"Is that all you've got, insect?"
Ivan the Terrible laughed disdainfully.
With a wave of his hand, a bolt of lightning shot out, effortlessly neutralizing the solar beam.
Ryou remained expressionless in the face of the taunt. As he continued to move swiftly, his fingers traced patterns in the air.
Two intricate primordial runes appeared before him.
Splash!
After he infused the runes with his magic power, a massive column of water suddenly burst forth, like a high-pressure water cannon mounted on a modern fishing vessel. The huge stream surged toward Ivan the Terrible like a massive water serpent.
"Are you trying to give me a bath?"
Ivan laughed at what seemed like a feeble attack.
How much damage could a column of water do?
But as soon as the water struck Ivan, the lightning surrounding him flickered violently and discharged into the ground beneath him.
Momentarily stunned, Ivan instinctively tried to activate his lightning powers again, but the electric glow that appeared on his body immediately fizzled out.
"What have you—"
Ivan roared in anger, but in that brief moment of distraction, Ryou had already closed the distance, standing less than three meters away.
His hand moved to the hilt of his katana.
With a sharp, melodic ring and a flash of blade light as bright as moonlight, the air was sliced.
In an instant, Ivan the Terrible's arms and torso were covered in dozens of blood-red lines.
With the sound of tearing flesh, both of Ivan's thick arms fell cleanly to the ground, blood gushing from the empty sockets and the wounds across his chest.
However, before the warm blood could even hit the ground, it froze solid in the cold wind.
"You!"
Ivan staggered backward, utterly humiliated.
Neither noticed that, in a bedroom above, a pair of beautiful eyes were observing their battle from a window.
When Anastasia saw Ivan the Terrible, her god-like ancestor, retreating in such a disgraceful state with his arms severed, she was so shocked she nearly cried out, covering her mouth in astonishment.
She had never imagined that her ancestor, a figure as mighty as a god, could be reduced to such a pitiful state.
Could it be that this man was sent by the Lord to save her?
Anastasia's gaze grew complicated as she looked at Ryou.
After all, the black-haired, black-eyed Eastern face was completely different from what she had expected.
Raised by her father, Anastasia had been taught that people from the East were barbaric.
(Her father, Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, had been scarred during an assassination attempt while visiting Japan as a crown prince.)
But despite her mischievous nature, Anastasia was a devout Orthodox Christian.
Even though no one had heard her vow, she could not deceive her own heart.
"I just hope this man is gentle..."
Her gaze, filled with conflicted emotions—surprise, gratitude, worry, and doubt—lingered on Ryou.
For the first time, the snow-like princess experienced the sweet troubles of an ordinary young girl.
Meanwhile, Ryou, unaware of the princess's internal turmoil, relentlessly pursued the retreating Tsar.
Ivan the Terrible no longer carried the aura of authority and dominance he had when he first arrived. Wounds now covered his body from head to toe, inflicted by QRyou's relentless attacks.
Despite his years of military campaigns, Ivan's noble status meant that he had never truly fought on the front lines. The most he had learned were a few basic self-defense techniques.
On the other hand, Ryou had fought over a million battles against sword saints in the dreamscape. In terms of combat experience, he was light years ahead of Ivan.
Moreover, Ivan had lost both his arms.
Had Ryou not been cautious of a potential self-destruction move, Ivan's head would have already been severed.
"Damn it! Damn it! You damned outsider! You've forced me into this!"
Ivan roared furiously, and arcs of lightning surged from his body. His heart began glowing with an intense, electric-blue light, almost identical to what had happened just before Wu Zetian's self-destruction.
Lightning crackled violently all around him, turning him into a living embodiment of thunder.
Ryou's heart skipped a beat, but he trusted his instincts and quickly retreated to a safe distance, carefully monitoring Ivan from afar.
A minute passed, yet Ivan did not explode.
Instead, his body began to swell, nearly doubling in size. His flesh squirmed like it was alive, and right before Ryou's eyes, his lower half transformed into that of a mammoth.
