Edwin's pupils constricted.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered something. Corpse puppets had to be controlled, their level of skill was entirely dependent on their master. Esme's spearmanship had been beyond anything he had personally fought against before. Could it truly be that Ryu was at the core of this?
The sharp sound of air being slit apart revolved madly around Ryu. The feeling he gave off was completely different from Esme. The latter had felt devious and clever, but Ryu seemed like an insurmountable mountain, an unstoppable force prepared to slice through anything.
"I hope you don't regret your words…" Ryu said faintly.
Ryu's body hopped slightly into the air, his glaives brandished to each side. However, the moment his foot landed on the ground once more, he suddenly vanished.
Edwin's frame involuntarily tightened. But he didn't have much more time to react before a glistening glaive descended upon him from above.
A roar escaped his lips, his fist qi surging as he met the glaive head on. Unfortunately, the result was completely unlike what had happened to Esme.
Before the glaive met his fist, Ryu's barely formed afterimage vanished once more, appearing to Edwin's back and executing a [Sweep] that shone forth with an elegant simplicity.
Edwin's thick plate of armor protected him, but the blow alone sent a tremor through his inner organs, shaking him fiercely.
Ryu's body became akin to a gust of wind. Esme's movement technique had seemed to be enigmatic and unpredictable, but witnessing Ryu execute it made her seem like nothing more than a jumping clown. Even Host Minn began to feel a cold sweat permeate his back… Ryu was actually faster than him!
[Fragrant Breeze]. This was the name of Ryu's Peak Earth Grade movement technique. When trained to the Grand Circle of Perfection like Ryu had done, one became a lingering sweet scent in the air… Fleeting and impossible to grasp.
Truth be told, this was a technique that was incredibly difficult for men to learn. Most male cultivators lacked the flexibility of their female counterparts. However, since the start of his training, Ryu had emphasized not only his own strength, but also the pliability of said strength.
Dual wielding polearms already placed great stress on his body. It necessitated being able to apply strength at angles that may very well shatter the arms of a normal expert. However, Ryu was completely different. Not only did he have his Ice Jade Crystal Body, he also Fire Phoenix Martial Form which emphasized recoverability and flexibility!
When this Martial Form was combined with the Kukan Martial Form which targeted small muscle groups in order to increase speed and explosiveness, Ryu's muscle fibers were refined to a level impossible to find among those of his cultivation realm.
"That's enough!" Edwin roared.
How many times did he need to be humiliated on this day? He had already brought out most of his full strength and this still wasn't enough? This was completely unacceptable!
"[First Pulse. Release]!"
A roar of pain and rage left Edwin's lips as his body grew one level in size. His fire and fist qi flourished, but both gained a savage red color clearly tinted by the presence of his fusing qi.
Ryu smiled, but his gaze was filled with intent to kill.
Suddenly, his body was enveloped by a green glow, causing his speed to double in an instant.
The brows of the elders watching on twitched. Just what was happening? How could a junior have such strength? How could he be in the Divine Vessel Realm?!
"I'll show you the difference between you and I!" Edwin spoke savagely. "IMPOSE!"
Ryu's speed suddenly faltered as an Impose Barrier shrouded their battle ground.
Those watching on shivered in terror. The Impose Realm?!
It had to be said that the number of individuals who had reached such a realm in their Core Region could be counted on two hands. On top of that, they were all well into the Immortal Ring Realm! They had never heard of a Connecting Heaven Realm expert reaching such a state!
There was a reason Vygil, Annbar and Lucian were so eager to kill Ryu. His comprehension was simply inconceivable!
As though something had finished fusing within him, Edwin stomped downward viciously. It seemed in that instant that Ember City itself might completely crumble to the ground. In fact, if it wasn't for Ancestor Ember's interference, it truly would have.
'Ah, so this is it… How interesting… I want this ability… [Lines of Fate].'
The world in Ryu's eyes suddenly became bundles of black and white strings. Every living person seemed to have a line connecting from their heads to the heavens above, their bodies becoming nothing more than wound up yarn.
Ryu carefully observed. Diverting Edwin's strength became even easier, it was as though he could pierce a hole into the future and peak through.
Every instant of time was suddenly broken into probabilities. Predicting Edwin's bestial, caveman-like movements was as easy as breathing.
Ryu should have been disappointed. After all, he came all this way specifically to battle Edwin. But he could have never expected that his battle strength improved far more than even thought.
It was then he understood… His previous calculations were made using Common and Black Grade techniques as his foundation… He had completely underestimated the power of Earth Grade techniques! Even more so… he had underestimated the strength of his Impose Realm Wind Inheritance.
However, he wasn't disappointed… If for nothing else… This technique was worth it!
Even though Ryu felt that he was taking a stroll, to the vast majority, it seemed as though he was on his back foot. His glaives were constantly being swatted to the side, and he was continuously retreating more and more with each passing moment.
Only Edwin, Fidroha, and Ancestor Ember, not to mention the mysterious father-son duo above, saw that this wasn't the case at all. Ryu seemed to be… Analyzing something?
Edwin's heart twitched with anger, but no matter how hard he pressed, he couldn't seem to break through Ryu's guard.
"[Second Pulse. Release]!"