The Martial Unity

Yet once Rui left the lava domain and entered a normal forest once more, the mental suppression he experienced only grew in time. He was starting to truly approach the core of the Great Forest of Hypnonarak, and it wouldn't be too long before he would enter the core of the forest.

Yet the tribulations seemed to spike up, as if in preparation for that. A strange mist was ever present within the forest. He couldn't prove it, but he felt as if just breathing the mist in hampered his mind as well.

The radius of his sensory range also reduced significantly. Because it wasn't directly hampering his mind and hampered his senses instead, not even Riemannian Echo was spared. 

For the first time in a long time, he truly got to experience what it was like to have his senses hampered, especially since he hadn't experienced that in the Shionel Dungeon.

The true threat of the Great Forest of Hypnonarak seemed to begin from here on out. Rui had a lot of respect for anybody who could make it this far, especially if they weren't of the Senior Realm.

He reduced his traveling pace significantly, he couldn't afford to travel so fast when his senses were hampered. He also began scanning the environment for prey that he could hunt and eat. 

He quickly sky-walked to a low degree, scanning his surroundings as well as he could. He found that his vision was the least affected out of all his senses. It had been a long time since he had relied on it over all other senses.

'There's a cave over there. Maybe I shou-' His eyes widened as he suddenly leaped off the tree, somersaulting backward.

BOOM!

He glanced back at the spot that he had been just a moment ago, it had been completely blown apart by some collision. His eyes flashed around, catching merely a glimpse of the projectile that did it.

It had wings.

As well as a body covered in white scales.

Furthermore, it had an undeniable reptilian tinge to it.

Rui's eyes widened as the glimpse he caught matched that of a creature recorded in the database of fauna that the Beggar's Sect gave him.

'An Illusionary Dragon!'

Apprehension and incredulity flashed across his face. This was the first time that he had come across a dragon in this world, and he sure hoped that it wouldn't be his last. 

Dragons.

In most fictional settings, dragons were at the top of the food chain, the apex predators. Gaia, too, had followed suit. Dragons were extraordinary apex predators that were nigh unmatched, barring other fantasy apex predators that also existed in this world.

That already made Rui quite careful and cautious about having tangled with such a creature. Normally, he should have done his very best to keep away from such a creature and get away as far as he could.

'But...I wonder if I can adapt to it.' Curiosity sparked in his eyes. His rational mind knew that retreat was objectively the best decision. But the Martial Artist side of him refused.

"ROOOOOAAAAR!" The dragon bellowed out a haunting roar that echoed across the mist forest. Yet what Rui found strange was that it wasn't just an ordinary roar, it was a roar that seemed to harness the power of the mist. The mist that had been stagnant suddenly shifted rapidly along with the powerful roars of the dragon.

Rui didn't know what that meant yet, but he did know that the IIllusionary Gragon targeted the mind. Unfortunately, he had no experience with mind attacks. He did break out of an illusion in the Virodha Martial Contest, however, that had been weakened to the point to allow a Martial Squire to break through.

He didn't think the Illusionary Dragon was going to be nearly as kind and considerate.

And he was right. 

One moment the world around him was just fine and dandy.

The next moment?

It was gone.

He was in a bottomless void of darkness.

It was a powerful illusion, and yet;

WHOOSH!

Rui activated his Martial Heart, leaping to the left. 

"ROOOOOAAARR!" The creature bellowed as Rui evaded its charge. It stared at Rui with its reptilian eyes, clearly surprised that Rui had been able to evade it. It was sure that it had cleanly managed to make Rui fall for its trap.

And yet...

WHOOSH!

Rui leaped away once more as he avoided yet another charge, avoiding being shredded by the dragon.

A grin emerged on his face. "Man, I'm so glad I decided to go to the Shionel Dungeon. I bet you're pissed, huh, dragon?"

"ROOOAAAR!" The dragon roared as it circled back for yet another charge, determined to shred his latest prey like he had done so to the countless prey that came before him.

Rui grinned even more.

Rui couldn't actually hear or see the dragon, yet he knew the dragon was undoubtedly angered.

Here he was, completely caught in the spell of the mental illusionary technique of the dragon, and yet it was unable to even lay a claw on him as he casually avoided it.

He couldn't see it, but imagining the dragon helplessly chasing after him was incredibly humorous.

"Hahaha!" Rui's mirthful laughter echoed throughout the forest, enraging the dragon even more.

"RROOOOOOARRR!" The dragon's eyes flashed with anger, before inhaling deeply and exhaling a strange drag gas with such force that it spread through the entire forest in a mighty shockwave.

BOOOM!!!

Suddenly, the dragon began to emit light, emitting such bright light that it spread across the forest, entering the eyes of all creatures in the forest.

"AARRGH!" Rui cursed as extraordinarily excruciating pain flashed all over his body, almost crippling with how severe it was. he hadn't experienced something this horrific since the evolution process of the Squire breakthrough. 

However, unbeknownst to him, he was not the only one.

The entire forest began wailing as countless animals began screeching in agony.

"CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!"

"Rooooaaar!!"

"KREEEEEE!"

However, animals were not the only ones who suffered. Humans, too, fell prey to the dragon.

"AAAAAAAH!"

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

The entire forest turned into an uproar as the Illusionary Dragon seemed to cast a spell that caused unfathomable agony to all those within the range of its effect.