Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends

Anger Unleashed

Ryun arrived at the location of the prison and stood in the air far above it, close to the Void border. He stood on a platform that he had shaped out of Selia's Qi, the trip had taken him a few days, and he had been in constant contact with Selia. Their bond had grown stronger, it seemed that it almost always did after they went through deep emotional turmoil. Or, it was his new creation that had strengthened it. The Bearer of Enduring Scorn had somehow bonded with both of them, it had opened a pathway through their connection that allowed both of them to interact with each other in ways that they hadn't been able to before. The instrument had its own Core and Conduits, and now both of them could draw on each other's Qi, and use the instrument's cultivation system to use that Qi however they wished. It was a bit slower than if they used their own Conduits, naturally, and it did draw Qi from the other person which depleted their supplies, but it was another advantage. Though the fact that they could use that Qi through the instrument meant that they didn't need to use their own bodies and damage them in the process. His Qi wouldn't do well in Selia's conduits, nor would hers do well in his, they were opposites in many ways.

The instrument didn't seem to have any restriction of that kind, it changed depending on the source of Qi it drew from. It had been crafted from the body of the Grand Spirit of Change after all. There were still secrets that Ryun and Selia hadn't discovered within it, and he doubted that they would know everything, not anytime soon. He had been feeling something coming from the instrument, something... Alive. Though it didn't speak in the way that Bright Star did. The text on the description said that the spirit was slumbering, but Ryun couldn't yet tell either way.

The things that it could do were also... Varied. It could act as a second skin for them, creating any type of armor based on what Essence they wanted or provided to it. And it already had a varied selection, as it had consumed everything that Ryun had in his collection. Rare Essences that Zenker had collected over the years, armor and weapons that Ryun had crafted and those he had gained. He had lost a lot of his gear, but he wasn't that disappointed, the Scorn could change into things that were just as effective.

Because of the nature of Ryun's body, the way that he could manipulate its size and shape, it could do more for him than it could do for Selia, at least in this instance. It could change that surface layer covering Ryun into something resembling a true Human Shell for his body, which was amazing really. Even though it didn't really do much for him, if it was damaged it would bleed, but it didn't regenerate in the same way that his body could, nor did it benefit from his high regeneration at all. It still regenerated fast compared to what even a cultivator in the Immortal Realm could expect, but it just wasn't the same. Though it could be healed by potions in this form. Though that wasn't necessary, changing the nature of Essence repaired all damage. Ryun had been using it in the flesh and blood Essence form for now. He hadn't realized just how much he missed really feeling the wind on his skin.

"You sure that you want to do this?" Selia's voice interrupted his thoughts, and he turned his mind to the matter at hand.

"I am," Ryun sent back. "I'm not going to sit and wait for the Exalted Empire to make up their mind. They know how serious this is, and they are stalling, they want to make us squirm. Well, I am done. They want to poke and prod? I am going to smash their faces in."

His anger resonated across the link, and he felt Selia's emotional reaction to it. Part of her was sad, which did more to calm him than anything else had, but it was still not enough to fully quench his anger. Nothing would until he found Tali.

Ryun nodded; he was aware. The two of them had looked over the prison for the past hour. She watched through his eyes and perception, giving him advice on what to do even though she didn't agree fully. He appreciated her support, even though she was still trying to get the Herald to agree to let them at least talk with Maleatus. So far she hadn't found any success.

Ryun channeled a technique, his {Avatar of the Twilight Reaper}. It manifested on the same platform, just next to him. A copy created out of Selia’s Qi. It was lessened somehow. He had tested the technique before and found that it was harder to use, that it was missing something. It was just an automaton now, completely reliant on his directions where before it acted on its own, almost as if it was reading his mind, as if it knew what he wanted it to do.

He had done something to it when he pulled a piece of his Soul that held the technique, he still knew how to use it, but shaping the technique came slower, as if his muscle memory of it was gone. He would need to test and figure out exactly what it was that he had done when he used it to imprint his conduits and core into his creation, but for now it would work as a tool.

His perception spread across the territory, and he knew where everything was. The prison had some protections, but he had leaned on the full power of his skill and punched through everything. He could even feel Maleatus down in his cell, attempting to fall asleep.

Ryun knew that it was time. He focused on his instrument, he didn't want to lean on it too much as he didn't yet understand its power. For now, he kept it as his shell, and only used its other ability, the one that let him pull and use Qi from Selia. His own Qi moved through his body as he pulled Selia's Qi through the instrument. They had talked about it prior, and she was safe in the sect, him drawing on her power wouldn't put her in any danger now.

