PENG! CRACK!
A barrier appeared before Dreame's back, seeming to block Ryu's strike of lightning for just a moment. But, just as quickly as the needle of blue was stopped, it shattered the barrier.
Tybalt's eyes widened. He knew well how strong that barrier was, it shouldn't have been possible for a Path Extinction Realm expert to shatter it like that.
The needle continued onward like a bolt of lightning, piercing through Dreame's shoulder blade.
It was a simple wound, the kind that a cultivator should have been easily able to shrug off. And yet, Dreame's body convulsed, the entire right side of his body imploding into a rain of blood and flesh.
He crashed into the ground, his face skidding along the snow which quickly gained a pink then crimson hue.
"That's twice now," Ryu said lightly.
That blow should have been enough to kill Dreame outright, but Ryu only needed a glance to tell that he still had a breath left in his body. It was a faint breath, one that could be snuffed out with even a slight blow of the wind, but it was a breath nonetheless.
relied on perfect timing. It was an attack on a brief moment in history, the kind that would break a bone that was otherwise sturdy or cause deviation in meridians that otherwise had solid foundations. These peculiarities were exactly what the ability targeted.
But, these peculiarities were rare and only appeared for brief instances. Ryu's attack, even though it was only paused for a fraction of a fraction of second, only needed to suffer that small diversion to be veered off course.
Ryu's head turned toward Tybalt. He had directly ignored this young man who had managed to survive his punch earlier. But now, he actually deemed to continue messing with the goals.
"It seems that you want to die."
Ryu's hand stretched outward. A violent, swirling suction force seemed to form. It seemed as though it worked on principles of space and wind, bining the two into a wild force that couldn't be denied.
It was like Ryu had coated his palms in the principles of and added his own prehension to it. Toward such a thing, Tybalt found himself being forced to dig in his heal and lower his hips.
Veins popped across Tybalt's face, his gaze flickering wildly as though he couldn't decide what to do from here. It was clear that Ryu couldn't be reasoned with.
However, now that Ryu was serious, what chance did he stand?
Tybalt was ripped from his horse stance, his body flying through the air and his clothing shredded almost to pieces as he shot through Ryu's lightning lake. His face twisted in pain, lightning whipping against his skin. But, all things considered, he actually managed to stay together quite well.
Ryu could see that this wasn't only because his cultivation was deep, but he also had several protective formations on his body, each one of which could either protect him or save his life at a critical juncture. Though Ryu had never seen life saving measures branded onto the skin like some sort of tattoo, it still only took his eyes and his Dao a moment to see through their purpose.
Tybalt's throat nearly collapsed as it smashed into Ryu's palm, the result forcing him to cough and gasp for air.
"Ryu! You're not understanding—!"
"So you wanted to save him, right?" Ryu asked lightly.
Tybalt was confused by this line of questioning, not knowing how to answer immediately. He tried to squirm, but he found the sparks of lightning in the surroundings weren't only making his hair stand on end, but they were also doing the job of paralyzing him.
He tried to push back with his qi, but his expression changed when he realized something. This wasn't normal lightning… It was Tribulation Lightning! It was not only dozens of times more powerful, but it inherently had a suppressive effect on the cultivation methods of humans.
"How badly do you want to save him? Would you be willing to suffer for it?" Ryu continued to ask.
There was something about a Ryu that had regained his calm that made the atmosphere especially heavy. The wind seemed colder, the air seemed thinner, even the gravity felt heavier.
No one attacked recklessly, no one even wanted to move toward him. It was like his surroundings were blanketed in a sea of darkness. If they got too close… They'd be swallowed up with nothing to show for it but their own deaths.
"I—I—Ryu! You have to understand that this is just the way of the Martial World! Even your great grandfather was forced to understand! Learn when to take a step back!"
Ryu paused for a long while. And then… He suddenly chuckled.
He shook his head, looking blankly off into the distance.
"Take a step back?" Ryu spoke softly, the baritone of his voice causing the world to vibrate. "Tatsuyas do not take a step back. That man simply lost everything he cared about and couldn't be bothered to squabble with you scurrying rats any longer.
"It's no wonder you overestimate yourselves so much. You actually think you've already forced us to kneel, so why not force us to do it again?"
Ryu's gaze shifted from the distance, landing on Tybalt once again. Something about his eyes seemed decidedly darker.
"You will never rule me. I'll be going to your little world soon enough, and I'll raze it to the ground just the same.
"For now, how about you show me just how deep your convictions run? Are you worthy of standing before me?"
Ryu's irises flashed.
"."
Ryu's gaze seemed to hold the vast and endless starry skies, the qi in the surroundings seeming to vanish along with the color as Gears of Fate began to churn.
Even before they could snap into place, a rain of blood poured down, Tybalt's heart wrenching screech echoing through the battlefield.
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