In that moment, Ryu's Ice Spirit Body had elevated beyond his Fire and Lightning Spirit Bodies, raising to a level of being one with nature, where his body was larger than just his body alone and instead embodied the elements.
Not only could he casually fuse into like elements, but he could clone himself nigh endlessly so long as he had the mental capacity and enough of his element to do so.
It was then that people realized that there wasn't just one Ryu anymore, but dozens of them. And each and every one looked perfectly identical to the other.
When he began to unleash his truest carnage, the army couldn't seem to fight back at all, nor did he hold back. He seemed to have completely disregarded consequences, reaping the lives of Spirituals, Fey, and Naturals as though they weren't backed by Dao Gods.