The Martial Unity

Chapter 2561: Departure



"Once again, Prince Rui," Queen Carme began. "On behalf of the entirety of the Kingdom of Ucrea, we thank you for everything that you've done for us. Will you... be visiting us again?"

She had far too much control in her voice to let anything slip in, but Rui sensed more nonetheless.

"Most likely not," he replied. "The Human Domain is absolutely enormous and it needs me. I will be far too busy with far too many commitments to return, especially without cause."

She hid her sense of disappointment well. "I understand. The fate of human civilization rests on you and the Esoterist. We wish you the best of luck in your voyage across humankind. I want you to know that the Kingdom of Ucrea will forever be grateful to you. Do not hesitate to return should you ever require anything of us. We will welcome you with... open arms."

A smile cracked at the edge of Rui's mouth. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you for your hospitality. Goodbye and good luck with the beast tides."

He waved them goodbye informally before immediately setting out for his next destination. It had been some time since he left the Kandrian Empire and it wouldn't be too long until he reached the Sekigahara Confederate. Normally, it would have taken him less than two weeks on foot to reach the Sekigahara Confederate at a comfortable pace. But that had been greatly slowed down with the presence of beasts and monsters and the esoterification of the Human Domain.

It required him to exert his Martial Heart very frequently and even his Martial Mind occasionally, which in turn required him to stop to rest along the way. Most of his chosen rest spots were either Master-level powerhouses or Sage-level nations. There was no point in stopping anywhere else weaker because the impact that he could make was minimal.

After bolstering the more powerful nations, they would be able to undertake pressure for longer, which in turn freed weaker nations. Thus, even though it appeared he was favoring the stronger nations, he was actually helping all human beings indirectly.

"As long as the Master and Sage-level nations fare well, all of human civilization fares well."

This motto simplified his goal. He could not afford to visit every single human polity; he needed to choose his destinations carefully.

And the results were visible rather quickly.

As Rui traveled North to the Sekigahara Confederate, the North-East side of the Panama Continent started faring better and better against the incoming beast tides. Fewer nations fell and the number of Martial Artists dying also fell. The Martial Artist to beast ratio increased significantly as Rui spread breakthroughs everywhere he went.

This had measurable effects on not just the strategic outlook but also the morale of the places that he visited. While the Beast Incursion had not gone anywhere, Martial Artists had gained the power to rise up and withstand the pressure that human civilization had come to bear.

This morale extended past merely the citizens of the blessed nations, but also among the leaders of human civilization. Not a single one of them had missed the fact that the Dawnbringer had commenced his voyage across human civilization. As he was one of the two pillars of the solution to the apocalypse of the Beast Incursion, they paid an extremely high amount of attention to the impact that the Dawnbringer had on the nations visited, courtesy of the Beggar's Sect.

And the results inspired hope.

Whichever nation that the voyaging Master blessed grew more powerful than it ever could have under ordinary circumstances.

Each Master grew multiple times more effective in their ability to resist the Beast Incursion, but the total number of Martial Artists had also increased.

In turn, each nation became an absolute fortress that was able to withstand the beast tides with absolute resistance.

This only increased the value of the Dawnbringer in the eyes of many nations around the world. He came to be regarded as a symbol of good luck. An auspicious symbol of growth. A beacon of Salvation.

His impact on humanity was single-handedly undoing the stigma of his black hair and eyes that had begun due to the leader of the Gu, Sage Asmodeus. It turned out not all people with this trait had a negative impact on the world. Not all of these beings were forces of darkness that spread suffering and misery.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

And yet, despite that, there were those who simply could not bring themselves to regard him in a positive light.

"He comes..." a clan leader of the Sekigahara Confederate whispered. "Our greatest enemy and, now, our savior."

The Sekigaharan clan leaders gritted their teeth in humiliation and frustration.

Before the war, they were among the most feared Sage-level powerhouses due to their maniacal warmongering aggression. And then, their battle against the Kandrian Empire ended in a calamity that ravaged their Master count, rendering them weak at the Master-level in a devastating and frankly embarrassing loss.

Not only that, but the Kandrian Empire had fared extremely well in a war against them and two other Sage-level powerhouses, coming out looking victorious by the time the Beast Incursion had commenced.

They were still very much a Sage-level powerhouse with powerful Sages and a peak Sage. However, their prestige had fallen significantly and it had reflected even in the Human Summit where they had simply been unable to command the kind of respect that they used to.

That was humiliating.

But now, they had to welcome the Dawnbringer as an honored guest?

They had to treat him as a hero?

This was truly a difficult pill to swallow. Yet, the clan leaders were not insane enough to not swallow it.

The fact of the matter was that they desperately needed his help. The absence of Martial Masters meant that their Sages needed to exert themselves even more to compensate for the absence of Masters.

Of course, their Sages were more than powerful enough to do so, but it was indeed an additional burden.

One that they wouldn't be able to handle if they were deployed to the Central Highlands of the Beast Domain.