Ryu's gaze shifted from the hand on his forearm toward Elena in the distance. She seemed to be pleading with him to forget everything and run, but she also seemed to be aware that there was simply no way that he could do such a thing.
Ryu didn't know anything about Elena's father, she had never spoken about him with him. But, that didn't say very much as Elena didn't ever usually talk about her family.
In truth, Ryu had always assumed that Elena simply didn't know who her father was. It made sense considering the practices of the Holy Wing Clan. Since Elena was a woman, she would have been taken away from her father at birth and would have never met him.
But now that Ryu knew some more truths about the Holy Wing Clan, and had also come to understand that they were just as much a part of the Martial Gods as these supposed Apostles were, then that would mean that it was potentially true that the Holy Wing Clan's rules were more like a temporary fixture.
If Ryu was correct, that was probably just the Holy Wing Clan's method of keeping themselves separate from the rest of Sacrum. Though, Ryu couldn't really understand the purpose of such a thing.
Regardless, the Martial Gods had already proved that they were quite promiscuous. Whether it was men or women, neither was looked down upon for how many partners they had, so long as those partners were powerful, that is.
It was a huge change from the usual ways of the martial world. Even setting aside just how progressive their views were, just the fact that such a monstrous Clan of people not only didn't harp on bloodline purity, but even welcomed 'impurity', was completely unheard of.
However, it was also clear that the Martial Gods were correct in their approach. Merging with other powerful bloodlines, even if they were lesser than that of the Martial Gods themselves, left potential for all sorts of mutations and talent variations down the line. Ryu wouldn't be surprised if these policies were a large part of the strength of the Martial Gods.
This realization, though, only fueled the fury within Ryu all the more.
Was this why they hadn't really cared who Elena married? Did they think they could just replace him and swap him out whenever they wanted?
It was both a rational and irrational conclusion to jump to.
It was rational in that this truly seemed to be the case due to how willing they were to enrage Ryu and even kill him.
However, it was irrational in the fact that Mistress Holy Wing and Elena's father had never really given him any indication that they had such thoughts.
Ryu knew well that his current state was simply jaded against the world. But, he also had every right to be. If this man wanted to stop him from killing Mistress Holy Wing, then he would be his enemy, whether he was Elena's father or not.
"Take your hands off of me." Ryu's gaze slowly turned to look toward the man standing to his side. "For Elena's sake, I will give you one chance and one chance only. Get out of my way."
Xalvador was a man of unfathomable presence. Even with the light smile on his face, most couldn't even stand before him, let alone speak such words.
He was handsome beyond description, with slicked back black hair and charming brown eyes. His beard had some greys within it, but it looked much more like an aesthetic choice than anything else as it gave him a mature air to match his youthful features.
His robes were perfectly tidy and his gaze was unfathomable. Despite being a full meter shorter than Ryu in his current state, he still somehow felt much larger. It was the kind of feeling Ryu had only ever felt from his own father and grandfather.
"Hoho…" Xalvador chuckled. "… Truth be told, this is just a matter of face for me. Whether she lives or dies… Well, who likes their mother-in-law? The woman is naggy and annoying.
"Unfortunately, since I chose to fuck her daughter, her daughter also happens to be my woman now and I would never hear the end of it if I let her mother die. I'm sure you know how women can be.
"So, for those reasons, I'm going to have to decline your request. It's unfortunate that we couldn't get off on the right foot."
Xalvador spoke with the same smile on his face, never truly wavering once. It was really that simple for him. He wasn't making fun of Ryu, he wasn't even trying to be condescending. He was only speaking the truth.
He couldn't let Mistress Holy Wing die because his face was more important to him than Ryu's rage. And so what about it? He was strong so he could do as he pleased. Since when did he need to consider the fury of others when he acted? He only moved as he pleased and he wouldn't mind stopping those around him from acting if they crossed his bottom line.
Ryu suddenly began to laugh. His smoldering hatred bubbled over once against, simmering past a cold indifference and crossing over into a near manic laughter once again. His layers of hatred had pulled him down so deep that laughing was all he could do… At least in the beginning.
Ryu's laughter was suddenly accented by a furious gaze, the blackholes of his eyes black as black flames licked against his brows and lashes.
His free hand swung his Great Swordstaff down with a force that could collapse worlds
Xalvador blinked, his forearm squeezing slightly and causing all the bones in Ryu's forearm to be crushed into paste.
And yet, Ryu didn't seem to notice at all. His grip didn't falter and his swing downward remained furious.
"Tsk…" Xalvador sighed, his finger reached out, clashing against the blade edge of Ryu's Great Swordstaff and stopping it in its tracks.
The ground around Ryu cracked and splintered, a raging tempest of wind spiraling outward in all directions.