Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Chapter 2109  Ten (1)

Aspirant. Knight. Vanguard…

Sentinel.

A Vanguard was already beyond what Ailsa's memories could properly describe, a talent the likes of which might never appear in a world's entire history.

If a Knight was already a perfect talent in all aspects, while also having additional bonuses like Heavenly Pupils and such… then what about a Sentinel that was two ranks above?

The Heavenly Warrior was wreathed in dark gold, an aura so thick hanging around it that it wasn't easy to tell where it ended and where its armor began.

There were two horns that extended from its forehead, but much like with its aura, it was hard to tell if it was only there as a cosmetic attachment to its helmet and face guard, or if it was there to make room for real horns that were hidden beneath.

A pair of long, dark gold, metallic wings extended from its back. The feathers weren't shaped like feathers at all, but rather looked like long, slightly tapered, straight blades.

The Sentinel's armor was finished off with the face of an angel, not in beauty, but rather stoic loftiness. Standing there in silence, with golden orbs for eyes, it felt as though it could stand at the very peak of the world, bearing down its will on all those it felt to be lesser to itself.

The strength, the power, the valiance. Everything was perfect.

But Ryu just laughed.

Holding out his great swordstaffs, a hint of his earlier seriousness faded away as he allowed his mind to relax.

When the Knight Legion battle began, he had entered a state of utmost seriousness, scratching and clawing for every advantage that he could get.

However…

Right now he felt that the Heavens had made the most foolish decision possible.

Others would find it absolutely idiotic for him to say so, but he would feel more apprehensive against four Vanguards than a single Sentinel.

It had to be remembered that fighting against multiple enemies at once as a Sky God was incredibly difficult. Even when there was a seemingly massive power disparity between two Sky Gods, the matter would be firmly placed into perspective when facing off against two or more of the same.

The reality was that even if a Sky God felt so far and beyond another, the true difference in strength between them might not be more than 10%. But this 10% difference was enough to be one-shot.

Why was this?

On the surface, it sounded ridiculous. But this was the reality of Control and its importance at these higher levels.

Even if a person was just 1% stronger than another, a gap in Control could mean near-instant death.

The Heavens couldn't parse out its Laws so easily. You either gained all of it, or none of it.

So why was this a problem when facing multiple opponents?

It was because they could coordinate their Control.

This was why even if you could one-shot a Sky God, you wouldn't necessarily want to fight two such Sky Gods of the same strength, let alone more.

The pressure that had been on Ryu while fighting so many enemies at once could only be said to be tremendous. Balancing between protecting his Control, refining his Dao Heart, and dealing death blows was incredibly difficult. Often, he had to maneuver around the battlefield like he was playing a game of Domain just so that he could pull a target out from a range where they could rely on those around them and finally kill them.

If Ryu had been facing off against four Vanguards, the difficulty would have been even higher than facing off against the four Legions he just had. Not only because they were more powerful, but also because he was just one person and there was a point of limited return when the numbers grew too large.

After all, it wasn't like coordinating Control was easy… especially not when there was an army formation to target and destroy as a result of it.

But now…

"You have angered the Heavens, Chosen. This jurisdiction… is not your own. Accept your punishment."

An ambiguous, unisex voice layered with the tones and cadence of many echoed. One could tell that it had spoken softly, and yet it sounded like raging tides and avalanches.

It was far too loud, booming across the cosmos and nearly shattering Ryu's eardrums despite his powerful body.

But Ryu's laughter didn't stop.

"So what?" Ryu said after a while. "What are you going to do about it?" n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"You will die."

"You talk quite a lot for a Heavenly Warrior."

"This is a courtesy I am giving to your world. However, you have overstepped and overestimated yourself. You have humiliated my fellow brothers and sisters—."

"Ten moves." Ryu said lightly, his laughter fading and his placid, cold indifference returning as he cut the Heavenly Warrior off.

"… What?"

"Your head. I'll take it in ten moves."

BOOM!

Ryu took a step forward and his aura surged. His Bone Structures activated at once, but none brighter than his Empyrean Warframe.

His great swordstaffs vanished from his hands and his eyes shone so brightly that they looked like a pair of silver stars.

All of his Phenomena disappeared into motes of light, and all of a sudden, it looked like he was just one man beneath the roars of a mighty Tribulation.

Breath of Earth.

An aura of oneness with the world spread out slowly as the light in Ryu's eyes only grew brighter, shimmering to the point his own seemed to mirror the golden orbs that formed the Sentinel's with silver orbs of his own.

There was a shudder in the air as Ryu's Childe of Order Constitution bloomed in full force.

And then he took another step forward, vanishing.

BANG!

When he appeared again, his fist and that of the Sentinel's met.

The skies churned and shook, the Tribulation Clouds above nearly collapsing beneath their combined might.

But not a single one of them took a step back.