If Ryu thought that Sarriel was fearing for her life, he was correct, but not in the way that he might expect. The only thing that could make Sarriel feel fear was failure, and the only way she could fail in her eyes is if she never met her goal to resurrect her Clan and seek revenge on those that had eradicated them to their final member.
Whenever she felt fear, it was because of the weight on her shoulders. If she had nothing to care for but her own life and death, there would be nothing that could make her even flinch in the face of a tall mountain.
In this respect, Sarriel's trauma was even deeper than Ryu's own. Ryu's mother was still sealed in a mountain of ice, his father's whereabouts were still yet unknown, and his great grandfather was very much still alive and doing just fine.
Ryu didn't understand what it meant to be the last. He didn't know what it meant to be the final hope. He didn't understand the weight that came with it.
In the cultivation world, it was possible to die just because someone who had lived a hundred times longer than your lifespan, let alone the life you had actually lived, just felt like it. A sneeze, a bad day, a casualty in a battle that had nothing to do with you from the beginning…
This happened so often that it was mind numbing. If you asked Ryu how many times he had killed someone who wasn't necessarily the focal point of his rage, he would have probably already lost count of the number, and yet he had only truly been in the cultivation world for how long…? Far less than 10 years?
Now imagine someone with an even worse temperament than Ryu, someone who still had the backing of their large Clan or Sect, one from their mother, another from their father, maybe a couple more from their maternal sides of the family too… Just what kind of devastation would they wrought?
People might die because they didn't get out of the way fast enough. They might die because they had taken a fancy to the same woman as someone far more powerful than them. They might die because they stumbled onto the same treasure in the middle of nowhere. They might die for reasons far less substantive than even these.
For Sarriel, or any woman as beautiful as she for that matter, these problems were all too real and even more pointed. Much of the preparation time she had spent preparing for this new world was in finding a method to protect herself and hide this beauty of hers.
All of these things were constantly swirling in Sarriel's mind. There were enough things to worry about without actively seeking out enemies for herself right here and now.
Now, she felt even more assured in her decision to cast off the emotions she had built up during her Soul Trial. This kind of man wasn't the kind she should ever give herself to. This kind of pride and arrogance was attractive for but a fleeting moment, until it was suddenly getting you killed.
Sarriel had made a decision. Once it was safe, she would turn back and leave him and this world. It was time for her to go. She had no ties here.
When Sarriel reached this point in her thoughts, she relaxed and limbs loosened. The clarity seemed to snap another barrier within herself and her cultivation surged before she quickly suppressed it. She wasn't Ryu, she couldn't casually breakthrough in such a world.
Ryu turned back toward Sarriel at that moment, having heard her words.
He looked her up and down, somewhat understanding what she had seen. But, seeing the staunch light in her eyes and how she had only solidified her stance further, he realized that there was nothing he could say that would possibly change her mind.
"We view the world differently." Ryu said simply before turning away to observe the battle once again.
Sarriel's expression flickered. She had expected a more fiery response, something that she would likely not bother to listen to. However, this was also outside her expectations.
Ryu could understand where Sarriel was coming from, but there was one thing she was wrong about. Even if he truly was the last, he wouldn't allow anyone to make him lower his head.
Sarriel might say that she wasn't lowering hers. In fact, she was just proceeding with caution and being aware of pitfalls. However, to Ryu, any time he acted differently than he otherwise would simply because of the power of the person before him was another slap to his own face. He refused to allow it.
'Was I wrong in my assessment of him?'
This was the only thought Sarriel had when hearing Ryu's calm response. Regardless, what was clear was that after Ryu's attraction for Sarriel had plummeted, he had little desire left to stay by her side. Still, because he could tell that she had every intention of leaving once she got the opportunity, he realized that he needed to understand one more thing before she did.
"Tell me the truth, how was a Sect like this allowed to grow?"
Sarriel looked at Ryu's side profile and for once decided to respond without a berating sort of a tone.
"Sacrum has it wrong. You always frame Faith through the lens of goodwill. Your Sects are unwilling to enrage the public, your Clans are careful with their underhanded deeds, and you both use this as a leash to keep each other in check because god forbid mortals you don't even care about to begin with think ill of you…"
Ryu narrowed his eyes. This was true. In fact, he had relied on this a lot to this point, ironically to protect his own life. Powerful individuals couldn't just kill him out in the open for fear of what that might do to their reputation. But, it seemed like Sarriel thought differently…?
"However, your concept of Faith is only half-baked. Just as there is Faith through goodwill, there is also Faith through infamy. In fact, it is only by combining these two types of Faith together can a balance be found and the true foundation of a Sect be built.
"In wider Existence, this true state of Faith is represented by the Faith Spring of a Sect that holds all their accumulated Karma. Only by properly nurturing a Faith Spring can Faith take physical form and help a Sect or Clan to weather the storm of Eternity.
"There are two major divisions of Forces in Existence, those with Faith Springs and those without… I'm sure you know which the Hidden Blade Sect is now."