Chapter 129: When There's a Way to Heaven, You Won't Take It

Chapter 129: When There's a Way to Heaven, You Won't Take It



Just now, this thing had blocked Rayn's swift slash.

Although Rayn's strike prioritized speed and lacked a full charge, under normal circumstances, it would have pierced through anyone not wearing plate armor but instead wearing chainmail or heavy leather armor.

Additionally, judging from the state of the opponent after being hit, it seemed that they were not injured by the Radiant Blade, a Mystic Realm weapon.

This was a situation that had never occurred with the Black Flame Adepts before, causing Rayn's gaze to intensify.

At this moment, the Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly lifted it, revealing a handsome, pale face beneath the hood. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be merely twenty years old.

Rayn's eyes narrowed, unsure if the opponent was genuinely this age or if it was the effect of some sinister spell.

"Young man, you have impressive talent, but that's enough!" A sinister smile suddenly appeared on the pale face.

As soon as the words left his mouth, his body underwent a sudden transformation!

The black robe puffed up like an inflated balloon, and as it continued to expand, it burst open with a loud bang, revealing a grayish-white belted robe underneath.

But the moment this garment appeared, Rayn's pupils constricted in shock! With his exceptional vision, he noticed the peculiarity of the opponent's robe—he saw at least six or seven distorted faces on the grayish-white belted robe, their expressions twisted in agony and ferocity. Judging by the ages of these faces, they seemed to be children around ten years old.

In other words, this was a grayish-white belted robe made from multiple pieces of human skin.

"Damn, it's indeed a cult, so cruel!" Rayn cursed in his mind.

He finally understood the purpose behind the Black Flame Cult's encouragement of gang members to abduct children.

Their objective might not be that simple, but this was undoubtedly one of their goals.

Moreover, the opponent's robe must have undergone some special 'processing' to achieve this effect, as Rayn's greatsword had struggled to cut through it earlier.

But the revelation of this terrifying robe was just the beginning.

The opponent's body suddenly started to grow uncontrollably, shooting up from around 1.9 meters to 2.2 meters.

And the transformation continued!

The opponent was solely growing taller, not expanding in size like Rayn did when he unleashed his full power.

Two meters four.

Two meters six.

Rayn watched in disbelief as his opponent's height increased.

Anyone would be stunned to see their original opponent suddenly grow from 1.9 meters to 2.6 meters!

Rayn felt like his enemy had transformed from a small child to a giant.

"Is he made of rubber?" he thought.

At this moment, the opponent's two-meter-long two-handed weapon, the giant scythe, was now being wielded with just one hand. Yes, the two-handed weapon had become a one-handed weapon.

"Cyclone Slash!"

The opponent spun the giant scythe vertically with one hand, creating a standing electric fan-like effect, and instantly whipped up a black-gray cyclone that rushed towards Rayn.

This time, Rayn didn't recklessly choose to withstand the attack head-on, even though he possessed the supernatural ability 'Iron Skin Level 2'. He didn't want to directly block what seemed like a secret technique.

If his 'Iron Skin' were to be broken, it would be disastrous.

So, Rayn immediately rolled to the side, swiftly dodging the attack.

The black-gray cyclone grazed past Rayn and sliced through several fleeing town residents behind him, turning them into chunks of meat that ignited into Black Flames!

Rayn's eyebrows furrowed as he realized that after the transformation, the opponent's attacks had become more diverse and bizarre.

It was clear that this was not a physical attack but a combination of some mystical energy.

Just as Rayn thought he had evaded the attack by sidestepping, his Level 3 Danger Sense went into overdrive, warning him of danger. Simultaneously, Rayn's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a chilling glint, like a lightning bolt, heading straight for his face.

Rayn quickly raised his Radiant Greatsword horizontally to block the attack.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew in all directions.

Rayn was instantly knocked back four to five meters.

"Damn! The opponent's strength has increased too!"

At this moment, Rayn's eyes widened in shock, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

The opponent's body had already grown to an impressive 2.6 meters, but now it stretched to a staggering 12.6 meters!

The Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist's waist seemed to transform into a ten-meter-long python, making his entire appearance both bizarre and terrifying.

It's important to note that this ten meters is an actual measurement and not an exaggeration.

The previous attack had been executed by extending the opponent's waist like rubber, reaching Rayn's position, and then slashing with the scythe.

As Rayn watched in astonishment, the opponent's waist retracted like a spring, pulling the lower half of his body back to the original position.

"Damn, this cultist is too bizarre. Is he even human?" Rayn muttered to himself.

