The roar of anger reverberated through Ryuk's existence as he felt the strength he had recovered rapidly leaving him.
The hold on his neck tightened, his body struggling as an intense sensation of death covered his entire being.
But then, it all stopped when a calm voice cut through the tension.
"You might just end up dealing him his real death like that, you know?"
The voice came from none other than the blue-scaled Ryuk, who slowly sat upright from its throne.
The crimson-scaled Ryuk clenched his teeth before scoffing and letting go of his grip, dropping Ryuk unceremoniously to the ground.
COUGH! COUGH!
A violent coughing fit escaped Ryuk's lungs as he collapsed onto his knees, his hands desperately grasping for life.
He inhaled sharply, struggling to regain his breath, when suddenly, a blue wave of energy wrapped around his figure.
Ryuk felt the biting sensation of lungs starved for air slowly come to a standstill, along with the lingering shadow of death that had loomed over him moments ago.
Only now did he feel more at ease.
As the blue aura—a pure source of Aetheris—faded away, he finally managed to stand on his feet.
However, he only then realized the soreness in his body when he turned to see the blue-scaled Ryuk with an unusual, sorrowful expression.
It was strange. The calm one, whose eyes rarely flashed with emotion, now carried a look of sadness.
Something had happened. Something really bad.
"What's... what's wrong?" Ryuk asked, bewildered.
The blue-scaled Ryuk stretched out his hands, and energy coalesced to form a holographic image appeared within them.
"You recognize these?" he asked.
Ryuk furrowed his brows.
The image was none other than the Abyssal Howlers—the weapons he had ultimately used to destroy the Knulls Wanderers.
"Yes, I do. They're the Abyssal Howlers. A gift from my mentor."
"Tch! A gift!? HAHAHAHA!"
The mocking laughter of the crimson-scaled Ryuk echoed throughout the throne room, filled with disdain.
Ryuk frowned, his gaze shifting back to the blue-scaled Ryuk, who slowly rose from his throne and walked toward him.
Every step sent a jolt through Ryuk's heart for some unknown reason, but the unease faded when he stopped a half-meter away.
"You see these Abyssal Howlers of yours? I'm guessing you have no idea what they truly are."
"They are powerful, are they not? Perhaps... a bit too powerful?" The blue-scaled Ryuk asked.
Ryuk nodded.
The Abyssal Howlers were indeed powerful—overpowered, even.
A single shot and a Knull Wanderer would be blown apart into nothingness.
These weapons could make quick work of even Pseudo-Eternal Beings.
Ryuk was certain that if he had used them at the very start of the battle—before the Knull Wanderers could shift into their awakened forms—he would have wiped them out in mere seconds.
"They're truly powerful. I don't think anyone, but an Eternal can withstand their full power and live through it..." Ryuk admitted.
The blue-scaled Ryuk nodded before asking, "Every power has its price. You should know that by now."
"I do."
"Well then, have you ever considered what the price of using such an ungodly weapon is?"
Ryuk unconsciously paused.
His eyes flashed, but he quickly regained his composure and answered confidently.
"They use mana. I pour my mana into them, and they activate the ingrained skills, unleashing devastating attacks. My mana is the price for their activation."
"No, you're wrong!"
The blue-scaled Ryuk cut him off firmly before he could continue.
"For whatever reason, your mana is incredibly pure. You're using a high-level cultivation art, even though I have no idea where you could have obtained such a manual in that lower world of yours. Nor do I care."
"But if mana alone was the price, then it shouldn't be capable of dealing that much damage."
"Your mana is only at the Initial Level of the Cataclysm Stage at best, and its purity should only be able to push the Abyssal Howlers to the Peak Stage of the Cataclysm Stage."
"Against Transformed Knull Wanderers at the Pseudo-Eternal Stage, it shouldn't be effective enough to take them down in few shots."
The blue-scaled Ryuk's explanation made sense.
Ryuk's mana was strong, but eliminating Pseudo-Eternal Beings with a single shot? That was an overkill.
Could his mana alone really handle such power?
"So what then? If it isn't my mana being used, then what is?" Ryuk asked.
The crimson-scaled Ryuk rose from his seat and ripped apart the upper cloth covering him.
Ryuk's attention was immediately drawn to the object embedded in the center of the creature's chest.
A crimson-red core, pulsating with powerful ripples of energy.
But then, he noticed it—a crack running through it, radiating a lifeless aura that starkly contrasted with the vibrant energy of the core.
"This is what your 'gift' does.
It steals away your Bloodline Power—especially mine!" The crimson-scaled Ryuk growled lowly.
Ryuk's eyes flashed in realization.
Now, it all made sense as to why the Crimson scaled Ryuk was so mad.
"He's correct. Your Abyssal Howlers don't just use mana. They also drain your Bloodline Power."
"And for some reason, they seem to favour your Knull Bloodline Power over your Draconic one."
The blue-scaled Ryuk's voice was solemn as Ryuk's eyes widened in shock.
"You might not know this, Ryuk... but the only thing keeping you alive is us."
"Your heart was gravely damaged at birth."
"The only reason it still beats is because of your bloodline—the Mighty Draconic Bloodline, which carries the pure healing energy of Aetheris, and your Knull Bloodline, which holds the undying energy of the abyss."
"Together, they sustain you—even after suffering massive injuries in battle, keeping you alive."
"And both of us are the manifestations of your bloodline. Your Abyssal Howlers drain away your Bloodline Power, depleting its purity in exchange for destructive might."
"This is a very bad thing because once your Bloodline Purity drops—your life drops too."
"In fact,... as we speak, you're already half-dead."
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos