Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends

Chapter 580: Anrosh

Tyrant

Anrosh remained in their booth, a silent observer as Ryun made his way down to the podium. He walked with an unhurried, deliberate pace, his presence strangely understated. He was not a man who commanded attention with his stature or attire; he was short, his clothes simple and subdued, his power restrained, almost concealed.

Still, as he walked in between the tables occupied by other Sects, he was slowly noticed. It was like a ripple spreading across the hall, whispered questions floated across the throng, wondering who he was. Ryun’s name was known, his title and his deeds whispered about and songs sung, but he himself was not a public person, he was rarely seen.

His intent was quickly understood and a few of the Dragon Heart guards that stood near the podium keeping the peace and order headed his way to intercept him.

Anrosh couldn’t hear what they said to him, but it was easy enough for her to assume, it was not his turn to speak. Ryun didn’t stop his walk, he only glanced in their direction, and the guards parted, their faces blanched.

Anrosh leaned forward, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. Ryun never bothered with pleasantries, he had always preferred the more blunt and direct approach.

Ryun ascended the podium, and the murmurs in the hall intensified, a mix of confusion and curiosity. There were a few exclamations of anger that he had cut in line, a few demands for him to be removed, but quickly they were told who he was. Ryun stood there for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the assembled cultivators.

His wasn’t a commanding presence, not in the traditional sense. There was no fiery aura, no booming voice demanding attention, no pressure of high tier Qi. His body looked like the most ordinary of humans, the only marks of his advanced body were the cracks in his skin with faint light shining through. Compared to the more impressive physical alterations present in the people around them, he didn’t stand out.

Instead, there was a stillness about him, the utter lack of deference in his eyes, the lack of any emotion on his face, that held the audience captive.

“I grow weary of this,” Ryun’s voice, though quiet, cut through the hall with the sharpness of a well-honed blade. “You speak of honor and obligation, yet we sit here and argue as our enemy pushes their advantage.”

He paused, letting his words sink in. The initial confusion among the Sect members was quickly turning to indignation. Several cultivators rose to their feet, their voices rising in protest. “Who are you to—”

A pulse of his Qi washed across the hall swallowing all sound. The silence was deafening, the confusion instant, and fear growing. He released his Qi, and the sound returned.

“I am Ryun, Sect Head of the Twilight Melody Sect,” he looked around the hall, letting his name settle, letting them remember. “Many of you lost your leaders, lost friends and family. I understand, it is hard to know what to do. But at the core of what the Sects are, is one single tenet: the strong lead, and the rest follow. All of you will gather forces, and we will strike at the enemy, with no delays.”

His words resonated with them, stirring something deep within the hearts of the assembled cultivators. The initial resistance began to crumble, replaced by a grudging respect, then a flicker of hope. Perhaps, just perhaps, this unassuming Sect Head could lead them. But just as there were many who saw salvation in someone taking charge, others, those powerful themselves saw someone stepping into the role they coveted for themselves.

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A low murmur spread through the hall, a current of dissent carried by the whispers of the ambitious.

“That is not how this works!” A voice boomed, cutting through the hall. Anrosh turned her head, searching for the source and found it easily. She recognized the woman with white hair and stars in her eyes. Henna Rai Tarun, Sect Head of the Starlight Call Sect, one of the strongest Sect Heads, someone who had lived for a long time, who had ruled the sects in Tali’s time. “The strong lead, but it is us who decide who is strong enough to lead us! Leadership is not a mantle to be claimed, but a burden to be earned. You speak of honor and obligation, but true honor demands that your strength be proven.”

Murmurs of assent turned into shouts of approval. The tide was turning once more, but this time against Ryun. The ambitious saw their opportunity, their voices rising above the fray.

“A challenge!” Roared a burly cultivator from the colors that Anrosh recognized as the Iron Mountain Sect. “Face us in combat, and if you can prove your might, then we shall follow.”

The hall erupted in a cacophony of demands, each Sect vying to set the terms of the challenge. Ryun, however, remained stoic, his gaze unwavering. Anrosh could feel it coming, she knew him well enough. Her connection to him was humming.

Ryun tilted his head, then spoke.

“Ah,” he closed his eyes and gave his head a small shake. “I apologize,” he said, and the hall quieted. “I believe that I was not clear enough, you misunderstood me. I am not the best orator, talking is not my strong suit.”

His eyes scanned the crowd, and by now everyone could feel that something in the air, a presence.

“I wasn’t asking,” Ryun whispered in a tone that carried across the entire hall. “I was telling you what is.”

A hush fell over the hall as Ryun’s words resonated with unexpected power. The challenge of combat had ignited their passion, now they stood in frozen shock at his words.

Before they could even speak, Ryun’s body collapsed, his vessel vanished as he spread his presences into the world around them. Anrosh felt the familiar touch on her soul, and her own rose up in a greeting.

Then the ceiling vanished, its Essence vaporized in an instant, allowing the light of the sun to shine down at them from above.

Exclamations of surprise and worry filled the hall, escalating into panic as the sky darkened, the light itself swallowed by an encroaching shadow. Essence surged, and a terrifying shape formed high above them.

A giant wolf head loomed above them, a pair of eyes gazed out of the holes on the mask that covered the head, looking with an intensity that spelled the end of everything they beheld.

Ryun’s wolf form filled the sky of the Dragon’s Peak. Anrosh could hear the screams, the alarms, the panic of the people outside. She saw airships moving to defend against an unseen foe.

It didn’t matter, Anrosh felt Ryun’s existence flex, Essence in the area under his Authority obeyed him, and everything stopped.

“THERE ARE NO MORE TALKS, NO MORE WASTING TIME, THEY ATTACKED ME, ATTACKED US, THEY DIE.”

The sheer power of Ryun’s declaration, amplified by his form, sent a shockwave through the hall. Anrosh, despite her intimate connection with him, felt a shiver run down her spine. This was something primal, something ancient and new, terrifyingly powerful. The voice of an Aspect itself.

She glanced around the hall, savoring the reactions of those around her. The cultivators who moments before had been clamoring for a challenge, now cowered in fear, their faces pale, their bravado evaporated. Even Henna Rai Tarun, the formidable Sect Head of the Starlight Call Sect, seemed diminished, her usual arrogance replaced by a stunned silence.

She watched as some cultivators fainted outright, their minds unable to comprehend the sheer scale of Ryun’s manifestation. Others trembled, their eyes wide with terror, desperately trying to make themselves small, insignificant. A few, the truly strong, managed to maintain a semblance of composure, but even they couldn't completely hide the awe and fear in their eyes.

No one had known the heights that Ryun had reached. Ryun’s brutal display of power was the wake up they needed, a violent reminder that the world was a dangerous place, and only the strong survived.

“What is he?”

Anrosh glanced to the side where Repesh still stood next to her. She just smiled at his question and answered.

“The End.”