The Martial Unity

Rui's expression grew grave at his words.

They were ominous.

Yet, he was also right.

There were more important things at hand.

"Let us return."

WHOOSH

The world flashed away in a flurry of streaks as Sage Sayfeel warped them away at incredible speeds.

Rui studied his technique with faint interest.

As a Martial Master, he was able to glean far more than he ever had. He was altering the very fabric of space-time to propel them forward, but now Rui could see the exact principle of the technique.

Much to his surprise, it was no different from a proposed form of space-time propulsion back on Earth. Rui wasn't entirely sure how, but he warped space to push from behind and pull from the front by expanding and compressing space.

It was the same principle as an Alcubierre warp drive.

"Fascinating…" Rui's voice grew more invigorated.

STEP

Their journey halted as Rui found himself in a familiar place. It was the same royal medical wing of the royal palace where his father was being hospitalized. The room was large and extravagant with all kinds of medical artifacts and instruments all in place for the sake of one patient.

Rui beheld his father for the first time in five years.

His worsened significantly.

His hair had grown whiter.

His body and face had grown skinnier and gaunter.

His skin had taken a dark sickly tone.

He was unrecognizable.

The sight of him made Rui wince.

Rui glanced at the Divine Doctor, only to notice that Kane was missing.

"I have transported the young master to a different room where he is resting," he remarked, donning a dark hood and a mask. "He is far from authorized to stand in the Emperor's presence. As for the Divine Doctor…"

Sage Sayfeel snapped his finger, releasing the man from his hypnosis while also suppressing his aura in its entirety. "I do not wish to delay the treatment and cure by even a single moment."

He also did not care to inquire about the arrangements that Rui had undoubtedly made with the doctor at that moment.

He didn't care to inquire about how Rui had managed to earn his services at this point in time.

Or how he even managed to find him.

He rushed past all the talks and conversations with Rui that were undoubtedly due.

He skipped formalities, officialities, protocols, and guidelines that were normally appropriate for an event of such importance and significance.All of them were secondary.

They were secondary to the healing of the Emperor of Harmony.

Once this was done, there was plenty of time to tackle the many issues that needed to be tackled.

Until then, however, Sage Sayfeel had rushed them along to the medical room of the emperor unceremoniously, unwilling to delay the treatment and cure by even a microsecond.

"You know…" the Divine Doctor remarked, waking up. "I wish you would warn me before hypnotizing me to sleep."

He heaved a soft sigh as his eyes wandered about the medical room they were in. The many medical instruments and artifacts in place were cutting-edge Kandrian esoteric technology. Many of them were connected to the Emperor of Harmony in one way or another, relaying information about his health.

Many were life-support systems in place, designed to keep him alive for as long as possible.

It was truly state-of-the-art technology.

Yet, not even that was enough to impress the Divine Doctor.

"Not bad, I suppose." the Divine Doctor's tone was bored. "Still, elementary."

His eyes shifted to Emperor Rael Di Kandria. "Hmmm…"

"Can you heal him?" Sage Sayfeel's voice was distorted by the mask that he had donned to hide his identity.

Yet, he could not hide the concern that lurked in the depths of his voice.

"Oh please, I could heal him even if he was on the brink of death," the Divine Doctor huffed indignantly. "In fact, perhaps we ought to let him rot for a few more months so that it actually becomes just a little bit of a challenge for m—"

A horrifying amount of bloodlust converged on him from Sage Sayfeel and Rui.

"—Or I suppose I could just save myself the trouble and heal him here." He smoothly changed his words without so much as a twitch, his smile as frozen as ever. "Besides, I look forward to my remuneration."

His eyes turned to Rui.

A glint of insanity flickered in the depths of his eyes.

The air tingled, growing taut with tension.

It boiled under the peril that the man exuded.

"I hope you have not forgotten our agreement. You are intelligent enough to understand exactly what I am capable of." Faint peril lingered in his tone. "Do not make an enemy of the Divine Doctor, little inheritor."

Rui's eyes sharpened.

He had no intention of testing the man's words. He would rather not discover what the man was capable of when he wanted to do harm.

"…I do not intend to violate my end of the agreement, rest assured. Return my father to peak health, and I shall give you exactly what I promised."

"Mmm…" The Divine Doctor's gaze returned to the Emperor of Harmony.

"…Then that is exactly what I shall do, I suppose," he remarked, walking over to the head of the bed that cradled the emperor. "You there, Martial Sage, you shall be my assistant, got it?"

Sage Sayfeel stiffened as the Divine Doctor instantly identified him as a Martial Sage despite the former concealing his aura as best as possible. "…Understood."

As bad as the leak in highly classified intelligence was, Sage Sayfeel was too desperate for the Emperor to be healed to bother making a fuss about it at this point in time.

"Your Highness," Sage Sayfeel remarked, never once taking his eyes off the Divine Doctor. "You should get some rest; your Martial Mind has been active for quite some time. Additionally, you have journeyed a long time and have completed the mission you have set out for. You have earned a long, deep rest. Leave the rest to me."

Rui's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm fine, I want to watch—"

"—I'm afraid I must insist, Your Highness, for your own good," the Sage snapped his fingers.

The world went dark, and Rui's consciousness shut down as he fell asleep.

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