The Martial Unity

"Senior Frinjschia..." Rui smiled with a puzzled expression. "...You seem in a hurry."

"Listen to me, young man." She whispered. "You need to leave this place. You have drawn too much attention. There are powerful forces beyond your comprehension that have taken interest in you."

Rui narrowed his eyes. "...What?"

This was not how he pictured their reunion.

"I'm saying this for your sake." She narrowed her elder eyes. "After our match, I-"

She froze.

Rui narrowed her eyes.

They both experienced a wave of targeted pressure in their direction.

Senior Frinjschia glanced in a direction over Rui's shoulder. When he followed her gaze, he found the source of pressure.He spotted Senior Priest Deril warning her with his gaze and aura.

"...I can't say anymore. I am deeply indebted to you so please, just heed my advice and don't remain in this place for much longer. If I were you, I would accept the offers made by one of the powerful organizations that are soliciting you at this banquet. Pick a powerful sage-level organization or nation. Goodbye. May we meet again."

Rui's eyes sharpened even further as his danger instinct spiked.

Why would he need to pick a Sage-level nation as opposed to a Master-level nation?

The answer was obvious, especially to Rui.

Just this knowledge was enough to terrify him.

Yet he managed to retain his composure. The series of events that had unfolded after he won meant that nothing was going to happen while he was riding his glory and attention as arguably the greatest Virodha Champion.

If anything dared to happen to the honored Virodha Champion who was supposed to be wholeheartedly supported and uplifted by the Virodhabhasa Faith, then the credibility of the entire religious state would take a heavy blow.

Martial Artists would heavily reconsider participating in the contest ever again. If an honored champion was not safe, then they had no business putting so much faith in the Theocracy's measures.

'That's not going to last for long. Trying to forcefully convert me before or during the banquet is definitely political suicide.' Rui narrowed his eyes. 'However, the more time I spend here, the greater the likelihood that something will change. I need to leave. I have spent enough time here, I have humored enough people and shown enough deference.'

He glanced at Master Deivon who immediately noticed his gaze. A single glance conveyed everything that he wanted to. The two exchanged a brief nod before heading out and into a special carriage that belonged to Master Deivon.

"It seems you're done." Master Deivon remarked once they both got into the carriage.

"Yeah, I don't want to stick around." Rui sighed. "Even if I am the celebrated champion, this place has become too dangerous."

"Mmm, prudent," Master Deivon nodded. "I'm getting an ominous feeling as well. It's a shame you'll have to forsake all this power."

"Political power is a means to an end. Nothing more," Rui shook his head. "I have no need for it now. I came here for medical treatment and stayed for an opportunity to break through. Now that I am done, I want to head back to the Kaddar Region."

Rui didn't feel even the slightest shred of regret for abandoning the power bestowed upon the Virodha Champion. It was said that the Virodha Champions gained enough political power from the state to take over an entire nation, even if a small one.

'Besides, once I get strong enough to secure my own safety, I can return and use it if need be,' Rui had a lot of patience when it came to these matters.

Master Deivon nodded. "I have prepared an extensively obscured route and means to the Kaddar Region to ensure that it will be almost impossible to track you after the fact. I will also keep my senses to their limit to make sure that we are not being trailed."

Rui nodded. "That is quite reassuring."

A Martial Master's senses were extremely powerful. Only a Martial Sage or a stealth-oriented Martial Master could evade his senses. And the probability that either one of those would was astronomically low.

The carriage began accelerating at top speed as it left the town, the region, and eventually the nation. It moved at extraordinary speeds, so much so that even Rui would be unable to hold a candle to it on foot.

It was only after an hour into the journey that Master Deivon felt safe enough to strike up a conversation.

And even then, he was discreet.

"Your true identity was a shocker to me," Master Deivon remarked, careful not to say his name. "I didn't do any direct research since it was too dangerous, but what I discreetly uncovered by doing research on related topics was rather shocking."

Rui smiled wryly, taking off his mask. "It isn't all that special."

"Not to you, perhaps," Master Deivon remarked. "But by any reasonable standard, you are a monster by all measures. The Apprentice who won the Serevian War with his own might. The Apprentice who defeated a Martial Squire. And most recently... The Voider."

Rui did not react. He partially expected Master Deivon to learn about that.

It was also an experiment. If Master Deivon had learned about his true identity, then it meant that Chairman Deacon had been extremely aggressive in his efforts to find Rui, so much so that his targets could not be hidden. If Master Deivon didn't know about it, then it meant Chairman Deacon was being more discreet about it.

He was essentially using Master Deivon as a litmus test to measure Chairman Deacon's aggression. That was one of the motivations for revealing his identity to Master Deivon, one that he preferred keeping silent about.

'This doesn't bode well,' Rui concluded. "So you managed to learn about that."

"It seems that you anticipated this," Master Deivon raised an eyebrow.

"Partially. It was a pretty big event, after all." Rui sighed.

"You've been on the run ever since the Shionel Dungeon exploration ended three years ago," Master Deivon concluded. "Looking to gain as much power as you could to protect yourself."

"What can I say? People don't seem to be willing to leave me alone these days," Rui sighed wearily.