Some time ago,
‘System, activate invisibility shield.’
[ Activating….]
SWISH
Ryuk’s body slowly started to become transparent before completely becoming invisible, observing his hands and body parts which appeared nonexistent from his point of view.
He felt satisfied.
Two days ago, he had commanded the system to analyze the way those small army divisions under Regina had used to become invisible, while using mind numbing bracelets in the hands of branch family members to hide their presence.
At that time, a small thought crossed his mind. Normally, he could erase his presence from anyone using his ability, but what if he could make himself physically invisible too?
Any being could only find anything by sensing its presence in case if they can’t see it, but his ability nullified every energy falling on his body directly, making him part of the surrounding.
And finally, the time to test this theory has arrived. After all, where would he find someone stronger than a woman at Ascendancy Rank moving freely like this?
‘It should do the trick.’ Looking at the Energy Stabilizer on his hand, Ryuk approached the static body of Lucas seated on the steps, nearby the open ground where he had invited Drishti Devereaux.
Making that artificial body wear the Stabilizer, Ryuk retreated back.
SWOOSH
Slowly, the mana inside the surrounding started to condense on the outer layer of Ryuk’s body, resonating with his bodily mana.
Naturally, he used ether, but the technique he was going to use needed mana instead of Ether, which could destroy the bindings and crumble the whole structure.
According to the theory of ‘Mana Resonance’, every individual emits a unique mana signature that resonates with the environment around them, and one can hide or use stealth by placing the frequency of the surrounding and their own mana in equilibrium.
The first step was to make changes inside the Surround mana to make it have the same mana signature as him before slowly the tiny blue shards, which were already adjusted, moved towards Lucas’s seated body.
With precise control, while keeping the flow of Frequency adjustment and transfer of Mana Shards on Lucas’s body intact, Ryuk slowly opened his eyes.
The whole process needed tremendous focus; slowly, those blue lights shrouding Lucas’s body started to turn into an illusion akin to Ryuk’s own.
It was his own invented technique to create a fake image of himself.
But normally, due to it not having any energy core, it appeared like a normal dummy with only a face like his, making its utilization against a formidable enemy without him hiding his energy using *Shunya* worthless.
Just to solve that problem, he used an Energy Stabilizer which could maintain the illusion for a longer time, just like five years ago when he went outside the Selvius Kingdom.
Now again he needed it, but it wasn’t enough to fool someone like Drishti.
This made him infuse an Energy core to at least give the effect of a fake Rank, but would that also be enough?
Of course not.
That’s why he had decided to play into her hand.
There is a very classic way to deal with smart people: Just let them see through you.
Let’s see, what any smart person will think when a defeated enemy swings his sword without thinking about his own strength, only intending to inflict a single injury?
Of course, a simple thing: that his enemy, in a fit of rage, lost his mind.
But true veterans will not let their guard down even if they saw their enemy already defeated.
Then, how will all this be executed if Drishti will not even give him a chance to attack?
And here comes the role of her biggest weakness, which she herself is not aware of.
Her personality.
People who try to find things interesting always keep their expectations much higher, and if not satisfied, they become disappointed, and that’s the end.
In a battle where one can’t even feel the presence of the enemy, how could one be disappointed and let any other thing come inside the mind?
A simple and instant defeat.
SWOOSH
‘Here she comes.’ Turning his gaze, Ryuk’s eyes reflected the materializing figure of a woman; her mere sight seemed ethereal, long eyelashes revealed the hidden orbs looking towards the seated figure.
‘Should we start now?’ Taking out the onyx-black Helmet from System’s inventory, Ryuk wore it on his head to execute all the things he planned till now.
….
Present,
‘Well, that’s awkward,’ Ryuk thought as he removed the Mindlink Helm, which granted him full control over the artificial body.
Every expression and speech was within his command, though it required intense concentration, leading him to remain silent most of the time or only use it to distract her attention.
His senses were all linked to the artificial body, including the uncomfortable sensation of his face being gripped and crushed, which made him feel slightly awkward experiencing it again.
Dristhi’s eyes remained fixed on the young man in front of her, who had just fooled her and left a wound that refused to heal even with the help of her artifact.
“Don’t try; it will not heal,” Ryuk softly smiled, observing the wound he had caused and the significant energy he had nullified, directly affecting the artifact she wore on her wrist.
Artifacts mostly operated on runes, functioning on a mechanism that drew energy from the surroundings or entirely different dimensions.
It could harness any type of energy, but one thing was certain: to execute its function, it would undoubtedly require some energy.
“You know, kid, you are making this whole thing tough,” Drishti exhaled, unable to comprehend the naivety of this young man who failed to grasp the potential consequences if faced with someone of her strength.
She was the most carefree and composed among all the monsters residing within the Ardoros, perhaps the reason for her current situation.
Three days had passed, from Peak Ascendancy to Lower Ascendancy.
The energy loss was immense, difficult to replenish.
If her level fell any lower, it would damage her foundation, which was certainly not something she found appealing, especially after regaining this rank once again.
WHOOOOOSH
An aura burst out of her body, though weaker compared to her initial appearance, it was still potent enough to make the entire Devereaux Expanse tremble.
Yes, for the first time, she was serious.
CRACK
The ground beneath her feet instantly fractured, forming a huge crater as the land continued to press down, intensifying with each passing moment.
tap
A single step, and instantly thousands of light streaks burst into the sky, signifying the awakening of several powerhouses who felt the presence of an Ascendancy Ranker moving.
Even nearby, Major families felt the slight trembling due to the sheer strength of the aura oozing out from her body—it was a clear judgment.
Enough of the games.
It was time to show the reason for Ascendancy Rankers to sit on the higher chair in Ardoros.
Even for her, there wasn’t anything interesting left to see in the arrogant boy who had already crossed the line.
SWISH
Drishti’s image didn’t change; it was more like an afterimage just left behind while her body stood in front of Ryuk, whose eyes widened, seeing a claw aimed directly at his head, shooting towards his eyes.
Everything was instantaneous.
“Khuucckkkkk!”
Thud