"Rubber man Luffy?"

"A true snake waist!"

Rayn cursed silently.

Jennie, who was anxiously observing the battle between Rayn and the Giant Scythe Black-robed Adept, stood with her mouth agape and eyes wide, her expression a mix of shock and horror.

Although she had heard about the cult's deeds and various atrocities before, this was the first time she had witnessed such a bizarre and terrifying cultist.

"This... This isn't even human!"

"What if Rayn can't beat him?!"

At this moment, Jennie's fair hands tightly clutched her dress, her face tense as she peered through the carriage window, watching the battle between the two in the church square and thinking of ways to help Rayn.

She glanced at the two family knights, whose faces had also turned pale with fear, and shook her head.

"Family cavalry, sigh! Just a Level 2 Knight Squire, they're completely useless! Too weak!"

"Huh!"

Jennie noticed a short man dressed as a Night Watch Captain blocking a middle-aged woman in peasant attire, trying to persuade her.

Since she wasn't far from them, despite the chaotic crowd, Jennie could still catch snippets of their conversation.

"Let me go and see Rayn."

"Aunt Emma, if you go over there, it will only worry Lord Rayn. It's better to..."

Huh?

Is this Rayn's mother?

Jennie's eyes lit up as she immediately thought of something. She quickly jumped out of the carriage, holding her skirt, and ran over, while the two family cavalrymen immediately protected their young lady and followed closely.

"Ma'am, are you Lord Rayn's mother?"

"Hmm? Yes, may I ask who you are?" Emma took a step back, feeling a little nervous as she saw a young lady dressed as a noble approaching with two fully armed cavalrymen behind her.

"I'm Jennie Crowley, Aunt Emma. I'm a friend of Lord Rayn."

"If you're worried about Lord Rayn and don't want to leave, you can watch from my carriage. It will be much safer." Jennie pointed to the carriage beside her as she spoke.

Matteo couldn't help but nod repeatedly at the suggestion of the beautiful noble lady, "Aunt Emma, if you still want to stay here, then listen to Miss Jennie's suggestion."

After all, with two cavalry guards in the carriage, it would be much safer.

Additionally, Aunt Emma could observe Rayn's battle in the church square from the carriage window.

"This... I'm afraid it might dirty your carriage, and I'm not very presentable." Emma looked at herself and then at the luxurious carriage, hesitating.

She had never ridden such a luxurious noble carriage before.

When she fled earlier, her clothes were also dirty.

This made Matteo, standing nearby, feel anxious, thinking, Aunt Emma, you were originally a peasant, but now you are the honorable 'Mother of Lord Rayn, Emma', why worry about such things!

"Aunt Emma, just call me Jennie." Jennie's eyes curved into a smile, not at all bothered by Emma's dirty clothes, and she took the initiative to support her.

As she spoke, she rubbed her white dress against Emma's dirty clothes and said,

"Aunt Emma, see, I'm not clean either. Let's not be too particular about these things."

"Please come with me!"

Huh?

Such a friendly noble lady!

Emma might have hesitated under normal circumstances, but with her mind on Rayn, she wasn't too reserved and nodded in agreement.

The two of them quickly entered the carriage together.

The two cavalrymen from Jennie's family exchanged glances and then looked at the powerful Rayn, immediately understanding their young lady's intention.

Miss, you've really widened the path for yourself!

The battle in the center of the church square continued.

However, at this moment, the Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist across from them didn't rush to attack. Instead, he said, "Young man, you have impressive talent. Joining the embrace of my lord is the best choice for you."

Rayn never expected the other party to suddenly extend an olive branch and recruit him.

Join the Black Flame Church and worship the Black Flame?

And become a person who isn't quite human or ghost?

The thought of becoming a rubber man like him made Rayn shake his head vigorously like a rattle drum!

Seeing Rayn's refusal, the 'Lord Apostle' seemed furious and immediately performed a spinning slash towards Rayn!

"Whoosh!"

The two-meter-tall enemy's spinning slash had an incredibly large attack radius!

Rayn dodged the attack with another side flip, barely avoiding it.

But before Rayn could stand up, a black flame fireball was hurled towards him from the left hand of the Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist.

"Boom!"

Rayn was blasted several meters away, his body entangled with strands of black flame.

"Ouch! That really hurts!"

This was a combo attack, and 'Danger Sense Level 3' had already warned him, but he couldn't dodge it in time!

Although he took a hit, Rayn had tested out the opponent's moves through the previous battle.

Perhaps the opponent still had a hidden move or two, but Rayn had a general understanding of their combat style.

It wasn't his style to just take a beating without fighting back.

In an instant, several battle plans flashed through his mind, but Rayn rejected them all when he thought of the opponent's human leather armor and its ridiculously high defense, which even his Radiant Blade couldn't cut through.

At this moment, Rain felt a slight regret that his combat methods were still too one-sided.

If he had known he would encounter such a tough and thick-skinned enemy, he should have learned the 'Toccal's Hammer Technique Outline'.

With the power of the heavy hammer's shockwave, he could have bypassed the opponent's surface defense and directly inflicted severe damage to their internal body.

However, there was still a chance now.

Just then, Rain keenly noticed a brief moment of weakness in the opponent's armor.

It was when the opponent stretched their waist like a rubber man to attack, the wrinkled human skin armor also stretched along with it.

It was as if a pair of pleated trousers had been ironed flat by an electric iron.

At that moment, the human skin armor was exceptionally smooth and taut.

Perhaps, the reason for using the skin of a child to make armor was to take advantage of the elasticity of their skin.

Of course, a single piece of human skin would not achieve this effect; there must be other demonic techniques involved.

So, if Rain could seize the opportunity when the opponent used the rubber man combat technique again and swung his sword with full force at the stretched waist, there would be a high probability of cutting the opponent in half at the waist!

---

Myester County, the county town.

Inside a luxurious mansion.

The beautiful Baroness Crowley, dressed casually in a white belted puffy dress, was lounging on a lambskin recliner in the backyard garden, basking in the warm winter sun.

A maid's slender hands carefully peeled grapes for her, while another maid thoughtfully covered her with a thin wool blanket.

The baroness's voluptuous upper body and exaggerated waist-to-hip ratio caught the attention of the maids nearby, who couldn't help but compare themselves to her, feeling envious.

At this moment, a female servant rushed over and said, "My lady, Miss Jennie has sent an urgent message via a blue-helmeted pigeon."

She then handed over a tube-like object, which was attached to the pigeon's leg, to Baroness Crowley.

The baroness's full name was Jennifer Sesi, but after marrying Baron Crowley, she became Jennifer Crowley.

Read the error-free version on 69 Book Bar! 6=9+Book_Bar, the first to release this novel.

Jennifer was surprised and immediately stood up to receive the tube.

She opened it and recognized her daughter Jennie's handwriting, which read:

"Mother: Shiny Gold Town is under attack by heretics. Please send support from the county town immediately! Jennie!"

This immediately startled Jennifer!

Her first thought was, "Jennie is in danger!"

But the next second, she realized that it wasn't necessarily Jennie who was in danger. If she were truly in danger, Jennie wouldn't have just sent a request for help; she would have also sent a farewell letter to her mother.

This calmed Jennifer down a bit.

'Shiny Gold Town?'

'Rain!' A flash of insight crossed Jennifer's mind, and soon she guessed her daughter's intention.

"Quickly get me into formal attire. I'm going to pay a visit to a guest."

"Yes, my lady."

---

Shiny Gold Town.

In the square outside the church, the white-hot battle continued!

Clang!!

Rain blocked another 'Snake Waist' attack from his opponent and took a moment to observe.

Now was the time!

On top of the 35% Break Limit, Rain instantly activated his Extraordinary Ability 'Giant Strength Level 2' and a full ten points of 'Power Surge'!

His strength value instantly increased from 15 (+5) to 15 (+29)!

An increase of 195%, nearly doubling his strength!

The Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist also realized something was wrong.

Because the 'little guy' in front of him had also 'transformed', but unlike his own vertical development, he had grown taller and more muscular.

It was as if a monkey had suddenly turned into a mountain gorilla!

Facing Rain's powerful swing, the Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist desperately tried to block it.

But he couldn't hold it back!

There was no way he could block it!

This was a jump from 20 points of strength to 44 points.

Clang!!

The moment the two weapons made contact, the Radiant Blade's immense strength was transmitted to the giant scythe.

The giant scythe couldn't even withstand a hundredth of a second before being knocked away.

The radiant blade continued its downward slash, followed by a sound like cutting through leather.

Plop!

The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground echoed.

Indeed, the human skin armor, which was in the stretching phase, had significantly reduced defensive capabilities. Rain's radiant blade sliced through the Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist's snake waist, cutting him in half with a single downward strike. The sound from earlier was his upper body hitting the ground.

Ah!! The cultist let out a painful scream.

It seemed like a strong backlash had occurred.

At this moment, the Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist's body spontaneously ignited with black flames, growing more intense by the second.

