Chapter 189: Transformation

Chapter 189: Transformation



The bearded bandit chief, a Senior Knight, brandished his Knight's Longsword and shouted, "Charge! Take him down!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he charged ahead, leading the pack. He was one of the most formidable bandits in the area, known for his experience and skill.

His bandit gang, named after the 'Wolves' of Wolfhill Plains, reflected his confidence and ambition.

With money, he could expand his gang, improve their weapons and equipment, and deepen their cooperation with the Wilderness Brotherhood by completing this task. It was a win-win situation, and the bearded bandit was naturally highly motivated.

Over twenty men, dressed as mercenaries, saw their leader charging ahead and instantly felt their spirits rise. Their faces turned red, and they roared with excitement as they rushed towards Rain.

Several crossbow arrows were fired towards Rain before the bandits even reached him!

Facing this charge, Rain drew his greatsword, his gaze steady as he stared ahead. With a swift movement, he dodged the incoming arrows with two quick steps.

"Charge! Kill him!" The bandit leaders were stunned, realizing that the man before them was a tough opponent. But, relying on their numbers, they continued to roar and brandished their weapons at Rain.

Suddenly, Rain's chest swelled, puffing up like a frog's throat! The most striking feature was his inflated neck, as if a steam-powered torrent was about to burst forth from his chest!

As expected, the next moment, a massive gust of wind, like a train whistle, erupted from Rain's gaping mouth!

"ROAR!!!"

A roar louder than the combined screams of all the bandits filled the air!

The charging bandits were terrified, their faces pale, and they tried to stop their charge, but before they could, the wide-range sonic blast hit them head-on!

To dodge a sonic blast, one's retreat speed would have to exceed the speed of sound! But for these bandits, that was impossible!

Instantly, a deafening boom exploded in the bandits' ears. Most of them lost consciousness, their eyes rolling back, and their minds went blank! Their facial skin was stretched, trembled, and deformed by the subsequent shockwave!

Then, screams filled the air.

"Ah! Ah!"

For several seconds after the blast, most of the bandits covered their ears, their faces contorted in pain. Their ears and minds still rang with the sound, unable to recover.

Even Giovanni, inside the carriage, frowned and muttered, "Sonic blast, huh? Not bad."

Strangely, the screams in the arena gradually diminished.

A gray figure, holding a greatsword, moved like a high-speed sewing machine needle through the bandits. The hissing sound of slicing filled the air.

Seconds later, not a single bandit could stand. Including their leader, the bearded bandit, they were all cut into pieces, lying dead on the spot!

Rain shook the glowing greatsword in his hand, flicking off the blood. His gaze remained fixed on the tall carriage, unmoving. The reason he used his ultimate move, 'Roar Strike,' from the start was because of the presence of a powerful opponent watching from the side, ready to strike at any moment. Delaying the fight would only put him at a disadvantage, and he might be ambushed.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

A crisp voice echoed, "I thought you'd at least get injured, but it seems I underestimated your skills."

"However, it's pointless. Your fate is sealed."

A tall, slender figure, at least two meters and twenty centimeters tall, emerged from the carriage, holding a strange scythe-like weapon.

Rain's gaze sharpened as he stared at his opponent, realizing this was the main event.

On the gray knight's chest armor, three dull flames burned black, reminding Rain of the Black Flame Cultists he had killed before.

Three black flames?

Rain thought to himself that this must be a high-ranking member of the Black Flame Cult.

Additionally, from the opponent's aura, he could tell that he was not a Great Knight. And his level 3 'Danger Sense' warning wasn't strong enough to be unmanageable.

This calmed Rain's nerves.

Perhaps, if he hadn't trained with Master Gunther, his skills might have been inferior to his opponent's. But now, they were likely on par.

Of course, the opponent probably had a trump card.

But did Rain have none?

Seeing Rain's calm expression, Giovanni found it uninteresting and shook his head. "I like my prey to go crazy and scream before they die. You're too calm; I don't like it."

"Or do you think you can escape this time?"

"Last time, if it weren't for that Druid... Never mind, forget it."

Giovanni's expression changed as he remembered his previous encounter. He stopped speaking.

Rain understood what the man in front of him was saying, even though he had never met him before. The man mentioned "Drew," which Rain guessed might refer to a druid. It seemed that Anna's aunt, the elven lady, had repelled this person in the past.

"Are you from the Black Flame Cult?" Rain asked, speaking for the first time.

"Hmm? Not bad, you figured it out! But I don't have much time to chat with you. Although this place is remote, there are occasional caravans passing by. It won't look good if they see you, the new Baron, die at my hands."

"I promised the High Priest that I would make you, the newly appointed Baron, disappear without a trace."

