Chapter 375: Choice
[WE'VE MADE IT BOYS (AND GALS IF THERE ARE ANY OF YOU LURKING), FINALLY A NEW CHAPTER OF GAB AFTER WHAT FEELS LIKE FOREVER! The reason chapters have been slow is because I've had to re-read GAB from start to finish because it's been so long since I've written Ryu and Ailsa, lmao. Anyhoo, I have a lot of exciting stuff planned. This is where the main plot of GAB finally kicks in!]
"… You want to kill me?"
Zulfiqar's had just been raising into the air when he suddenly heard Ryu's voice. It felt as though the world had been drenched in a cool fog, the calm killing intent radiating from the latter almost condensing into the air.
Zulfiqar's eyes narrowed as his hand accelerated. To him, Ryu was as good as dead. The death qi condensing onto his finger was so thin and sharp that it was invisible to the naked eye. A simple wave of his finger had just killed over a hundred with cultivation realm's beyond Ryu's, let alone the fact Ryu was right before him now. This matter was over.
However, how could Ryu's eyes be compared to the eyes of another? Even without trying, he could see the qi in the surroundings swarming toward Zulfiqar, he could even see through the some of the secrets of the technique he used to do so.
In a flash, Zulfiqar extended his finger beneath Niel's pitying gaze. But, the result was out of their expectations.
Ryu's body suddenly became ethereal and the sound of clapping thunder could be heard.
The invisible line of death qi passed right through his body, causing an incredibly small hole to be burrowed into the ground.
Ryu flashed to the side. Though his face was slightly pale, his vision was even sharper and a cold sneer curled his lips.
"Trying to kill the holder of a Tri Key gifted by the Three Pupil Eclipse Sect? How bold of you."
Ryu's cold voice made his rage clear. If it wasn't for the fact he knew he was no match for this man, he would have struck to kill no matter the consequences already. This was already the second time this man had tried to kill him.
"What are you talking about?" Zulfiqar said innocently after reining in his shock, not to mention his spike in killing intent.
He already knew that since Ryu had said this, he wouldn't be able to attack again. But, what he didn't expect was for Ryu to make no attempt to hide his animosity.
"Wash your neck."
These were all the words Ryu said in response.
The feeling was absolutely stifling. The idea that a mere Divine Vessel Realm expert would say such words to him was almost as bad as the idea he truly couldn't attack anymore.
A Tri Key held too much significance, and a Tri Key given by that Sect personally held even more. The only way to get the key would be to get Ryu to willingly hand it over, taking it by force would cause one to offend the Three Pupil Eclipse Sect.
With his high status in the Moonlight Blossom Sect, it might have been possible for him to get away with an 'accident', but attacking twice in succession, especially after Ryu so clearly stated his identity, would be nothing more than him courting death.
However, even knowing this, the fact Ryu so brazenly took advantage of this fact filled him with a belly of resentment he didn't know how to get rid of. What might have been worse was that he felt a lurking sense of danger from this boy. At the very least, his eyes were… dangerous.
By the time he had calmed down his anger enough to be certain he wouldn't lose his cool and attack Ryu again, the latter had already walked off into the distance and toward the Moonlight Blossom Sect, not even bidding Niel farewell.
As for the matters here? What did they have to do with him?
Even from the distance, they could see how each of Ryu's steps left burning scorch marks on the earth. It was clear that his words weren't false, he really wanted to kill Zulfiqar.
Not only did he really want to… he really dared to, as well.
**
"Alright, alright." Ailsa giggled. "There's no need to be angry, we'll make him pay eventually, right?"
Ryu walked through the snow, arcs of blue lightning coursing around his body.
Ryu wasn't quite used to his new body just yet. So, with his emotions having become so heated, he found it even more difficult to control.
The Dragon and Qilin were both beasts of extreme Yang and both were quite known for their tempers. The Red Dragon specifically even had their Rage Flames which could be fueled by their emotions, so there was no surprise there.
But now, Ryu had unlocked Talents of both beasts, making his own temper even more difficult to control. Despite the consequences, he almost went all out with Zulfiqar right then and there. Of course, he knew that it would be foolish to do so, so he hadn't, but the strong temptation somewhat scared even him.
