Ryu's eyes opened. It was a bit odd going right from the seriousness of the situation on the library's second floor to a bedroom with two beauties in his arms once again. But, given what he had just learned, Ryu managed to maintain his focus as he stared up toward the ceiling.
He suddenly felt restless. He couldn't just stay here. He had done what needed to be done to do right by his grandfather. It was likely that the Tor Clan would have a resurgence very soon and in a generation or two, they'd likely have a generation no weaker than the one Ryu had been born into… Of course, that would be only if this excluded Ryu himself.
Now… All Ryu wanted to do was to wreak some havoc.
The Ancestral Beasts were the so-called last line of defense. But, as far as Ryu was concerned, what they actually were was a treasure trove. It was about time Little Roc stepped into his final stage of evolution and Little Gem, after years of being cared for by Ryu and Ailsa, finally showed signs of normal and healthy growth.
It was about time the world learned of his true strength.
Ryu Tatsuya was back, and Sacrum was about to understand exactly what that meant.
**
Ryu sat in a pool as cool as ice. Yaana's hands glided down his back, scrubbing down with a delicate forcefulness while Ailsa kneeled before him, scrubbing his hair.
They moved about with lovely smiles on their faces, seemingly unaware of the lethal temptation they brought within such an environment. But, it somehow seemed that even Ryu himself was unaware of this of his gaze looked to be laser focused.
His silver irises were glazed over, his breathing rhythmic and unhurried. The clarity of his mind was unprecedented even as his wives served him.
The trio left the pool not long later. Despite Ryu's ability to use his Master's Visualization to form clothing for himself, his wives still picked out what he would be wearing. They knew quite well that Ryu was very fond of black and it was almost all he ever cared to don on his body. But, through light giggles, they picked a shade that was its direct opposite.
The white robes were form fitting, tightly pressing against Ryu's broad back, shoulder and chest. They were designed like a long and flexible trench coat. Its collar was tall and it was unbuttoned enough to reveal the definition of his upper chest and collarbone. It flared out at his hips, splitting into two and revealing a pair of pants that were neither too tight nor too loose.
If Ryu had been paying attention, maybe he would have said something about his wives' selection, but even now he seemed almost too focused, his long white hair falling loosely to his shoulders as a powerful aura of dominance exuded from him.
"Let's go."
…
Alone, Ryu walked up the steps of the Immortal Path. It was the second time he had done so and he was just as unbothered and unhurried as the first.
He could still remember almost losing his life to a Connecting Heaven Realm expert here. It could be said that he had only survived that day due to luck and a 50/50 chance. Back then, he had fallen into a several month long coma and when he awoke and reached the top of these steps he roared with all the strength he had.
For the first time in his life, he had felt alive. He wasn't a coddled and crippled genius of the Tatsuya, he wasn't someone who had to be spared glances of pity and sighs of what could be, he wasn't that disappointment who let the whole martial world down for failing a ceremony even mortals could pass…
He finally felt like Ryu Tatsuya. He finally felt that all the arrogance he had, all that pride etched deep within his bones, all that bravado he put up as a front to the fury he had for the world… Was finally justified.
Ryu stepped onto the highest step once again.
He felt at peace, his mind entering a state of catharsis and soothing rhythms.
He stepped through that final threshold and it felt that he had been thrusted into an all new world.
Above, enormous beasts roared and pranced about. The earth shook and quaked, splitting and shattering beneath mighty strengths deployed tens of miles away. The scent of blood hung in the air, growing thicker with each passing moment, the drums of war beating the hearts of all those who could still proudly say they were among the living.
A slow exhale let Ryu's lips, the noise of the world around him falling on deaf ears. It was as though he was in a room of white. The floor beneath his feet was unblemished, the walls around him were untouched and as pure as ice, and the ceiling…
Was too low.
Spotting a stranded human, a torrent of beasts seemed to have lost their sanity. Something about the smell Ryu was giving off was especially pleasing to them.
Having been mutated by his Qilin and Dragon Bloodlines, the Friend of Nature scent Ryu perpetually gave off was still enticing, but it had gained an even more masculine bite to it. It was the sort of change that made his scent even more lethal to female beasts, but could often be taken as a challenge to mature male beasts.
This mixture and cognitive dissonance caused the beasts to roar out in displeasure. It also didn't help that among them, there were no Ancestral Beasts. While it could be said that this war was started by their return, it had also stirred the movements of every beast in existence as well. And unfortunately… These beasts lacked the intelligence higher level ones would have.
Hundreds of beasts swarmed Ryu. In their midst, he looked like nothing more than an ant beneath a mountain's avalanche, like all he could do was wait for death…
But then… he looked upward.