Ryker’s consciousness was a blur. The pain wracking his body was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Although he had put himself through rigorous training, the number of times he had been so severely injured was zero. He had suffered before, but never to this extent.

For the first time, even with his Pure Soul, he couldn’t quite maintain focus.

Phoenix took a step, ready to devour him whole.

Queen, who had been around Ryker’s shoulders, ended up severely injured by the impact as well. She was lucky that Ryker had taken the brunt of it, or else the newborn would have already been minced to pieces.

She collapsed on the floor, unable to do anything, and passed out in the first instant.

Prometheus could only be described as slow. Its race of being wasn’t known for their intelligence, and their thoughts were extraordinarily simple. It didn’t seem to have noticed that Ryker was in a life-and-death situation yet and still saw Phoenix as a companion. After all, its instincts told it that Phoenix had the same connection with Ryker that it did.

Just like this, there didn’t seem to be anyone present to protect Ryker, and it felt as though there was only death remaining.

Phoenix’s three heads rose into the skies and looked to bite down.

They shot forward, but it was then that their heads clashed with one another.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Their necks whipped to the side, and they started jostling for position, looking toward one another with an infuriated light in their eyes.

There was only one master, but there were three of them, and the circulatory organ systems in their bodies were likewise separated into three. They would all definitely benefit by becoming a Demon Beast, but whichever of them took that step first would definitely become the dominant mind.

Before they killed Ryker, they had to decide which among them was that dominant mind.

It was clear that Phoenix’s grandfather had already seen through all of these events. The Twin-Headed Serpent Phoenixes had a culture of dealing with this precise problem, and they, of course, had legacies to deal with it. It was their tradition for siblings to fight it out for supremacy. The winning mind would crush the remaining souls, consume them, and then take control of the entire body.

They always believed that this was the right way. Too many chefs in the kitchen wouldn’t allow one to cook a proper meal, and too many minds in a body would inevitably lead to pushback.

There was only one way for a Serpent Phoenix to grow to its fullest potential.

There could only be one.

Spirit Energy began to roll through the air, and the three brothers looked toward one another with venom in their gazes.

Earth Phoenix was in the worst position, being in the middle of the two. To make matters worse, he was also the one with the lowest combat effectiveness.

However, this sort of battle wasn’t one that would take place in the physical world. If they ended up destroying their heads, then the winner in the end would be left with a crippled body.

ROAR!

“Heh…”

Ryker’s vision barely cleared up. He could see vague shadows through the streaks of blood running down his eyes.

He had never been in such bad condition before, yet he still couldn’t refuse the urge to laugh. He had still ended up being schemed against like this.

He didn’t blame Phoenix; he knew that it wasn’t their fault. This was definitely a suggestion imprinted by someone else, and the only people with the methods and opportunity to do such a thing were their relatives.

He had been far too out of it back then to understand what was happening. It would have been too easy to get something like this by him. He should have known that there was such a ticking time bomb waiting for him, but even Ryker couldn’t possibly account for everything.

However, he was laughing right now because Phoenix’s grandfather was still too greedy. In the end, he should be dead already, but he wasn’t because they needed to decide which among them was the real Phoenix. And that…

Was an opportunity.

Ryker looked up to see three pairs of gazes staring at him. Each one exuded a powerful momentum that seemed capable of mobilizing all the Spirit Energy in the air.

Ever since Ryker had given them visions of the Dao, their presence had reached an entirely new level like butterflies breaking free of their cocoons. Right now, they carried a truly fearsome presence.

But, Ryker didn’t seem fazed by their gazes at all. How could a Mythical Master be afraid of his own beast?

All he could see was a light of wisdom, hidden behind Earth Phoenix’s eyes. He could see a willful arrogance, hidden behind Fire Phoenix’s eyes. He could see a subtle sort of wit belied by gentleness in Wind Phoenix’s eyes.

He understood each one of them like the back of his hand, and it was also why he was unwilling to have them sacrifice themselves.

Nature rarely made mistakes, especially not when it involved a race so powerful. The Twin-Headed Serpent Phoenixes had evolved down this path for a reason, and just because taking it was difficult… didn’t mean that it shouldn’t be taken at all.

Ryker slowly tried to stand to his feet. He could feel his lifespan being stripped away from him as he pulled on his blood and his Temporal Weave to heal himself.

However, there was only so much blood in his body at a given time. Even after nearly sucking himself dry and giving away decades of his life, he was only healed back to 50%. And, realizing that Ryker was still capable of standing, Phoenix attacked again.

