Reaper of the Martial World

Book 4: Chapter 6: Empty

“I am Uta Geb. I am a warrior from Planet Deimos and am of the Geb God Clan. I have no intention of bowing out.”

Dyon said nothing, instead beginning to walk forward.

Was there a need for any more speaking? He announcer had already introduced him, why was he wasting him? ‘Wasn’t I pathetic? Didn’t Ri choose wrong? Weren’t you sent to probe me? Fight then.”

Immediately noticing Dyon’s intention to not play his stalling game, Uta leaped backwards, slamming his fists together.

“Geb’s Gauntlets.”

Coverings of stone bloomed into existence, coating Uta’s arms and hands before hardening.

The members of Planet Deimos watched this silently. They were quite familiar with the Geb family techniques, and this was merely a first step. In fact, it was the weakest stone Uta could forge for himself. Everyone immediately realized that this was not in Uta’s personality at all. He was one who wanted to crush his opponents with his ultimate strength from the beginning, and yet he was holding back?

‘He’s trying to use tricks to win.’ Thought the beautiful Egyptian queen like young lady.

A faint snicker came from her side, “Look at that, Eboni. Your Geb family is always biting off more than they can chew and now he’s regretting it.”

The girl who spoke also came from Planet Deimos. But, she was of the Horus God Clan. With the Horus family finding their roots in the sky, and the Geb family finding their roots in the earth, clashes between these families were quite frequent. They only maintained the semblance of comradery in order to not be picked apart by the other planets.

That said, they all shared the same disdain for Planet Earth. Despite the best efforts of the receptionist, any person who thought for even an instant would immediately realize that Earth’s geniuses were avoiding confrontation. After all, Chaos Arena was owned by a God Clan. How could they not know that they were here?

And yet, Dyon and Ri had shown up. If they somehow now lost to a person who wasn’t even listed on the rankings despite using one of their best, it would be truly embarrassing for Planet Deimos. But, when they saw Dyon’s demeanor, it was suddenly becoming a more and more real possibility that a loss was inevitable.

“Ode, if you spent less time being jealous about not being among this universe’s beauties, maybe you’d be as powerful as I am.” Eboni replied lightly, taking a sip of spiritual wine as she trained her gaze to the arena below.

Ode’s brows twitched. In reality, she was quite attractive in her own right. Long silver hair, striking eyes and a loose white gown that somehow still clung to her figure. And yet, she fell just shy of the other beauties.

However, what pissed Ode off was that Eboni should know quite well that their hatred had nothing to do with such a petty jealousy. It was rooted very deeply in the history of their families and even permeated throughout this generation. And yet Eboni continued to make such remarks because she knew it would get to Ode.

“This isn’t the time to be fighting.” A quiet young man spoke out, but the effect of his reprimand was powerful.

Eboni Geb. Top 30 cumulative ranker. Ode Horus. Top 30 cumulative ranker. And yet, neither dared to go against the words of this young man.

On Planet Deimos, there were many powerful clans. However, within the last hundred years, three had risen to prominence. The Geb. The Horus. But, none more powerful than the Aumen.

The young man was of normal stature, being about 1.9 meters tall. But, he seemed to glow with his every movement. His skin constantly gave off a heat that made it hard to sit anywhere near him, and his hair seemed to be a bed of gold flames, constantly flickering in the air.

This was without a doubt the strongest Planet Deimos had to offer. Tau Aumen.

Below, atop the arena, Dyon was still approaching the cautious Uta. He felt no need to size such a character up – Uta was too weak.

“Since you insist on cowering, I’ll come to you.”

Dyon’s words sent a roar through the crowd. They couldn’t see Uta’s subtle movements or slight trembling. All they saw was a warrior prepared to fight, and another arrogantly approaching him with no semblance of technique.

“This is a young man Madeleine fell for?” Pertinacis’ mother raised an eyebrow. Although Madeleine wasn’t close with her, she still saw Madeleine as her step-daughter. So, seeing how arrogant this young man was with seemingly no proof to back up his bold statements, she felt as though Madeleine had made a poor decision in her young age. She could only begin to lean with the claims of the main branch elder even more so.

Pertinacis said nothing. He was faintly aware that he was the same age as Dyon, and yet, he hadn’t done anything comparable to what Dyon had accomplished. But, was Dyon really comparable to a top 30 Planet Deimos ranker? Even if Uta wasn’t in the cumulative rankings, being the top 30 of a planet was a big deal. Especially when Dyon’s name was nowhere to be found in Earth’s top 30.

