Ryu's Great Swordstaffs spun like a whirlwind. His every step seemed to cripple another barbarian, his movements smooth and cadence unhurried.
Esme followed to his back like a shadow, cleaving the minds of their enemies with a practiced ease.
Ryu could feel his blood surging throughout his body. Emotions that wanted to bask in the feeling of the blood pooling at his feet clashed against his cold personality. They pulls and tugged, trying to prove which was the true Ryu.
One part of Ryu's mind became a minefield of barbaric thoughts. Images of ripping flesh apart with his bare hands, bedding countless women, and standing atop a mountain of corpses flashed by one after another.
The other part of Ryu's mind told a completely different tale. It was cold and calculating, menacing but silent, measured and focused. It was the kind of muted assassin that crept through the darkness, basking in the coldness of the world as though it exuded nothing but pleasantry.
[Sweep]. [Slice]. [Pierce]. [Sweep]. [Slice]. [Pierce].
Crimson flames so dark they almost looked black erupted around Ryu's body. They rose off his skin, snaking into the skies and forming the head of a roaring dragon.
The dichotomy between Ryu's beautiful sapphire-like scales and the crimson flames enveloped him in a dark violet light that exuded a sinister air.
Ryu's mouth opened, his throat flexing, his chest expanding and his back widening almost like the wings of a dragon.
He roared, just the hot air of his howl tearing a cyclone through the underground city.
Ryu's strength reached such a saturated peak that the scraps remaining for Esme became rarer and rarer. His blade, which was only barely able to leave nicks behind before, suddenly took limbs and bisected bodies as though a hot knife through butter.
At that moment, when Ryu was half way to the shrine, the hurried breathing of the Violet Olive Team coalesced near one of the many tunnel entrances. They finally reached the city, only to find that Ryu had long since made it here before them and had already torn a path through more than half of the ancient city.
The eyes of all but Annette and Giveon widened.
At that moment, Ryu looked no different from a humanoid beast. His breath was so hot that flames spontaneously combusted into existence every time he roared, filling the city with a rain of fire and heat that made the atmosphere almost unbearable.
At the same time, the lightning around Ryu seemed to only be growing more and more violent.
Every time the lightning met the flames, they would implode, making it feel as though miniature bombs were always being set off around him. The two extreme yang elements seemed to repel each other like oil and water, except unlike either one of those comparisons, lightning and fire were two of the most powerful elements in all of existence.
The [Tribulation Nine Clouds] arrays within Ryu's Spiritual Sea seemed to react to the strong lightning qi wafting off his body, making the already powerful Lightning Qilin qi gain a destructive character it had never had before.
At the same time, Ryu's Rage Flame fed off the pumping of his bloodlines. Even without needing to be fueled by his emotions, the competition between the Qilin and Dragon was a battle long since told in the annals of history. There was no doubt that as well as the Dragons and Phoenixes were known for being partners, the Qilins and Dragons were equally as known for butting heads.
The feedback loop resulting in Ryu's Rage Flame continuously growing more powerful, feeding off the evolution of his lightning.
The synergy caused Ryu's strength to reach an all new level. He didn't even care to notice the arrival of the other members of Violet Olive. He basked in the feeling of his strength, his rampage causing the earth to quake with a single step and the sky to split with a single blade.
Ryu's breath came out in a hot steam, his clothing combusting to reveal scales that covered the rest of his body.
Ryu's chest expanded once again, his throat flexing. His canines glistening beneath his flickering lightning and dancing flames.
He released a howling roar once again. But this time, the spark of fire lit far earlier.
A tornado of flames shot from his mouth, exploding forth like a laser.
It tore its way across the ground, piercing through the tough rock and blasting apart the barbarians who had taken up the area before him.
The beam of crimson ripped through the air. It blazed through several hundred meters worth of space, slicing a straight path through everything. It seemed as though it would reached the altar in just another blink. At that moment, even the other members of Violet Olive panicked. If the altar fell, how would they be able to fulfill their quota? They thought that Ryu must have lost his reason… But his strength made a cold shiver crawl up their spine.
But it was at that moment that seven chief barbarians made their presence known. Their roars sounded no different from the howls of beasts, their rage palpable.
They formed a group, swinging their massive axes toward the beam of crimson simultaneously.
BANG!!
Ryu's crimson beam was instantly shattered. But, even after he had sent out such a strike, he hadn't paused.
He could feel his throat scorching, his lips practically cracking beneath the dryness. Breathing fire wasn't a Talent, it was simply another application of Rage Flames… Likely the most powerful application there was. It was just that Ryu had never expected to master it in this fashion.
He had felt as though some bestial instinct was calling out to him. The ultimate result was more of a reflex than anything else, almost like this was simply how he was meant to be.
"Everyone, man the parameter. Make sure no others interfere in my and Ryu's battle. Annette."
Annette didn't need any further explanation. In the blink of an eye, she went for corporeal to illusory. At that moment, she looked no different from a ghost. However, rather than being colorless or white, she had a violet hue attached to her very being.
With a crackling that sounded like a snapping whip, Annette's body wrapped around Giveon's, shifting from an illusory humanoid figure to arcs of striking lightning.
The lightning soon formed a protective covering which then further condensed into a beautiful violet armor.
Giveon reached out a hand toward seemingly empty space, his hands immediately becoming coated in a wild flurry of lightning.
This was one of the highest forms a Life Partner and their Elemental Faerie could enter. Much like Ryu's Spirit Body, Annette could enter a full state of lightning as well. However, in this case, she was able to bolster her partner's strength while also acting as their strongest weapon.
Together, Annette and Given were stronger than the sum of their parts.
Now, did Giveon need to go all out like this? The answer was no. In his estimation, it would probably not take very long for Ryu to take down the seven chiefs by himself. But, for some reason, Giveon still felt like it wasn't enough.
Giveon shot forward, his speed eclipsing even Ryu's own. But, this could only be expected. While he had a special technique to circulate, Ryu had no such thing.
In the blink of an eye, he made it by Ryu's side. The latter didn't say a word, taking the chiefs on the right side and leaving the rest to Giveon. Giveon understood Ryu's meaning without explanation.
They both shot forward, one a streak of violet lightning, the other a trail of crimson flames and blue lightning.
Ryu's two Great Swordstaffs swung downward simultaneously, crossing two fists at once.
His gaze flashed, realizing that he had actually only left a small nick on the thick skin of these two chiefs.
Esme, who had taken a backseat, immediately reacted to Ryu's command, following after him.
Ryu's arms blurred, steamy breaths leaving his lips. His breath was so hot that the spores couldn't even survive long enough to latch onto his lungs.
Esme shadowed Ryu's movement, standing barely a meter to his back. They moved as one, the former waiting for an opportune time to strike.
Ryu unleashed a flurry of strikes, fighting back against four chiefs at once. His movements were the epitome of simplicity, not a single one of his actions feeling out of place or of excess effort. It was as though he could see through everything, even the perfect counter to every strike he faced.
Ryu's sapphire gaze glowed, blood rushing throughout his pupils. He could feel his eyes throbbing.
Ryu knew that this was his warning for danger, but he couldn't stop now.
'I thought I could push the Basic Stances further, but it seems I'm still lacking… I guess I'll have to push past them for now…'
A heavy, heated breath left Ryu's lips. Sparks of flames lit along the corner of his mouth, his chest running so hot that his heart felt as though it might explode at any moment.
"[White Serpent's Dance]."
The Awoken Moon Sect's Legacy Technique had finally appeared in the world again.