Zuran was inside a blue glowing bubble floating in the air. The two beasts were fighting each other in the sky over this bubble, as though they wanted it for themselves.
Ren stood there on the sand, his fan now held over his head as he stared up at them. He watched them brutally clash and strike each other while moving through the air, the bubble floating between them.
The tiger smacked the lion aside and reached out for the bubble. But the lion roared its wind at the tiger, sending it flying. Like that, the two battled for possession.
"Greed…" Ren said. "They're fighting for the poor boy." He stared. "But what am I supposed to do? Go grab Zuran?"
He stared for a while, wondering if the beasts would notice him. "It'd be best if they don't. I don't think I have time for these two again… and they're even together this time around."
He ran a hand through his hair as he watched. The fight between the two beasts continued for a while. At some point, they took the fight far away from the bubble.
Ren stared at the bubble, now alone and distant. "I could just go and get him. They're too busy fighting to notice anything now. I'll just have to be quick."
He smiled as he flew toward the bubble. On arriving, Ren used his fan to pop it. But immediately, the two beasts stopped fighting.
They both turned and stared at Ren, their eyes burning with fury. They were ready to kill, and Ren panicked. "Oh dear."
The beasts roared and both attacked, flying in to crash into Ren.
"Oh fuck!" Ren found himself grabbing Zuran by the waist and flying off. He flew through the hot desert sky with the two beasts chasing after him, eager to tear him apart.
"Don't y'all get tired? Leave me alone!" he yelled, flying with the unconscious Zuran in his arms. He was too panicked to calm down and melt into Zuran's illusion.
He had two bloodthirsty monsters after him!
He flew around for a while before waving his fan back at them. The sand from the ground rose and formed a tornado around the wave from his fan, and he sent it toward the beasts.
The lion's roar sent a more powerful tornado that clashed with Ren's. Ren found himself sucked into it along with Zuran.
"Gosh, I need to learn to grow more powerful with these demon skills!" he yelled as the tornado absorbed him, spun him and Zuran around, and spilled them out onto the ground.
Zuran lay there unconscious on the sand as Ren struggled to his feet and picked up his fan. He looked ahead at the two beasts attacking from the sky and then back at Zuran lying behind him.
"I guess I have no choice but to keep them far away. Crazy how powerful greed can make someone," he said. He spun his fan into the air, summoning a shield as the lion roared.
The purple shield kept him and Zuran safe for over a minute before the tiger crashed into it. It shattered as he spun and slapped his fan against the tiger, sending it flying.
The lion landed on the ground and ran toward them in attack. Ren found himself fighting the deadly lion with only his fan, spinning it left and right while striking in its direction.
Soon, the tiger joined, and Ren began to grow tired. Zuran was still asleep behind him, and he wasn't letting these two beasts get what they wanted—him.
He took it upon himself to keep them away, and he was already getting exhausted from the amount of strength he was using. It left him wondering if these two were the strongest among the seven.
The lion had initially appeared in Pride, and the tiger in Envy. Now the two of them were in Greed. Ren could only interpret this as greed being a connecting line between the previous two—that these three were somewhat connected.
But he didn't have time to make theories. He had to save his own ass.
The lion and tiger teamed up and blew Ren off into the sky. He somersaulted in the air and threw his fan down toward them.
The fan sent a sharp purple lightning strike down at the beasts. It kept them farther away from Zuran while the fan boomeranged back to Ren's hand.
Ren landed back on the ground, standing before Zuran as he stared at the beasts that had gotten to their feet, angrily coming for him, their eyes burning.
Ren gasped as he placed a hand over his chest. He had used a strong amount of his power, and he felt hurt within. These beasts were made with a great part of his core, so they were strong enough to rival him in some ways. Now he began wondering if he could take these two down alone.
"I can't take them down alone. Let me be quick with getting in…"
He turned and stared down at Zuran, intending to quickly kneel before him and melt into his illusion. But the beasts were faster.
He went down on his knees before Zuran, about to place a hand on his cheeks.
But the lion and tiger flew toward him. Their claws and sharp teeth were out, ready to land on Ren and tear him apart.
They were close—extremely close to Ren's back. And Ren still hadn't placed his hands on Zuran's cheeks.
But before his hands met Zuran's face, Zuran's eyes flipped open. Red and burning with fire, Zuran stared at Ren, who paused with a sharp gasp—shocked.
Before Ren could even understand what was happening, Zuran instantly wrapped his arms around Ren's waist and pulled him down to his side. Then Zuran rose to his knees and turned to face Ren, who now lay on the ground. Zuran had his back to the beasts about to crash into them.
Burning red wings spread out from Zuran's back. The phoenix wings. Fire oozing from behind as the two beasts crashed against the harsh flame energy and flew backward into ashes.
Ren gasped at the scene, his eyes meeting Zuran's fiery gaze, which was glued to him. Domineering yet warmly safe, those eyes weren't leaving Ren anytime soon.
And Ren found himself melting into those eyes…
The illusion was as simple as anything. Zuran's greed was his possessiveness of the Demon God. Zuran saw him as his own. His admiration of the Demon God had grown into obsession—one where he wouldn't let anyone else touch him. He was greedy enough to want him entirely to himself. Breaking through greed meant Ren realizing that Zuran had to let go of his greed over the Demon God once he learned how heartless the Demon God had been to him…
Ren grew quiet as his eyes reflected the flames around Zuran in that moment, mirroring the burning intensity in Zuran's gaze.
And before he knew it, the system spoke.
[Congratulations on passing the sixth stage of Greed.]