However, in what seemed like an instant, there was nothing but silence.

Dyon’s feet flashed forward causing him to appear mere inches away from Uta’s large figure.

The beating of Uta’s heart quickened. When he looked down at Dyon’s blackened and flaming eyes, it was almost as though he was the one a meter shorter. He felt like an ant, like his life didn’t matter – he even wanted to kneel down, but his knees seemed locked into place.

He flailed out his arms, trying to make use of his earth gauntlets while scrambling to harden them even further. “Geb’s Gauntlets, stage two!”

The cracks in Geb’s gauntlets hardened, darkening in the process as Uta cemented his feet to the ground.

Dyon seemed oblivious to the massive stone arm heading for his head. He was pissed off about a lot of things right now and this Uta character was just going to have to be his vent.

Dyon’s center of gravity dropped, his legs spreading as his right arm tightened itself against his torso. His muscles rippled and bulged, reddening under the strain of being pushed so far. “Demon Emperor’s Will,” Dyon said faintly, “Act 1, Stage 1. Perfection.”

A stream of heat jetted from Dyon’s pores as a red gold aura caused nearly everyone in attendance to tremble violently.

There was no noise. Even Uta’s swinging fist seemed like a feather fluttering in wind. A fist that could crush almost any meridian formation expert. A fist of a top 30 ranker. A fist that was reduced to nothing.

Dyon’s arm finally released all his built-up tension, his fist flying forward and cutting through the air like a meteor through the atmosphere.

Uta stood not a single chance.

Dyon’s fist collided with his torso, tearing through his skin and bone and searing his flesh in black.

“Ugh,” Uta’s voice was faint, even as he flew backward with a flaming hole in his chest. He lost consciousness.

And yet, Dyon didn’t let him go as his feet flashed forward once again, immediately appearing next to Uta’s flying figure and grabbing onto his thick neck.

The sickening sound of Uta’s cracking spine reverberated through the quiet arena. Dyon had stopped his momentum so abruptly that Uta’s neck had nearly disconnected from his body.

In the end, Dyon stood there quietly. His lean torso rippling under the blinding arena lights.

He firmly gripped Uta’s neck, ignoring his foaming mouth and rolled back eyes.

“Pathetic.”

Ri watched Dyon win quietly from the VIP area. She was well aware of Dyon’s strength and could see through Uta completely. Maybe the only bit of surprise was that Dyon had showed Uta mercy – if you could call crippling someone an act of mercy.

Dyon stood there silently for a while, trying to calm his nerves before he blanketed the area with his 6^th sense to find out just how far away Eli was.

But, just as he was doing so, he picked up on a very familiar aura.

Turning his gaze toward a row of sub-VIP seats, Dyon’s gaze landed on Oliver, Pertinacis and the Sapientia and big sect members that were with them. However, that was all. He only spared them a glance. He didn’t have a good impression of Madeleine’s family, and while he wouldn’t go out of his way to punish them, he wouldn’t go out of his way to greet them either.

This act seemed to snap the Sapientia elders out of their surprised. Under normal circumstances, a glance like that wouldn’t have meant much. But, now knowing that Dyon had a deep relationship with Madeleine, they found it nothing short of rude to disregard them as he had.

“Powerful or not, this is unacceptable.” Pertinacis’ mother didn’t seem pleased. It was clear she had no context for the relationship between Dyon and the Sapientia family, but it seemed like even if she had, she wouldn’t care. She had completely forgotten her disregard for Dyon just moments ago.

Suddenly, Dyon’s arm cocked backward before he launched Uta’s unconscious body into the VIP area 5 stories above, having him land perfectly at the feet of Planet Deimos’ table.

“Victor! Dyon Sacharro of Earth!”

The loud booming of the receptionist awoke the crowd. Replays of Dyon’s victory rewinded and played forward again and again as Dyon made his way to the side tunnel.

On the VIP floor, Ri smiled to herself. ‘You provoke people too well, Mr. Jaws.’

Ri couldn’t have been more correct.

Eboni’s beautiful face twitched with anger as she saw one of her own lying face down before her. Maybe the worst part was that Dyon’s wind will had deposited him gently, as though that was meant to be an act of mercy on his part. Eboni wanted nothing more than to rip Dyon to shreds and make him bow at her feet.

Ode wanted to snicker and laugh, yet she wasn’t the first to grasp an opportunity to do so.

