The Martial Unity

Chapter 3811: A Beckon to Civilization

Most of them had completely given up, simply sitting listlessly with their head hanging down in front of them or resting on their chair, staring at the night sky hopelessly.

There was the unconscious idiot that Rui didn’t even bother registering.

There was Princess Ranea, who maintained her calm and composure, even if her eyes were hazy with thoughts.

Then, there were those princes and princesses who hadn’t lost their fight.

They sat together in a group at the very center of the rows of princes and princesses.

They were part of the anti-Rui alliance.

Surprisingly enough, their spirits had not been crushed by his damning announcement to the world.

Not because they believed in themselves, but because...

His gaze shifted to the young lady at the very center of them all with a knowing expression.

’They’re being held together by her.’

His ethereal eyes bore deep into the depths of her golden eyes as he studied the princess who had earned his curiosity and interest the most.

’I can’t read her mind for some reason.’

He sensed an impediment similar to what the Divine Doctor, the Beggar Sage, and the Psycher used to keep Rui out of their minds. Which likely meant that she had managed to earn one of their support; most likely the Beggar Sage, if he had to guess from how his relationship with the old beggar had broken off.

However, her body language was relaxed. He couldn’t sense a single taut muscle in her body aside from those holding her head and body up. She simply gazed at him with a soft, harmonious smile and a knowing gaze.

He turned to study the powerful bloc behind the princess, finding many familiar faces and faces he respected.

Including the conflicted expression of Prime Minister Edward, who gazed at Rui with a deep, yet uncharacteristic expression of uncertainty.

The fact that she had managed to earn the support of the only man who could ever give their father a run for his money spoke volumes about her competence and her vision.

It seems their father had indeed chosen her as an heir for a good reason.

’In other circumstances, I might have chosen to endorse her.’

For instance, if their father had abdicated the throne willingly to transfer his base of power to her, then Rui would not have been inclined to take the throne, for such an event would not have threatened to create a political storm that engulfed the entire continent and civilization. He wouldn’t have minded continuing down his path and simply supporting his half-sister.

But that was not what happened.

The truth was that the political storm and the void of power caused by the untimely passing of his father in an already tense and unstable era was not something that she could quell by ascending the throne. Even if she had his formal endorsement, it would be far too excessive.

Even if she somehow was cut from the same cloth as their father, he had four centuries of a foundation and base of power in Panamic Civilization that he had monopolized. She would not be able to capture it in a matter of months or even years when it had taken their father centuries.

She would not be able to stop the destructive political storm that their father’s death had caused. Only Rui had the power to do that, and only when he deployed all of it in a manner that compelled people to believe that he was here to stay.

He heaved a deep breath, returning his attention to the entire hall. The murmurs, the heated debates, the engrossed thoughts and considerations, and the emotions that hung in the air increasingly began growing out of control.

”That’s enough.”

RUMBLE

The world shook as Rui activated his Realms of Power.

His body began shining brightly, even as he held back to prevent blinding the humans.

A gentle ocean of water emerged from the depths of his very existence, spreading to the crowd as it softly brushed by them, drawing their attention to the unfathomable might he possessed.

It was a deeply comforting and hypnotizing sensation.

”I am not done.”

His powerful ethereal voice hung in the air.

”My vision for the nation is that of a regime that turns my power into the power of the nation and the power of the people,” he spoke with a solemn tone. ”One where my capacity for adaptive evolution becomes that of the nation. I am the strongest Martial Artist in the modern era, thanks to my adaptive evolution and my water. Thus, a nation that embodies my Martial Path will also follow suit and become the most prosperous and powerful nation in the entire world!”

His words stunned each and every single person who heard them.

A regime of adaptive evolution?

Nobody had ever heard of such a political regime.

”My words are not empty boasting of a man who understands nothing about the ways of civilizations and states,” Rui assured them. ”The truth of my words and vision for the future is borne out by the memories of her past. We live in a world of change. A world that continuously changes, sometimes with each passing day. That has always been the truth of this world, even during the Age of Martial Art, with the many shocking changes brought out by each new Realm and Revolution. But...”

His eyes sharpened.

”...This truth has grown even more apparent since the end of the Age of Martial Art.”

Those words hung in the air as the expressions of those who listened to him grew grim. It was hard to deny how much the world had changed, no matter how they felt about Rui ascending the throne.

”The Beast Incursion, the expansion of the Beast Domain, the Unfolding, the invasion of the true world, the Race to Space...” He continued listing off epochs that brought about massive changes to the world. ”The death of the Dragon Emperor and emergence of negatron matter happened within days of each other, each marking a massive change in the world as we know it, giving birth to the True World War and now...”

His expression hardened. ”...the death of my father. The death of the Emperor of Harmony and the consequences it has had on our civilization.”

His words weighed on each and every single soul who listened to them.

”Change is absolute.”

He declared with a deeply solemn voice.

”Change cannot be stopped.”

His tone was severe.

”It cannot be resisted.”

His ethereal eyes grew intense.

”It can only be accepted, embraced, and harnessed.”

He raised a hand, beckoning not just the leaders of the nation and the continent seated before him in the royal funeral hall, but the entire continent.

”Join me in an era of change, citizens of Kandria and citizens of this civilization.”