Giveon led the head of the charge, storming up the mountain pass and into a cave carved out of the side of the mountain without a care.
To his back, Annette followed, floating off the ground. Her frame was quite petite in her full form, so even with her floating, she was able to lift off more than a meter above the ground, making the size of the cave quite clear.
"You all follow Giveon." Ryu said plainly. "I'll take another path."
The other team members hesitated before nodding. Ryu was a monster, he could definitely lead his own vanguard.
It was usually much safer for them all to be together, but they understood Ryu's intentions. If there was going to be an ambush, a possibility they still hadn't erased from their minds, having Ryu separate from them and in position to counter should it be necessary was a good idea.
Though they had come up with many countermeasures before setting out, there was nothing wrong with a bit of extra caution.
Without waiting for their response, Ryu had already stepped into the air, shooting up the side of the mountain with light steps and leaping into another cave opening.
The cave was massive and reminded Ryu of the hive pathways within the Death Worm. But, even compared to his Immortal Abode, these passageways were much larger.
The ceiling was at least six or seven meters tall and the width was easily double that. Ryu couldn't imagine how long it would have taken to dig out such large tunnels, especially with how sturdy the rock here was, but he was still grateful for it. If not for this, how could he make full use of his Great Swordstaffs?
Ryu dashed forward, half his body becoming no different from illusory streaks of lightning. With his added control over his body, he obviously gained the same level of finesse over his Spirit Body. At that moment, he looked no different from a humanoid bundle of lightning, his arms stretched out to hold onto two Great Swordstaffs.
Though Ryu couldn't use [Fragrant Breeze] in this state, he had reached a point where it didn't even matter. His speed had long since surpassed his previous cap. However, he already knew that he would definitely need a new movement technique to maximize his new abilities.
Ryu traveled more than 200 meters in the blink of an eye before he laid eyes on his first Mountain Barbarian. It was at that moment that he understood exactly why these tunnels had been carved out so large.
Each and every one of them was massive.
Even the smallest Mountain Barbarian had a frame as tall as three meters while the tallest of them neared four meters. Their bodies were chiseled and seemed carved of rock. From afar, it looked as though a master craftsman had diligently carved out each and every one of their muscles to the utmost level of perfection.
Their skin was an unnaturally greyish black color that reminded one of a blacksmith's chimney. But, beyond that, rock-like growths under the camouflage of birth marks marred their skin, especially around the eyes, hands, elbows and knees.
If Ryu did know better, he would have thought that these barbarians had glued small rocks onto their skin. But, after seeing the spores in action, Ryu knew that this was the inevitable result of inhaling them for too long.
In the beginning, the spores would follow the pattern of the human cells. But, eventually, one would run out of these cells. It was then that the spores would truly take over and begin to cause all sorts of cancerous growths to appear.
Ryu estimated that the lifespan of these barbarians was at most 40 years of age. But, this wasn't necessarily a good thing…
While it meant that maybe their population wouldn't be very large depending on a few other factors, it also meant that a large portion of them could also be mobilized.
A harsh whistle came from the barbarians when they lied eyes on Ryu. It sounded like a cross between a whistling train and metal scrapping against metal. It was the kind of sound that made even Ryu want to cover his ears.
At that moment, they all charged forward.
Ryu reacted just as quickly, his hands tightening around his polearms.
"Impose."
A crackling barrier of lightning appeared around Ryu. The vicious blue arcs whipped against the walls of the cave, causing bits and pieces of rubble to fly every which way.
'Constrict.'
As Ryu watched the barbarians close the distance, his Impose Barrier began to constrict in on itself. The moment his Spirit Body reached a certain level of control, he had long since been able to do this.
Ryu's irises flashed with violent arcs of lightning.
'Rule.'
The Impose Barriers solidified onto Ryu's blades.
At that moment, Esme appeared by Ryu's side, wielding twin daggers with crystalline blades. Their light blue hue seemed all the most prominent beneath the dancing luminance of Ryu's Great Swordstaffs.
'I'll immobilize them and Esme will deal the killing blow.'
Ryu felt his body strengthen as Essence his main form was absorbing reached him. The change wasn't nearly as exaggerated as Ryu was used to, but he had already lost count of the number of times he had entered the Rule Realm. How could he expect the same amount of returns each time?
When the barbarians were just 20 meters away, Ryu shot forward so fast that he practically vanished. The barbarians didn't even realize when he entered their midst. But by the time they did, his blades were already spinning.
Ryu's single flurry sending torrent of lightning surging through the bodies of the barbarians. Harsh and deep cuts tore through their frames. Some lost portions of their legs, others parts of their torsos, and there was even one that lost half a face.
But, regardless of which it was, even Ryu's blade failed to go through them completely. Even as the most regular members of the clan, their bodies were sturdy beyond belief.
Still, Ryu didn't seem to be surprised by this in the slightest.
Lightning continued to course through their bodies leaving them completely immobilized. It was in that instant that Esme acted, violent surges of Spiritual Qi ripping through her twin blades.
One after another, the barbarians began to fall.