“Planet Deimos, hm? When your ranker loses to a no name, are we meant to still take you seriously?” A warrior of Planet Nix chuckled amongst his peers, “Even his supposed wife is a joke.”

The young man had skin as dark as the night, but his eyes had a sharp hazel to them that was only a few shades from gold. Everything about him and his surrounding clan members made them seem like panthers prowling in the night. It was as though the light had no affect on their darkness.

Ri’s blue-silver eyes flashed with anger. But, she didn’t get a chance to say anything as the warrior continued. “Oh? Did I make you mad? I’m only speaking the truth. You’re supposedly an Elvin Princess and yet even your own planet didn’t know about you until a few weeks ago? Makes me think about how real your rank really is.”

“We’re here to compete, are we not?” Ri’s blue-silver eyes shifted as her pupils morphed into slits and her canines elongated. “Let’s compete then. I’m tired of people who only talk big just to lose in epic fashion.”

There was a pregnant pause as Ri’s words. Her purity had all but disappeared as a feral beast took her place. If it wasn’t for the fact she still wore her dress, many would have forgotten that she was once the very definition of elegance.

However, no one felt the impact of Ri’s shift as much as the warriors of Planet Mino. Their beast blood roared to life under Ri’s suppression. It was the very first time they felt their bloodlines being challenged.

That said, if you looked closely, some seemed completely unperturbed…  If Dyon had been here, he would have taken note of this immediately. To shrug off the suppression of a Kitsune could only mean one thing… You too were a supreme beast. The problem? This universe hadn’t had any records of supreme beasts in centuries…

“Young Mistress Saru.” A young man with brown skin reminiscent of India spoke quietly to a beauty of that could only match Ri and Eboni.

Her brown skin was soft and delicate. Her black hair was a jet black that still shimmered healthily under the arena’s lights. And she wore what Dyon would recognize as a traditional sari dress. It was long and flowing and was made of a rich blue that complimented her eyes.

This was Saru Shruti. Top ranker. Member of Planet Mino and the six beauties of the universe.

“I know,” She responded faintly in a voice sweet as honey, “She can’t be from this universe either. It’s impossible.”

The conversation was brief. But, the ripple effects its importance would have was unprecedented.

It was clear that the Nix warrior hadn’t expected Ri to react the way she had. Judging by her interactions with Dyon, she seemed like a calm and gentle person – but to reveal this bestial side like she had… It made the Nix warriors think to themselves again: maybe she really is that powerful.

However, the young man didn’t allow himself to show his surprise. “What a joke. Compete? If your husband’s prowess means anything at all, it would be a waste of our time.

He’s a follower of the demonic path, and yet he allows his woman to calm him instead of losing himself in the power. He’s nothing short of weak and pathetic and beating a lowly ranker of a lowly planet hardly changes any of that.”

Hearing his words, Ri stood calmly, her dress fluttering lightly as a dense black aura began to emit from her.

The members of Planet Nix began to laugh. Or, more accurately, the members of the Nuru God Clan.

“My name is Chike Nuru, and I have to say, this is the first time someone has dared used such weak darkness will before me.

Let me tell you very clearly, princess. The reason why I know your husband is weak is the very reason I know you’re weak. The Nuru were born in darkness. Our hearts have been charred black and our wills have been tempered in the night. Your will means nothing before me and your supposed beauty is nothing before the young mistress of our planet.”

Ri only continued to step forward.

The dark aura that fogged around her began to form ethereal tails, whipping wildly behind her. At this sight, the eyes of Saru Shruti narrowed as she thought a singular thing. ‘Kitsune.’

“Let me tell you something, then.” Ri replied faintly. “Chike Nuru. Barely top 100. Clearly willing to throw away his life for a woman who will never care for him. And idiot who somehow thinks my will is as simple as just darkness.”

The Nuru were taken aback by Ri’s words. Not darkness? Then… What was it?

Ri flashed forward, not bothering to fully transform.

Ri had no movement techniques. However, did she really need them at this level? With her void will, a small space like this was nothing to her.

Chike stood abruptly to Ri’s charge, slightly panicking as he lost sight of her.

“I don’t remember consenting to this match.” The faint voice of a dark-skinned beauty rang out.

She had been the picture of absolute elegance until now, not speaking a word. But, with Ri’s attack, her demeanor suddenly changed that of an underworld queen.

Her hair was done in a tight and delicately crafted bun, embroidered with gold jewels. Her dress was form-fitting, clinging its dense black to her immaculate curves. But, the most striking part about her was the pitch-black array being etched into the air at the wave of her small hand.

