Ryu's gaze remained unmoved, watching as his Horned Devil fell, its blood so viscous and all consuming that it formed a lake of black that almost looked like a well of oil, clogging up the middle of the battlefield.
To strike down a Horned Devil in just a single attempt was more shocking than more would be able to put into words. Demon Kings were already the pinnacle of talent one could hope to have in Sacrum, or at the very least, close to it.
Every single one of the Demons Ryu had summoned today were high ranking elders within their respective Clans, if not for the strength of Ryu's Dark Flame, Ailsa's support, and the prowess of his Primordial Death Chaos Qi, even communicating with them wouldn't be possible, let alone controlling them. And, that didn't even mention the huge change to Ryu's soul and the support of the Rebirth Crown that sat upon his forehead.
And yet, it had still taken just a single strike, just one blow, and a mighty Demon had fallen, unable to ever rise again, its corpse becoming nutrients for the soil beneath it.
There were only two possibilities. Either these Valkyrie had cultivation levels beyond anything Ryu had ever faced before, or they had foundations that fell beneath the same category. And, from what Ryu's eyes could tell, it was more definitely the latter.
"RYU! DON'T MEET THEIR GAZES!"
Elena's voice almost came out in a shriek. It was clear that even she hadn't expected these women to appear, and the moment they did, it was as though her heart had left her throat.
The Deity Race was split into several branches. As Mistress Holy Wing had stated earlier, the four Bloodlines that had been referring to themselves as Martial Gods all this time were really only known as the Apostles or the Demigods.
The joke that Ryu had made of the Demigod title when he first heard it hit closer to home than even he had realized. The regressive naming structure had been done on purpose. Even among the Demigods of the Deity Race, those here were exceptionally weak, thanks in large part to the environment they had been born into, something that Ryu would learn a lot more about in the distant future.
However, aside from the Apostles, there were the Holy Wings. The Holy Wings were the arbiters of justice in the Deity Race and they were often tasked with remaining neutral. Though, this neutrality was bared out in countless different ways.
Regardless, these matters were muddied, weighed down in the complexities of time, inter-relationships, and politics. What was important, and the only thing that Ryu needed to know now, was that the eyes of the Holy Wings carried the judgment of the Deity Race.
The leader of the Holy Wings was known as the Goddess of Balance. She wielded a sword in one hand and a balance in the other.
Legend has it that her eyes were blind folded. Over the years, it came to be accepted that this 'blindness' represented impartial judgment. However, those of the Deity Race knew different.
The Goddess of Balance was always perfectly fair and infallible. She didn't need an aid like a blindfold to maintain her purity of decision. The real reason she wore a blindfold was because her gaze held within it the vastness of the world. It held true judgment, a judgment that, in of itself, rivaled the Heavens, the True Heavens, in Perfection.
These Eyes of Judgment were something all of the Holy Wings had, albeit to varying degrees. However, for these to appear here and now…
It was already too late. Ryu's eyes stood on a level that was beyond most. He had noticed the appearance of these people long before Elena had and he had locked gazes with their leader from the very beginning.
The very moment he had, time dilated, a single second stretching to minutes, then months, then years. Eventually, a single second stretched past the point of millennia, freezing Ryu in space and taking his mind completely over, his life seemingly running through his mind step by step.
…
Ryu felt trapped, his body smaller than it had been in a long time.
His hands were that of a child's, his head finding it difficult to look at things without gazing all the way up.
He sat in a vast hall, his upper body naked as he submerged in a golden liquid filled with precious herbs and accommodations. With their smell, he knew that he should probably recognize some of these herbs, but he hated to study.
What was the fun of studying when he could go and swing his spear about? The library was such a boring place. He was a Tatsuya. One day he'd be proudly leading armies like his dad and his grandpa.
He had heard stories about how his great grandpa had conquered the Shrine Plane long ago, but he always wondered why stop there? Was this really all there was to conquer?
He heard some people saying that the Armament Guild was stronger than his Tatsuya Clan. How ridiculous. What could be stronger than a dragon? He would definitely go to the Armament Guild again in the future and teach them who was boss.
It was unfortunate, though. He went to the Armament Guild with his dad before, but his dad didn't let him see what his results were. He was sure he did super well, he definitely did super well. How could he not? He was a genius, he was always better than everyone around him, there wasn't a single person his age who could meet his blade. In fact, even kids that had already Awakened had been beat up by him already.
It only made sense, he had dragon blood running through his veins. How could they possibly match up to him? It was an impossible task from the very beginning. Those poor souls could only watch his back.
Once he finished Awakening, he would leave them all even further behind.
Hm? Why was everyone so quiet now? Where was the clapping and cheering? Why hadn't there been a huge phenomena like his Grandpa Kunan said there'd be?
Ryu fell into the roots of despair, the stares of adults much bigger than him bearing down on his soul.
"The Sin of Pride."
The voice boomed, ripping out a piece of Ryu's heart.