"Wait for me handsome!"
Aantha fluttered over in a gust of fragrance. Due to the fog, Ryu wasn't moving very fast to begin with and was still taking his time to calculate some things. Thanks to that, she was able to catch up quite easily, wrapping her arms around his as though she deserved to be there.
Ryu came to a stop, looking to the side and down at Aantha who had just grabbed his arm and squeezed it onto her chest.
Although Ryu's eyes were unfocused and vacant, when Aantha met his gaze, she felt herself shudder from head to toe, a dense, primal fear taking root in her heart.
She hurriedly released his arm, feeling her heart pounding in her chest like a jackrabbit. The color drained from her face and all of her coquettishness vanished in a single breath.
Ryu turned away and continued walking. It took Aantha several seconds to compose herself, but once she did, she pouted somewhat adorably. No man had ever treated her that way before, it left her feeling a bit indignant.
She rushed up to Ryu's side again, but his time she didn't dare to touch him. Instead, she just followed after him, pouting her lips.
"Is there a need to be so mean to me? You know, I wasn't the one who targeted you back then, and now you're so big and powerful, can't you spare some strength to protect me and my sister?"
Ryu completely ignored these words, not caring in the slightest. Unless he wanted to just kill everyone here, he would just have to deal with this woman. So long as she wasn't touching him, he could ignore everything else. Although he didn't blink an eye with killing, he also didn't do so blindly and without reason. They could keep their lives so long as they didn't stand in his way.
He continued forward, his mind revolving with several thoughts.
This was a higher tier Ruin than most.
Usually, in their simplest forms, Ruins were just a series of caves and tunnels, maybe rigged with a few traps. Often, they were abodes that immortals had used in their lifetimes before being repurposed, or they were Sect and Clan grounds that became wreckages.
As a rule of thumb, was separated Legacy Worlds and Ruins was that the former were most frequently created by powerhouses with a lot of forethought and planning, while Ruins were more last minute endeavors.
Of course, this was just a weak generalization. If Legacy Worlds were always better than Ruins, then there wouldn't be an entire esteemed profession built around them.
The core truth was that Ruins were more raw, but this rawness allowed them to not only follow the rules of history, but to also contain their kernels of truth as well.
There was little a Clan or Sect could do if they were suddenly destroyed but scramble to protect and pass on what they could. But due to this, there was often more to find in Ruins. Instead of some curated and artificial truth, you would find something more raw and real.
That said, often times, weaker Ruins just became lesser Legacy Worlds for cultivators who couldn't bother to put in the effort or simply didn't have the means to do so. There was no doubt that opening a Legacy World in the True Martial World was far harder than doing so in Sacrum.
However, this Ruin was different, this was much more like a classic Ruin, a true Ruin. Just by virtue of the more open world concept and the larger landscape, this was definitely the Ruin of a fallen Sect or Clan.
This meant a few things. Firstly, it was far more dangerous.
Such Ruins created amidst destruction often left behind some aggrieved souls. Due to the trapping of the Ruin within time and place, those caught up in the changes couldn't reincarnate properly and their souls would be trapped. Once trapped, there was a high chance for them to become wraiths as they experienced the same heartache again and again.
Secondly, because such Ruins were rashly constructed often by experts who didn't have a lot of time left on their hands, it was rare for them to be perfectly calibrated. While you could expect other more well organized Ruins to be perfectly curated and designed to be just challenging enough, Ruins like this could have wildly variable difficulties.
There was a chance that it could be too easy, but honestly, such a chance was very small. If you were in your final moments and you wanted to ensure that your Sect's or family's legacy was passed on to someone worthy, would you err on the side of making it too easy or too difficult?
The answer was obvious, which was why this unique combination of disorganization and high difficulty often made Ruins like this one death traps, even for seasoned Ruin Masters.
This was why, even for Ryu who was quite confident in himself, he chose to move with a measured pace such that even this succubus in human skin could continue to follow him around.
Sengun watched silently as Ryu was just about to disappear into the fog, hesitating. He found it embarrassing to follow after a man, but at the same time, he felt that it was probably smarter to do so.
Just as he was struggling with his decision, Fairy Mae had already moved ahead, following after Aantha without giving Sengun another glance.
The rest of the crowd of people who had gathered were from all walks of life and they had been moments away from being shooed away by Sengun if not for Ryu's appearance. However, now they likewise hesitated about who to follow until Sengun moved, catching up to Fairy Mae.
He refused to lose the women he had his eyes on just like this.
At that moment, before even moving a hundred meters, Ryu came to a stop, his eyes narrowed.
A ripple danced through the air, almost catching him off guard. But just as quickly as it appeared, he pierced forward with two fingers, tearing a rip in space.
