’He... he killed Lugar too!’ This was the thought that echoed through the minds of the two remaining A-Grade beasts as they looked at Ryuk, whose dualed eyes were turned toward them.
Right now, it was like the entity before them was no longer the one they previously knew. His former weak-looking form was gone, and now he seemed like the reincarnation of Death itself!
HUMMMMMM
A metallic hum filled the air—deep, unearthly.
The creature before them had no flesh nor bone, but an ever-changing mass of writhing nanobots, each one pulsing with an eerie black glow. The form seemed unstable, yet absolute—shifting between monstrous and humanoid, an existence that defied reason.
Then came the most frightening object: the weapon!
The colossal blade, forged from nanobots and abyssal energy, distorted the very space around it.
Its mere vibration left the air slicing apart, vanishing into a bizarre darkness, as if the atoms themselves were being erased to nothing.
But that wasn’t all.
For a split second, both beasts could sense how powerful the scythe was, yet looking at it, they barely noticed the flashes of dark blood—Lugar’s blood—being absorbed into the blade, causing its hum to grow even louder.
As if... as if...
’The blade devours blood to grow stronger?!’
The horrifying thought rang through their minds as a grin appeared on Ryuk’s lips.
"What’s wrong, righteous beasts? Afraid to take the first step?" Ryuk asked, stepping forward. The ground beneath him hardened, as he climbed toward the creatures, whose eyes flashed with terror.
And then, suddenly, they did something inexplicable.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
The ground caved in, and the air around them flapped wildly, lifting some trees into the sky. A swirling tempest descended, yet when it finally quieted down—
Ryuk’s jaw dropped.
The beasts... they were gone.
"They... they ran!?"
He thought in shock, finding that the beasts had completely disappeared from his gaze.
And then—
[Congratulations, Host has defeated a Rattleconda!]
[Total EXP: +25,000 EXP!]
[Congratulations, Host has defeated an Obsidian Juggernaut!]
[Total EXP: +25,000 EXP!]
[Congratulations, Host has defeated a Thunderwolf Colossus!]
[Total EXP: +25,000 EXP!]
[Congratulations, Host has defeated an Infernal Tusk Beast!]
[Total EXP: +25,000 EXP!]
"The Thunderwolf Colossus and the Infernal Tusk Beast ran away, and they’re still alive. How could I have defeated them?" Ryuk asked in surprise, but then he paused in his step before grinning loudly.
"So it’s like that, huh?"
He mused to himself, deactivating all of his skills and returning to his human form as he gently landed on the ground.
Ryuk knew well why the system had marked the creatures as defeated.
It was because they had run away. Their act of fleeing was an admission of their defeat.
Just like the blue-scaled Ryuk once said—
----
"One isn’t truly defeated until their will has been crushed."
---
And Ryuk’s overwhelming power had been enough to make the remaining beasts run for their lives, automatically surrendering.
That itself was a defeat in its own right, and the system seemed to acknowledge that.
Ryuk could chase after them and kill them, but somehow, he found it unnecessary. He might have wanted to do it to gain more EXP points, but he already had them now.
There was no more reason to follow after them, so he let them be.
His gaze returned to what was important as he jumped into the air, soaring for a few meters before stopping midair. His eyes turned downward as he quickly located the abodes of the fallen beasts.
Wasting no time, Ryuk advanced forward, heading first to the place where the Obsidian Juggernaut had fallen.
[Congratulations, Host has found an A-Grade Treasure!]
[Name: The Fault Heart Core]
[Description: A gem that is the heart of an entire planet, formed from the violent collision of celestial bodies over millennia, amassing a solid aura of obsidian and tectonic energy. This stone is a god-tier cultivation material that significantly increases one’s physical power through its immense gravitational force!]
The system announced as Ryuk lifted the dark gem, causing it to disappear from where it lay. He then moved swiftly in search of the next treasures.
[Congratulations, Host has found an A-Grade Treasure!]
[Name: The Storm Crown]
[Description: A glowing orb of lightning, a relic formed from centuries of trapped thunder. It absorbs all Lightning Elements within thousands of kilometers, making it an invaluable artifact for boosting the power of Lightning Elementals!]
Surprisingly, when Ryuk arrived at the body of the Infernal Tusk Beast, he couldn’t find anything at all.
Strange.
Judging by its strength, it should have held a treasure equal to the others, yet there was nothing.
He shrugged it off.
He had already acquired so many artifacts that he was more than satisfied.
"Finally..."
"I have become the strongest here!"
Ryuk declared to himself as he soared farther into the sky, spreading his arms as the rushing air flapped wildly around his body.
But then—
His eyes snapped open as he noticed a bizarre light in the sky.
Lifting his gaze, Ryuk saw a few numbers written on a pitch-black panel in the sky.
Ones that shifted constantly, yet he understood them clearly.
[7:24:57:01]
"A timer!?" Ryuk asked in surprise.
Then, another notification flashed.
[It seems that just as the Host had guessed, this truly is a trial ground. Currently, the Host has passed the test—to claim the absolute top of the hierarchy!]
[The timer may indicate how much time is left before the Host is transported away from this realm.]
The system hypothesized as Ryuk’s eyebrows furrowed.
It made sense, but he still had something to do.
"So I have a week left, huh?"
"That should be just enough for me to finish the construction of my Apex Realm!"
Ryuk mused to himself as he narrowed his eyes below him, inhaling sharply.
"The devastation is insane..."
He thought to himself, looking at the forest—half of the entire plain had been completely wiped out, reduced to nothing but a deep chasm.
A result of his battle with the beasts.
"Now, I need to find a peaceful place to cultivate... and hopefully reach the Dominion Plane Stage."
He murmured before descending, heading toward an untouched region where he could finally prepare for the next stage of his ascension.