Chapter 688 Three Seconds
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In that moment, the battle of four became a battle of six. This time, Ryu had expected exactly this and wasn't caught off guard in the slightest. It was no surprise that the third target was the Spear, Godefride. However, what was different about this battle was that if Ryu was correct, Godefride was actually fighting a member of his own Hastam Clan.
'This matter is more complex than it seems… But it's also not a bad opportunity.'
Currently, Ryu wasn't in any shape to enter a battle of this scale, under normal circumstances, anyway. Setting aside the fact that Ryu was currently heavily injured, even if he wasn't, the cultivation of these six was still far beyond him.
The Cosmic Seed Realm was no joke and Ryu still wasn't prepared to say that he was undefeatable within the Dao Pedestal Realm. There were definitely plenty of Higher and Peak Dao Pedestal Realm experts that could defeat Ryu with quite some ease. And, though they were extremely rare, Ryu wouldn't be surprised if there were a few Lower and Middle Dao Pedestal Realm experts who could accomplish the same feat.
However, Armament fights were a bit different. Cultivation was restricted to the same level and winners and losers relied entirely on the comprehension one had toward their weapon.
Of course, Ryu wasn't quite in a position to take advantage of this either. After all, his Great Swordstaff Inheritance was faulty and his Staff Inheritance not only lacked a Birthed Phenomena, it was only at the Monarch Realm. But, clearly Ryu wasn't fazed by any of this.
"Let's go enjoy the spectacle."
Ryu grabbed onto Yaana's hand, catching her off guard for a bit. But, she gleefully followed as they rose into the skies. Rober, who was still on the ground, made a weak attempt to speak of the rules, but he passed out once again soon after, unable to even hold his head high like he once could.
"Halt!"
Ryu's arm casually waved to the side, not even casting a glance at the individual who spoke.
Shaken to his core, the man who had risen into the skies as well had a change in expression. An invisible pressure crashed into him, sending him tumbling for several dozen kilometers.
By the time he came to a stop his arms were trembling and his forearm was cracked in several places. Even the staff in his hand was threatening to crumble to ash, its body barely holding beneath the violent fluctuations of qi.
Those who saw the exchange were stunned into silence, not just because of Ryu's strike, but because of exactly who it had been levied at and what the result was…
This man was none other than one of the Path Extinction Realm Armament Wielders of the lower cities, and yet he hadn't even lasted a single exchange. Unfortunately, by the time he stabilized himself and his arms stopped trembling, Ryu had already vanished into the expansive starry sky with Yaana by his side.
…
Ryu wasn't surprised to find that there were many in the skies attempting to get a glimpse of the battle as well. But, all those who could even think of doing such a thing were experts I their own rights.
Just the wind pressure of their strikes from thousands of miles away had knocked an entire city of people to the ground just moments ago. It was clear that if you were in the skies now, you were a powerhouse. And yet…
"All of you stay back. I've already said so multiple time already. If you'd like to make yourself an enemy of the Armament Guild, feel free to test my bottom line."
The brows of several in the crowd furrowed.
"What's the meaning of this?! Isn't this an Armament challenge?! Hasn't the Armament Guild always allowed spectators?"
Ryu's gaze narrowed. The indignance of this spectator was a bit overboard, but they weren't incorrect either. The Armament Guild had always been transparent with their challenges and had never done something like barring others from witnessing it. It smelt fishy.
The truth of the matter was that Guilds and the public often worked on a sort of symbiotic relationship. The Mercenary Guild helped the public to complete missions for a fee. The Necromancy Guild were the first line of defense against the Nether Realm. Ever since the last invasion, they had been the gatekeepers and gained the goodwill of the public in many ways as a result.
Then there was the Armament Guild. They were the largest arms dealer of the martial world. In fact, their services went even beyond this. Why else would even Ryu have had a bank account with them?
By virtue of the fact they were Guilds, the Armament Guild and the others owed the public a certain level of transparency, transparency they very clearly weren't receiving right this moment. It only made it worse that the attitude of the those heading the blockade was also terrible…
"Because I fucking said so. Do you have a screw loose? Do you need me to tighten it for you?!"
The head of the barricade sneered. He had a scar running down his face and a glaive strapped to his back. Judging by his attire, he was indeed an official member of the Armament Guild and was even a member of the Glaive family, the Gladio Clan. They were known for being particularly barbaric.
This man weighed down on the crowd with his Dao Pedestal Realm cultivation, his scar seeming to light up as his qi pulsed about.
He was having a great time soaking in his power, relishing in the rage of the crowd, when he suddenly found that there was actually someone… No, two persons that actually still dared to step forward.
One was a tall man with a broad back and wide shoulders. He wore a mask, so it was impossible to see his features, but his hair danced about wildly, leaving streaks of beautiful white in the air.
The other was a dainty beauty wearing a fluttering black dress and veil.
"Who the fuck do you—?!"
"Piss off, I'll give you three seconds. If you don't move in that time, I'll drag you to the Gladio City and make sure to tell your Armament wielder that you're the reason they're losing their seat."