Lava dripped down from Ryu's skin like droplets of red gold. His skin reddened slightly, some beads of sweat finally falling from his brow as though he only now realized how hot the environment was.
However, his face remained indifferent, a pure callousness coloring his silver eyes.
Ryu launched himself forward, his body a streamlined machine of strength as he collided with the beast.
His knees sunk down, the platform of red rock cracking beneath the strain. His muscles bulged, growing a fold in size, but it was to no avail.
Having been enraged by Ryu's survival, the beast's temper flared, its strike growing in strength. It seemed to want to press Ryu down into the ground, shattering his body into minced meat.
The beast, despite being a simulation of arrays, seemed to have grown intelligence of its own. It had never come across a human who could so easily survive in these temperatures before. It felt quite baffled and angry at the same time.
Just when it seemed that Ryu would truly be smashed to the ground, his two Great Swordstaffs crossed before his chest, his body flickering with arcs of blue lightning, suddenly vanishing from its spot and bolting to the side.
The beast was stunned, its paw slamming hard into the red rock and causing a small wave of lava to surge outward.
Its head snapped in a certain direction, locking onto Ryu who was slowly entering his human form once again.
However, as enraged as the beast was by the change, Ryu was even more displeased. Namely, he had gone from two Great Swordstaffs to just a single one.
Before, even though he hadn't comprehended any Mortal Endowments, he had been able to use his flexibility in dual wielding to cover for his weaknesses. But, with only one now and no techniques to speak of, his prowess had plummeted once again.
His cold eyes looked toward the Great Swordstsff that remained beneath the Rainbow Scaled Eagle's paw. He could only lament about his own lack of control.
He had yet to get used to his Spirit Body but now the control he had over his body was even less than usual. It only made sense for him to make such a foolish mistake.
Ryu shot forward again, swinging the Great Swordstaff with two arms.
In that moment, he felt something different. Able to focus his entire mind on one weapon, he could feel the intricacies of the Great Swordstaff, that small intangible thread of Fate attached to it withering away beneath his presence.
Ryu had never experienced something like this before. Whenever he brandished his spear, glaive or halberd, he always felt as though it was tugging him in a certain direction. He always had to fight for control, always pulling for the right to wield the weapon as he pleased.
Something within Ryu clicked.
Was this the truth behind mastering weapons? Though Ailsa had said as much, it didn't properly sink in until this very moment. It wasn't until now he knew just how much Fate controlled his life.
Ryu found himself flying into the lake of lava again, a large splash sending a pillar of red gold into the air. However, his face didn't have the look of someone defeated. In fact, he had never felt more alive.
'Line of Fate.'
The world suddenly slowed in Ryu's eyes. The colorful colors of his Ethereal Tapestry sight faded, being replaced by and endless expanse of white, black and grey.
But, this only lasted for a moment. Soon, the color came back, adding a splash of life to an otherwise dreary world.
Ryu almost couldn't refrain from gasping. He knew that Ethereal Tapestry was a mutation of his Heavenly Pupils. It was the result of an ability of his Ice Jade Crystal Body and his Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils synergizing and mutating into one.
But, what he had failed to consider was the possibility that the other abilities of his Heavenly Pupils would be influenced by this as well.
In the past, Lines of Fate had turned his world to black and white. Everything in that world was formed of strings, even humans became bundles of cords wrapped about to form their humanoid figures.
This strings stretched from their bodies and into the skies as though they were nothing more than puppets of Fate under the illusion of autonomy and personal freedom.
Each of these strings represented varying probabilities, all intertwined to result in what those of the Martial World called life…
Other than this, Ryu knew that if he aimed toward the white he would have a better outcome, if he aimed for the black, the result would be less than desirable. But now…
Ryu saw all sorts of colors. He still saw lines of black and white, but within them he saw lines of violet, lines of red, lines of blue and all sorts of others. He had no idea how to make sense of them.
He was so stunned by the change that he didn't even realize he had almost sunk to the bottom of the lava lake.
Ryu shot up, his feet using the molten sea floor as an anchor. He pierced upward like an arrow, appearing above the lake in an instant.
The world above was even more gorgeous. The lines grew more complex, their colors more varied.
In all the chaos, Ryu finally managed to pick out a single pale line.