They were fast, too fast. The gap between a Spirit Beast and a human was well documented, and now that Phoenix was also a First Ascended, and an 8th Circle Talent beast with the support of 99 total Dao Paths, their power was simply unfathomable.

Then there was Ryker, who had just drained himself of half his body and years of lifespan, only to still be so severely injured.

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In the end, death still seemed to be the only way out.

Yet, Ryker’s chuckle continued to echo as he stood to his full height, his back straightening.

He had come too far, done too much, overcome more than most could imagine, to collapse here to his own beast.

At that moment, just as the three Phoenixes were about to collide with him, the Silver Mirror appeared behind Ryker’s head.

In a single brief instant of time, the injured Queen vanished into his dantian, and his aura erupted.

The surface of the Silver Mirror rippled, and a Domain expanded outward. Phoenix suddenly slowed considerably, time distorting around them.

Ryker’s mind spun.

Killing Phoenix was not an option. Not only did he not have the heart to, but even if he did, it would ruin everything that he had worked for.

His soul wasn’t as fragile as it had once been, so losing a Spirit Beast now didn’t necessarily mean that he would lose his Pure Soul and 9th Circle Talent, but his talent would definitely take a hit no matter what.

At the same time, Phoenix was his first true contract; he wasn’t going to allow something like this to divide them.

‘In that case…’

Ryker’s arm rippled, and Prometheus, who was wrapped around his arm out of habit, flared up as they punched out together.

BANG!

A solid punch hit Phoenix’s chest, and the enormous beast was forced a step back.

Blood leaked from the corner of Ryker’s lips, but he levied a second strike, and then a third in quick succession.

He was relentless as though he had entirely forgotten his pain, and that was because he had. His Pure Soul washed away everything but what he wanted to focus on the most.

“Come on, big guy. I’m going to show you who among us is the real master.”

Ryker’s aura flared, but Phoenix was a genius in their own right. Ryker would never forget the moment that they managed to use atmospheric Spirit Energy before they even matured. And right this moment, they displayed this talent once again.

The Daos thrummed, and Earth Phoenix cast Earth Reborn. The prison shook, and Ryker felt his Time Domain almost collapse. Although he managed to keep it up, it had severely weakened by several measures.

Molten Fireball.

Ryker barely regained his bearings from the assault on his mind when Fire Phoenix unleashed a smoldering ball of fire. It was so smooth that it almost looked like a polished bronze ball that had just come out of the furnace.

There was simply too little room to maneuver, and it was impossible for Ryker to go to the most spacious room of this prison, or else he would ruin all the research papers.

He took a breath, and his vision blazed.

The sound of rattling chains echoed, and Prometheus unfurled from his arm, forming a whipping cycle that encompassed the Molten Fireball.

The Fireball was immediately locked down by a Seal. Ryker’s Divined Chains locked onto the talent and ripped it out of Fire Phoenix’s control.

Ryker took a step and moved out of the way of a wind scythe from Wind Phoenix. He immediately noticed an advantage and took it. These three were no longer working together seamlessly, so not only were Wind and Fire Phoenix not taking advantage of Earth Phoenix’s Earth Reborn, but Earth and Fire Phoenix weren’t taking advantage of Wind Phoenix’s maneuverability. They were practically standing in the same spot.

On top of that…

Ryker appeared before the Sealed Molten Fireball and pressed a palm to it.

BOOM!

Shockwaves spread out in all directions as the attack returned at even faster speeds than it had come.

Fire Phoenix’s eyes flickered as

he raised up a claw, casting Inductive Touch. His claws shined like gold, carrying a molten light as it swiped downward.

BANG!

The Molten Fireball was sliced to pieces and then exploded, but that only obscured Ryker from their sight.

Before the trio could react, Ryker had used Flash Step, an ability that Wind Phoenix still hadn’t had the chance to use.

As expected, Wind Phoenix was the most sensitive to Wind Spirit Energy usage and noticed his presence first. He looked into the air and shot out another Wind Scythe. But unfortunately for Wind Phoenix…

Ryker understood all their abilities like the back of his hand. In order for them to unlock their talents, he had to unseal the Divined Chains on them. And by virtue of doing this, Ryker understood exactly how to seal them again.

His foot stepped out once, and the Wind Scythe was compressed beneath a rain of chains. Ryker then easily used Soar, taking advantage of the compressed wind of Wind Phoenix’s attack to appear right above his real target: Earth Phoenix.

