The Martial Unity

His words were painful to her.

Painfully tempting.

She almost wanted to abandon her dignity as a Martial Sage and beg him to heal her. Yet, her discipline as a military woman held strong as she closed her eyes, regaining her composure.

"What do you want?" she asked.

She was not naive.

She understood how the world worked.

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

Rui smiled.

She had already taken his words to be the truth.

Ordinarily, a more prudent person would have demanded proof for his claims. He had even secured some proof on his person if it came to that.

However, he had known that he probably didn't need it because of a simple fact.

She was desperate.

Desperate people could convince themselves of just about anything if their desperation was strong enough. It was fortunate for her that he was indeed being sincere, which she could sense.

"I want your loyalty," Rui remarked with an unyielding tone. "Or rather, the Emperor of Harmony wants your loyalty. Leave the Panamic Martial Federation, join the Kandrian Empire and the Kandrian Royal Army, and swear loyalty to the Kandrian throne. Do that, and you shall regain control over the massive power that lies sealed within the depths of your being."

She didn't look too surprised.

Considering the sheer magnitude of the boon that Rui came all the way here to offer her, there was nothing else that he would possibly demand of her.

Yet, strangely enough, she did not find the proposition unappealing.

As a Martial Sage, she was accustomed to serving those whom she swore loyalty to. She had done so for her native home her entire life until she was afflicted with a horrific disease that effectively rendered her a civilian.

In comparison to the miserable state she was in, serving the Kandrian Empire and the Emperor of Harmony was hardly a bad proposition. Ideally, she would have gotten to choose whom she swore her loyalty to. Someone that she deemed to be truly worthy of her undying loyalty.

In comparison to the miserable state she was in, serving the Kandrian Empire and the Emperor of Harmony was hardly a bad proposition. Ideally, she would have gotten to choose whom she swore her loyalty to. Someone that she deemed to be truly worthy of her undying loyalty.

But alas, beggars couldn't be choosers.

However, even considering that, she probably couldn't have been confronted with a better option.

If there was any ruler that was worthy of anybody's loyalty, it would be the Emperor of Harmony. He was widely regarded as the greatest ruler in modern history in the Age of Martial Art, raising a Sage-level powerhouse with the sheer caliber of his rule.

Even if he wasn't, the fact that she was able to regain her power was in and of itself far too juicy an offering to refuse.

"I accept your offer, Master Rui," she replied with a tone of finality.

Rui heaved a sigh of relief. "Good to hea—"

"But," she cut him off, "I cannot break my oath as the High Judge of the eastern headquarters of the Panamic Martial Federation."

Rui's eyes widened as he understood what she meant.

"You will face the full weight of the consequences of your actions," she told him with hard conviction. "If that is something that you are unable to accept, then I'm afraid we do not have an agreement. However, you will face the penalty that you deserve for your egregious violations of the law of the Panamic Martial Federation."

His eyes narrowed with severity.

He did not expect her to be so staunchly principled, to the point of potentially throwing away a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, he could see from the pain in her voice that she truly would be hurt if she was unable to gain her heart's desire.

He didn't even bother trying to convince her. He could see that she was unwilling to budge.

Perhaps this was why his father sought her loyalty. Once he obtained it, he was extremely certain that he would never lose it.

"Your staunch principles have exceeded my expectations, Your Sagehood." Rui heaved a sigh. "Oh well, I accept that caveat. I will take what is to come."

He didn't want to bother fretting about something that he couldn't control. However, he was deeply displeased by this turn of events.

He was sure that whatever sentence he would be given would be brutal and would be used as blackmail to extract the solution for mass Martial Apprentice breakthroughs from him as a result. Of course, he had no intention of giving in. Which meant that there was no way that he could do anything about the sentence.

Regardless, he saved these matters for after he got the sentence. He just hoped he got sentenced to something like Martial labor rather than just imprisonment.

He would definitely break out of prison and become a rogue if he got imprisoned instead of letting his potential rot.

"…You have my gratitude." She smiled for the first time since he met her. "Do we have an agreement?"

"Yes, we do," Rui replied with a glum expression.

"Very well then." She tried to hide the flood of joy that filled her numb and cold heart. "Undo the misdirection and cease this non-verbal communication."

Rui deactivated his Realms of power before undoing the misdirection he had put on the other Martial Masters.

Soon enough of everything returned to normal.

"Master Rui Quarrier Silas Kandria," she began, "I have gone through all the indictments filed by the law enforcement department, as well as the evidence submitted by the investigative department, and, of course, your testimony. You have pleaded guilty to all four indictments, and, thus, I judge you guilty of first-degree murder, mass manslaughter, destruction of property, and unauthorized use of a forbidden technique. I have come to a decision in regard to your sentence."

She paused for a moment, inhaling deeply.

The air boiled tumultuously.

Rui held his breath as he waited for her decision.

"Master Rui Quarrier Silas Kandria, I hereby sentence you to exile from the Panamic Martial Federation," she declared. "From this day forth, you are banished from the Panamic Martial Federation. You may never set foot on territory owned by the Federation or make use of its resources. You may not engage in Martial trade with our constituents of which you aren't already a part of. You will be liable for violation of laws but will not be protected from them and will no longer be able to impact them while required to adhere to them." -

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