Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

The blood smoothly fell from Ryu's palm. It was as though his skin couldn't be blemished. Without so much as an attempt to wipe it, it all dripped away on its own.

Ryu shook his head. How asinine.

Without sparing anyone else a glance, he stepped down from the table and walked up the stairs of the inn. He had already known where his destination was a long time ago and had already pinpointed exactly where Sarriel was.

The lobby and dining area of the inn was stunned into silence. Even those who had been chuckling at the young man's misfortune couldn't find it in themselves to laugh anymore. What they had just seen was simply far too shocking. Many of them couldn't help but pinch themselves to check if they weren't dreaming.

Not a single one of them could defeat that young man with such ease. In fact, even the most powerful among those that remained would need to exchange several thousand moves with him before a winner would be decided.

And yet… Just one step followed by the squeeze of a hand and his life was actually forfeit so easily..

…

Ryu had hardly begun to knock on the door when a blurry shadow streaking with tears leapt into his arms. It quickly wrapped its arms and legs around him as though it was horrified that he would disappear.

Toward such a thing, Ryu could only stand speechless. Wasn't this woman a bit too eager? They had just seen each other a few days ago. Plus, they had only known each other for a few months. What was wrong with her?

Now that he thought about it… What was wrong with him? Why had he come to see her first before going to check on Granny Miriam's sister? It seemed that even his own priorities were skewed. He didn't seem to be thinking particularly straight.

This was an especially odd feeling for him considering that [Intuition] had led him to this place. Usually, after using it, his mind would be especially clear.

Maybe it really was because he was back home. All the emotional high he had felt had suddenly come crashing down at once and the reason should have been as clear as day.

He had felt so happy to be back home and everything was going smoothly… Until an old man so much more powerful than himself decided to step in on a whim.

What impacted him the most was that the old man hadn't even had any ill intent. He had only interfered because he needed Ryu for something. What Ryu wanted didn't matter, what his thoughts were, were meaningless. It wouldn't have mattered even if he had been fighting for something as important as his life, if someone so powerful simply decided to do something, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

It was the nonchalance of it all…

He had been right there, primed and ready to become the Throne of the Clan he had hated with a passion for so long, only for his plans to be derailed at the whim of an existence that didn't even know or care to know and understand his struggle.

That was what it was.

He was frustrated. Frustrated to an extreme.

However, he managed to hold it down. Even now, he was still holding it down.

He knew that he had stepped to that Plane again far too early. It wasn't time for him to be there. He wasn't strong enough, his fist wasn't large enough. Even if the main mastermind of his family's demise was right before him, what could he even think to do about it?

Ryu suddenly felt a lot calmer. Sarriel hadn't even said anything, but his mind felt soothed.

Well, it was soothed, until Sarriel began to speak.

"I thought you left me for that Isemeine girl! Why didn't you say a word before you went off and disappeared! You didn't even say hi to me!"

Ryu felt a headache coming on. However, it was the kind of headache that made him want to laugh.

The only person he knew who could speak such nonsense yet have him end up laughing was Elena. She used to say and do the most ridiculous things all the time. How she kept up such a cheery attitude around a man as dreary as himself, he had no idea. She truly was a gem amongst gems.

Who knows, maybe that was why he was so fond of Sarriel. Though, she was lacking in too many aspects be a perfect copy of Elena. That said, wasn't that why she was her own person?

"Okay, okay, okay." Ryu chuckled. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Ah!"

Sarriel pulled back, her legs still wrapped around Ryu's hips. But, now, the palms of her hands were squeezing down on the sides of his face.

"Did you just laugh?! Do it again! I missed it!"

Ryu was speechless. Let alone how ridiculous it was to expect him to laugh on command, even if he wanted to do so, how would he with her squeezing his face like this?

Ryu shook head, peeling Sarriel's hands from his face.

"What happened with Matheus and the others?"

After Ryu had come back with Isemeine, he hadn't even cared enough to continue dealing with Matheus, his mind had been on other things. Since he had let him live on a whim, just let him live, then.

But, now that he thought about it, Matheus had also been at that tournament all those years ago, so he should have a plaque for entry just like Ryu did.

"Ah, I don't know." Sarriel blinked. "But, I have your corpse puppet here, how could you forget something so important?"

Ryu raised his brows. That was right, he had also left that behind as well. It seemed that he really had stopped caring about a lot of things after that moment. With the exception of Nemesis, of course.

Ryu's gaze suddenly flashed. "Let's go. I don't feel like dealing with this trouble right now.'

Ryu's cloak appeared for the first time in a while and the two completely disappeared. Not long after they left, several powerful auras converged, having no idea that Ryu simply walked right by them.