Ryu didn't say anything immediately. He faced True Sky God Arcus, his gaze placid and without the slightest ripple. The longer the silence lingered, the more obvious it seemed to feel that Ryu wasn't looking at a Sky God, he wasn't even looking at an equal, he was looking at an ant he would soon wipe clean from the soles of his feet.
The subtleties of Ryu's Dao, something Wynhorn had easily picked up on, was slowly becoming more and more obvious. True Sky God Arcus suddenly found that his smile was frozen in time, its candor and relaxed appearance becoming more awkward as the moments ticked by.
Without a word, Ryu took a step forward and True Sky God Arcus found him subconsciously moving out of the way. Before he could realize what he was doing, Ryu had vanished into the distance.
"Anyone who stands in my way will die."
The words echoed over the whole of the Armament Guild. In fact, they infused into the very will of Sacrum's Heavens, rocking the very foundation of all four Planes.
**
Ailsa stared at Ryu deeply, not quite knowing what to say. She didn't even bother to try and say words to try and convince Ryu. With how well they knew one another, there was no way that she would waste her time trying to do something that she thought would be impossible.
"I am coming with you."
Ryu's expression immediately went from placid to furrowed, his mind racing in all sorts of directions. While he supported Ailsa's want to battle, the raw truth was that she wasn't talented in it. She didn't have Ryu's battle sense nor feel for an opponent. She was very good at analyzing matters after the fact, but in the midst of battle she couldn't. Her way of using the Ice Queen had proved at least that much.
While having Ailsa by his side would make summoning far easier, when facing enemies on this level, staying within the Ethereal Realm was no longer a safe method. While Ailsa had spent years by Ryu's side, safe on his shoulder, things wouldn't be able to continue to be like this indefinitely.
"I am coming with you." Ailsa said again, even more forcefully.
Yaana bit her lower lip, looking back and forth between Ryu and Ailsa. She too wanted to say that she wanted to go, she had the same burning desire within her. However, compared to Ailsa, she was even more useless. She had fallen very far behind Ryu who seemed to advance leaps and bounds every hour, let alone day. She just didn't want to be Ryu's burden in that way.
At the same time, she didn't believe that Ailsa was being foolish either. Though her use in combat was limited, her ability to direct energy was unmatched. In the past, it had been Ailsa who helped Ryu to control Essence that tended to want to act as it pleased.
This ability became less useful as now Ryu had Chaotic Qi, something he had perfect control over. There was no need for Ailsa to interfere in this case because it would only hinder Ryu's personal growth. However, if she was there, the violence wrought by Primordial Chaos Qi would definitely be far easier to bear. And, if Primordial Death Chaos Qi was combined with her summoning abilities as a naturally born Quibus Faerie, the results would be devastating.
Yaana closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Take me too."
Ryu's brows furrowed even deeper. "Ailsa, Yaana…"
"No. If you're so confident that you won't die, then take me with you. I will be in the Incubator, I will be silent and I will be obedient. If you live, then good, I will live too and I'll be completely unharmed. But if you dare die, well I will have no escape and I'll just have to die too."
Ryu stood frozen in place, not quite knowing what to say. Yaana's words were far more forceful than usual and far from 'obedient' like she said she'd be. But, he knew well that when she said such words it was only to display a stubbornness that he had no way of refuting.
"I will be there too." Ailsa smiled.
Ryu looked between the both of them, remaining silent for a long while. Unfortunately, his wives didn't seem to care, staring back at him with the same staunchness.
Suddenly Ryu smiled. "Then isn't it easy? Didn't I already say I wouldn't die, what are you two being so dramatic for? You can sit tight and watch your husband whet his blades with blood."
The moment Ryu said these words, his wives pounced into his arms, squeezing him tight.
"Oof… You guys can't be like this right now. They say you're not supposed to drain your yang before a fight."
Ailsa and Yaana, who had both still had faces of deep worry, suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. They could feel the confidence wafting off of Ryu, the kind of confidence that couldn't be twisted or faked, the kind that sunk as deep as bones would go.
The trouble was that neither of them understood how he would do it. How could a Path Extinction Realm expert possibly fight so many top class enemies? The number of Cosmic Seed Realm experts alone would be able to drown him with their gazes, let alone the number of World Sea Realm experts and beyond.
To make matters worse, True Sky God Arcus' words seemed to confirm that everyone was ready for his appearance, lurking in the shadows for the bait to reel him in. It was undeniable that the Martial Gods would be ready for his appearance.
However, neither of them asked. This matter… They would leave it up to Ryu.
Each claiming a half of Ryu's body, the two women buried their heads into his chest, finding solace in the solid and rhythmic beating of his heart.
"My Realm Heart." Ryu said. "I think it's time we finally upgrade it to the Immortal Realms."