At that moment, the air was filled with feathers of black and crimson once again. But this time, Ryu's heart couldn't help but skip a beat. He could see with a glance that while some of these feathers were just like before and had been formed with qi, there were a large part of them that had been formed with Spiritual Qi instead.
This attack that had been purely physical before had suddenly gained the ability to directly attack his mind.
At the same time, an odd coating of dreamy-like energy coated Mae's sabers and tail as well. Although Ryu had yet to suffer an attack from him, if his deductions were correct, they too could directly attack his soul.
Ryu couldn't help but think back to the twin pair of daggers he had received on his birthday from Elena. Those were the only weapons he had ever seen with an ability to directly attack the soul, and yet it seemed that this Mae could self-create such methods.
'This is… This is a Spirit Soul Nature.'
Ryu had only just finished the thought when he was attacked from all sides by the fluttering feathers. They looked so delicate in the beginning, but the moment they attacked, they were vicious and lethal, speeding forward with a lethality that put even most arrows to shame.
Ryu roared, his soul presence flourishing and lashing out.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ryu simply didn't have such targeted methods of soul attacking. Right now, he had only learned two soul techniques, the first was [Swallow Six Senses] and the second was a Dao Charm technique that he had learned from the Frost Clan's vaults.
However, he had prepared both of these as trump cards and they weren't appropriate to be used as a counter here. While Mae on the other hand had a versatile array of methods she could conjure up any time. Her Spirit Soul Nature was akin to his Spacetime Soul Nature in that she could create soul type techniques on a whim.
And, considering she was most definitely from a powerful Clan, not only did she have the ability to do this casually, but she had also most definitely learned systematic methods of using her abilities as well. These feathers, for example, were definitely not forged on a whim, she was used to using this method.
As a result, Ryu could only crudely lash out with his Spiritual Qi. But in doing so, he was wasting a large amount of Spiritual Qi at the same time.
Even so, even in her fury, Mae's heart couldn't help but skip a beat. She had never met anyone who could use such a method to shatter her soul attacks.
Despite this, Mae's speed didn't slow. In fact, it sped up. She didn't want any more variables to appear.
Her gaze glistened as it flickered with flames.
Despite Ryu's blindness, she met his eyes, looking into the depths of his soul.
Ryu felt his heart skip a beat and waver. Suddenly it all clicked. It was no wonder Mae went to the Bewitching Charm Sect. Compared to those other women, she was on a completely different level. Just a look almost made him want to happily present his throat to her.
Fortunately, his Dao Heart was incomparably firm. Unfortunately, having been caught off guard, the small delay allowed Mae to close the distance.
Mae's blade swiped for Ryu's throat, mere inches away by the time his vision cleared.
Ryu's pupils constricted. This time, Mae wanted to separate his head from neck, having already learned her lesson about targeting his heart. No amount of vitality would save him from such a Fate.
There wasn't enough time to gather up the spatial qi he needed, the volatile qi and Spiritual Qi in the air made it even more difficult than usual. Just a single lapse in judgment in a battle of this level was enough to seal a person's fate.
SHIIING!
Mae's blade swept through Ryu's neck, cleanly separating his head from his shoulders. The separation was as clear as day, a gap forming between the two.
However, for some reason, Mae felt as though she had swiped at air.
In that instant, a flicker of flames danced.
Mae's eyes opened wide. 'Fire Spirit Body!'
A blaze of flames reconnected Ryu's head to his neck, a roar leaving his lips.
Despite the fact he had dodged the physical blade, a sharp soul blade wreaked havoc in his Spiritual Sea. Ultimately, he couldn't just freely separate his body as he pleased. If there was no connection between the halves of his body and he "dodged" an attack, he would just be bisecting himself.
Therefore, whenever Ryu used his Spirit Body to dodge attacks, there was actually the link of his soul between the two pieces. The only time this didn't happen was if he just opened up a hole in his body for an attack to go through, but because Mae's strike was a sweep, he had no choice but to do a full disconnection.
Almost immediately, a devastating wound appeared on Ryu's Perfect Blackbody Soul, the pain tearing through his body with a vicious momentum.
Mae's gaze flashed. She would never miss such an opportunity, so she attacked again and directly, swinging down her second blade without missing a beat.
However, at that moment, a stifling pressure descended.
Mae felt her body freeze as the roar of a dragon shook her down to her very core, her blood freezing to a stop that slowed her blade down considerably.
A firm hand caught her wrist before a palm strike exploded upon her chest.
Black-red flames tore her scales apart and for the first time, a devastating wound appeared on Mae's body as she was sent flying backward.
BANG!
Mae coughed up a mouthful of blood, her bones trembling and eventually fracturing.
She looked up as she slid down the wall, a shocked expression on her face.
At that moment, ruby scales had covered the length of Ryu's body as towering horns rose from his forehead.
A fierce red glint danced in his eyes as the claw he had used to strike her danced with flames that made her heart palpitate.
Mae coughed, slowly rising to her feet with a trembling gait as Ryu walked toward her.
She grabbed onto her blades, staring ahead toward Ryu with a fierce glint in her eyes.
Ryu closed the distance, raising his claw.
Space trembled as the mighty talent of the dragon race threatened to descend.
The shuddering in Mae's heart only grew as a suppression that took root in the depths of her soul only gained a heavier and heavier anchor.
At that moment, her sabers dropped from her hands, her black and red scales slowly retreating to reveal a body of perfect proportions. Beads of sweat glistened down her curves like delicate pearls of diamond. One dripped down the plump flesh of her breasts, caressing her pretty pink nipples for just a moment before slowly falling to the ground.
While her scales had vanished, her tail and wings remained, giving her an exotic and intoxicating appearance that pulled on the heartstrings of all men.
Mae stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ryu's neck, kissing him deeply.
