The Armament Guild was in shambles. The flames of war were still all too obvious. However, a few days ago, the Dragons had vanished, seemingly having proven their point. It was clear to most that the only thing of interest to the Ancestral Beasts was the Shrine World. Everything else was simply icing on an already iced cake.
However, for this, the Armament Guild had suffered greatly. Half of their cities had fallen out of the sky. Of the half that remained somewhat, another half were completely unlivable. And finally, of the quarter that was left overall, fires still raged, corpses still lay strewn, and scent of death hung heavily in the air.
Of those devastated, there were none more aggrieved than the Archer Clans. Maybe by virtue of coincidence or Ryu's words, their cities and even their main Clan headquarters had been razed to the ground. There was no doubt that many of them blamed Ryu for this outcome. But, such a mantle was something that Ryu would gladly claim.
To try and kill him and expect no consequences? Nothing in this world was so grand or good.
This was the state Ryu returned to. He didn't care to hide his presence. And, truthfully, even if he tried, the frosty trail that followed him would still be all too obvious. Everywhere he passed by, the air would crack, the land would shatter and even the rubble would splinter and crack like glass.
Very few tried to stop Ryu at all and many more others were occupied trying to deal with the landscape. Too few had actually seen Ryu's face and the idea that he would actually return here was far too baffling for most to wrap their heads around, so many simply got out of the way, believing him to be a big shot they couldn't afford to offend.
Ryu made it to Supreme Blacksmith Wynhorn's living quarters without contest, his speed having seemed slow, and yet still managing to cross absurd distances in fractional times.
Wynhorn frowned, obviously sensing Ryu immediately. She had already been annoyed by this boy once before. The more she thought about it, the more annoying it made her. However, almost the instant she laid eyes on Ryu, it felt to her as though her heart had frozen over.
Ryu's Dao was almost palpable, responding to his emotions like a living, breathing, tangible part of himself. And, this Dao alone was enough to make Wynhorn feel as though she had been suppressed to an extreme. She, a True Sky God, felt wholly inferior.
Any thought she had of reprimanding Ryu, or asking him why he hadn't even tried to escape, left her entirely. It somehow felt that Ryu was both far stronger and far weaker than a Sky God at the very same time. It was the sort of feeling that a youth like this, only barely within the Path Extinction Realm, had no business giving off.
"My Blades. Are they ready?"
Ryu's voice seemed dredged up from an abyssal hell. Somehow, Wynhorn felt as though even her mind was freezing over.
She had no idea that Ryu had to do this. If he didn't drench himself in ice cold, then the blazing fires of his fury would have already begun to destroy everything around him. Thoughts of the Martial Gods and their goals ran through his mind again and again, only seeming to stoke these flames further.
Wynhorn didn't say a word in the end. Her fingers lightly tapped the air and two boxes radiating gorgeous rainbow lights appeared. Each was three feet wise and over two meters tall. Just their presence alone felt infinitesimally close to the Origin Grade.
"Thank you."
Ryu nodded. Space trembled and his eyes dilated, causing a swirling blackhole to appear and swallow up the boxes. With that, he turned to leave.
"I take it that this means our deal has fallen through?" Wynhorn asked.
Ryu's steps paused and he didn't say anything for a long while.
Wynhorn and he were meant to stand on the same side opposing the Martial Gods. But, from what it seemed like now, Ryu had already decided to go off on his own. This was obviously not something that Wynhorn could accept. Her Armament Guild had just suffered a devastating blow, she couldn't possibly send them to battle now. It would be irresponsible of her as a leader, especially since even if they were at full power, it would be like throwing eggs at a mountain face.
"Do as you please," Ryu finally said, his figure flickering and vanishing.
Wynhorn fell into silence, her thoughts unreadable. How nice would it have been to meet such a young man in her youth when she was still open to such things. Thoughts of how Ryu gazed upon her figure and wide hips without regard for anything made her shake her head. She had never experienced such a thing before and it left her feeling quite odd.
Unfortunately, the spring of her youth had already vanished, poured into her Clan and this position she took up as their Matriarch. But, was it worth it?
Ryu never wanted to be a leader, and with that kind of ideology came with it a sort of freedom that Wynhorn didn't have. But, likewise, it was a shackle that weighed her down. Now, those same shackles were blocking off her path toward elevating her Dao to a level it had never seen before…
Was it worth it?
Wynhorn sighed. She moved to close her eyes, but they suddenly sharpened as she looked into the skies.
In the air, Ryu stood across from True Sky God Arcus, their pair of handsome faces looking at each other without a single word. And then, True Sky God Arcus suddenly smiled.
"Ryu Tatsuya. I would have never thought you had such a background, it's no wonder that you're so arrogant, and maybe deservedly so.
"Today… Today I won't kill you. I can already see it in your eyes, you know, you're very much aware of what's happening. It seems that in all your bloviating, you've run out of time to strut around as you please.
"I look forward to seeing you squirm and struggle in your final moments three days from now."