The Martial Unity
chapter-2150

The only way he could see this being leaked was if someone with an extremely intimate understanding of breakthroughs got a good look at Rui's Martial Art.

"The only circumstance that that could possibly happen would be the Panamic Martial Federation or…" Emperor Rael narrowed his eyes. "The Virodhabhasa Theocracy."

This was one of the biggest concerns of his plan.

He had always known that his son had managed to attract the religiosity of certain fanatics of the religion and the nation-state, thanks to some of his 'gifts' that made him resemble the deity of the religion superficially.

However, while his son had come to view it as a nuisance, Rael came to see it as a potential blessing. When it was on one's side, there was no better ally than a religious fanatic, for these fellows were the type to fight for their religious causes without demanding any compensation in return.

The biggest issue was that these fanatics were unpredictable.

It was possible that they would ally with the Kandrian Empire against evil 'heretics' trying to harness the power of their deity for their own greedy purposes, and it was possible that they might join the other three powerhouses in attacking the Kandrian Empire to procure their precious deity from the clutches of the unbelievers of Kandria.

Rael did not deem it worth his time to gain a good contextual understanding of the precise mindset of the believers to model their fanaticism.

Especially when he had a reliable expert on the matter.

"So, what do you think, mother?" He found himself gazing at his mother-in-law from atop his throne, having called her to consult her opinion on the matter.

"First of all, don't call me that." She scowled at him. "Secondly, I'm different from the antithetants of the main faith. I'm a prophetant; I don't believe in the divinity of Lord Virodhabhasa. I believe in the divinity of the Transcendent Prophet."

Emperor Rael heaved a tired sigh. "Ah, yes. You conveniently think that prophecies and prophets are the true divinity. I also happen to notice that the Silas Clan is a clan of prophets and prophecies. In other words, you lot think that you are divine."

"We follow the path of divinity, but yes."

"That's not narcissistic at all," Emperor Rael remarked sarcastically. "You still haven't answered my question. Is it possible to gain the Virodhabhasa Theocracy's support in this war by presenting Rui as their precious Lord Virodhabhasa?"

Unfortunately, her answer was not what he wanted to hear.

"It won't work as you want," she warned him. "If the Cardinal Council truly does come to believe that Rui is the Antithesis, then they certainly will help with this war, but they will have to wage a second war after to pry him from the grips of the Kandrian Empire."

Emperor Rael's eyes grew severe. "Are you sure that they cannot be later convinced that he isn't truly the Antithesis that they worship?"

"You cannot later convince them that he isn't the Antithesis because…" She narrowed her eyes. "…There is a high chance that he is."

The air in the throne room grew heavier.

Silence lingered in the atmosphere as Matriarch Nephi met his powerful peering gaze with firm eyes.

Emperor Rael narrowed his eyes.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me." She snorted. "This is not something that is particularly hard to believe either. Just look at the things he has accomplished. The Antithesis is described as a being from another world, possessing supreme Martial power that dwarfs all other forces in the world. A being with power antithetical to all other powers in the world. A being with the power to raise and raze Martial Paths."

Her tone was profoundly sincere.

She believed every word she said.

"Are you seriously trying to convince me that my son is the deity of a religion, a being from another world with supreme power?" Emperor Rael stared at her with incredulity. "Do you actually believe that?"

"I grow increasingly convinced it is the truth with each passing day," she calmly voiced her convictions. "Yet, as a prophetant, I understand the importance of not worshiping Lord Virodhabhasa precisely because it will harm his path to becoming the Antithesis that many worship. He must find his own path to fulfill the Divine prophecy."

"…Forget it," he heaved a sigh. "I shall limit myself to leveraging Rui's political favor with them as the Virodhabhasa Champion. Based on your words, the risks and ramifications of them finding out cross the threshold of tolerable risk."

Emperor Rael took calculated risks when he had a deep grasp and high certainty on the probabilities of the possible outcomes.

Currently, the Virodhabhasa Theocracy was far too great a risk factor for someone as prudent as him to rashly play around with. He didn't have as extensive a foundation in dealing with them as he did the three Sage-level powerhouses of East Panama.

"…Not everyone in the Theocracy is a genuine believer," she informed him. "Many do believe in the Antithesis; however, many are agnostic and even atheistic. Thus, convincing them of your son's divinity is going to be extremely difficult, for they inherently treat any such claim with great skepticism due to how many fakers there are. However, the consequences of convincing the Cardinal Council will be grave. Those foolish antithetants will try to mold the Antithesis in their designs when the only design that fits him should be that of the Divine Prophecy. Tsk, this is why I hate antithetants…"

As she continued babbling on why antithetants were foolish and bad, Emperor Rael had already zoned out.

If the Theocracy could not be harnessed, then he had no qualms of throwing away the plan.

As much as he loved to manipulate theocratic religion, he didn't understand the nuances of the deep and complex theology to predict its adherents, and the person who did had made it clear that it was not a direction worth pursuing.

The good news was that it was one less risk of an information leak.

"That leaves the Panamic Martial Federation and Rui's mandatory visit…"