It held a pearly white color, looking pure and untainted. But compared to the other lines, it had a thickness so thin that it seemed like it might collapse at any moment.
The Rainbow Scaled Eagled roared, its wings expanding.
It was truly enraged at this moment. Though it seemed to be dealing Great damage to Ryu, it could tell that Ryu somehow always managed to divert most of its strength. In fact, Ryu seemed to be growing stronger and stronger with every clash.
Ryu swept his gaze over the beast preparing to leap into the around him.
The Lines of Fate surged. He could see the force being exerted along its palms, the qi gathering at its throat, the trajectory of its upcoming flight…
But Ryu soon took his gaze off of it, turning his attention back to the Great Swordstaff, his gaze melting and beginning to border on infatuation.
He felt as though he could tug on this thin line, manipulating as he pleased, thickening it and even coloring it as he saw fit.
With a thought, Ryu looked toward himself. The colors that swirled around him were especially dazzling, but it was hardly a problem to pick out three, each of them carrying a blazing red character to them. It didn't take much to understand that these were the comprehensions of his three Tatsuya Saintly Weapons.
They were thick and immovable, swaying about as though they had minds of their own. Rather than seeming to be a part of Ryu, they seemed to be chains that bound him, leashes that kept him shackled.
Compared to the thin white line of the Great Swordstaff, they were millions of times more difficult to control.
'I see…'
Ryu mumbled to himself.
He took a step forward in the air, his control over his body having skyrocketed to another level.
With that one step, he dodged out of the way of the Rainbow Scaled Eagle's charge, leaving it unable to change direction in a short time.
With a thought, the illusions of three weapons appeared before Ryu, each of them exuding the aura of the Impose Realm at the weakest.
'[Demonic Strings].'
With a flick of his wrist, the second Great Swordstsff shot up from the ground.
Ryu's control continued to skyrocket. Just earlier, he could barely fly. But now, he could force a ten million jin weapon into flight from dozens of meters away. It was clear that Lines of Fate had given him a massive boost.
However, this hardly mattered, because anyone who was paying attention would only see Ryu suddenly swing his two weapons forward, tearing apart the illusory weapons that hovered before him.
The three thick Lines of red Fate that hung above him wavered and withered, their strength being greedily devoured by the thin Line of white Fate.
Very quickly, the pure color became coated in crimson before deepening toward a hue of magenta. It seemed far closer to black now than it had ever been to white.
Strength surged into Ryu's veins, the image of numerous Birthed Phenomena appearing to his back.
In one moment, there was the flickering God Emperor which quickly morphed into the War God, only to be consumed by the Dragon God.
The images fought over one another as Ryu remained expressionless, his eyes even closing.
He continued to dodge in the air, slipping by the strikes of the Rainbow Scaled Eagle with increasing agility.
His body grew more nimble, his steps more confident, an undeniable majesty surging throughout his body with growing fervor.
He was the wielder of the Heavenly Pupils. Yet, he was constantly being held back by weapons that refused to acknowledge his sovereignty.
Even after years of cuktivation, even with his talent, he had only stepped into the Ruler Realm.
To others, this was a shocking achievement. The Rule Realm was cornered off for Immortals. It had no business being in the hands of a mere Divine Vessel Realm pup.
However, Ryu was unsatisfied. He didn't have time to bide and wait for his turn. His parents, his grandparents, his Elena… they were all waiting for him.
Deep within the hidden territory of the Moonlight Blossom Sect, a suffocating aura suddenly pervaded the lands. It felt as though a Deity was descending, but all they could do was look up into the skies, unmoving.
Essence poured down, its quality so pure that many wanted to bow down, their heartbeats erratic.
The sound of a shattering barrier resounded.
In shock, Ailsa, who had been taking care of Little Gem, leapt out from the Incubator, looking down toward the meditating Ryu. She couldn't hide the stunned look on her face in the slightest.
"This is… This is…"
To be an Heir was to be granted the title of Inheritor. To step into the Impose Realm was to be titled a Lord. To cross beyond that and touch upon the Rule Realm was to be a Ruler.
However… Beyond that…
"… Small Realm… Monarch!"
But how was that possible? Ryu had only just touched the Ruler Realm!
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