They seemed to be humanoid, but they each wore oddly shaped armor that didn't seem proportional to the true size of their bodies. The obvious choice for many of them seemed to be an overgrown arm that was about two or three sizes too big. But, there were also two of them that seemed to have settled for an extra limb that came in the form of a tail and there was a final one that whose face was covered by an artificial metallic nose that made them look as though they had the beak of a predatory bird.
Such an odd appearance left Ryu quite baffled. He couldn't decide what he thought about such a thing as he had never seen anything like it before. But, after observing the battle for a small while, he seemed to come to an understanding that these odd and unique armor designs were actually… hidden weapons?
Ryu's facial expression turned weird and a hint of disdain colored his eyes.
Though there weren't any open rules about hidden weapons, it was generally well accepted amongst cultivator communities that those that dabbled in such arts were very much unworthy. It was very rare throughout history to find experts who proudly proclaimed their usage of hidden weapons, though there were definitely some to be found.
However, from what it looked like here, there were a group of almost a dozen individuals, all following the same general pattern. It was clear that they were at least a large group if not a Clan or Sect. Such an existence in Sacrum would never get off the ground because they would be so poorly received by the general public that gathering Faith would seem impossible.
It almost felt too appropriate that after running into Spiritual Herbs that didn't listen to convention, that Ryu would actually then run into a group of individuals who likewise didn't follow convention.
What Ryu didn't expect, though, was for him to suddenly notice how pale Sarriel's expression had gotten as she stood in the air, frozen.
Most of Sarriel's face had been covered by her mask, but it was rare for anything to be able to escape Ryu's gaze. He almost instantly realized that there was something wrong with her.
Sarriel wasn't the type of person to feel fear. And, true to that, while she was currently as pale as a sheet of paper, her fists were still gripped tightly and her gaze still left a fiery trail in the air. However, what was clear was that this group of people put her on edge.
"Who are they?" Ryu asked.
"… The Hidden Blade Sect."
Ryu's expression regained its weird look.
"It's not enough that they use hidden weapons, but they even flaunt it in their title?"
Ryu could hardly hide the disdain in his voice. It seemed that his innate aversion to hidden weapons was even deeper than he thought it was. But, this wasn't surprising considering the lineage pulsing through his blood. What was surprising, though, was how this Hidden Blade Sect had managed to get away with this.
If such a Sect was formed on Sacrum, they would have ended up uprooted and thrown into the trash within two or three generations. This wasn't an exaggeration either. Ryu could name several instances of exactly such a thing happening. It could even be said, that in certain respects, those that follow hidden weapon paths were even more hated than Mental Realm Masters even during the Golden Era.
"If you don't want to make an enemy out of a power that could destroy this world a hundred times over with just its Outer Sect alone, I would suggest you hold your tongue.
"You're lucky that sound doesn't travel well on the Chaos Plane or else you would likely already be branded."
"You're telling me that this lofty outer world you're always bragging about lets scurrying rats like them to have a place in cultivation society?"
Ryu's expression just couldn't become any more incredulous. He was legitimately baffled. As for Sarriel's comments about "Outer Sects" and a "hundred times over", he couldn't be bothered to care. He suddenly very much wanted to get to the bottom of this.
"This is my problem with this world, you're all so ignorant."
Ryu laughed. "I didn't know you were so cowardly, Sarriel. Are you only able to be arrogant when you see people you deem as 'ignorant'?"
"What did you say to me?!"
Sarriel's voice boomed, her reaction akin to a cat's tail being stepped on.
"Am I wrong? Your skin's as pale as a fish out of water, you're staring at them intently as though you're prepared to run so long as they step foot toward you, and now you're acting defensive. I'm quite disappointed, honestly. I thought you were better than this."
Ryu didn't actually mean this as an insult. In fact, if it was Yaana acting in this same exact way, his instinct would be to protect, not lambast. It was just that Sarriel was almost like a celebrity crush to him. He didn't have any real feelings for this version of her, but she still happened to be the kind of woman he liked most.
Watching her act like a little rabbit frightened by a loud sound or a bright light left him as disappointed as when a child found out their hero wasn't as heroic as you thought them to be. Despite her beauty, Ryu's attraction toward Sarriel plummeted. He didn't even feel the same trigger to flirt with her like he usually did, his gaze just drifted back to the Hidden Blade Sect members in the distance.
Sarriel was even more enraged by Ryu's expression of 'pity'.
"It's not bravery if it comes from a place of ignorance! And it's not heroism if it saves nothing but your own ego!"
Sarriel's words didn't come out in a piercing screech or shout like one might have expected. Instead, they were forceful and even somewhat slow. She enunciated every syllable as though to make sure Ryu understood what she meant.