It only made it worse that Zulfiqar's attack had been so volatile. Just turning into lightning wasn't enough for Ryu to dodge. Had he done that, all the energies his body had been made up would have been corrupted by the death qi, leading to his death.
In order to survive, Ryu had to not only enter his Elemental form, but he also had to bend his body around the needle. The level of concentration it had taken to accomplish this almost drained him completely. He wasn't fast enough to react, so he had to use his Pupils to predict the trajectory. If it wasn't for his will power, he probably wouldn't even be standing now.
After a long while, Ryu finally managed to calm himself, his silver eyes sparkling with a cold glint. He had to admit, if it wasn't for Ailsa, he might not have calmed down so quickly.
"This will be troublesome." Ryu finally spoke.
He originally wanted to use the Moonlight Blossom Sect to train in peace until it was time for him to use the Tri Key. But, he wasn't a fool. If he still tried to do this now, he would only be asking for constant harassment. In fact, Ryu even thought of finding a new Sect to join regardless of what the consequences might be.
He didn't particularly care about what others thought about him. To Ryu, the most important thing was growing stronger as quickly as possible. He didn't have millions to billions of years to waste to reach the top of the Martial World. He had to step onto a grander stage now.
If the Moonlight Blossom Sect would be more of a hindrance than a help to him, then he would definitely throw them to the wayside. He had no intention of joining an uphill battle just for the sake of public perception.
Understanding Ryu's thoughts, Ailsa smiled.
"I think you've forgotten about one thing: Osiris."
Ryu's gaze narrowed when he heard this word, looking down at the black ring on his finger that he had ignored all this time.
In truth, it had been more subconscious than anything else. Knowing that his great grandfather was out there and alive, yet hadn't made any attempts to save his legacy still left a bad taste in Ryu's mouth.
Back then, Ryu had spoken a whole bunch of nonsense about abusing his great grandfather's name in spite of him, but the truth was that he was still too prideful to do so. He knew that he wasn't in a position to be willful, but he had still thrown this matter to the back of his mind, never even attempting to use it.
Ryu's pride couldn't have been more obvious from this. Let alone using the ring, he hadn't even looked at it or even thought of it until Ailsa just mentioned it. As a result, despite the fact he had such an amazing resource sitting right here, he had never even attempted to use it.
The Mercenary Guild was definitely not to be trifled with. A smaller world like this one couldn't even hope to match up to it. The benefits Ryu could get from this one ring was definitely far beyond anything that the Moonlight Blossom Sect could possibly provide. In fact, it would probably be beyond what even the Tatsuya Clan in its prime could provide.
Of course, compared to the resources of the Tatsuya Clan, Ryu would have to fight for resources of the Mercenary Guild, whereas in the Tatsuya Clan, Ryu would have everything handed to him on a silver platter. But, the sentiment was still the same.
Seeing the complex light Ryu looked down at the ring with, Ailsa sighed lightly. Entering her full form, she snuggled one of Ryu's arms, seemingly not bother by the crackling lightning around him in the slightest.
No matter how cold Ryu was, he couldn't help but feel comforted by such an action. Though, that comfort was layered with a tinge of guilt when he thought Elena. It made his fervor to grow stronger burn even brighter.
However, though he hadn't said it in but so many words, he had also accepted Ailsa as his woman. Since he had made such a decision, he wouldn't go back on his word.
Ailsa could feel Ryu's thoughts. But, she also smiled in understanding. If Ryu didn't have such a reaction, he wouldn't be the Ryu she knew. In time, their relationship would hopefully be just as close. When that time came, the place she held in his heart would be no smaller than Elena's.
"I know how you feel about these things, but even the most powerful need to make sacrifices. When the day comes where you can stand above your great grandfather and ask him to answer for his actions, who will care about how you got there?"
Ryu closed his eyes. Somehow, even now, he felt as though a piece of himself was being taken away.
A blazing killing intent surged around his body. Even the snow began to melt and the evergreen foliage began to wither beneath its aura.
To Ryu, this decision was no different than dropping to his knees. For making him make such a choice, Ryu swore there would be a day soon where he buried Zulfiqar beneath the soles of his feet.
"Alright.. I will enter Osiris."