Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

A protective covering in the form of a transparent lotus with deep blue runes drawn over its delicate body appeared before Izril. But, Ryu's blade struck down without mercy, sheering it apart in the blink of an eye. 

Izril's body flew out like a broken kite, a deep slash crossing his torso in a diagonal line. 

The battle seemed to grow hushed. 

Ryu's pupils pulsed, a fiery pain lighting his eyes. But, he continued to stare forward, his demeanor uncaring while his blood seemed to sing a completely different tune. 

How invigorating. How exhilarating. He wanted to roar into the skies, giving vent to his emotions. 

His first life, Ryu could only battle with his intellect and his words. But he was a man. He didn't always want to rely on a duel of wits to assert his dominance. Sometimes, he just wanted to meet his blade with another's, tearing down their will as they attempted to do the same to him. 

But at this moment, rationality was what stopped Ryu from basking in such an intoxicating feeling. As excited as this battle made him feel, it still ended far too easily, and that was the source of his current stoicism despite the happiness blooming on the faces of the Violet Olive Team members. 

One might think that Ryu's worry stemmed from the fact the second Path Extinction Realm expert still hadn't acted despite the fact Izril was in such a state. But, if one could believe it, this was only a miniscule part of the reason. 

For all Ryu knew, these two could have a grudge. Considering the inner struggle between teams that Ryu had already seen to this point, was it really so surprising? 

As a result, the non-interference was easy to explain away. What wasn't easy to explain away, though… Was how effective [Lines of Fate] had been against Izril. 

One had to remember that [Lines of Fate] wasn't a simple copying or predictive technique. It worked by reading the Lines of Karma, allowing the wielder of the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils to read them and thus grasp hidden truths others couldn't see. 

The core of the issue wasn't in this explanation, but rather in a resultant of this explanation. Due to this, the more Fate Ryu had in connection to a person, the better [Lines of Fate] worked. This was why Leonel was able to perfectly copy [White Serpent's Dance]. It was also the reason he was able to perfectly copy Edwin's sacrificial technique as well. 

The Fate that tied to a former subordinate Clan of his as well as the Fate that tied him to the Apostles was too great. As such, it only took a few exchanges for Ryu to grasp their truths. 

The more ties of Karma Ryu had with a person, the easier it was to see through them and copy their techniques. Likewise, it also became easier to use the predictive capabilities of [Lines of Fate] to guess a person's next attack and counter before they could use it. 

By now, the problem should be obvious. This was the first time Ryu was meeting Izril, yet there was apparently a strong enough Line of Fate to connect them that it took no more than ten minutes for Ryu to defeat him. 

<br/>It simply… Didn't make any sense. 

By the end of their battle, Ryu could see through Izril so thoroughly that he was thinking 10, 20, even 50 exchanges ahead. 

Izril coughed violently, but was completely unable to get up. Ryu's slash was indeed quite sinister. Not only did it slice through his organs, but it even nicked his dantian. 

Of course, this was just a dream world so he wasn't too worried about it. But it was plain and obvious that had Ryu wanted to kill him with that strike, he could have. Even Izril was surprised by this. He had thought that he would be able to maintain control of the situation until the very end, only to realize that Ryu was able to flip the tables on him anyway. 

It seemed that he had shot himself in the foot. Dealing with a leaking dantian would basically halve his combat prowess in Osiris. If he wanted to return to his previous peak he would need to find one of numerous rare treasures. Luckily, he had come prepared. But, now wasn't quite the time…

Izril's expression flickered, his mouth sputtering with blood. 

"Who are you?" Ryu asked coldly. 

He stood not far from Izril, his blades pierced into the ground. 

Ryu's breathing was heavy. But, at the very least, his body wasn't overheating. He really wasn't sure how much longer he could hold the Earth Gate open, but there was still another Path Extinction Realm expert here. However, it was these kind of situations he thrilled to be in. Only by pushing himself against a wall continuously could he eventually reach the level of strength he needed. 

The combination of Ryu's Life and Rage Flames perfectly offset, leaving his body feeling comfortable. Unlike before, his mouth was no longer steaming over with sparking flames. 

Izril was slightly startled by Ryu's question. But then he relaxed.

He had thought that maybe Ryu wanted to torture him like he had with his other team member for the sake of squeezing out some treasures. But, it seemed that Ryu hadn't killed him just yet because he already felt that something was wrong. Keen insight, indeed. 

However, Izril didn't answer. Or rather, he didn't need to answer. 

At that moment, a harmless necklace around his neck began to glow. Before Ryu could react, it shot a beam into the skies that tore through the ceiling of the mountain range and into the skies above. 

Ryu frowned, not knowing what was going on for a moment. He felt that it was another unique treasure that only worked in Osiris, or else with his expertise, how could he not recognize a treasure working right in front of him? 

And as expected, the result was also completely out of the norm. 

A massive hole was torn through the ceiling, spilling in sunlight from the skies above. It was then that two figures descended, seemingly having been waiting for a signal of some sort. 

Ryu frowned toward the sudden appearance of two young men he didn't recognize at all. But, even more bafflingly, rather than coming with hostility, the faces of the two young men almost instantly lit up with joy the moment they laid eyes on Ryu. 

No, their eyes weren't on Ryu at all. Rather, they were entirely focused on the beauty on his shoulder.