Ashes

To think he would be dealt with a massive blow by a Natal Realm cultivator filled his mind with rage.

The tall man didn't hold back and unleashed his full power and Ray sensed this incoming danger.

"Where the fuck are they…" Ray muttered in a grave tone.

On Bryan's side, he quickly incapacitated the two hidden archers. He wanted to go back and help Ray but three more of the tall man's underling blocked his way.

"Fucking nuisance!"

Bryan unleashed his full blown aura, throwing off his attackers. To be easily affected by his aura proved that they had just reached the Natal Realm.

With a sweep of Phantasmal Fist, Bryan knocked all of them out into the depths of the forest, their fates unknown.

With a heavy step, he made his way towards the main fight.

Meanwhile, Ash made quick work of the archers and was currently in a fight against two more of the tall man's henchmen.

Using Mirage Flow, he appeared between the two enemies and grabbed their faces, smashing them onto the ground with full power.

Ash didn't stop and repeated smashed their head onto the ground, sending drops of blood around them.

He stopped after he was sure they wouldn't be able to get up any time soon.

Turning back, he quickly sprinted his way over to Ray to assist him in his fight against the tall man.

*BOOM*

Ray was smashed into the ground, coughing out a splatter of blood from the impact. He quickly rolled out of the way to avoid the broadsword hacking into him.

With a flap, he once again soared into the sky, creating a safe distance between him and the tall man.

"What happened, pretty boy? Scared?" The tall man deviously laughed.

The tall man was initially surprised to see that he could fly since it was impossible for anyone below the Nucleus Realm to attain the power of flight. But even though Ray was in the air, this didn't deter the tall man in the least.

He rapidly sent sword waves at Ray in quick succession who was busy dodging the attack. It didn't look like the tall man was going to stop sending out sword waves.

*Swoosh*

'Maybe…he's trying to drain my energy reserve.' Ray thought as he nimbly dodged the sword waves.

The tall man was doing exactly what Ray had thought since he knew that he had a much larger energy reserve compared to someone in the Natal Realm.

Suddenly, the tall man immediately stopped his attack and quickly placed the broadsword onto his back, blocking an incoming fist.

*BAM*

The tall man went forwards a few feet from the impact. He turned around and saw it was Bryan who had delivered the punch.

The tall man frowned, "They couldn't even hold you back for a few more minutes? Useless!"

*Swoosh*

The wind rustled quietly on the opposite side and Ash had appeared in due time. The tall man noticed his presence and his eyes twinkled with a maniacal glint.

Ray smiled since it was now the three of them against the tall man which should make the fight easier for them.

A burst of energy spurt through from the tall man as he slung his broadsword on his left shoulder. The three readied themselves in preparation for what's about to come.

"Iron Shell!"

The tall man's body was covered with a metallic sheen, leaving no parts uncovered. A burst of air was produced with a casual swing of his broadsword.

"Who cares if there is one, two or three of you? I will kill all of you with a snap!"

The tall man's maniacal smile along with his metallic skin created quite a spectacle.

Bryan jumped in the air and used Phantasmal Fist, throwing a giant punch onto the enemy but the tall man retaliated with a punch of his own.

*Bam*

Neither had an advantage over the other as the attacks cancelled each other out.

"Fuck!" Bryan grumbled.

Ash didn't dilly-dally and used this chance to use his Hail Strike on the tall man.

*Bam Bam Bam*

Continuous punches landed on the enemy's body but the tall man didn't seem to care as much.

"Puny rat."

The tall man swung his sword at Ash who successfully dodged and jumped back a few metres away.

"My Hail Strike is not penetrating his body…" Ash frowned.

"Sword Beam!"

A thick sword beam shot out of the tall man's broadsword aimed at Ray who was in the air. The attack was sudden and extremely quick, that Ray wasn't expecting it.

He tried dodging the attack but he didn't have enough time to complete dodge it. The sword beam successfully hit his left shoulder, leaving a small cloud of smoke.

"RAY!" Ash yelled in worry.

The smoke dissipated due to the wind and Ray was still floating about in the sky except that his left shoulder was scorched black and his arm was marred with trails of blood.

"I can't even…lose focus for a s-single second…" Ray muttered in pain. Thankfully, the Trinal Coat helped him mitigate some of the damage from the sword beam otherwise his left arm would be dangling on the side.

And now, the chaotic fight had started.

Bryan and Ash took their turns attacking the tall man, leaving no room for the tall man to counter-attack. Ray didn't fly still and flew in with incredible speed, smacking the tall man with his Lightning Wings.

The tall man was receiving some damage but not nearly enough to what the three were expending.

"NOW!" Bryan yelled.

A near-perfect image of the Phantasmal Fist appeared right above the tall man, descending down with the aim of smashing him into the ground.

The tall man wanted to deflect the attack but Ash and Ray didn't give him the chance to do that. Ash skillfully danced around delivering Hail Strikes all over the tall man's body. This put a tiresome strain on Ash's leg as a result.

