Ryu felt suppressed from all sides. Without Sarriel even moving a single inch, it felt as though there was nothing he could do.

Ryu had no idea how Sarriel managed to do such a thing. He had never heard of a precedent allowing a person to fuse with a Demon. The only possibility was that this was unique to Sarriel's bone structure and, most importantly, it was likely a tightly guarded secret of the Fey as well.

If the world knew that the Fey were able to accomplish such a thing

Ryu's pupils constricted. His body instantly vanished in a flicker of violet lightning, tearing into the void and appearing half a kilometer away in an instant. But, when he appeared once more, half his body was completely frozen, stuck in a half elemental state that made it look as though he was vanishing into motes of light.

One half of body was forced into a solid state. The other was caught in an attempt to run, unable to separate from its other half lest it lose its substance and Ryu took his own life.

A perfect counter to Spirit Body was atmospheric qi. It was quick and was able to solidify space should you have a strong enough grasp of it. This interference would easily disrupt the fluctuations of a Spirit Body, forcing someone into a corporeal state.

However, compared to wielding atmospheric qi, a Dominion was on a completely different level. If one countered a Spirit Body, the latter rendered it completely useless. If not for Ryu's obscene talent, he wouldn't have even managed to control himself to dodge Sarriel's lethal strike, but even then, he ended up in a state like this.

Ryu roared, flexing his arm and trying to break free from the ice. But, in that instant, a deep panic took root in his soul. He felt that if he continued, he would be shattering his own body. The ice had actually already sunk so far.

In that split second of hesitation, Sarriel had appeared before Ryu as though she had always been there and nowhere else.

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She held her katana in one hand, but as though she couldn't be bothered to use it, she reached out with her free arm, pointing a finger toward the center of Ryu's brow.

The simple gesture seemed to gather the entire world's pressure toward a single point. At that moment, Ryu made a devastating discovery.

A Dominion didn't only give Sarriel more control over her energy, but it also made it so that the qi she needed to use her Pupils had drastically lowered. The result was Ryu being trapped in a space where Sarriel could practically make any 'deceit' a reality with a single thought.

Ryu no longer hesitated, he braced himself, his energy surging as he clenched his teeth and shattered the ice with all the will he could muster. How many times had he experienced death within the Crystalline Jade? This was nothing.

Ryu felt an entire side of his body collapse. His bones, his flesh, his nerves themselves splintered. Many of his individual cells had already died, turning a sickening shade of dark blue as they fell victim to Sarriel's ice qi.

Ryu's body reformed, but he looked half dead, even his handsome face was twisted into a more grotesque picture than what Sarriel had gone through.

Even though his Spirit Body quickly absorbed the Primordial Chaos Lightning his meridians were producing to heal, the suppression of Sarriel's Dominion on his Spirit Body made his healing nowhere near as quick as Sarriel's had been.

He hadn't even begun when Sarriel's finger finished accumulating energy, pressing down on his forehead without a care for the fact he had escaped.

The shackles of space solidified and a beam of bluish black tore through the air. The space around it froze and shattered into countless pieces, piercing toward Ryu's forehead.

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It ripped through several falling petals with impunity, treating Ryu's [Immortal Sakura] as though it was nothing more than a childish game.

Ryu's swung down his two Great Swordstaffs with all the strength he could muster, one side of his body screaming in agony.

At that moment, his body erupted with arcs of black lightning and raging black flames. He had always been hesitant to use Primordial Chaos Fire at the same time as his Chaos Lightning, but continuing to hold back at this point would be nothing more than suicide. Even if his body was torn apart, he would take her down first.

BANG!

Ryu's Great Swordstaffs exploded on impact, the raging energies becoming far too much to handle. This battle had long since left the scope of something Higher Skeleton Warriors could deal with.

Ryu shot back like a broken kite, crashing through the ground and digging a ditch through the mountain that extended tens of kilometers.

Sarriel seemed to wave her sword just once, and yet hundreds of strands of crisscrossing sword qi eradicated the backlash of energy in the blink of an eye.

In that moment, Ryu ripped his way out from ground, his roars splitting the clouds above. One part was fury, but another was an unquenchable pain. His Spirit Body continuously absorb the fire and lightning, healing. But, at the same time, the volatile chaos energy was ripping him apart.

"[Earth Gate]!"

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Ryu stepped through a threshold, his mind suddenly becoming enlightened. His aura bloomed, a mighty Dominion spreading to life and clashing against Sarriel's.

His dark magenta scales glistened, his horns twisting into the air as they seemingly grew a size.

The inconspicuous Glove of Order on Ryu's hand suddenly blossomed forth.

Ryu reached out at empty air, space cracking as the Glove of Order glowed. Swirling black flames and lightning coalesced under its beck and call, forming a pair of Great Swordstaffs that were eerily familiar to Ryu.

Ryu rose a single arm, swinging it down to his side.

In that moment, a scythe of black lightning and fire shot through the mountain range, splitting it in two. Flames connected heaven and earth, a curtain of black falling over the world.

Veins of red pulsed down Ryu's cheeks, extending from his eyes. They pulsed along with his killing intent, a mighty majestic aura coursing through his body as his wings doubled in size.

"Come die."

A voice from the demonic depths of hell shook the world.

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Ryu's words had only just landed when Sarriel appeared before him as though she had always been there. She didn't speak, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes.

The skies trembled as her sword swung down. Though aimed toward Ryu, it felt as though she was aiming toward something much larger.