Guiot felt as though he was being suffocated by the display alone. Something deep within his soul roared as what was left of Pascal's subordinates died one after another without even the ability to fight back.
For a moment, Guiot felt frozen in time. Those strikes, though it was subtle… They were nearly identical to his own.
After some silence, Guiot suddenly understood. Without words, Ryu was telling him that he would shoulder the burden of Pascal's death himself.
Karma and Faith. These were two concepts that held a strangle hold on the martial world and its inhabitants. There were who understood this more than Ryu himself who could peer into their secrets as he pleased.
He hadn't done this to make Guiot owe him, but had rather done so to protect himself. Guiot may have killed Pascal, but he was only forced to do so due to Ryu's actions. If Ryu had never acted, Guiot would have never become a target to begin with.
"You should go." Ryu said coldly. "Do you best to complete your Immortal Ring and birth your soul, then maybe you'll be able to protect yourself."
Guiot immediately thought that Ryu was telling him to simply break into the Immortal Ring Realm. He could only bitterly smile… It wouldn't be until countless years later that he truly understood these words…
Ryu didn't look back to see Guiot's complicated gaze, nor his reluctance as his mother dragged him away. His eyes never left Host Minn from start to finish.
'Not going to use your halberd?' Ailsa asked in a slightly worried tone. 'The gap between the Connecting Heaven Realm and the Immortal Ring is massive, and Edwin wasn't as close to that level in strength as we originally thought due to the limitations of his body.'
Ryu's wrist flexed, sending a strong power rippling through his spear. For a moment, it seemed to lose its metallic properties and become no different from a string, whipping in the air with a savage intent.
'I'm feeling confident.' Ryu said coolly.
Host Minn gazed toward Ryu with a frown. The power displayed in Ryu and Edwin's battle didn't particularly faze him, but Ryu had seemingly won that battle too easily. They had seemed evenly matched… Until they suddenly weren't.
A deep breath swirled into Ryu's lips. His Ice Phoenix Martial Form reacted violently, instantly calling forth raging winds as his lungs expanded aggressively, pumping his limbs to the brim with oxygen.
It felt as though a storm had suddenly formed in the center of this dense forest, but a moment later, it all vanished. Ryu's aura became so subtle and controlled that he almost disappeared from sight entirely.
Ryu slowly brought his second hand to his spear. The moment he touched its cold metallic body, a tremor was sent through the earth even as a shimmering Birthed Phenomena appeared to his back.
Host Minn heart thumped wildly. "B-b-… Birthed Phenomena…!"
The crunching soil beneath Ryu feet sounded as his stance widened, his base becoming incomparably sturdy.
His muscles flexed. For a moment, it seemed that he had grown a level in size. But in the next instant, he vanished.
By the time Host Minn recollected himself, Ryu's spear point was already approaching his throat.
Reacting quickly, Host Minn sent out a hurried punch, coating his fists in a strong, impenetrable qi.
Unfortunately, Ryu didn't give him the chance to breathe. His aura was completely different than the usual. Host Minn simply couldn't understand why Ryu didn't just use a single spear. If he could use a glaive like this and had used just one, Edwin wouldn't have lasted even five moves!
"[Heavenly Flow]… [Yin Yang Domination]."
Host Minn was pulled into Ryu's rhythm.
Ryu's strikes flowed like water. Advancing with the waves, receding with the tides. He seemed to master the flow of the battle as though the Heavens themselves sat in his palms.
[Heavenly Flow: Yin Yang Domination] was the very Peak Earth Grade technique he had learned. It was so compatible with Ryu's God Emperor Spear that he was shocked.
The Tatsuya Saintly Spear was not only a man of war and character, but also the ruler of a nation. He wasn't a tyrant, but a benevolent and intelligent ruler. One who was both a warrior and a scholar. This was the true strength of the Tatsuya Spear… To be crafty, yet bold. To be flexible, yet rigid. To flow, yet block the rain.
[Heavenly Flow: Yin Yang Domination] grasped this concept perfectly. It created an invisible domain around the battlefield, allowing an instinctual reading of the flow of battle. In the end, this gave its wielder the ability to balance and counterbalance their strikes and that of their opponent's on a whim.
When paired with Ryu's [Third Perspective], this technique held unimaginable power. Yet, [Yin Yang Domination] was only its weakest form!
Suddenly, Ryu's spear stopped, leaving Host Minn in a cold sweat.
"If this is all the Immortal Ring Realm has, I'll be disappointed. Bring out your true strength. I'll allow you to die without petty grievances."
Host Minn's visage reddened with rage.
"…" He stared toward Ryu so deeply that it seemed he'd bore a whole through him with his gaze. "… You'll know soon the kind of mistake you've made."
Host Minn's body began to emit a pale white light. It pulsed outward from his body, slowly forming a circle to his back. No… It wasn't a circle… It was a ring!
In that moment, the qi in the surroundings began to surge toward him, using the pale white ring as a medium.
With each passing moment, Host Minn seemed to become filled with more and more vigor.
Ryu stood in the air silently, watching this process from start to end without interfering. He knew exactly what this was… It was what truly separated the Immortal and the mortal… It was what made the gap between the Connecting Heaven Realm and the Immortal Ring Realm so large… The ability to call upon qi to do your bidding!