The Martial Unity

1835 Futures

Less than half an hour later, the Beast Domain was already behind them.

Sage Sayfeel began slowing down as the world began blurring lesser and lesser, their elevation reducing as they headed for land.

STEP

"Huff…" Rui heaved a sigh once they finally landed on the ground. "That might be one of the craziest things I have ever experienced in my entire life."

He always knew that Martial Sages were incredibly powerful, of course, but witnessing their power in front of his eyes was something else entirely. Even in his meeting with the Sloth Sage, he hadn't gotten to witness the Martial Sage's true power.

Rui shook his head, putting the thought aside.

It wasn't important at the moment.

"So, where are we?" Rui asked, glancing around.

His senses detected a myriad of trees and mountains in the forest around them, stretching for many kilometers. He was unable to detect so much as a hint of human presence, though.

"We are in West Panama at the moment, Your Highness," the Martial Sage helpfully replied. "This is the Nariawar Forest. And…"

The man narrowed his eyes. "It is a location where the Silas Clan temporarily resides during this time of the year."

"Hm, I don't really sense anythi-"

Rui froze as a profound avalanche of pressure washed into him.

Both Martial Artists stiffened as a myriad of Martial Artists appeared out of nowhere, sky-walking in the sky above them.

Their eyes were fierce, pointedly glaring at the two kandrians while they took battle stances. Their attire and garb were scant, fashioned from the pelts of various animals.

Among the near-hundred Martial Artists that had appeared in the air above them, Rui could sense many Martial Seniors, several Martial Masters.

Yet that wasn't all.

Rui's eyes widened with shock as he beheld the Martial Artist who stood at the forefront of the group. Sage Sayfeel's expression grew severe and grave. He had long arrived at the same conclusion as Rui.

She led the Martial Artists, standing the vanguard. She had an extremely aged visage, looking to be ninety years old in human aging. Yet, despite that, an astronomical power that Rui couldn't even fathom radiated from the depths of her body.

It was a power that seemed to warp the very world around them.

Heaven and earth bent under the weight of her existence.

RUMBLE

It quivered, shivering under the might of her being.

"Martial Sage…" Rui whispered as he beheld her.

She disregarded him, refusing to deign to spare her attention to a mere Martial Senior.

Her eyes were fixed on Sage Sayfeel.

A single remark escaped her.

"You." Her eyes narrowed.

Sage Sayfeel regarded her impassively. "Matriarch Nephi, I have come here today to-"

"-I care not why you have come today," Matriarch Nephi growled, cutting him off. "I believe I told Rael to never come to us ever again."

Cold fury radiated from her demeanor.

Sage Sayfeel narrowed his eyes. "Matriarch, I understa-"

"-You understand nothing," her eyes flared with power as she glared at him.

"Begone."

Sage Sayfeel was not pleased to be interrupted so many times. "Matria-"

He froze as piercing peril erupted from her. Her Martial Heart blazed into fury as she raised her hand at him.

Sage Sayfeel grew grave, clenching his fists.

"Do not do this."

The next moment, her Martial Embodiment flared into power, encompassing the sky and the very world itself. It seemed to transcendent material form, for he saw only one thing when he saw her.

The future.

A myriad of Countless possible futures.

Countless possible futures of what was to unfold.

Future upon future, timeline upon timeline, the five-

dimensional multiverse flooded his mind. The avalanche of information, even greater than the Angel of Laplace, crashed into him, threatening to overpower him, just as the Martial Embodiment of the Sloth Sage did.

Yet he weathered.

Perhaps it was because he had tempered his mind with the Angel of Laplace, but as close as it came to overwhelming him, it didn't.

Future after future, his mind bore all of it.

In almost all of them, a battle between Sage Sayfeel and herself unfolded. Sage Sayfeel won an overwhelming majority of their battles, proving to be substantially stronger. In each of those battles, the battle engulfed the entirety of the forest and beyond.

Nothing within a thousand-kilometer radius would escape the destruction that would unfold from the ensuing battle.

Yet, there was a single future where a conflict did not ensue.

"Grandmother."

She shook at that word as Rui's voice cleaved through the powerful, growing tension that skyrocketed by the second. She dispelled an attack that was on the cusp of being released, turning to Rui for the first time.

Their eyes met for the first time as she beheld her grandson. Her Martial Heart snuffed as her visage returned to that of an elderly lady, slowly approaching Rui.

STEP

She arrived before Rui, her hands cupping his face.

"You…" Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "You are Miriam's son."

"…Yes," Rui affirmed her words. "I came to meet my family, grandmother."

Her eyes lit up at those words as she relented. "I see…"

Her tone contained a hint of sorrowful affection as her gaze met his eyes. "You have grown up."

She heaved a deep breath. "My only regret was that I was not there to see it happen. My daughter…she…"

A heavy sorrow overtook her demeanor.

"I may not have been here my entire life," Rui replied, sincerity echoing in his voice. "But I am here now, grandmother."

"Mmm…" She closed her eyes. "That is true, I suppose. The past is the past. But the future…"

Her eyes opened, piercing into Rui. "The future is yet to be. It is yet to be written, and those who know how to write it can mold it to their desire. What is your name, my grandson?"

"Rui," Rui replied.

She furrowed her eyebrows yet accepted it nonetheless. "Come then, young Rui. We have much to talk about."

-