Destruction once more ravaged Ryu's body as Vygil took several steps backward. But Ryu didn't back down, his halberd sweeping outward to his side to build up momentum.
[Sweep].
The moment Ryu's strike met Lucien's sword, a rain of needles fell from the skies.
Some bounced of his Diamond Back Ape armor, and others were directly incinerated by his Rage Flames, but those were only some… Another portion, filled with Annbar's hidden strength, managed to tear their through, pelting Ryu's body with countless injuries.
Still, Ryu refused to take even a single step back. His once straight back hunched over slightly, unable to continue piercing toward the skies even as ragged breaths released billows of black smoke from his lips, but he still took yet another step forward.
[Advance]. [Lunge]. [Sweep]. [Sidestep]. [Advance]. [Sidestep]. [Slice].
The series of [Basic Stances] changed together in a beautiful simplicity. However, the three geniuses no longer seemed eager to kill Ryu. In fact, with serious expressions, the defended and waited.
It had barely been more than a second since the battle began, but Ryu's strength already began to decline. He could no longer raise his halberd as high as he had before, his [Basic Stances] were no longer as crisp, no longer as refined. He could no longer bow his body and unleashed an unbridled [Lined Assault]. It felt that he had really come to the end of his rope.
"[Sky Fall]!"
Vygil's built up momentum unleashed in an instant. His fist instantly appeared before Ryu's chest.
BOOM!
If one was watching on, perhaps they too would feel this impact to their chest. It wouldn't matter that the strike wasn't meant for them.
Ryu's armor shattered as he was sent flying into the distance. His flames had already become too weak to maintain its structure, this seemed like the inevitable conclusion.
The man who refused to take even a single step back had, in the end, been forced to. Sometimes, in the face of absolute strength, there wasn't much of a point in staunch resolve.
When Ryu and Ailsa first met, this was a point Ailsa made abundantly clear. Not everyone could fight against the will of the Heavens. Doing so wasn't as simple as Ryu believed. There were many people in this world who willed with all their might to grow stronger, to become something better for themselves, but still failed in the end.
That bitter taste of defeat, even after you had given it your all… This was what Ryu was now experiencing.
He lay in the distance, entrenched in the dirt. Maybe he would have lost consciousness already if it wasn't for his violent coughing. Every time it seemed he would finally slip away, another violent torrent of black smoke would snake up and out of his throat, convulsing his already beaten body with endless pain.
In his hand, his halberd lay. His fingers wrapped around it so tightly that it even his already fair skin turned several tones paler.
"Let's end this farce." Lucien said plainly.
The three geniuses hadn't sustained even a single injury. The so-called bloody Dragon God in the sky hadn't faded, but its aura had. It no longer seemed sustained by Ryu's Mental Realm, but was rather held up by his emotions.
Unable to lift or move his body, Ryu couldn't even watch as the three geniuses approach him, his only sight was the sky above his head.
It was quite ironic. He hated nothing more than those skies right now, but it forced him to look at it even as his final moments drew near.
Ryu thought of parents. His father that had descended into the Nether Realm to find him… His mother that had used the last bit of her strength to seal their Holy Lands…
He thought of his grandparents. Had they sacrificed themselves, were they long since dead? Would he be able to see them after he died?
Ryu's muscles spasmed, another violent cough ripping through his body. This time, though, it was followed by blood. It seemed his coughing had torn a new wound his throat, not that he was using it much before anyway.
The sight of a gorgeous beauty with gentle and mischievous eyes filled Ryu's mind. His wife, the love of his life, the woman he would happily bow his head to and heed the every need of… Was she struggling right now? Did she need him? Was she still waiting for him…?
'I promised…' Ryu tried to mumble to himself, but his torn throat didn't allow him. In the end, the words only became a projection of his mind.
{I want you to know that I'll never leave you. No matter what happens, can you promise me that you'll remember this?}
Those were the words he had told her during their final night. However, if he died here, there would be no third chance. There wouldn't be another Sky God's Legacy to allow him to reincarnate…
This was it.
The fire in Ryu's mind burned even brighter when he thought of this. He had promised. He couldn't let her down. He didn't want to let her down.
If his gaze held any power at all, even the skies above his head would have collapsed at his fervent desire. He wanted to live, not for himself, but for her.
But it was useless.
No matter how fierce his gaze became, no matter how fiercely his body trembled and tried to rise, he couldn't budge a single inch. He had reached the limit. There was simply no energy left within him. He had run completely dry.
Even as he struggled to stand once more, the three Core Region geniuses had already made it to within three meters of him.
"Even if you a Throne, you will still die here." Lucien said plainly. "I no longer have the face to say that you're undeserving of the title, but unfortunately for you, that doesn't matter. Don't worry too much, I'll be sure to send your head to Taedra. As for leaving you with a complete body, you lost that right the moment you offended my Lao Clan."
Lucien raised his sword.
Looking at the skies that filled his gaze, Ryu could just barely see the sun reflecting light along its silvery finish. With Ryu's death all but guaranteed, it seemed the tribulation clouds above no longer cared to stay. Almost as though it disdained to even watch his final moments.
The blade descended.
The reflective ray danced across Ryu's face and mask, teasing him with a faint warmth that drew ever closer.