The Martial Unity

CLACK

The door closed behind Rui after he exited the throne hall.

He beheld the outside world in a daze.

He wasn't even sure what to do.

"Rui."

Master Ceeran's voice broke him out of his reverie as he descended from the sky, standing before Rui at the closed entrance to the Kandrian Throne Hall.

"…Master Ceeran," Rui smiled at him, tired. "…You didn't need to wait for me."

"I chose to," Master Ceeran smiled back, patting him on the shoulder.

They walked down and away from the throne hall silently. Neither of them addressed the enormous elephant in the room.

Master Ceeran tactfully avoided bringing it up immediately.

"Man…" Rui heaved a sigh. "Today had been a crazy day."

"Indeed," Master Ceeran replied, nodding. "Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what happened actually happening…"

"…What is the Martial Union's reaction?" Rui asked warily.

Although he had yet to sort his thoughts and emotions from the information dump that he had been smacked in the face with, it was still a good job to understand the ramifications of the Emperor's decision. He could not avoid them after all. The sooner he gained a measure for them, the sooner he would be able to make a decision.

"…Do you really need to ask?" Master Ceeran's voice betrayed a hint of excitement.

Rui smiled wryly. "You're right. It was a stupid question."

There was absolutely not even the slightest shred of a doubt in his mind that the Martial Union as a whole was extraordinarily shocked and even more overjoyed at the revelation of Rui's royal bloodship.

While the reactions and favorability of this revelation were undoubtedly not uniform within the Martial Union, and there certainly were bound to be some elements of the powerful organization that weren't entirely pleased by this outcome, there was no doubt that an overwhelming majority of the Martial Sects and factions within the Martial Union.

He was already their platinum boy, and now he had the power to ascend the throne and become Emperor of Kandria.

He was what Prince Raijun went to sleep dreaming of.

"The Martial Union has already taken the liberty of emergency protecting your family," Master Ceeran remarked. "Several Masters have volunteered to stand guard on a temporary basis, secretly, of course. The Martial Union acknowledges the importance you place in not disrupting their lives."

"…Who are the Masters that have volunteered?"

"As of right now, it's Master Zentra and Master Vericita," Master Ceeran said. "Along with Master Krakule, who had previously stationed himself close by quite some time ago, as you know. The three of them are extremely strong; thus, you can rest assured that harm will not befall your family."

Rui smiled, tired. "I am grateful to all of them. I must thank them in person."

"That's not all," Master Ceeran remarked, growing even more excited. "The Martial Union has just summoned an emergency meeting recalling as many Martial Masters back to the Vargard headquarters. I have heard that even some Martial Sages might be partaking in the emergency briefing meeting."

"…Oh boy," Rui whispered.

"It's not just the Martial Union that is shaken," Master Ceeran remarked. "All of the upper echelons of Kandria are shaken. Each of the power blocs of our Empire is having their own emergency meetings to discuss the shocking revelations that His Majesty the Royal Emperor has chosen to disclose."

Rui was not surprised. The appearance of a new major bidder for the throne that had earned the Emperor's approval and heirship was an enormous deal for the future of Kandria.

Not a single stakeholder nor a single power or force within the Kandrian Empire was unaffected. He had no doubt that these rich, powerful, influential, and even authoritative figures were scrambling to get a hold of the situation and make the best of it.

"And that's still not all…"

"Of course not," Rui groaned.

"Based on what I have been informed of, the news has already spread to the international and foreign stakeholders of Kandria with vested interests in the outcome of the Kandrian Throne War," Master Ceeran remarked. "A variety of spokespersons, delegates, ambassadors, consulates, and rulers have issued statements to the recent revelation."

Rui felt an enormous headache coming up.

"A number of news distribution services have contacted the Martial Union in hopes of getting statements from you," Master Ceeran remarked. "The revelation is slowly starting to spread to the common public; after all, you have been added to the official public record of the Royal Family Tree as Prince Rui Quarrier Kandria, the Final Prince."

At that moment, Rui just hoped the ground would open up and swallow him whole forever.

"An unexpected announcement of celebration from a Transcendent-level powerhouse nation was also issued just a short while ago," Master Ceeran remarked. "The Virodhabhasa Theocracy pledges its support to the seventy-fourth victor of the Virodha Martial Contest, Prince Rui Quarrier Kandria."

"Damn, they found me!" Rui cursed.

"You could not have expected them not to, not by now," Master Ceeran shook his head. "They are not incompetent and have an excellent intelligence network. They have learned of your identity shortly after you returned to the Kandrian Empire and gained international fame amongst the connected international community as the youngest Martial Senior in history."

"…Sigh," Rui shook his head.

"The entirety of East Panama is watching, Your Highness," Master Ceeran patted him on the back.

"Don't call me that," Rui bitterly reprimanded him.

Master Ceeran smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder, before gazing forward. "I cannot imagine what you are going through. It is not my place to tell you what to do, and it is certainly not my intention. All I can do is promise to help you in any way I can. That is all."

"…Thanks."

Rui heaved a sigh as he resolved himself.

This was his new reality.

There was no point in trying to run away from it. It was better to face it head-on and forge a path forward.

"Let's go," Rui narrowed his eyes.