It was well known that beasts were always stronger than their human counterparts. It simply couldn't be helped. Even with the losses to strength they suffered due to their often exaggerated sizes, it simply wasn't enough to mitigate their overall advantages.

But, it had to be said that this was mostly the case for average humans. For those of astounding talent like Ryu, this was no more than a joke...

If, that is, one was speaking of regular beasts.

It was no issue for Ryu to deal with Common, Black or even Earth Grade beasts at his level. In fact, after unlocking the secret of his Chaotic Silk Meridians, even Heaven Grade beasts at his level could be treated lightly.

However, Sovereign Grade beasts were a different monster entirely. These were the creatures approaching the level of the deity beasts that once ruled the Shrine Plane. In fact, in this era, they were the strongest beasts one could come across.

To understand how powerful Ancestral Grade beasts were, one only needed to look at Ryu. His Body Realm Cultivation was already so exaggerated despite having only unlocked a sliver of his Bloodlines. Back when Ryu fought Little Rock, even the little guy, who had only been the equivalent of an Earth Grade beast back then, had a thicker bloodline than Ryu. Yet, Ryu was actually so powerful...

Sovereign Beasts were the closest line descendants of Ancestral Beasts that remained. Their strength was beyond imagining.

Yet now, Ryu was slowly stalking toward the territory of one...

Of course, this beast wasn't real. It was just a simulated opponent created by the Osiris Dream World. But, since this was a world formed by the alliance of so many Sky Gods, Ryu had no doubt that this would be the real deal.

Ryu suddenly felt that the temperature began to rise. At first, it was subtle. For someone like Ryu who had the Fire Phoenix and Fire Dragon Bloodlines, he could easily miss the shift. He was practically immune to temperature, whether it be too hot or too cold, he was mostly be unbothered.

However, Ryu's current senses were being pulled thin. He was completely focused on every minute detail, trying to stop his feet from slamming heavily onto the forest grounds, knowing the soft soil wouldn't be enough to keep his movements hidden.

As focused as he was, the incremental increases didn't escape his attention for very long at all.

'I'm getting close.'

Ailsa wasn't currently by Ryu's side. Little Gem, the infant griffin, was in need of constant care. At the same time, the progress of Nemesis and Little Rock couldn't lag behind him by too much. It was about time both gained the strength of Heaven Grade beasts. Nemesis still needed Ryu to become a Summoning Necromancer to unleash his true potential. But, Little Rock didn't have such an excuse.

The younger the little guy reached the Sovereign Grade in bloodline purity, the greater his future potential would be. Right now, the infant Lightning Hawk wasn't even three years old yet. Considering the lifespan of beasts, especially ones with ancient bloodlines, the little one hadn't even begun to mature yet.

Though it was uncertain if Little Gem would ever be released of her curse, Nemesis and Little Rock were core pieces of Ryu's future plans and were currently his only family outside of Ailsa, their progress couldn't be stalled.

The day they all reached the extent of their potential, those Martial Gods could only wait for death.

That said, Ryu didn't absolutely need Ailsa by his side at the moment. His entire purpose was focused on maximizing the control of his body and mastering his weapons. These weren't things Ailsa couldn't necessarily help guide him through.

The matter of his Great Swordstaffs was especially a headache. Ryu had to find a method of fusing his comprehensions of the spear, glaive and halberd into one. The matter was so complex that he found it difficult even to find a way to begin.

But, there was one thing that was certain...

Battle was a short cut.

Soon, Ryu found the source of the rising heat.

Steaming geysers spread across the opening in the forest floor like miniature volcanoes. In the center of them all, there was the open mouth of a cave, the heat within so great that the rocks that formed it were a blazing shade of red.

'Tch...'

Ryu looked down at himself, watching as his stock grey clothing began to burn away.

Not bothering to wait for it to wither away to ash, Ryu ripped what clothes remained away, revealing his toned body.

Every fiber of Ryu's body seemed to be perfectly defined, his body a chiseled, lean machine. Compared to the frail body he had in his first life, this one was brimming with vitality.