Inside the church hall, the Blackflame Cultist Metri, who had been leading the blood sacrifice ritual, had just completed the final stages of the ceremony.

On top of the bone staff, there was a dense, blood-red rhombus crystal.

Although nearly half of the residents had fled, there were still around seventy or eighty Shiny Gold Town residents whose blood and life force had been absorbed into the crystal.

The residents who had died inside the church hall looked withered, like thousand-year-old mummies.

As Mitri strolled casually towards the 'Apostle', an astonishing scene unfolded before his eyes! A monstrously muscular youth, with bulging veins, swung his sword and sliced the 'Apostle' in half with a single strike! Mitri's eyes widened in shock at the sight.

Frozen for several seconds, Mitri's mind went blank as he muttered, "Impossible!"

"This is absolutely impossible."

"Unless it's a Peak Knight, there's no way the Apostle could lose!"

After delivering the 'Peak Strike', Rain's body deflated like a punctured balloon. He leaned on his greatsword, panting heavily, looking utterly exhausted.

This was no act.

At this moment, he had almost no combat power left.

Although Rain's physique had increased from 16 points to 17 points after his battle with Andrews, compared to the 44 points of strength he unleashed during his surge, this physique was like a drop in the ocean.

So, when Rain saw the Blackflame Cultist approaching him in the church hall, he inwardly groaned, "Damn!"

However, the physique increase did have its benefits.

At least, Rain could now endure the pain and straighten his back, calmly facing his opponent.

Mitri noticed Rain's calm gaze fixed on him, possibly due to Rain's aura from defeating the Apostle, which was so intimidating that Mitri's forehead broke into a cold sweat.

The next moment, Mitri, fearing, took a step back and quickly turned to run away. He sprinted like a black lightning bolt! But after running over a dozen meters, Mitri abruptly stopped and spun around, his gaze returning to Rain.

At this moment, Mitri seemed to regain his senses, thinking, "Wait, something's not right! No matter how strong Rain is, he shouldn't be in good physical condition after fighting the Apostle."

So, Mitri cautiously observed Rain's body. Rain's entire body trembled, and his clothes barely held his upright posture.

The plate armor covering his body was also severely damaged, leaving him with almost no defense.

Additionally, there were charred spots on his exposed skin.

"This..."

"I'm telling you, this guy may have killed the Apostle by luck, but he's exhausted!"

"Damn, I almost fell for his act!"

"Now it's my turn. I got the upper hand, thanks to the great God of the Hunt!"

"As the one who disrupted the blood sacrifice ritual and killed the Apostle, if I defeat him, I'll undoubtedly receive a grand reward from the High Priest."

"Perhaps, I might even be promoted to the new Apostle, haha!"

A smug smile appeared on Mitri's lips.

When Rain saw Mitri returning, his heart sank, sensing trouble.

After all, among the powerhouses in Shiny Gold Town, aside from Rain, no one could face a Blackflame Cultist.

However, as Rain anxiously checked his job panel, his eyes widened in surprise.

The system prompted:

【Your Saber Bear Technique has improved. Experience gained: +121】

【You have completed a battle. Knight (Extraordinary) experience gained: +40】

【Your Saber Bear Technique has improved. Experience gained: +542】

【You have completed a battle. Knight (Extraordinary) experience gained: +233】

【Congratulations! Your Knight (Extraordinary) level has increased!】

"Holy shit! I just leveled up?"

"The experience from that Giant Scythe Blackflame Cultist is insane!"

Rain never expected to level up again after defeating Andrews, and so soon!

It hadn't even been half an hour since his previous level-up.

Moreover, after his previous level-up, his Knight (Extraordinary) level was lv2 (43/300), requiring 257 points to level up.

Rain couldn't believe that defeating the previous Blackflame Cultist and this Giant Scythe Cultist together provided him with 40+233, a total of 273 experience points.

At this moment, his Knight (Extraordinary) level had reached lv3 (16/500).

Of course, these weren't the most crucial aspects.

What mattered was the attribute point gained from leveling up.

Without hesitation, Rain allocated this attribute point to his physique.

Instantly, his physique increased from 17 points to 18 points.

A surge of heat rushed from his heart and quickly spread throughout his body.

Rain felt like he had returned to peak condition, filled with vigor! The aftereffects of using 'Triple Iteration' also vanished without a trace.

His overall state was better than ever.

Facing the approaching Blackflame Cultist, Rain's lips curled upward, silently reciting:

"When there's a way to heaven you won't take, why would you enter hell?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end