The chilling laughter from Ryuk’s lips rang out through the area of the fest as he rose upright completely from the tree he had collapsed in.
With widened eyes, the four creatures watched as the battered-looking Ryuk instantly had all the ashes on him fade away.
They watched him twisting his back and neck.
"You know, an interesting man once told me that the sense of morality in war is a privilege. Right or wrong, what does it matter?" Ryuk said, slowly walking towards the beasts, his thoughts flashing with the image of Instructor Dravok Kain’s speech about war.
"And even though right or wrong doesn’t matter, somehow, I like being on the right side still. Perhaps it makes me feel less guilty about the battle?" he asked bizarrely, coming to a stop ten meters away.
"It seems we have both established it then. Even if I leave behind all the trophies I’ve obtained, even if I swore to never return to your forest, and swore to never kill one more beast—you still wouldn’t let me live, would you?"
"Now, it wouldn’t be wrong for me to fight back for my life, would it? Everything I will do from now on can be referred to as pure self-defense. Now, I fight for a moral reason, and I feel more comfortable…" Ryuk stated with a grin as the crow narrowed its eyes at him before it cackled.
"So what does it matter?" the crow asked.
"Against all four of us, you will still be buried here. Right or wrong, what does it matter if you’ll end up a corpse anyway?" the crow mocked with obvious disdain.
Ryuk’s eyes flashed.
"He actually said that too," Ryuk muttered. "All that matters now is who comes out alive or dead. Now, it’s all up to survival. The true goal of war."
Slowly, the shirt he wore began disintegrating, revealing his perfectly honed upper muscular body, leaving only the trousers on him.
Raising his hand, Ryuk brushed his hair back, looking up at the bright moon in the sky.
Somehow, it feels so much more beautiful.
"Now come, come. Let’s war, shall we?"
"ATTACK!"
The crow’s high-pitched voice rang out, and instantly, all hell broke loose as the crow shot backward from the battle while the three enormous beasts soared into the sky.
Then…
Three attacks blasted towards Ryuk from all sides, covering his small figure.
A gigantic fist from above burst into flames from the horrific friction with the air, the ground beneath him curling into nothing from the sheer power.
HOOOOOOOOOWWWWWLLLLL!
A powerful lightning bolt slammed in from the side, like the wrath of an angered lightning god.
BOOM!
Ryuk was involuntarily sent up into the sky as the Infernal Tusk beast slammed its huge hoof down, channeling the heat from its molten core into its legs, causing the air beneath to shatter into dust and lava.
The upward attack made Ryuk’s body involuntarily fly toward the massive flaming fist that covered the entire sky, his hairs standing on end from the electrified current rapidly approaching from the side.
"Hehehehe…"
To all of these attacks, Ryuk laughed like a madman as he clenched his fists, various tattoos flashing all over his arms, and then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
He smashed his fist against the gigantic falling infernal fist slamming downward toward him. Their clash instantly caused Ryuk’s entire right arm to become submerged in cracks, and then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
His arm exploded into nothing. Mere seconds after the explosion—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic hole appeared in Ryuk’s stomach, the other side clearly visible as the lightning bolt pierced through, sending him crashing unconscious to the ground.
But the bolt never exhausted itself; instead, it rebounded mid-air, splitting into countless strands that instantly reached for him, piercing through his skin like daggers.
With such speed that it was over in mere seconds, the battle had ended.
Ryuk’s charred body lay against a tree, riddled with gaping holes, one of his arms reduced to nothing but pulp. The smell of burning lava leaked from his wounds.
"HEHEHEHEHEHE!"
"HEHEHEHEHEHE!"
A dark, evil cackling rang out from the crow as it flew back to the shoulder of the ape from where it had been hiding before. The four beasts walked forward, glancing back at the pathetic body of their enemy.
"You’re not saying anything anymore, righteous warrior."
"Come on, come on!"
"Run that pathetic mouth of yours once more!"
"What’s wrong? Too tired to muster a word?!?"
The bird mocked with a wicked cackle as thoughts rang out in Ryuk’s mind.
’Hey Ryuk. Let me teach that damn crow a lesson.’
Isha said, trying to leave the Pet World, but shock clouded her face when she found the space suddenly restricting her, preventing her from coming out.
’What happened?! I can no longer leave the space at will anymore!’ Isha thought in shock.
Meanwhile, Ryuk, struggling with immense pain, slowly raised his head, his gaze locking onto the four beasts. Then—
"HEHEHEHEHEHE!"
"Oh, you birdie bastard!" Ryuk called out, blood unconsciously pouring down from his lips.
His eyes burned with pain, but he ignored it all as he pointed at the small crow who replied.
"Wut?"
"I’d be looking behind me if I were you," Ryuk stated.
The crow chortled in mockery.
"I won’t fall for that, you—"
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!
In the next instant, the head of the crow soared towards Ryuk, having been severed clean in half from its neck.
Ryuk stretched out his hands, catching the dismembered head as it landed in his grasp.
With bloodied lips, he peered into the bird’s eyes, which now held ultimate horror—an expression that Ryuk found so amusing to watch.
"Tell me, Birdie. How does it feel for your greatest power—your so-called wise intelligence—to end up being the death of you?" Ryuk asked with a grin, his hand slowly squeezing tighter.
"FUUUUCCK YOU!"
BUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTT!
Dark blood splattered through the air as the bird’s head was crushed into nothing by Ryuk, sending showers of thick black liquid across his face.
"Now… I feel more at peace…"