Holy Ton.

Ryker’s weight increased by a factor of thousands as he smashed down with a fist.

BANG!

Earth Phoenix’s head deformed and was pressed down with such force that his long neck whipped toward the ground. His head rebounded against the solid ground, and his consciousness swayed.

Ryker coughed up a mouthful of blood. Holy Ton was another new talent that Earth Phoenix had awakened, but using it in his current state when it put so much strain on his body was inadvisable.

Unfortunately, he had no other choice.

Earth Phoenix was the greatest threat to him regardless of what the other two thought.

A flash of crimson lightning flared out at the corner of Ryker’s eyes. He recognized the talent immediately. It was an advanced application of Inductive Touch where you used the concentrated flames to set fire to even the fundamental particles of the world. They exploded with an energy similar to fission, causing sparks to fly that looked not much different from a blood-red lightning.

Inductive Spark.

The truly fearsome nature of this attack was that it was a catalyst. Not only was it a direct attack, but it also had an area of effect that couldn’t be underestimated.

Ryker took a breath as the claw suddenly appeared before him. With the size of the big guy now, their claw was more than half the size of his body. They were simply enormous, and it felt impossible to dodge anywhere.

But Ryker didn’t plan to.

Time Domain.

Ascended Domain.

Ryker’s Time Domain came from one of the three abilities of the Silver Mirror, but his Ascended Domain was something that he had created all on his own by observing the underwater hurricane and making it his own.

His Ascended Domain wasn’t finished yet…

But it was enough for now.

A cyclone of water suddenly appeared around Ryker, rotating so violently that it shredded apart everything in its path. Even Wind Phoenix, who tried to attack Ryker from behind, found his Wind Scythe being caught.

Inductive Spark reacted like it had been doused. Sparks of crimson lightning danced within the rotating waters, but they couldn’t even get close to Ryker.

Taking a deep breath, Ryker formed a palm and raised it high into the skies.

Tempest Lord.

The waters began to churn violently. But what was shocking was that this Wind affinity talent was being used as though it was a Water affinity one. All Ryker had done was swap one storm for another.

Water and Wind buffeted against one another, churning in Ryker’s Domain. Fire and Wind Phoenix saw what was happening, but they felt as though they were walking through toxic sludge. The Time Domain was far too oppressive. Actions that they should have been able to complete in a split second were taking several.

Then, Ryker’s palm descended.

BANG!

Fire Phoenix’s head was trapped in the storm, ping-ponging from side to side like a ball trapped in a machine.

His eyes grew dizzy, blood flooded down his nostrils, and soon his consciousness wavered.

Ryker landed on the ground with a heavy thud, the duration of Soar having been extended as far as it could be.

Earth and Fire Phoenix’s head lay limply on the ground. Wind Phoenix was the only one remaining and looked toward Ryker with a fierce look in his eyes.

‘Two down, just one remaining.’

Ryker had a plan, and he was just a moment away from executing it perfectly. He also realized just how lucky he was. If Phoenix had triggered this in the outside world instead of in the prison, his parents and grandfather would have definitely sensed it and come to intervene once again. If that happened, Ryker would have had no chance.

But now, everything was under his control. He didn’t waste any time, rushing for Wind Phoenix.

However, that was when something unexpected happened.

Wind Phoenix’s eyes grew dim and lifeless as though he too had lost consciousness.

Ryker’s brows shot up, and he deduced what was happening instantly.

After knocking out Earth and Fire Phoenix, the souls of both of them were in a vulnerable state. If Wind Phoenix used this opportunity to enter their shared mental realm and crush them, he would become the sole owner of their body.

Ryker obviously knew that this would be a possibility, but taking action on this was Wind Phoenix acknowledging one thing: he knew that Ryker didn’t want to kill them.

Having this sort of clarity while stuck in a half-Demonic state was shocking. And it also required having a cleverness that could suppress their bestial instincts.

As expected, Wind Phoenix was the quietest of them, but he was also the most cunning. He had perfectly grasped everyone’s weakness at once.

‘No, I have to hurry.’

Ryker dashed to the side and entered a new room as a contingency plan. Then, he entered a focused state of meditation in an instant, using his connection with Phoenix to forcefully enter their inner worlds.

This was too dangerous. Such worlds were obviously under the full control of the three Phoenixes. One wrong step and he wouldn’t just be injured…

He would be dead.