His {Mantle of Gathering Twilight} moved through him, and he raised his wisdom and intelligence as far as he was able. With Selia's Qi, he used her {The Armor of Legacy} the former {Sanguine Silver Armor} technique that she had improved after her return. Plates of dark green and black formed around him, armoring him in her Qi. He could feel the inner flame inside of the armor, and felt it impacting the area around him in a way that he didn't quite understand. But he didn't need to, Selia had informed him of what it would do.

With that taken care of, he dropped down, heading for the prison. It looked like a large mine, something that he had seen before on Earth. With concentric levels leading all the way to the bottom. Maleatus was beneath the ground, but there were defenses everywhere.

He landed in front of the entrance and the guards at the gate immediately reacted. The wall was tall, at least five meters high, but Ryun kept himself level with the top. Weapons were pointed in his direction, rifles, and his perception caught signals being sent to their superiors, he didn't interfere.

They were yelling at him, ordering him to the ground, but he ignored them. Instead, he spoke, his stats amplifying his voice across the entire prison, though with his aura he made sure to remove any sound waves that weren't heading toward the guards inside. He didn't want to alert everyone, just the guards.

"I have come for one of your prisoners," Ryun spoke, his voice distorted by his power, he was removing wavelengths to make it sound deeper than it was. "You will allow this, or I will kill you all."

His appearance now was unlike anything that he usually looked like. He used Selia's techniques, which had changed since the war, even though the Qi remained the same. Still, he was clearly no demasi as he had no tail or horns, and the armor looked different because he shaped it according to his will and imagination not Selia's.

The guards sprang into action, people were moving to their mechs, their turrets were swiveling to point in his direction. Missiles were being armed and others were rushing to take better positions. The ones on the walls were yelling orders again, repeated from the speakers into their helmets, relayed from their superiors deeper in the prison. They wanted to stall, as they tried to contact a base in a territory nearby.

Somehow they knew that he was powerful, they had a system that had scanned him the moment he arrived that he had missed the first time. It actually didn't work on him, his perks made such things ineffective when used on him, ironically, that alerted them that he was very powerful. They even had a ruleset for when something like this happened, a contingency. Ryun was impressed, though unfortunately for them their calls for help weren't getting out. His Aura and will destroyed any signal that attempted to leave the territory, he was deleting them as they left the prison.

Ryun jumped from his platform, his high stats overwhelming the Essence in the territory and pushing it aside easily. He landed on the wall and cracked it beneath his feet, though he was attempting to be gentle. He grabbed one of the guards by his shoulder and lifted him up, squeezing and denting the metal armor suit of the cthul. The others around them reacted, the fired their rifles but Ryun already cast {Field of Twilight's Calm} around him and the guard and prevented anything that they fired from reaching them. He wanted to limit how much he used his Oblivion Qi, he knew that this would be an incident and he didn't need the Exalted Empire hunting him as he was trying to rescue Tali.

"Tell your superiors that they are to retrieve Maleatus Enis from his cell and deliver him to me," Ryun said.

The guard went for his knife and swung it. Ryun let him. It hit his helmet and shattered. "RELAY MY MESSAGE,"Ryun said and the power of his voice made the man's visor crack. He shivered in his grip and then spoke through his link, informing his superiors of Ryun's demand.

"They say that it will be done, they are bringing him now," the guard said after a short exchange.

Ryun tilted his head. "Are they now?"

"Y-yes," the guard said.

"Ryun..." Selia said.

"They lie," Ryun sent to her. He had come and given them a chance to release Maleatus because she had asked it of him. But he could hear the other guards in the prison talking, he knew that they were just stalling to get their people in position, to get more time to get through his signal suppression and get the word out.

Ryun nodded to the guard as he felt Selia's assent. They had agreed. Ryun's fist punched through his chest and blew his heart out. A moment later he shaped, Qi flowing through his and Selia's connection and into the instrument. It was a strange sensation, he felt it, knew it, but it was as if there was a veil over it, which made sense, it didn't move through his conduits.

Sword shaped themselves in the air above him, copies of some of his old creations, things that he had crafted but never shown anyone. Simple things. The guards reacted, but he was faster. A dozen swords flew out as Ryun pulled from across the world and used Selia's technique and perks.

He focused on the sky and commanded his Avatar to drop down, using his skill to split his mind. A second armored shape arrived and more swords appeared in the air, attacking the defenses.

He jumped over the wall, shaping more and more swords, copying them with abilities and perks, then he sent them flying at the targets below. Lasers lanced out to hit him and he used Oblivion to delete them before they reached him, missiles flew and exploded as he put walls in front of them that erased their kinetic force.

Mechs flew in the air, and Ryun pelted them with swords, slicing pieces of them off and destroying them utterly.

There was a lot of power here, enough to humble an army. But Ryun didn't care, his anger fueled him and destruction followed in his wake.