“NO!” Ri snapped out of her trance. Yes, she loved her mother dearly and had been longing for her for so many years but having to choose between two people you love was a cruel fate for anyone.
Dyon felt a soft hand grasp his arm. But, when Ri felt the level of agitated heat coming off of Dyon, a deep guilt flooded her. She had been so consumed by her own grief that she had forgotten how her very own husband had just lost the world he called him. Everything he used to know, the uncles he shared jokes and laughs with… Even the graves of his parents… All gone.
He no longer even had a place to visit in remembrance.
That cemetery and that church were places Dyon hadn’t visited in truth for almost a decade. In fact, the last time he saw them, it was in an illusion fabricated by his grand teacher from his memories. He had lost count of how many times he thought of taking Ri and Madeleine there during his visit, but in the end, he didn’t end up doing so… And now he would never get the chance…
Ri’s hand trembled, ‘I’m so selfish… If only Madeleine were awake…’
Suddenly, Dyon’s hand slipped out of Ri’s and clamped down on her arm. Leaning forward, he whispered something into her ear.
In an instant, ten demon generals appeared around Dyon. With a last look at Clara, Dyon disappeared, leaving his demon generals behind.
The entire process took less than a second. Before Ri could even comprehend anything that had happened, Dyon was gone and her screams of agitation and unwillingness were deafened by the demon sage’s tower.
However hard she tried to chase after Dyon failed. How could she overpower ten demon generals alone?
A lone boy appeared in the sky. The black clouds rumbled and groaned as arcs of lightning lit the dreary day.
Seeing Dyon step out without the slightest bit of hesitation, a complex look flashed across King Acacia’s features. This was a boy he had all but cut away from his daughter just a day ago… Someone who he had looked down on as unworthy… Whether that had been because of the state his True Empathy put him in or not, he found this to be irrelevant.
In the end, even with how he treated him, this boy cured without batting an eye. He didn’t ask for anything. He didn’t make him plead. He hadn’t even accepted an apology. How many in the martial world would forgive a grudge so easily after having their honor trampled upon? The percentage was so small that it was all but negligible.
King Acacia’s lips opened as closed as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he was at a loss. What could he do in this situation? He was fully aware that he was much weaker than his wife in this state without having fully recovered. And, even if he was fully recovered, he was fully aware that he could never beat Kawa as easily as Patriarch Ragnor had. What if his actions led to the death of three people instead of just one?
‘Wait… Where’s Patriarch Cavositas?…’ An eerie feeling came over King Acacia. He and Kawa could hardly handle him together, how could the rest of them? Especially since they were already outmatched enough to let Matriarch Niveus slip away?
The situation just seemed to be getting more and more bleak…
“Ah, good choice. Quick and decisive. Well done, you have my praise.” Patriarch Ragnor stood in the skies, still holding onto Kawa’s neck.
Regardless of how confident he was and how much he thought he had calculated, everything this boy seemed to do was well out of his realm of understanding. No one in their right mind would account for the death of a celestial to a meridian formation expert, and yet, isn’t that what happened? So, he didn’t let go of Kawa too soon, something anyone would have guessed.
Saru’s brow furrowed. She turned her head to her protectors, but when she noticed that they were already avoiding her gaze, her frown could only deepen. Regardless of how much they pretended to follow her orders, Saru was quite aware that her father had given them the flexibility to make unilateral decisions should the situation get out of hand.
At the end of the day, Patriarch Ragnor was too much of a variable. And, if they knew that Kawa was a kitsune, they’d be even less likely to help.
Dyon didn’t say anything. Instead, he inexplicably walked through the skies and descended upon the Planet Nix people.
Matriarch Lebna’s eyes flashed with uncertainty, but Ulu didn’t even seem to notice anything around her anymore. She hadn’t moved in hours, just helplessly holding onto her belly.
“We can do no – “ Matriarch Lebna started to speak. In her thoughts, she thought that Dyon would be coming to use his leverage to force them to fight for him. However, in their weakened state, it was impossible to do such a thing. Their Jafari Royal God Clan was already a taboo in the universe. They had come here looking for legacies to complete something their clan had long since sought after, but they had clearly failed.
Two of their members had been kicked out of the top ten, and then their king had seemingly died before he could fulfill the last bits of their goal. They were as helpless in this situation as Dyon.
“Snap out of it!” Dyon furiously glared at Ulu, sending a torrent of music will that snapped her out of her listlessness.
Ulu looked around confused, but when she saw Dyon standing before her, a deep and reverberating anger lit in her eyes. However, before she could say or do anything, Dyon spoke again.
“Give me your life, and I’ll save your child.” There were no other words. He didn’t explain himself. He didn’t try and coerce Ulu. His meaning was simple. You can keep your life if you want it, or you can trade it for your child’s. Which will it be?
No one heard these words but Ulu. Everyone saw Dyon’s lips move, but only a single person caught what was being said.
Looking into Dyon’s eyes, Ulu’s own glistened. After only a moment’s pause, she nodded.
Dyon remained silent. With a wave of his hand, a black seal that Ulu’s clan members had labored day and night over flew out with ease and shattered.
“The moment your child is birthed, you’ll cease to be.”
With those final words, Dyon turned and headed into the skies, appearing in front of Patriarch Ragnor’s smiling features.
“Release her.” Dyon eyes burned with dense black flames. Although Patriarch Ragnor was much taller than him, Dyon didn’t hesitate to draw an array in the skies just high enough so that he’d be eye level. There was no fear in his voice, and even less trepidation.
