The Martial Unity

“You…” Kane gazed at him with a stunned expression, one of the many Martial Sages among the guests of honor. “You’re actually serious…!”

He could tell with a single glance that Rui truly meant it this time. He would become the Emperor of the Kandrian Empire, and he would see it through for real this time. There were no tricks, and there was no deceit.

“Your Highness…” Sage Sayfeel grew bewildered at the decision as he recalled the sheer determination with which he had refused the throne after his father had fallen back into a coma after revealing his identity.

He, of all people, couldn’t imagine Rui willing to ascend to the throne.

And yet, when he gazed into the depths of his ethereal eyes and saw the intensity of his conviction, he realized that it was true.

“That is why you chose this moment…” Sage Sayfeel whispered with realization.

He knew that he would not have believed Rui had he learned of this in a simple press conference or in a letter. He would have assumed that this was a ploy and a means to simply temporarily stabilize the nation and the continent while he found some way or the other to avoid the throne.

But with everybody gathered in front of him here, he could communicate beyond just words.

He could communicate using nonverbal communication.

He could even go as far as to deploy a reverse Soul System and amplify his own brainwaves to all Martial Sages in human civilization, allowing them to sense his emotions and convictions in person.

To sense the sheer depth of his determination to become Emperor of the Kandrian Empire.

Just a moment’s beholding of his mind was enough.

It was enough to convince them that this was the truth.

And yet, they weren’t necessarily happy.

Indeed, most Martial Sages were deeply deferent and even reverent of Rui. He had led them in battle for a good portion of the decade they had spent in the Central Highlands in the Beast Domain. He had led them to victory against the Eldritch Chimera and led them to a new era.

On top of that, the Martial World was innately martialocratic. The newfound power that allowed him to defeat a genius Martial Sage wielding a MECHA of hybrid technology and two top-ten powerhouses was one that earned the awe of each of them.

And yet, they were unhappy, for it crushed their designs and plans for the throne.

The modern throne war had spoiled them for choice with many viable princes and princesses they could support compared to the previous one. Each of them had found a prince or princess who had an agenda or ideology that largely lined up with their interests.

Now, in the face of Rui’s declaration for the throne, they had all but lost any hope of seeing those plans through.

There were those who were overjoyed, as well. Many of the Martial Sages of the Kandrian Empire, of the Virodhabhasa Theocracy, and the Martial Sages of Prince Raijun’s faction, who supported Martial Supremacy and martialocracy, were also overjoyed at this declaration. Compared to the Dawnbringer himself, the Martial Prince was nothing but an insect, if not even less than an insect.

He was as significant as a bacterium before the sheer power of Rui Quarrier.

The Martial Prince was no fool.

Prince Raijun’s expression contorted with anger and frustration as he glared at Rui with an expression of hatred. “You… you dare! You dare steal the throne from me a second time?!”

The despair he had experienced in the previous throne war was perhaps the greatest compared to all of his rivals. For a period, he had been locked as the favorite to win the Kandrian Throne War, having broken through to the Squire Realm thanks to Rui’s help.

Then, the revelations of Rui’s true identity as a royal prince shattered his entire world. He was defeated soundly with the outcome of the battle between Rui and the Gatekeeper.

What was even more frustrating was when he learned the truth of what had happened. How Rui had forsaken the throne and healed his father in a great deceit of the entire nation and continent.

He glared at Rui with deep hatred, standing up. “Who do you think you ar—”

“Who do you think you are?”

The cold voice of the Reverend of Reckoning cleaved through the voice of the Martial Prince. Chills crawled across the skin of the Martial Prince as he slowly turned around to gaze at the greatest supporter of his faction.

The powerful Transcendent Candidate glared at the hapless Martial Senior with fierce anger.

“How dare you insult the greatest Martial Artist of our civilization? Do you truly believe in the ideals of martialocracy and martial supremacy as you disregard its greatest tenets?”

“N-No, I just—”

“Then shut up and sit down.”

The sheer pressure from a Transcendent Candidate was far too much for a Martial Senior to bear.

Prince Raijun’s eyes simply rolled up as his body went limp, causing him to fall unconscious.

THUD

He collapsed to the ground.

Rui glanced at him with disinterest for just the faintest of seconds before returning to the guests of honor in the royal funeral hall.

The air had grown tense as they struggled to process Rui’s announcement. Their expressions varied from delight to downright despair. He had deliberately allowed his words to stand in the air for a minute to let them get over the initial shock of his announcements, studying their reactions.

The non-Martial stakeholders were simply uncertain.

Even if they somehow overcame their skepticism of his sincerity thanks to his nonverbal communication tricks, they simply could not fathom what this meant for the future of Panamic Civilization. Rui had not hinted at what his vision was, at least, not yet.

He was fine with that. Once he told them his vision, he knew that all non-Martial stakeholders would become his most loyal fans.

In contrast, the Martial Sages were either happy or resigned. Those who were happy were those who supported him for various reasons, while those who were resigned were simply those who knew he could not be defied.

It was one thing if Rui chose to endorse another prince; they could still fight against that, even if it was hopeless. But if he himself chose to ascend the throne, then they could only resign themselves to his will, just as Rui had hoped. He only hoped that they would keep that energy once he revealed his vision.

Then, his attention shifted to the high-ranking government officials.

They were almost unilaterally displeased, even if they did their damndest to hide it.

He didn’t blame them, of course.

They knew, more than anybody else perhaps, that Rui’s unreasonableness had led to the death of the Emperor of Harmony, having been deeply involved with the war fronts that brewed outside Kandria for more than a year during the True World War.

The fact that he just disappeared for that long made them pull at their hair and slam the table on more than one occasion. It didn’t change that he was the most powerful man in the world and that it would be unreasonable for them to choose anybody else in these circumstances. It didn’t even change their respect for him as a warrior, Martial Artist, and savior of human civilization.

But for the matter of the throne, they only had disdain.

The only exception was the Minister of Domestic Affairs, Minister Danes.

A young man, comparatively speaking, in his late twenties who studied Rui with a serious expression a hint of approval. He had borne witness to Rui’s dedication to the nation when he himself got to the ground and started working to help the common people and the nation.

He also happened to be the least surprised by Rui’s announcement.

Rui simply smiled at him momentarily before turning to study the reactions from his half-siblings.