Without a hint of shame, Ryu grabbed at the handles of his Great Swordstaffs, his heart boiling. It had been a while since he truly fought to his heart's content. He looked forward to this.

Ryu shot into the cave's mouth, his mind locking onto the aura of a lurking beast.

The further he traveled, the deeper underground he traveled and the greater the temperatures seemed to become.

Though Ryu didn't know it, this was exactly why the Violet Olive Team had yet to claim this mission. They were still preparing the proper equipment that would be needed to raid such a beast. The environment alone was as much of a challenge as the beast itself.

But, Ryu's bare feet glided across the scolding rocks as though he couldn't sense a single thing. In fact, his thoughts were completely focused on his body control which had reached 53%.

How could this environment harm him? With his Rebirth Flames, even a Sovereign Beast wouldn't be guaranteed to harm him purely with Flames.

Ryu burst through the final layer of the cave, his breath smoldering. Just his breathing alone would likely severely injured a Divine Vessel Realm expert now, the heat was that excruciating.

At that moment, a world of lava and magma appeared before Ryu. There were footholds dotted across the vast landscape with a radius of over 20 kilometers, bubbling lava filling in the rest.

However, the landscape was the last one would be focused on. No matter who you were, your eyes would immediately be pulled to the beasts sleeping in the middle of it all.

The beast's breathing was oddly peaceful. But, every breath seemed to carry hurricane force winds, sending scorching Flames dancing across the surface of the lava lake.

'Rainbow Scaled Eagle...'

Ryu's gaze narrowed.

With such a name, one would never think that this creature had anything to do with such fiery Flames. But, this was the ability of the Rainbow Scaled Eagle.

Compared to other Sovereign creatures, it was of the lowest rung. This was because they were known as scavengers. If it wasn't for their beautiful appearances, one would rather call them vultures rather than giving them such a majestic name.

These creatures were essentially copycats. But in order to succeed in this, they had to eat the corpses of thei creatures they wanted to imitate. As though to infuriate the heavens further, these imitators were even capable of surpassing the beasts they imitated by using quantity to make up or quality.

If they, for example, chose evolve using fire as their primary element like this one, they didn't need to swallow the Spiritual Roots of other Sovereign Beasts. Technically, as long as they ate enough Common Grade beasts, they could reach the same level.

It was because of this that although these beasts had a gorgeous appearance, they had a terrible reputation. Not only were they scavengers, they were well documented cowards.

Ryu never thought that the first Sovereign Beast he would battle personally would be such a creature. A part of him wanted to smile, but another part knew that regardless of reputation, this was a beast with strength that couldn't be underestimated.

Ryu's gaze suddenly became murderous, his aura towering.

He slammed his swords into the molten ground, a roar escaping his lips.

For a moment, it seemed as though his very being was swallowed by the illusion of a Fire Dragon.

Something within his blood was seething. An ancient hatred as old as existence itself bubbled forth.

The Rainbow Scaled Eagle snapped awake, its sharp aura landing on Ryu.

Despite its name, the creature had four limbs. It wasn't born like this, likely having gained this mutation from one of its many meals.

It growled, it's beak also nowhere to be seen, replaced by a snarling snout. If Ryu wasn't so well informed, he would have mistaken this beast for a rainbow scaled griffin. But, he knew better.

SCCCCRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Rainbow Scaled Eagles shriek shook the underground cave, causing dust and debris to fall from the molten ceilings.

Man and beast stood opposed, their auras clashing and twisting around one another.

Then, they shot forward.

Ryu's back flexed, his Great Swordstaffs descending from the skies.

BANG!

The Rainbow Scaled Eagle swiped out a paw, sending Ryu flying into the lake of lava.

Its gaze flickered with disdain, watching as Ryu sunk in. Such a weakling actually dared to challenge it.

The beast turned back to return to its nap, but at that moment, the ant it thought it had already crushed pulled itself out from the magma under its astonished eyes.

Confusion colored the beast's face. Its intelligence was no less than a human, so it hadn't thought it was possible for a human to survive the lava's high temps. However...

Ryu pulled himself up, droplets of lava falling down his body.

"Come!"

His gaze blazed with fighting intent.