Chapter 2260: Arrogant |
The figure suddenly flashed in front of Ryu. He could see a sea of red-gold flames forming hair so long it formed its own river, what was left of the figure's form obscured by majestic wings imprinted with so many Heavenly Phoenix Patterns they didn't seem like Patterns at all.
In fact, the only reason Ryu sensed the Patterns at all was because of his eyes. In reality, these weren't wings at all… they were runes alone.
The Heavenly Phoenix Patterns were so densely packed that they had manifested into true, tangible form, creating the wings that the Phoenix Sky God used to stand high in the skies.
Ryu watched the back of this figure calmly. He didn't seem very surprised about where they had come from, nor did he seem all too eager to block the path of the Phoenix Sky God either.
He just stood there, observing as though he was thinking through something.
Finally, though, when the Phoenix Sky God appeared, he understood where the volatility was coming from.
The Phoenix Sky God was simply too important to his cultivation journey. If one could pinpoint one moment that changed his entire life… it was that night he stabbed himself through the heart. It was what had started all of this.
It was also the moment his Fate was the most volatile.
If the Phoenix Sky God chose him, then he would have a chance to cultivate.
This pivotal moment, so easily glossed over after everything he had been through, was without a doubt the most important moment of his life.
It was amusing. Back before he understood Fate and its intricacies, he had thought hard about just how much the Phoenix Sky God was controlling him. He had avoided using their power for as long as possible, trying to carve out a path for himself that was separated just enough that when the day came that he would inevitably have to fight this person…
He would be ready.
But reality was amusing, and it was capable of making fools even of himself. He had thought too much of himself.
Why was it that Blacksmiths wanted their weapons in the hands of the strongest warriors? Why was it that Masters wanted to pass down their Legacies onto the best of students? Why did Sects want Disciples? And why did Clans want geniuses?
Wasn't it all a way to generate Fate?
You didn't just generate Fate by accomplishing feats on your own—you could wield and control Fate, gaining large sums of it on your own just by supporting the right person.
It was a concept that Ryu had always known and understood, and yet he amusingly had ignored what was in plain sight.
The Phoenix Sky God was almost single-handedly the reason he was the man he was today. They had never needed to place any other chains on him because this mere fact alone was enough to control his Fate.
The reason he was so vulnerable right now, why these people even had a chance to kill him, wasn't because he, himself, was vulnerable, but rather because they had a proxy through the Phoenix Sky God to deal with him.
This though… still didn't quite make much sense.
The Phoenix Sky God was the strongest being in all of Existence as far as Ryu knew. With them standing there, he could still feel it… a pressure that no one here could give him, not even Primus.
This was a truly strong person, someone that stood beyond the Almighty, someone who was likely approaching the level of that so-called Nameless Immortal God that stood beyond the bounds of Existence itself, forming their own utopia…
So why would they be able to use them to get to him?
Ryu's head tilted to the side.
"Your father. Is he Iam?"
The wings of the Phoenix Sky God vibrated, spreading out in a sparkling rain of gold.
There was no answer, but Ryu didn't need one. He already knew that he was correct, and yet the leap in logic he had taken to get there was something that only he and the Phoenix Sky God understood.
"You will come with me," Primus said coldly. "Your life and death will be decided on whether you succeed."
"… Not all life can be saved," the Phoenix Sky God said lightly.
"How dare you?" Radiant Star's chilling tone belied the chains that also looped around his body. "You are not the arbitrator of life and death."
"Am I not? Then why have you all come to me?" the Phoenix Sky God replied just as gently.
Veins bulged across the handsome man's forehead. He had no refute, but how could he accept that the person who had cut off their Cycle of Reincarnation was speaking to them about the morality of controlling life and death?
"If you are not willing, then we will just capture you," Primus said indifferently, his gaze shifting over to Zercius. "Will you join? Or will I have to force you to?"
"Do you think that just because your great grandson can suppress me, that you can too? With what? Those fake chains of yours?"
Primus hardly reacted. "Open the Heavenly Gates. I know that this is the final trump card you have. Pathetic, scheming worms like you all will always choose benefits in the end. No matter how many times you and the so-called 'Almighty' have butted heads, he will stand on your side now."
Zercius' eyes narrowed.
"The Phoenix Sky God isn't so easy to deal with."
These were the final words Primus said before looking away.
Zercius' jaw clenched. None of this had gone his way at all. Was there really no other choice but to split these benefits with the man he had run away from all those years ago?
He squeezed his fists hard and made a decision.
The Heavenly Gates had only just begun to tremble when Ryu finally moved for the first time since the Phoenix Sky God's appearance.
His steps were light and unhurried as he rounded their figure, stepping to them so closely their noses would have likely touched had he not been so much taller.
He reached a palm forward, pressing against their forehead and smoothing the long streak of flaming hair back. Then, he kissed their forehead gently.
"It seems you came back as arrogant as Ailsa did, hm?"
Ryu smiled as he looked down into those familiar eyes—the eyes of his wife, Yaana.
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