[SORRY, I UPLOADED A GAB CHAPTER TO RNIG. DO NOT UNLOCK]

The violent storm around Ryu raged. It was a furious tempest, the kind that could pull apart the seams of space even without the reliance on Soul Nature, or maybe it was precisely because of the passive effect of his Soul Nature that the result was so exaggerated.

The Birthed Phenomena that appeared high in the skies seemed to blink into and out of existence. What destabilized them wasn't Ryu's inability to control them, but rather because they seemed to be somewhat hesitantly fusing and yet were still incapable of taking the final step.

Even in this weird half fused, half unfused state, the power that was coursing through Ryu's body threatened to roar out on its own. The nine pillars within himself barely managed to contain it, but even then, every time his Birthed Phenomena partially fused, a thunderous power would awaken and nearly shred them apart.

Ryu could feel that it was already madness to take things this far. The strength of his body right now wasn't just a few times stronger. He felt like he could rip mountains apart with his bare hands, like a single stomp could create a river the split a single continent into two, like he could pluck stars from the skies and plant them into the earth below.

It was like his foundation had finally awakened and his body realized just how much power was hidden within it. The Bloodlines all synergies into one and their output would already be too great to imagine if it was just a sum total, but the reality was that every time they hesitatingly fused just a small bit, they would erupt with strength beyond themselves.

Ryu realized after a moment that what was limiting him wasn't the wording he had chosen, nor was it his Bone Structure. No, what was limiting him was the actual strength of his body. His Bloodlines still had an air of self preservation, if they truly fused, he would be ripped apart from the inside out.

When Ryu was originally born, the Heavens had only allowed his existence because his Bloodlines were whole but separate. Not only were they separate, but they also weakened certain aspects of one another, not allowing any particular single entity to display their full might. This was why when Ryu opened his Body Pulses and Body Vessels, each of his Bloodlines took a hit in the amount of power they should have been able to provide him even in Sacrum.

But now, he was trying to circumvent those limiters, and in doing so, he was taking on a strength that was beyond him.

Even so, Ryu grinned and the chains he had latched onto his Bloodlines began to release.

The moment they showed the slightest inkling of doing so, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, one of his shoulders imploding into a rain of blood as though a bomb had gone off inside him.

Ryu coughed and his smile was still a bloody grin. He was confirming something and it seemed that he was correct.

This power he was experiencing now, it was a mere fragment of what he truly had access to.

He suddenly slammed his hands together and his Birthed Phenomena began to blink out of existence one by one until there was nothing left but a roaring red dragon.

In the past few moments, his Birthed Phenomena had been mostly illusory, their true strength being unable to shine through properly. But now, with just a single remaining, it was so solid that it almost looked as though Ryu had summoned a true Fire Dragon, its scaled a dense ruby red with a hidden black flame dancing within each one.

"Take Form and Burn the Heavens."

BOOM!

Ryu's body exploded with red scales, his height growing from over two meters to over four. Claws grew out from his hands and a pair of scaly wings wreathed in black flames took shape.

His Rage Flames returned as he took a step forward, clawing at the air.

Burn could mean multiple things. It could refer to flames alone, kindling under the power that fuelled it. It could refer to a cycle of death to lead back to life, in much the same way a forest would grow back more vibrantly after devastation. Or it could refer to an internal, undying will, one that could even be passed on generation to generation or turn the bounds of time to ash and echo through all layers of reality.

Ryu unleashed his Dragon's Claw talent, dividing the skies into six and tearing menacing holes into space.

"Take Form and Command the Heavens."

His body shuddered, the corporeal Fire Dragon in the skies became a towering Lightning Qilin radiating a sapphire, royal blue light. The skies boomed with thunder and arcs of blue descended.

Ryu's Storm Talent brewed as every strike split space apart, leaving craters so large in the ground that the continent was devastated.

Command could mean multiple things. It could refer to leadership and the responsibility that came with it. It could refer to a cruelty, an imposing malice that forced those under your thumb to bend to your will. Or it could refer to a final word, a resounding and final judgment that could bend even the skies to bow.

Ryu's Tribulation Lightning Seed thrummed and a whipping kick flew out like a scythe, splitting a line in space that crackled with blue lightning around its edges.

"Take Form and Forge the Heavens."

BOOM!

Ryu's body erupted with golden flames. His Rebirth Flame, tinged with the majesty of both creation and emperorship echoed through the surroundings. Even the slightest hints of Fire Qi were forced into submission and corralled into the embrace of their lord.

Forge could mean multiple things. It could refer to a persistent will to rid one of impurities, the time and effort one had to spend in wringing an ore dry of its worse parts and helping it to achieve the shine it always deserved. It could represent an iron will, one tempered through countless years of hardship and the evil whims of the Heavens and Fate. Or it could refer to a forceful change, a commanding blaze that would not be stopped, a lack of care for Fate and the whims of the Heavens and a willingness to take what you were given and mold it into a treasure

To Create something from nothing.

The call of a phoenix left Ryu's lips. A cyclone of golden clouds appeared above the shredding apart the thunderous clouds of the Lightning Qilin before it and blazed with a fire that seemed to bless the world around it.

Countless Heavenly Patterns appeared, each one doing so naturally as though Ryu didn't even need to think or consider before they manifested, as though they came to him as naturally as they possibly could.

The swirling patterns of the Dark Phoenix. The sharp edge patterns of the Ice Phoenix. The delicate feather patterns of the Fire and Emperor Phoenix.

They swirled in a mass of profound creation that echoed across the skies.

The power was intoxicating, and for the very first time in his life, Ryu felt that he could truly sense the power of his Bloodlines. This was the strength that he had been born with, strength that was ripped from him, hidden from him, strength that he had unearthed himself and strength that he would continue to empower.

That was the beauty of the balance he had struck.

The Heavens had bestowed this upon him and it wasn't as cruel as he had once thought it to be. He was a naive boy, enraged with the world, and demanding that it owed him more but it didn't. All it owed him was the chance.

He was bestowed strength in one part, and he took strength in the other. He both created this strength and was bestowed this strength. This was the beauty of the Heavens, this was the freedom of what it meant to live, it was why he strove to reach the pinnacle of all things, to test his mettle against those that dared to create strength as he had.

And there was still far more to gain, far more to take.

Ryu smashed his fists together and his heartbeat echoed into the surroundings. He felt good, better than he ever had in his entire life, as though the world itself was in the palm of his hands and it could escape unless he allowed it to.

However, he knew that there was still more he had gained from this second round. These benefits were the ones he had taken with his own hands, benefits that he had forged with the treasures already within his body. But, there were external treasures that he had yet to benefit from, only that way would the cycle be complete.

His thoughts wandered the Diamond Protector Spirit and the insights that it had passed onto him. These would be the new benefits that he gained from the Heavens, and one day he would create more power from it as well.

But for now, it was about time he found out what he had bled for.