The tall man couldn't react to Ray's incredible speed so he couldn't do anything to him now since Ray was extremely focused after the sword beam attack.

The giant Phantasmal Fist was sure to inflict some major damage onto him.

"I have no choice…" The tall man muttered.

Ray sensed a bubbling of energy and he realized that all three of them were in close range of the tall man.

A gigantic wave of lethal energy exploded from the tall man and enveloped the three in the vicinity. From Bryan yelling to the gigantic wave, all of this happened in a split second.

The blast was so powerful that the Phantasmal Fist literally dissipated into the air and the three were sent flying back, leaving a trail of blood.

The tall man, knelt on the ground and coughed out a considerate amount of blood. This attack put a massive strain on his body and led to some dangerous after-effects.

"This should be enough. Not even a Peak-Stage Shattering Sea Realm cultivator could go unscathed much less them…" The tall man said between delayed breaths.

Ray was on the ground on his back, unconscious from the attack. Ash was next to him in a similar state. Grievous wounds were inflicted on their body with blood dying their skin creating a horrific scene.

The tall man stood up and smirked at both of their injurious states. He was about to walk up to them to finish them off but he then heard the most terrifying voice of his life.

"How…"

"dare you…"

A guttural voice that came from the depths of hell sounded out from behind him.

The tall man turned around and witnessed an unforgettable scene.

Bryan stood there with trails of smoke rising from his body. Numerous black and crimson runes appeared on his chest, pulsating with each breath. His fists were covered in a crimson hue but the most fascinating changes were on his face. His eyes were complete crimson in colour and two black lines went through his eyes. On his forehead, the word 'GOD' faintly appeared in a mix-match of black and red.

All in all, he displayed an intimidating and extremely dangerous presence in front of the tall man. The tall man's smirk had long disappeared and he donned a grim face.

Bryan was conscious through the unexpected transformation but his head was filled with outrageous rage and anger towards the tall man.

The rage fueled his power and a boundless aura exploded from his transformed state, affecting the surrounding and the tall man.

The tall man could feel an unbearable heat affecting him and the surrounding flora were scorched as if the God of Fire had descended.

*BOOM*

In the blink of an eye, Bryan stood right before the tall man who swung his broadsword at Bryan's neck.

Bryan simply lifted his hand and caught the broadsword with two fingers with ease.

The tall man's pupil shrunk in fear and tried to create a distance but he couldn't budge the sword out of Bryan's hold.

"It's time you die!" Bryan declared in a thick and hellish voice.

With a flash, he pierced his hand through the tall man's chest, completely ignoring his tough defense.

"AAUUGH!" The tall man yelled in pain.

Bryan pulled out his arm and the tall man could see his heart on his hand.

"Y-YOU…" The tall man could feel his strength leaving him and knew what was about to befall him.

Bryan forcefully made the tall man watch him as he burned his heart to ashes, floating away from the wind.

*Cough*

Ray coughed out as his eyebrows fluttered in pain. He opened his eyes and hastily got up in anxiousness and worry for his friends. But what he saw shocked him to the core.

He witnessed everything from Bryan piercing the tall man's chest to burning his heart to ashes.

"What the fuck is going on…"

Ash's voice sounded out from beside him. He too was awake since his injuries weren't that serious and he was quite a distance away when the tall man unleashed the lethal blast.

"I don't know, Ash."

"M-Monster…" The tall man weakly muttered in fear as he dropped down to the ground, forever unable to wake up.

Bryan threw the broadsword away and walked over the tall man's body. He made his way to Ray and Ash.

He observed they were awake and was dumbly staring at him.

Bryan smiled, "Don't I look cool?"

As he said that, he felt the boundless strength leaving him and he instantly fainted from overexerting his body. Ray and Ash quickly reacted and held his body from falling.

"You look cool..." Ash replied with a smile.

"We need to find a place to recuperate our injuries." Ray said as he stared at Bryan with a complicated gaze.

"Thankfully, I requested some medicinal pills from the Alchemy Hall." Ash said as he pulled out a green pill from his pouch that wafted out a medicinal fragrance.

Ray looked at him in surprise, "I didn't know you prepared that much in advance."

Ash simply shrugged, "We gotta be careful and prepared for anything that's to come, Ray."

"You're right." Ray nodded, "And I think I know who did this…"

"We can save that for later." Ash popped the pill in to Bryan's mouth and watched as it dissolved into his body.

"He should be getting better now but all of us need to rest." Ash said.

They could go back to Styro City but Ray denied for he knew what would happen if they go back. So, they searched for a cave that was safe and not easy to find.

*Crackle*

A small campfire lit up the dark cave as they recuperated. Bryan's injuries were serious and the other two didn't know how hard the transformation had affected his body.

"Do you have more of those pills, Ash?" Ray asked.

"Nah, I received only one and that was used for Bryan, so I'm all out now." Ash answered with a sigh.

"I see."

Silence soon covered the cave but Ray observed that Ash wanted to say something but was hesitant.

"What's wrong, Ash?"