The Martial Unity

Of all the things that he could possibly have done against a Martial Sage, Rui didn't expect that he would be directing his bloodlust towards one.

It was an act that had an extremely high mortality rate.

Yet, the deep disgust he felt at even having questioned dedicating himself to Project Water instantly turned into deep rage. Rage against the one who had caused him to question his Martial Path, even if only for a moment.

He wanted to erase the one who caused him to question his Martial Path from existence.

Erase him from history.

Erase the very fact that such a thing had ever even happened.

His bloodlust deepened.

It was palpable, wringing the very air around them taut.

His fury boiled.

It boiled until it no longer could.

In that moment, he had become beholden to it.

At that moment, he snapped.

BADUMP!

His Martial Heart blazed into full power, propelling him forward. It hadn't been his intention, yet he moved without even realizing it. In less than a millisecond, he had already arrived before the Sage. His leg blurred, flashing forward at blinding speeds.

The full weight of Outer Convergence, Fire Breathing, Reverberating Lance, and Adamant Reforging flew forward in a titanic Flowing Canon kick to the head.

WHOOSH!

Rui's eyes widened as he felt all the momentum of his attack disappear as his attack before it could even reach the Martial Sage.

It wasn't a technique.

Rui instinctively understood that much.

It was the very world itself. Almost as though heaven and earth had been bent by his presence so much that it impeded his attack.

It was only then that Rui's conscious awareness caught up to what he had done.

WHOOSH...!

He leaped away, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"I would have let you vent your anger if it appeased you, but…" The Sloth Sage lazily turned towards Rui. "…Lesser beings lack the qualification to touch a Martial Sage. I'm too lazy to do the work for you. Still…"

A glint of interest flashed in his eyes. "…I was not aware that it was possible for a lesser Martial Artist to resist the effects of my Martial Embodiment."

His interest grew deeper.

"This is a feat that only those of the Upper Realms are able to accomplish."

His eyes fixed on Rui. "…You are cut from a different cloth, Rui Quarrier Kandria."

Rui narrowed his eyes, clenching his fist.

His displeasure towards the Martial Sage was palpable.

The Martial Sage heaved a sigh. "I won't lie to you. I intended to interrogate you while you were in a hypnotic state under my Martial Embodiment, but out of respect for your resistance, I will abstain from attempting."

Rui's eyes grew colder. "Interrogation? Hypnotic state?"

The man smiled. "While being a Martial Artist is enough to withstand the Martial Embodiments of Martial Masters, once needs to be of the Upper Realms to withstand the hypnotic effect of Martial Embodiments of Sages like myself."

He gestured to the Monastery of Mysteries. "I don't have any hypnotic techniques and rather bring out my full power to active my Martial Embodiment, I figured it would be better to use the Monastery of Mysteries, which can convert my thoughts into light and sound, which can be used to hypnotize people."

Rui understood why the Martial Sage had invited Rui to the Monastery of Mysteries. The monastery essentially allowed the Martial Sage to use hypnosis within the facility without actually having mastered any hypnotic techniques.

That wasn't what Rui was concerned with, however.

"Why do you want to interrogate me?" Rui growled. "Is this how the Martial Union treats those it seeks to patron and support? Is this how it treats members of the Martial Fiscal Committee?"

A complicated expression appeared on his face. "…Well, I had intended to erase your memories of it. I didn't expect your mind and drive to be collectively powerful enough to resist even the initial hypnosis."

"Why did you want to interrogate me at all?" Rui glared at him, no longer feeling safe in the presence of the Sloth Sage.

"To figure out your true intentions, of course," the Sloth Sage calmly remarked. "I've gone through your whole profile in our database. Did you really think I would buy you, of all people, willingly become Emperor at the cost of your Martial Path without any schemes, plans, strategies, or something in an attempt to have your cake and eat it?"

He tilted his head. "…We aren't incompetent, you know. The Martial Union has been observing you for eighteen years. Short of your father, we know you better than anybody else does."

Rui narrowed his eyes. "…Just to assuage suspicions, the Martial Union decided to hypnotize me against my will?!"

"Nah, that was me alone. I'm too lazy to find out the truth in an ethical but time-consuming manner, you see. So I decided to do it the easy way using hypnosis," the Sloth Sage smiled lazily before a hint of concern flashed in his eyes. "Wait. Don't tell anyone. I'll get my ass whooped if my peers find out. That drunk bitch is always looking for an opportunity to whale on me."

Rui glared at the Martial Sage. "And what if I do? It's not like you can hurt me or kill me without getting into much deeper trouble with the Kandrian government and military. Everybody knows my current location, you know. There are powerful forces that will move when they learn that a Martial Sage of the Union bullied the heir of the Emperor."

The Sloth Sage groaned. "Damned Void Prince. Bullying you would have been much easier three months ago, even if still difficult."

He heaved a sigh. "Alright, tell you what. You tell me your intentions and keep this hypnosis matter a secret, and in return, I'll do you one favor, deal?"

The Sloth Sage shamelessly asked Rui to keep his transgressions a secret, trying to incentivize him with a favor.

Unfortunately for Rui, it was hard to ignore such a deal.

Rui's eyes lit up with interest. "What kind of favor are we talking about?"