Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Elena froze but Ryu had already removed his hand, stepping forward. 

"What the hell are you doing?! Don't you think you're overestimating yourself?!"

The one who spoke was once again Cleo, but she was simply directly ignored by Ryu this time who didn't even bother to glance back this time around. 

Those who felt that Ryu was in over his head were those who believed he had struggled with the first Heaven's Warrior that descended, while these ones were clearly far superior. However, Ryu didn't feel this way in the slightest. 

Even if he was on his last legs during that battle, he wouldn't allow Elena to lift a finger. How he managed to do it didn't matter. To him, all that mattered was that he did it. 

With a single step forward, a frosty qi wrapped around Ryu's body. The blood that had caked his body cracked and flaked while the wounds he had on his fists froze over, healing at a visible pace. With every breath he took, his comprehension of Life seemed to take large leaps forward, his body brimming to its very edge with vitality. 

With a second step, a glorious Immortal Sakura blossomed forth above Ryu. Rather than singular violet petals, an entire tree of them took form. They glistened with a beauty beyond words and a majesty that was undeniable. A Pride that stood above all towered, and yet it was a Pride of such endless that's aimed toward the protection of just a single person. 

For some reason, not a single person doubted the fact that, despite the depths of this Pride, it could be laid down at a moment's notice for the sake of the woman it protected. 

One of the Heaven's Warriors suddenly reached backward, its arm twisting at an inhuman angle as though it didn't have real joints to speak of. 

Grasping at air, this Heaven's Warrior quickly formed a javelin of dark gold energy. Just its presence alone made the ground beneath its feet crack and shatter. 

Hardly anyone registered when it was thrown. The javelin became like a bolt of black lightning, sheering across space and appearing before Ryu's face in the blink of an eye. And yet, just as quickly…

CLANG!

Ryu took another step forward, a fluttering blossom petal having descended before his face right that moment. Without suspense, the javelin shattered on impact, leaving the blossom fluttering wildly and spinning in place. Despite its fragile appearance, it wasn't so much as cracked, let alone shattered. 

Just as Ryu's step was about to touch the ground once more, he vanished in an arc of violet lightning. When he appeared again, he was already before the Heaven's Warrior, his arm having shattered into fluttering golden-red feathers only to reform into a claw that hacked downward. 

BANG!

The head of the Heaven's Warrior was directly shattered, large amounts of dark gold flame erupting outward. However, before this fire could seep into Ryu's body, a crown of golden red appeared upon his forehead. 

His fingers stretched out and moved, completing a whipping motion. Before anyone could react, the dark gold flames appeared before Elena, sinking into her brows. 

The weapons of several Heaven's Warriors fell around Ryu. Their heights were so tall that Ryu was immediately engulfed, their presence enshrouding him with omens of death. 

However, at that moment, a slight breeze passed by, causing a tornado of blossoms to rise around Ryu. The delicate light of Ice Phoenix Heavenly Patterns danced about them, causing the weapons that aimed for Ryu's life to rebound and falter. 

Clenching his fists, Ryu shot it through another Heaven's Warrior's chest. At that moment, his claw hand exploded once again, reforming into a normal fist Ryu executed [Imperial Fist] with. 

Ryu became the perfect embodiment of offense and defense. Every attack aimed toward him was blocked to perfection and every attack reaped another life. Without fail, all of the dark gold flames entered Elena's body, not a single spark being taken for Ryu himself. 

Those who were watching this scene were left completely baffled. The difference was too drastic and they weren't entirely sure how to react to such a change. 

"… Is your [Immortal Sakura] technique really this powerful?" Isemeine whispered to Eska. 

"No."

"…"

Isemeine was speechless. 

"… I hate that guy."

Ryu stood over the last of the Heaven's Warrior, a chain of fire having formed around its neck. With a flex of his wrist, the chain tightened and its neck shattered into pieces, releasing yet another large fog of dark gold flames. 

The flame chain was among the Phoenix Clan's many fire manipulation techniques and was one of the reasons they were so famous for using the whip. That said, Ryu knew he was using it incorrectly. 

The [Chain Manipulation Series] of the Phoenix Clan, especially when it came to the Ice Phoenix Clan, focused on sealing. It was a methodical approach to battle and was far more clever and layered than what Ryu displayed. 

Unfortunately for his Clan's legacy, Ryu just wanted to destroy everything in sight. 

BANG!

At that moment, before Ryu could react, an enormous pillar of dark gold fell from the skies, crashing into his body. 

Ryu stood beneath it, his forearm protecting his eyes and his back and knees completely straight. His arm had once again become a claw, but this time it wasn't one of a Phoenix, but rather a dragon. 

Dark violet scales bloomed across his body, two majestic qilin horns rising from his forehead as a pair of purple lightning flame wings formed to his bag. 

Rather than waiting for what was descending to come to him, Ryu's knees bent and he shot upward, piercing through the beam and appearing amid the cloudlike void with a gaze that could penetrate through the veil of all things. 

A five meter tall Heaven's Warrior appeared in the skies. 

This time, there was just a single one. And, this time, its armor was far more dark gold than it was black. 

It gazed down upon Ryu who shot up to meet it. Though it didn't seem to have any eyes nor even a true body, one could almost feel the indifference exuding from it. 

"You dare?"

The two words were like a heavy stone thrown into a calm lake. 

The Heaven's Warrior had spoken?!