Ri barely had time to react. Her sole focus had been on Chike, not expecting that someone would use the guise of consent to excuse a sneak attack. If that had been the true reason, why had she waited until she knew Chike was clearly outmatched to act? It was a clear ploy.

However, seeing that Ri was about to react to their queen’s attack, the other members of Planet Nix reacted.

It was the first time in the history of world tournaments that there had been such unity displayed among a universe. In fact, if one payed close attention, you would realize that something unprecedented had happened…

A member of the Nix planet stood abruptly, sending a stream of silver will toward Ri that made her feel as though her every move was slowed by half her normal speed.

‘Time will?’ Ri’s brows furrowed as the beauty’s array breezed toward completion.

An anger built up in her heart as she thought of how many people were attacking her right now. What was the goal here? To provoke her into a disadvantage situation?

But, Ri wasn’t worried. Her void will tore through the time will, sending it into an endless abyss of nothing. And yet… It was too late.

In the background, Eboni had still been brooding over her clan’s defeat and she wanted nothing more than to pay Dyon back. But, he wasn’t here. So, when she saw that Ri was slowed considerably, she smirked to herself and flicked a finger toward Ri’s twisting figure.

The moment Ri broke out of the time will, she tried to maneuver herself away from the array’s blast, but suddenly found that her feet were stuck to the ground!

The beauty smiled to herself lightly, knowing Ri could no longer dodge. “This is the price for attacking my people. Your beauty? I could take it away. But, I don’t think that’s enough. Instead, you’ll never again be able to perform your wifely duties.”

The black array charged into Ri, causing her to convulse and puke up black blood.

“Ugh,” Ri’s feet were still rooted to the ground, surrounded by a tough crystal earth will that she couldn’t accumulate enough energy to break. It was at that time she finally realized that what the beauty had drawn wasn’t an array, it was a seal.

Ri suddenly felt empty. Tears fell from her eyes as she raised a small hand to her belly, suddenly feeling a dense shadow looming over what should have been filled with vibrance and hope. It took but a moment for Ri to understand exactly what she meant by never being able to perform wifely duties.

The members of planet Nix chuckled to themselves, knowing exactly how powerful their queen’s seals were.

“Serves you right,” Sneered Chike, trying to wash over his previous panic with pointed remarks as he strolled to Ri’s side. “Don’t worry. This only makes it more convenient for when I bend you over and fuck you. At least then I won’t have to worry about birthing inferior children from a beast.”

Behind them, Eboni felt pretty content with herself.

“Do you think that you’ve done something great?” Tau Aumen spoke nonchalantly, staring off into the distance as the golden flames of his hair crackled.

“Young master Aumen, what do you mean?” Eboni asked in confusion. She had just restored the dignity of her clan and trampled over the future hope of her enemies. What could be more fulfilling than that?

“When you’re weak, you shouldn’t poke at something you have no understanding of.”

“Poke?” Eboni’s confusion only deepened. But, she didn’t get much of a chance to think about it because the doors of the VIP area opened to reveal a smiling Dyon. Clearly, he had accomplished something important to him. However… That smile didn’t last long.

Dyon froze as he saw Ri’s delicate figure.

Her face was pale, and her body was trembling. She didn’t even react to Chike’s hand holding up her chin.

All Dyon saw was red.

Black, crystal coated scales tore through his skin for the first time in months. His body immediately expanded to over five meters tall. In but an instant, before anyone could react, Chike’s head was being crushed in Dyon’s one hand.

Chike wiggled and struggled, thrashing about wildly as he tried to turn his head toward his queen to ask for help. But, the situation was entirely different now.

A receptionist couldn’t tell the difference, but the genius rankers of this universe could. They had seen enough meridian formation and essence gathering experts to know the difference, and Dyon was without a doubt a meridian formation expert.

Which meant, for his cultivation to be so dense, there was only one explanation.

‘First Grade Martial Warrior.’

Eboni suddenly understood exactly what Tau meant. Whether their upper most rankers could match Dyon was irrelevant. If she met Dyon in the tournament, she would only have herself to rely on. ‘This…’

Dyon’s hand squeezed tighter as he watched Chike’s head turn purple.

But, he paused as he suddenly felt a small hand touch his enlarged arm. What he saw only made his heart break. It was clear in an instant that no amount of rampaging or revenge would be the solution to this.

“Dyon…” Ri’s hand trembled on her belly as she looked up with teary eyes, “I can’t feel anything. It feels empty…”