At this point, Ivan had completely lost his human form.
His lower body was now a massive elephant's torso, covered in thick brown fur. His upper body was encased in cracked, blue stone-like skin, through which bolts of electricity flickered.
Two massive tusks jutted out from his shoulders, his once-majestic face now reduced to a skeletal visage, and his hands had morphed into monstrous claws.
Ryou's expression grew more and more bizarre as he looked at Ivan, who now resembled a boss from a video game that had undergone a second transformation.
"Die, insect!"
Ivan seemed even more arrogant after his transformation.
With a furious roar, two massive serpents of lightning coiled toward Ryou, aiming to ensnare him.
This time, Ryou didn't hesitate. He immediately activated [Descent Card].
Although his speed was still limited to the C rank, Sasaki Kojiro's fluid footwork was far superior to his usual brute-force approach.
With agile movements, Ryou weaved between the lightning serpents, slipping through the gaps and then accelerating toward Ivan like a bolt of lightning himself.
"Roar!"
Ivan bellowed, and a massive surge of electricity burst from his body, expanding outward into a dome of lightning.
This kind of all-encompassing attack was impossible to dodge, no matter how precise the footwork.
Reluctantly, Ryou had no choice but to retreat.
Ivan, sensing that this move was highly effective, repeatedly used it against him.
From a distance, he would entangle Ryou with lightning serpents, and whenever Ryou tried to approach, he would immediately unleash a lightning dome to force him back.
Whenever Ryou attempted to counter long-range attacks like Brahmastra, Ivan would effortlessly neutralize them with his lightning control.
Seeing that Ryou seemed to be at a loss, Ivan burst into loud laughter.
"What's the matter, insect? Is that all you've got?"
Ryou pursed his lips, remaining silent. Ivan's insults were so childish that they didn't even stir his emotions.
Quietly, he cast two more primordial runes on himself and quickly exchanged the highest-grade healing potion from the system store, downing it in one gulp.
Crash!
The empty glass bottle shattered as Ryou tossed it to the ground.
Like a signal for retaliation, in the next moment, he shot forward like an arrow.
With incredibly nimble footwork, Ryou once again dodged the attack of the two lightning serpents.
In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance to less than five meters from Ivan the Terrible.
However, an unhurried smile appeared on Ivan's human-like face. Even if Ryou managed to get this close, he would still be forced back by the lightning net, just as had happened repeatedly before.
This maneuver didn't consume much of Ivan's energy, and he could use it repeatedly without any problem, even for a day and a night if needed. Having a powerful heart to supply energy had its perks.
Crackle!
The lightning net spread out from Ivan's body once again.
Just as Ivan was certain that Ryou would be forced to retreat once more and the cycle would repeat itself—
Instead of slowing down or backing away, Ryou pushed off with his feet and charged even faster toward the lightning net, as if intent on suicide.
When the lightning net made contact with his body, two mysterious primordial runes suddenly lit up, forming a blue membrane around him.
The net intertwined with the membrane, neutralizing each other momentarily, allowing him to slip through.
"Insect! Using petty tricks!"
Ivan roared in rage. The first lightning net hadn't even dissipated before a second one emerged from his body.
However, the blue light in his heart flickered erratically—a clear sign of the side effects of overexertion.
Facing this second lightning net, Ryou showed no fear and charged straight into it.
The blue membrane around him shattered in less than a tenth of a second.
Braving the crackling electricity, he plunged his katana into the ground beside him. With his hands shielding his head, he charged forward, enduring the storm of lightning.
The makeshift lightning rod immediately attracted the bulk of the electricity, channeling it into the ground.
However, some of the lightning still struck Ryou.
Sparks flew from his body, and the smell of scorched flesh lingered in the air.
Yet Ryou acted as if the lightning weren't even there, pushing forward until he stood right in front of Ivan the Terrible.
"You...!"
