The Martial Unity

Not a single person was unperturbed.

How could they be?

For they had just witnessed the birth of the new Virodhabhasa Champion, after all. 

One moment, everybody was silent.

And the next, the entire colosseum erupted in cheers.

"WOOOOOHOOOO!"

"MY MAN! I knew you could do it!"

"I'm so glad he beat that crazy freak!"

The colosseum released of all sorts and a festive day broke in the Virodha Theocracy.

"And we have a winner, folks! Squire Falken is the seventy-second Virodha Champion!" The commentator exclaimed with bubbling energy. "Stick around to hear what he has to say!"

Rui, on the other hand, simply stared at Meera, offering her a hand.

She sighed for a moment, before accepting it, struggling to get up under her failing body.

Thankfully, a medical team had already been transported to their locations, supplying them with several potions.

"Congratulations on your victory," Meera wished him with a pensive tone.

"Thanks." 

Yet Rui didn't seem as pleased as everybody else.

In fact, he seemed quite displeased now that he had actually won the final match and become the Virodha Champion.

It couldn't be helped. After all, he had fought this battle for the sole hope of gaining the opportunity to activate his Martial Heart. But alas, it turned out that this would not be that opportunity.

Meera simply stared at him.

Her impulsive anger had been beaten out of her by Rui's overwhelming power, but she hadn't forgotten his words. She felt a profound weariness in her heart when she recalled what they were. He was just being honest, but the truth was much too painful for her. 

She had no idea what to do after this. Should she continue training for the Virodha Theocracy? Even though she never made too much progress?

She didn't know. Yet she didn't want to simply sit around waiting another two years so that she could participate in the seventy-third Virodhabhasa Contest.

She had a lot to think about.

"Ah..." She murmured when something popped in her head. "That reminds me. You owe me a favor."

"What?" Rui tilted his head, consuming a potion.

"Remember our wager?" She smiled. "Now that you have won, you have to do me a favor as per the agreement."

"I never agreed to that absurd wager." Rui snorted. "Don't even try."

"I need you to go to a certain place, and fight a certain somebody," She said, ignoring his words.

Rui frowned, about to retort, yet her next words froze him.

"Ajanta Island in the Kaddar Region. Squire Tokugawa Ieyasu." She told him.

Rui stared at her with furrowed eyebrows.

"...What is your connection with him?"

"He was the champion of seventieth Virodhabhasa Contest," She easily revealed.

Rui had had a gut instinct when Master Deivon told him about the previous champion who defeated Meera, but he had dismissed it as a possibility after some logical consideration.

There were millions of Martial Squires across the wide continent, and the probability that the champion was Ieyasu Tokugawa was the champion was extremely low.

And yet, lo and behold. 

It turned out that his gut instinct was right all along.

"Why do you ask this of me?" Rui raised an eyebrow.

"Well..." She began. "When I faced him in the finals, I made him a wager. If I won, he would marry me. That was my condition."

Rui furrowed his eyebrows "Marriage was your condition?" 

"His Martial Art was beautiful," She sighed unabashedly.

'His Martial Path is imitative evolution though.' Rui frowned. 'So she basically fell in love with her own Martial Art reflected in him? That's so narcissistic.'

"He accepted the condition." She continued with a wistful expression. "His condition was that I would continue to participate in the Virodha Contest, and send anybody who defeated me his way. He himself went and perched in himself in the Ajanta Island, waiting."

Rui's eyes widened at those words. 

Ieyasu had essentially converted the second-strongest Martial Squire he knew into a scout for powerful Martial Squires and filtered out the good ones, sending them his way.

It was a genius idea. This way, he didn't need to participate in the Martial Contest each time. He just needed to wait. 

Perhaps he had done this for other avenues where strong Martial Squires gathered. Maybe he had scouts all over the place scanning the world for a powerful worthy opponent.

The fact that he had reached that level of power was truly amazing. Rui could relate, if not for Ieyasu, he too wouldn't have an opponent strong enough to force him to break through.

He would have to go hunting in the Beast Domain 

Rui recalled what Ieyasu had said to him when he left the Floating Sect. His words back then implied that he had been waiting for an opportunity to break through into a higher Realm of power.

Rui heaved a sigh as he realized that this had been coming for some time. It was almost as though it was providence. 

"I accept your demand," Rui replied.

"Wait, really? She raised an eyebrow. "I expected you not to care. I was going to contact him myself and inform him of the latest developments. So that he could track you down himself if need be."

"No need for that," Rui got up with a determined expression. "I'll fight him."

The latest revelation had completely drawn Rui's attention. The events that followed the immediate conclusion of the Martial Contest were a bit of a blur.

He received a trophy from Master Deivon himself while the other contestants received medals indicating them to be of the top eight.

The roars and applause from the spectators were deafening. They reverberated through the sky and earth. Yet they may as well have been silent.

He even gave a humble speech that seemed to earn the approval of the Virodha Theocracy.

It took a long time before he could extricate himself.

Much happened once the Martial Contest had ended, and he heaved a sigh, walking back with Master Deivon.

WHOOSH

Three people sky-walked in front of them, stopping them in their paths.

The three Masters that overlooked each of the first three rounds the previous day.

Suddenly, he felt as though the air had grown silent.

Ominous.