Ryu was right to be curious about this. Entering the World Sea Realm was an important milestone for the Martial Gods because of their status as invaders. They had to remain hidden during the final steps of this process. But, this man, Lioche, clearly didn't seem to care about any of that.
Even setting aside the fact he was a Martial God, his flowing white hair and piercing white eyes being an obvious testament to that, just the idea of stopping a breakthrough because you felt like it was ridiculous. It showed not only a ridiculous amount of bravery, but it also displayed skill and confidence only the rarest few people could possibly hope to match.
Lioche gaze slowly, almost too slowly, in fact, fell onto Ryu. His expression still hadn't changed at all.
"Take her out."
Ryu's wrist whipped outward, the last drops of Kaori's blood that had coated it flying out in an arc and falling from the skies. He spun the blade in his hand, snapping his fingers closed around its hilt with a satisfying slap, just in time to point its tip toward Lioche.
"Despite that look on your face, I can feel your anger. The qi around you is darkening, the blood rolling through your body is rising in temperature, even your Spiritual Sea it beginning to bubble.
"Why don't we try it out? Between you and me, who's rage runs hotter?"
The moment Ryu's words fell, both men vanished.
BANG!
The clash of two knives and a spear as white as clouds reverberated through the air, it wasn't even obvious to anyone when it was that Lioche had brought it out. But, what was undeniable was that his strike just now had sounded no different from the enraged roar of a dragon.
The clouds above were forced to disperse, the ground below shattered and collapsed, space itself split like spiderwebs, racing across the skies with a mind of their own.
In that single exchange, Ryu could feel it. Lioche had a Soul Nature. No, he didn't have just one, he had three.
Lioche pulled his spear back, his free hand trembling slightly before an enormous white shield appeared. His body, clad from head to toe in beautiful, intricate armor, shimmered as though it had a mind of its own.
'Spear Soul Nature. Shield Soul Nature. Metal Soul Nature. Some God out there had a lot of fun making this man.'
A wide grin spread across Ryu's face. This… Would be fun.
A dense white fog hung around Lioche, whipping about like a lion's mane. His towering aura only grew with every passing second, his power seeming endless and his momentum only rising.
Without the slightest hint, his spear snaked forward again. This time, however, it suddenly exploded forth, its length increasing as it appeared past Ryu's guard in the blink of an eye.
Ryu tilted his head to the side, just barely dodging the extending spear, but Lioche had already bore down on him. Not caring that his spear had missed in the slightest, he closed the distance with his shield, an unyielding momentum bearing down on Ryu. It felt like even if the slightest hint of this shield touched him, said body part would implode to nothing more than minced meat.
Ryu, though, seemed to take this on as a challenge, his fist careening forth as though he had forgotten there was a blade in his hand. A golden light enveloped him, an odd comprehension lingering between Birthed Phenomena and Natural Enlightenment manifesting.
BOOM!
Ryu's pupils constricted.
The shield suddenly breathed as though it had a life of its own. Its face rippled, Ryu's strength dispersing out of its sides.
The result wasn't enough to dispel everything that Ryu had sent at it, and as such, both men went flying backward. The difference, though, was that Lioche's spear was still extended past Ryu's head.
Even as he flew back, Lioche sliced his spear across. His timing was perfect. The moment Ryu's head made it to level with his blade, it was already cutting, prepared to bisect his skull.
Ryu's gaze narrowed, but his reaction was unhurried. A fluttering violet blossom marked with beautiful blue Heavenly Phoenix Patterns appeared.
CLANG!
The spear's blade was parried upward, but an instant later, the blossom petal shattered, becoming dancing motes of light in the air. Though the blade just barely missed Ryu's nose thanks to its interference, the faintest hint of blood still managed to trickle out from a paper thin cut.
Ryu glided back through the skies and Lioche retracted his blade, both men riding space as though it was solid ground and not an intangible sort of law and energy.
'An Elemental Soul Nature… So impossibly rare, I don't even think I've ever read of a Metal Soul Nature before. Yet, it works so seamlessly with his battle style. He can control his spear and shield on a whim, for both offense and defense, in fact. In that exchange, he used his Metal Soul Nature to warp his shield and disperse my attack's strength and even deflect some of it back at me…
'That's not all though, he actually drew blood. His spear shouldn't have been nearly strong enough to cut into my skin so easily…'
Ryu smiled. Maybe these Demigods weren't so bad after all.
Of course, what Ryu didn't know was that Kaori was just a fledgling, only recently having been accepted into the fold. All Demigods had astounding abilities and had mutations to their Bloodlines that set them far above most other Martial Gods.
Lioche was a clear example. He was of the Nurturing Soul Branch whose best talents were known for quickly grasping weapons. Compared to the general population, it was somewhat less rare for them to be born with Soul Natures, but still extraordinarily rare. However, to be born with not just one… but three! It was clear that Lioche was in a league of his own.
Kaori, unfortunately, hadn't yet been able to grow into her own mutation. Ryu had already seen how special she was, able to cultivate just by existing and breathing. It was a shame she hadn't grown enough to be able to translate this into real strength just yet.
Lioche, though… Was very different. And with three Soul Natures capable of working together so seamlessly, he wouldn't be so easily shaken by a Dao either.
That truth only became more obvious when his aura underwent another qualitative change. He didn't want a long drawn out battle with Ryu. He wanted to crush him until there was nothing left!
'Natural Enlightenment.' Ryu's brows shot up.
"Treading Seas. Shedding Water. The Vessel of the Ocean is my Cup. The Depth of the Ocean is my Thirst. The Vastness of the Ocean is my Rage!"
BOOM!