Ivan barely had time to utter a word before Ryou's fist crashed into his face.
Even Ivan's enhanced body wasn't enough to withstand the force of this furious punch.
The Reversal War God, even limited to C-rank power and combined with the release of magic energy, was not something Ivan could defend against.
Staggered and dazed, Ivan stumbled backward, his mind reeling.
Ryou wouldn't miss the opportunity to strike a fallen enemy.
Seizing Ivan by the tusks at his neck, Ryou pulled him close and pummeled his face with a barrage of punches.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After a dozen heavy blows, Ivan's skull shattered.
Gasping for breath, Ivan the Terrible collapsed to the ground, barely clinging to life.
Without hesitation, Ryou stepped forward and raised his foot, aiming directly at Ivan's head.
No matter if he was Ivan the Terrible or some other Emperor, one stomp would crush his skull and end it all.
"Umm... excuse me..."
Just as Ryou was about to deliver the fatal blow, a soft voice suddenly called out from behind him.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
He hadn't expected anyone to be foolish enough to approach, let alone try to stop him, after witnessing the god-like battle between him and Ivan.
Could this person be one of Ivan's crazed fans?
A murderous intent rose in Ryou's heart as he turned his cold gaze toward the voice.
To his surprise, he saw a delicate figure standing there, a shy expression on her face as she glanced at him hesitantly.
At that moment, Ryou was taken aback.
His first thought was, How could such a beautiful young girl possibly be a fan of an ugly brute like Ivan the Terrible!?
What kind of world was this?
But in that brief moment of distraction—
"Damn outsider! Let's die together!"
Perhaps realizing he had no chance of winning, Ivan the Terrible, in a final act of desperation, chose to self-destruct for the sake of his imperial dignity.
Ryou had anticipated this and immediately channeled magic into his legs, simultaneously engraving runes representing "wind" and "speed."
His speed skyrocketed in an instant.
Just then, he noticed the young girl standing frozen in place, staring at him with a frightened expression, like a startled deer.
Her vulnerable look struck a chord deep within his heart.
His resolve softened.
Since there was ample time to escape, taking one more person along wouldn't hurt. He'd consider it a good deed.
Of course, Ryou would never admit that he was charmed by the girl's cuteness.
After all, this world values appearances.
With a slight shift in direction, he sped toward the girl, scooped her up by the waist, and pulled her close to his chest before taking off at full speed.
"Ah!?"
The girl cried out in surprise.
Ryou, however, had no time to savor the softness in his arms. The brief delay had already made the situation dangerous.
Behind him, Ivan the Terrible's body began to glow intensely, as a massive lightning ball formed above his head. Dark clouds gathered overhead, and bolts of lightning rained down, feeding the ball of electricity.
"Hold on tight!"
Ryou shouted as he gritted his teeth, lifting the girl into a classic princess carry.
Startled, the girl instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Ryou, however, had no time to enjoy the warmth of her embrace.
He poured more magic into his legs, disregarding the potential damage it could cause.
With reckless disregard for the consequences, his speed surged once again.
At that moment, the lightning ball above Ivan's head reached its peak, transforming into a massive purple beam that crashed down violently.
The moment the beam struck, Ivan the Terrible's body disintegrated into ashes.
"Let's meet God together, hahaha!"
His maniacal laughter echoed through the air as the purple beam hit the ground, exploding into arcs of electricity that spread rapidly in all directions.
From above, it looked like a massive nest of snakes had been disturbed, as countless lightning serpents slithered out, spreading through the Kremlin.
The serpents raced through every crack and crevice, wrapping themselves around anything conductive—whether objects or people—burning everything to ashes before seeking their next victim.
In mere seconds, the Kremlin transformed into a hell on earth.
Fortunately, Ryou managed to escape at the last possible second.
As the screams behind him abruptly ceased, he felt a lingering sense of dread.
Why do these guys always resort to self-destruction? They never learn.
"Umm... can you put me down now?"
A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.