Ryu's cold eyes met the Roc's. It was as though two lines of silver crossed time and space.
The Roc seemed curious about Ryu's sudden appearance, amused, even. Normally beasts completely avoided its territory. Whenever it wanted to eat, it would have to leave and chase after those cowards. He had to say that this was the first time someone had willingly come to him.
As for Ryu, he was surprised for an entirely different reason. He felt a pressure he had only experienced once before. The issue was that the originator of that pressure had been a Connecting Heaven Realm expert, but Ryu was certain that this Roc was just a Peak Third Order beast. How was that even possible?
'A strand can't be so powerful, can it?' Ryu's brow furrowed as he asked Ailsa this question. He had four full Ancestral Bloodlines running through his veins, so why wasn't the pressure he gave off a match for this beast who supposedly only had a strand?
'It can't be helped.' Ailsa replied. 'Humans don't have the bodily strength needed to hold Ancient Beast bloodlines from birth, so they can only slowly grow into theirs. However, beasts are more appropriately adjusted. Though he only has a strand while you have the full bloodlines, at this point in your lives, he's still superior in that respect. You'll begin to see the true strength of your blood only after entering the Divine Vessel and Vessel Tempering Realms.'
Ryu's eyes sharpened. "I'll give you an opportunity."
Even Ailsa was shocked by Ryu's sudden actions. He was talking to the Roc?
"If you follow me, I'll give you the chance to break through your limits. Would you like to take this chance? Or would you rather spend the rest of your life lording over this small mountain range?"
Ryu could see it. His eyes could see the intelligence in the Roc, he could see the pride in its eyes, its unwillingness to be normal. Ryu felt that after breaking two seals… Many things were clearer to him.
The Roc's long neck bristled, the beautiful silver plumes that spread from its neck to the top of its tall head flickered under the heavy rain.
In that moment, it suddenly spread its proud wings. Like a blinding silver moon under the dark sky above, it spread itself outward over six meters. It didn't answer Ryu's question, instead, it attacked, as though saying it cared little for empty words.
Even with Ryu's pupils and his preparedness, he had never seen anything so fast. In fact, he was certain. This beast was faster than him, and this wasn't even its peak speed.
A flash of silver swept down from the mountain, charging toward Ryu.
Ryu no longer played around. His greatest advantage – his speed – had suddenly been taken away. Without the slightest hesitation, he brought out his spears, clutching one in both hands as he met the vicious claws of the soaring Roc.
Even as Ryu was sent flying, he felt an excitement bubbling within his veins. This was what he wanted. He wanted to be pushed to his absolute limits.
Recently, he felt that his battles had become too easy. His speed was simply too overwhelming. In combination with his Heavenly Pupils, many of the opponents he faced didn't stand a chance. But, he had finally found a beast who could take his greatest strength away. This was yet another opportunity to break past his limits and reach a greater height. His Tatsuya Saintly Weapons had stalled for too long!
**
"Oddities?"
A collection of individuals had gathered in a room Ryu would find very familiar. It was none other than the Association Head's spacious office. Though, one would be surprised to find that it was far more tidy than it had been in the past. It seemed these guests were quite important.
"The details are above your paygrade. You only need to answer the questions I've asked."
A large, black cloaked man responded to the Association Head's question stiffly, obviously giving the old man no semblance of face.
"We…" The Association Head's brows furrowed as he looked toward his granddaughter, Molly. "We haven't had anyone take the Black Grade Herbology exam, no."
The cloaked man followed the Association Head's gaze, but said nothing else.
"I'm sure you understand the consequences for lying to us?"
"Are you not aware of the records? All Alchemy Associations are linked, you didn't need to come here to ask me these questions." The Association Head's temper flared.
"What I am and am not aware of aren't matters you need to concern yourself with, or else it would be a shame if another daughter of your family disappeared."
The Association Head stood abruptly, his palm slamming downward so fiercely that his large desk splintered into bits of wood and metal.
"Don't you dare push me!" The old man growled. "Every man has his limits. If you think you can take everything away from me and I'll only silently accept it, you'd be wrong. I don't mind killing a few of you before heading off to an early grave!"
"That's enough, Edwin. These aren't the matters we came here for."
The atmosphere chilled when this second cloaked figure spoke. By its slender figure, gentle voice, and the way its cloak tugged along its curves, there was no doubt that this was a woman. Yet, she forced the large cloaked man to back down with ease.
"I apologize for my subordinate's rude words. We'll take our leave, but I hope you understand that we do not move without just cause. Something precious was taken and its our duty to bring it back."
With those words, the cloaked figures left, leaving behind a silent grandfather-granddaughter pair.
"Commander Fidroha, why did we come here?" The large man finally couldn't withhold his questions.
"It's been a few weeks since those matters ended, but the target still hasn't been found. So, obviously, the search radius needs to be expanded before the trail runs cold…"
Though her face was covered by a dark cloak, it felt as though her sinister smirk left the world feeling cold.