extravagant and excessively ostentatious guest list in a time where each of you is busy with the present and the future in an uncertain and unstable era.”

“Many of you have had your guesses, undoubtedly,” he continued with a knowing tone. “About the reason that I have called all of you here. I’m sure that all of you have had your speculations and your analyses. You must have easily known that this is connected to the consequences of the recent tragedies that have struck the Kandrian Empire, the vacancy of power that it has created, and the throne war that is on the very verge of ensuing in full power.”

The air grew a little more electric as Rui openly talked about matters that were still not spoken about very publicly at the moment.

“You are all correct.”

His words hung in the air, tingling with tension.

“What I am about to announce to the entire world is in light of the vacancy of power and the destructive political storm that is about to swallow the Kandrian Empire and the Panama Continent,” he continued with a serious tone. “The one and only way to crush this maelstrom of chaos before it can grow any further. The one and only way to stabilize our civilization before the vacancy of power created by the passing of my father drowns in civil strife.”

His ethereal eyes grew steely with determination.

The moment had arrived.

“I will ascend the throne.”

His words caused a ripple of reactions that spread across the gathered guests of honor. Their expressions, previously calm with perfect composure, crumbled into one of shock. Their eyes widened as their body jerked in a double-take.

“I will become Emperor.”

They stared at Rui with an expression of unfathomable shock, as if they had just heard him declare that he was an alien from outer space.

Their reactions couldn’t be helped.

The prince who avoided the throne, who avoided politics, who avoided responsibility like he was allergic to them, had just declared his bid for the throne. No, with his power and status within human civilization, he may as well have been coronating himself then and there.

“I will become the third Emperor of the Kandrian Empire and fill the tremendous void of power that my father’s death has left behind,” Rui declared with a tone of determination. “I am the only man on this continent with the power to create a seamless transition. I am the only one who can stabilize our continent and civilization in what might be the most unstable period since the inception of the Beast Incursion.”

The press, which had been almost threatened with death to remain silent during the entire ceremony, lost their composure as the journalists and the camera crews began furiously clicking and flashing images in a disruptive manner, uncaring for the rules that they had been told to follow.

This was arguably the most important political development since the creation of the Panamic Alliance!

Even if they had to be fined and imprisoned, it was worth if they could be known as the people who recorded this historic moment and delivered it to the world!

“I know this must come as a shock and a slap in the face,” Rui remarked with a heavy tone and a solemn expression. “I know that this might seem hard to believe. The truth of what happened in the previous Kandrian Throne War is already common knowledge among the upper class of human civilization. I deceived the world by announcing my bid for the throne, only to personally endeavor to find the Divine Doctor to heal my father. It was a deep violation of the trust that my patrons put in me, and foreign stakeholders, many of whom are in this room, have not been compensated.”

Several elderly men and women dressed in immaculate formal attire, each an important leader, CEO, and president of prominent corporations and organizations, shifted in their seats with a grim expression.

They had been among the people who had supported the Void Prince in the previous throne war and had been completely bamboozled and defrauded. At the time of the throne war, they had simply resigned themselves to the healing of the Emperor of Harmony. When they had learned the truth many years later, more than enough time had passed, causing old regrets to have faded.

The Void Prince and the Emperor of Harmony had indirectly contributed to them by preserving the fabric of human civilization during the Beast Incursion, so they had decided to let bygones be bygones.

And now, a quarter of a century since the first throne war, they found themselves standing before the same man who had defrauded them the first time, making the same announcement to them.

For all of his greatness, it was not easy for them to overlook the past.

One did not reach the top of their sector or industry by being soft and forgiving.

“That is why I have taken the opportunity to announce this to all of you when the entire continent has its eyes on me,” Rui declared with a powerful, ethereal voice, gesturing to the press that was spread across the entirety of the perimeter of the enormous royal funeral hall. “The media gathered here represents not only that of all of Panamic Civilization, but also that of international states and civilizations. I dare to make this announcement right here and right now when the entire world has its attention on me precisely because my determination to ascend the throne is absolute!”