Saru frowned further, clearly agitated. ‘Why did you go to him so easily, you’ve lost all leverage now!’
“Help him.”
“You know we can’t do that princess. Our first goal is to first and foremost protect you. As of now, this Patriarch Ragnor doesn’t seem to have his sights set on you, and it’s best it remain this way. Also, please do not take out your Epistemic Tower Key again. Although he ignored the temptation once with this Dyon child, he may not do so again.
“Remember that this is not our quadrant. Your key does not give you an advantage here. It took us many years of waging war to earn the key for our lineage away from those damnable kitsune. If you lost it under our watch, the King would have more than a little punishment for us.”
Patrirach Ragnor’s eyes narrowed at Dyon’s clear lack of disrespect. He was a man who wouldn’t even have to lower his head amongst the Emperor God Clan that was his home, and yet this boy that was nothing more than the last of a dead race of people dared to look at him with eyes of contempt?
“You’re quite bold. Stepping out here alone.”
Dyon’s emotions didn’t fluctuate. “Did you not say that if I came, you would release my mother in law?
You spent so long talking so much shit and spinning the tale however you wished. Don’t tell me that your words are worth as much as the piss and shit that comes out of your mouth?”
Patriarch Ragnor’s lip twitched at Dyon’s words, this being the first time he ever lost any semblance of his care free appearance. But, as he went to retaliate by squeezing Kawa’s neck, Dyon spoke again.
“Injure my mother in law any further and I’ll start burning my soul right now. Release her to him now.” Dyon pointed toward King Acacia, not turning his gaze over. “And after you do that, keep in mind that I have a soul bond with my wife. If your attacks don’t cease after I go with you, I will, again, burn my soul.”
Patriarch Ragnor froze. If Dyon burned his soul, it would be nothing less than burning away thousands of years of work. When this began, Patriarch Ragnor himself hadn’t even been born yet.
The Ragnors were cursed, and this wasn’t a secret to anyway. Because of their ancestor’s attempt at defying the heavens and grasping a will no one should, their gene pool was forever handicapped. This entity was their bright light of hope for not only the Daiyu, but them as well.
This plan of theirs didn’t just represent giving this entity accumulated power. No. It also represented the possibility for the Ragnors to defy the laws of nature as well. If Dyon really did as he threatened, all of that would be gone.
Patriarch Ragnor’s frozen features morphed into a smirk. “Did you think that committing suicide in the face of a true expert that didn’t want you to is so easy? If I so wished it, you wouldn’t be able to move an inch!”
A formless pressure weighed on Dyon, sealing his movement and grinding his organs and bones.
This was much like what Ester Sapientia had done to Madeleine. When someone had a higher grade of cultivation, especially when it involved a higher grade of energy entirely, this sort of suppression was very much possible.
Ri and Clara’s hearts seized. Although Clara didn’t know much about cultivation, she was smart enough to deduce the meaning behind Patriarch Ragnors words.
Clara’s cold eyes seemed to reach another abyssal level. Any semblance of warmth was completely gone… ‘I can’t lose you too…’
Dyon couldn’t move. His muscles were sealed, and a deep reverberating pain loomed over him, threatening to end his life where he stood.
However, that was when a massive humanoid manifestation appeared in the air, shaking the already rumbling skies with a pressure that couldn’t hope to outweigh Patriarch Ragnors, but had somehow formed a domain of its own.
A white flower bloomed in the skies, slowly unfolding. Under the eyes of everyone, a second Dyon appeared.
“It seems your words really are worth nothing.” The Clone spoke. “Unfortunately for you, though. Unless you use your soul to pressure my own, your suppression would fail. You have no ability of stopping me from doing anything I want to do with my soul.”
The reason was simple. Unlike most martial artists, Dyon had plenty of control over his soul. Cultivation suppression wouldn’t work on his soul.
In addition, using your soul to directly pressure someone was highly dangerous. If it wasn’t, Dyon would do it all the time. How would the world tournament have been even remotely challenging to him if he could?
That meant one thing. Even if Patriarch Ragnor broke all of their former expectations, and somehow turned out to be an unprecedented expert that also had a soul powerful enough to match it, he still wouldn’t dare use his soul to directly pressure Dyon.
“I don’t like being threatened.” Patriarch Ragnor’s façade was slowly crumbling.
“I quite frankly don’t care what you do or don’t like. Release my mother in law.” Both Dyon and his clone stared directly into Patriarch Ragnor’s eyes.
“Ha.” The darkness in Patriarch Ragnor’s eyes suddenly disappeared.
Dyon’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow at this quick shift between demeanors. The level of danger this man presented was clearly larger than any he had ever faced…
“It seems I’ve ruined your trust in me.” With a wave of his hand, Kawa was sent flying toward King Acacia who caught her and immediately began trying to treat her.
“I don’t trust the words of you people. Clearly if you feel slighted enough, even eradicating entire population isn’t beneath you.”
“Ai.” Patriarch Ragnor sighed in mock sadness. “There was a treaty in place, you know. I can’t believe Matriarch Niveus went so far as to do such a thing.”
A light smile spread across his lips. “You shouldn’t worry too much about it, though. That treaty ran its course years ago although very few knew about it.
It had only existed for the same reason shepherds protect their sheep from wolves with a fence.” A dark light shone in Patriarch Ragnors as Dyon’s anger threatened to erupt. “After all, whose talent would we accumulate if the mortals were to die out too quickly?”
In an instant, Patriarch Ragnor’s hand clamped on Dyon’s shoulder, and they disappeared.