But, before anyone realized what was happening, a silvery-blue light glowed from his body – the Reflection ability had activated automatically, as an instinct for survival.
And in the blink of an eye, the body rebuilt itself piece by piece: bones forming, flesh weaving itself, skin returning as pristine as it was.
Ryo slowly rose, his eyes speaking silent rage, his power vibrating around him like invisible pressure waves.
On the side, Wendy and Stella, despite Wendy protecting herself with her shield, her body was already damaged. Her right half was completely burned, and unlike that man, she couldn't do anything about those wounds; her body was already on the verge of death. Despite being in that state, she kept thinking about what she could do. She was already far from Ryo's location, and with that monster present, moving was not a good option for her. On the other hand, Ryo was cautious in his movements and was trying to figure out why his ability didn't work at that moment. Then Wendy shouted at the top of her voice for Ryo to hear her and said, "Don't you dare use Reflection again. This monster sees everything now!!"
When Ryo heard what she said, he didn't grasp it at first. But he felt a strange sensation in the space around him and realized what was happening. And when he stood up, he gripped his spear, and his shining clothes returned to their best condition.
"Damn, I didn't expect anyone to push me this far. It's been a long time since something like this happened. So, I guess I should stop being lenient about this. But I didn't expect that rogue's ability to reach this extent. The Reflection ability has no visible form in this world. But that doesn't mean it's shapeless. It usually takes the form of a barrier, but this barrier can only be seen by me, and that's what makes it more annoying for those who deal with it. The emergence of that wing didn't just increase his strength; it took his ability to a different level now. Most likely, he doesn't need to touch anything to make it his weapon; he just needs to see it in front of him to make it his own. That girl just said he can see everything. Most likely, she means he can see my Reflection barrier. So, when he launched that fireball, he was waiting for my ability to reflect it so that its power would double. Then he would make the Reflection ability his weapon through his own ability, reversing the fireball again to return with greater force towards me, and what happened, happened. Well, these are just theories, but if they are true, I won't be able to use Reflection again. In this case, if I reflect a small wound, he can use the reflection to split me in half. So, it seems permanent healing won't be possible anymore. And the same applies to that girl; if something happens to them, I won't be able to help them. Things are getting worse every second."
In that seemingly bad situation, the Warlord laughed out loud, signs of happiness and excitement on his face.
"You did a great job, monster. I've had enough of defending. Now that I have a clear idea of your nature, there's no reason to retreat. Advance, you abomination, let's see which is hotter: the flames of your wing or the blade of my spear."
Hiro senses the danger Ryo poses in those moments. His white flames form a giant sword and he launches it towards Ryo at supersonic speed. In fractions of a second, Ryo counters the attack on Hiro, his attack dissipating the sword of fire. Before he realizes it, the attack has reached Hiro's chest, causing him great damage. Hiro prepares a counterattack, but he doesn't see Ryo's form in front of him. The moment his instincts sense Ryo's location, he has already cut Hiro's back from behind. Before his body falls to the ground, Hiro manages to see his face, and swords begin to emerge from the ground, heading directly towards Ryo. But Ryo's speed was increasing tremendously, so even with thousands of swords heading towards him, he dodged them all with perfect precision. Even the air attacks didn't touch him.
"He's trying to keep me away from him to heal himself and counterattack with a wide-range attack. But I won't even let him breathe."
A smile plays on Ryo's face amidst the rain of swords that have turned the pine forest into a battlefield. In the blink of an eye, Ryo's spear pierces Hiro's heart. Hiro creates a pillar of fire rising around him to prevent him from moving. With a flick of his spear, Ryo extinguishes the raging flames.
"What happened to you? Can't you keep up with this old man? Young people these days need some physical fitness. You need to put in some effort, or I'll get bored."
Ryo's spear pierces Hiro's head and cuts it in half. However, Hiro's body no longer possesses the same organs needed to stay alive. Despite being split in half, his body reattaches itself.
"Killing him won't affect him now. But it buys me some time and seems to slightly delay his growth. There's less than a minute left for me to use Aka at its full potential. So, in this minute, I must prevent his heart from beating."
Ryo's attacks continue at a tremendous speed, giving Hiro no chance to counter. As Wendy tried to alleviate the pain of the burns, she couldn't take her eyes off what was happening. Despite realizing her current situation, she didn't stop trying to gather information from everything happening in front of her.
"He's immeasurable. Without his impenetrable shield or a second chance at healing. No matter how bad the situation is, he shines on the battlefield. He is the King of War at his peak. Even with the loss of defense, he is close to winning just by brute force. That spear, with its unique ability to land a sure hit, has many combat styles. Just by Ryo holding the spear, the heat of its blade rises steadily and continuously, and with a sure hit, the blade's temperature increases by fifty degrees Celsius. If he takes damage from an enemy, the temperature increases by one hundred degrees Celsius. Given the number of injuries in this battle and the time elapsed, the temperature of his spear is 2500 degrees Celsius; it's not surprising that it turned everything in this area into ash. If this battle continues longer, his spear will turn into a small sun. Despite all this, the spear provides its wielder with various enhancements. When facing a single enemy, the enhancements focus on speed, observation power, and the ability to send his attack over long distances. When facing many enemies, the enhancements focus on endurance, physical strength, and turning his attacks into massive explosions. It is truly a weapon befitting someone who loves battles."