The Martial Unity

Chapter 3175: To Want To Love is Love

Rui’s communication with the dark elves went quite well as he managed to get a lot of information about the true world from them. He managed to secure a trip to West Genora as a guest of the dark elves and managed to obtain future targets for him to travel to and reach out to not just to learn to harness the six paths, but also to obtain allies for human civilization.

The dark elves were truly amicable despite the fact that their bridge to the Panama Continent had been destroyed and the fact that they needed to conjure a flora shield to protect them from the Beast Excursion. Their extroversion and openness by nature was more than clear, it was no wonder that bilateral treaties were already being forged between the two civilizations even this soon after their arrival on the Panama Continent.

Rui, however, didn’t immediately depart from South Panama.

No, he took the opportunity to speak with Sage Sera about one of the issues that had been plaguing him, given her background in psychology and her harnessing of psychological change in her Martial Art.

“…You want to brainwash yourself into falling in love with the changed identity of Amare?” Sage Sera gazed at him with a dubious expression. “You are aware that that is infatuation and not love, yes?”

“Brainwash is a strong word,” Rui admitted. “As you know with Enlightenment of Self, we come to understand the causality of who we are. And who we are is constantly changing with each passing second. Every experience, every memory, every moment leaves its mark on the soul. Therefore…”

His expression grew determined.

“There should be some causality that will allow me to feel love for the other half of her.”

Sage Sera shook her head with a bewildered expression. “…Only you would ever utter those words. I can’t imagine anybody else have such thoughts. ’Adaptively evolving’ yourself to feel love for a person is a level of madness that exceeds anything you have done so far, in my opinion.”

Her words were sharp, but her tone was sincere.

He could admit that there was validity in that reaction.

He was cognizant of the fact that it wasn’t normal to think of one’s self and one’s love in such a manner.

And yet, the insight of love being Adaptive Evolution was one that clicked for him.

It also opened up his Martial Path, allowing him to catch the barest of glimpses of a higher Realm of power.

“Love is emergent,” she remarked. “Ephemeral. Unlike a lot of other emotions, it is not associated with any one particular hormone or neurotransmitter. If you were hoping for me to point to some part of the brain or some chemical in the brain that serves as ’love dial’ that you can increase, then I’m afraid I will have to disappoint you.”

Rui frowned. “I would have imagined that a Martial Sage psychologist would have more to offer.”

“Hah,” she snorted. “Your regard for love is too light. Even if you think love is adaptive evolution, that doesn’t mean you can instantly make yourself love somebody. Some adaptive evolution is still far beyond your capability.”

“…For now.”

She heaved an exasperated sigh.

“Why do you want to love her if you don’t love her?”

Her tone was light, but her words were pertinent.

They got to the heart of the issue.

“…I loved loving her.”

Rui’s tone was low.

Solemn.

And yet it was the truth.

A woman who could keep up with his progression and one who could inspire more affection from him was one of the most wonderful experiences of his life.

He had overcome death to reunite with her.

An act that violated the laws of nature.

An act that punished him with an Amare that was much a woman he didn’t know as she was the woman he had loved.

It was painful.

“…So you loved loving her so much that you want to change who you are so that you can love her again?” she raised an eyebrow with a coy smile. “That sounds like the most loving thing a lover can do, even more than overcoming death to reunite with her. It sounds to me like you still truly love her.”

Rui’s eyes widened at those words.

“…What?”

His tone was stunned.

“But that’s impossible.”

“I know what you’re about to say,” she heaved a sigh. “You know yourself. You have Enlightenment of Self yada yada. But it is not yourself that you don’t understand, but rather love. I told you that love has no material parameters. It is ephemeral and can manifest in an infinite variety of ways. Each form of love is unique and special. Some love, like the love you harbored for her before, is warm, pleasant, and cozy. But some love…”

She gazed at him with a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

“…is painful. Excruciating. Suffering and despair. And yet, it is love nonetheless. You are too fixated on the kind of love you had in the past to appreciate the kind of love you can have. The kind of love you might already have for her.”

Rui heaved a sigh.

“To be honest, I’d rather not have the kind of love you mentioned.”

A bitter, mirthless laugh escaped her as she shook her head.

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice. None of us do.”

Rui directed a curious gaze towards her.

He could sense pain in her mind with those words.

“Spying is rude,” she remarked with a knowing expression.

Rui shrugged. “I can’t control it. Blame yourself for having a weak Martial Mind.”

“Tsk, maybe I should unleash my venomous tongue on you and your soul to help you understand how this feels.”

Rui shirked away from her with apprehension.

Even though he had managed to adaptively evolve to her Martial Art in his fight against Ieyasu, he would rather avoid facing her acidic words.

“…If you truly want to fall in love with her, or ’adaptive evolving’ as you put it, even though I find that framing of love to be irreverent and convenient,” she winced at those words with a dubious expression. “Then I would recommend that you simply expose yourself to her. It will not guarantee you love by any means, but it is certainly more effective than any brain surgery you might try to do.”