Ryu looked down toward the massive rolling piles of earth. At the very center, a hole so deep that even he couldn't see through to the bottom of lay.
Suddenly, Ryu coughed violently, torrents of blood flooding down his mouth and chest. Ryu clenched his jaw hard, trying to keep his body steady in the air.
Without a choice, he could only retract his [Divine Chaotic Annihilation]. If he didn't, he really would collapse and this time he wouldn't be able to stop himself with will power alone.
Ailsa bit at the sides of her cheeks, her anxiousness reaching the end of its rope. She knew that her nephews weren't dead, and maybe the only reason they weren't was because Ryu had sworn not to hurt them. If he killed them here, their talent would be forever damaged.
Even for the Cultus Clan, finding a treasure that could perfectly heal a soul at the Soul Birth Realm back to its original strength was very difficult. Though it wouldn't be impossible, the soul was still too great of a variable to take such risks with.
Ailsa bit at her cheeks harder. Had she been too selfish? Had it really been alright for her to ask such a thing of Ryu?
At that moment, a long while after the earth settled down, two figures crawled their way back up, their bodies beaten and battered.
Whether it was Rollaith or Sanreth, both of them were in terrible condition. Or, at the very least, they seemed to be.
In those last moments before Ryu attacked, he had not only overwhelmed them, but that odd blackhole above his head had not only disrupted their energy, but it had also shattered their techniques. Without such things, they had entered that final exchange with barely 10% of their true strength, causing the result that was before them now.
But now, it seemed that Ryu had reached the ends of his limits. The blackhole was gone and even that defensive tree of his had flickered out of existence, taking with it the falling cherry petals. It even seemed that the black lightning around him was growing less volatile.
The two little nephews slowly rose into the air, their energy unsteady. They felt like their souls had almost left their bodies in those final moments.
Though they had already long since begun to take Ryu seriously, they still found it hard to accept that they were losing to a person an entire cultivation stage and three small realms beneath them.
The two nephews looked toward one another when they had reached a state level to Ryu. The latter was leaking blood as though his veins were filled with endless oceans of crimson, his body quaking and quivering in the air as though it might collapse at any moment.
Ryu's breathing was short and shallow, almost as though he didn't dare to breathe too heavily for fear that his heart might truly collapse this time.
By this point, the crimson veins that had run along Ryu's cheeks receded. Let alone continuing to use Earth Gate, he could hardly keep his eyes open at all. All the lights around him seemed far too bright despite the fact the sun had actually long since set.
Everything about Ryu seemed to say that he was at the end of his limits. And though the two nephews were definitely heavily injured as well, their damage was to their bodies, not their minds or their qi reserves like it was for Ryu.
If they banded together now, it would only take them a few exchanges to defeat Ryu. That much they could guarantee.
With their expertise as Cultus Faeries, they understood a lot about the bodies of various species and could easily measure the limits of both themselves and Ryu.
The two looked toward one another with a complicated gaze. Their aunt stood in the distance silently. She didn't say a word, just holding her hands to her chest, but they felt as though the crimson of her ruby eyes were just that small bit redder at this moment.
The two nephews clenched their jaw and resolved themselves.
Their only job was to kill Ryu in this world so that they could attach the soul seal on him. That way, they'd be able to track him no matter where he was. As long as the two were found and brought back to the Clan, there were any myriad of ways that this could still end well for them.
At least… These were the thoughts the two nephews used to comfort each other and temper down their guilt.
"We're sorry." Sanreth spoke solemnly. "You are a worthy Life Partner for our aunt, but Fate is not on your side. This isn't something that we, as her family members, can accept."
Sanreth meant every word he said. And, though Rollaith didn't add anything to what he spoke, the look in his eyes made it clear that he agreed. As much as they respected Ryu, they believed that the life of their aunt was more important.
Ryu didn't say anything to their words, but his lip curled. Considering the blood that ran down his chin, it all looked quite ghastly. But, when his head tilted up, his eyes which had returned to their normal silver locking onto the two, he exuded an air that made them feel inferior.
"When you go back." Ryu said softly. "Tell my father-in-law that he'll have to come personally next time. Make sure to mention that he should probably hurry, I progress pretty fast. Who knows if he'll stand a chance by the time he finds me?"
At first, the two really thought that Ryu was going to give them a message to pass on. After all, it wasn't like they could snatch Ryu from Osiris. They would have to return to the Cultus family first. Well, not return since at this very moment, they were meditating within the Cultus Clan lands.
But, when they paired the words with Ryu's smile, they grew confused. What was happening here?
At that instant, Ryu's half closed eyes widened, a strong pulse surging through them as a torrent of blood fell from them.
Before the two little nephews could react, they felt a sharp piercing pain to the back of their heads.
They struggled to look back, but their consciousness was already fading, their souls having been cleanly separated from the Osiris avatars.
Esme stood with her two daggers pierced through the back of their skulls, her visage expressionless.
"Don't forget to pass on my message, little nephews."
These were the last words the two heard.