As soon as he finished speaking, Giovanni swung the strange scythe in his hand as if to attack, but he suddenly stopped because he was curious about what Rain was about to say.

"Actually, I'm quite happy to have met you today," Rain said calmly, his eyelids drooping.

"Oh? Why is that?" Giovanni was taken aback by Rain's unexpected response and stopped his movement to ask curiously.

"Because I just learned something new and wanted to test it on a good opponent. But all I've encountered so far are feral beasts, and it always feels like something is missing. So, I'm really happy to meet you!"

As Rain spoke, he lifted his head, his gaze fixed on Giovanni.

At that moment, Giovanni felt uncomfortable because Rain's gaze made him feel like the prey, while Rain seemed like the hunter.

"Hmph! I didn't expect you, the new Baron, to be a braggart. Now you can die!"

"As punishment, I'll make your death more painful!"

Suddenly, black flames enveloped Giovanni's armor, like black vines wrapping around his body. Simultaneously, a chain of black flames coiled around his strange scythe.

Rain's eyes narrowed, as this was the first time he had seen such a technique.

It seemed to enhance both defense and attach to weapons to increase attack power! This must be some kind of powerful dark magic from the Black Flame Cult, even more potent than their fireballs.

But Rain had his own magic!

"High-Temperature Force Field!"

Rain chanted the spell, and soon, a spherical force field of high temperature surrounded him.

"Hmm?"

Although the force field was invisible and intangible, the energy emanating from Rain still startled Giovanni slightly.

"Interesting, interesting, haha! I didn't expect you to know magic as well. Now killing you will be even more fun."

"Swoosh!" Giovanni tapped his toes, and the ground beneath him shattered.

He charged at Rain with a piercing sound, moving incredibly fast.

Rain's pupils constricted, and he immediately blocked the attack with his sword!

Giovanni showed disdain, swinging his strange scythe towards Rain's neck with a swift strike.

Rain's speed during the previous battle had been too slow, and he would not be able to withstand this attack, even if he hadn't activated his limit break. Even if he did, how much could it improve? Seventy percent? Or eighty percent?

But strangely, Rain's speed suddenly increased by almost double, and he precisely blocked the strike.

"Clang!!!

Sparks flew!

Giovanni took a few steps back and spoke in a deep voice, "Ninety percent?"

It turned out that Rain had just activated his limit break.

Rain understood what Giovanni meant; he was surprised by Rain's limit break level, wondering how it could be so high, reaching ninety percent.

However, the battle had already begun, and only a fool would pay attention to such a question.

Rain seized the opportunity when Giovanni's movements stalled and quickly launched a counterattack!

"Ding ding dang!"

Both of them moved incredibly fast, like two clouds of smoke, drifting back and forth on the path. Sparks flew, and the clashing sounds were incessant.

Sometimes, their battle extended beyond the path and into the nearby forest, where trees suffered the consequences. Trees with trunks as wide as bowls were often cut down in quick succession, and the sound of falling trees filled the air.

Rain noticed that his High-Temperature Force Field was not as effective as it should have been, and the reason was the black flames that enveloped Giovanni's body like vines, which seemed to block the damage from Rain's magic.

After seeing Rain's limit break and the subsequent increase in speed, Giovanni realized that Rain's repeated escapes from the church's attacks were not mere luck but a result of his genuine skill.

It wasn't just empty boasting.

Although Giovanni's speed still surpassed Rain's, he couldn't finish him off like a cat playing with a mouse.

However, this made Giovanni secretly more excited.

Killing a genius was far more satisfying than killing an ordinary expert.

"Swish!"

Giovanni's speed suddenly increased by several levels, indicating the activation of his extraordinary trait.

"Sizzle!"

The strange scythe in Giovanni's hand suddenly accelerated, becoming almost invisible.

Rain tried to dodge, but he was still struck by the scythe and sent flying!

"Tsk tsk, at your age, you've managed to raise your limit break to over ninety percent. It's rare to see such a talented knight."

"But I'll say it again, your fate will not change!" Giovanni stared at Rain, speaking with a mocking tone.

Rain took three steps back before stopping abruptly, looking down at his chest. A deep gash had already appeared on his chrome-iron chest armor, and the plate armor made of chrome-iron was now completely torn apart.

If it weren't for the level 3 extraordinary trait 'Iron Skin', he would have been injured by now.

The long-handled strange scythe in the opponent's hand was no ordinary weapon, and with the eerie enhancement of the black flame, it was incredibly lethal. The chrome-iron armor was barely more durable than a thick piece of paper against the opponent's weapon.

Additionally, the opponent was a speed-type knight.

And not just any speed-type knight.

Although the opponent wore greaves on their calves, the length of their legs and the tight fit allowed Rain to immediately notice that their Achilles tendon was incredibly long and slender, even more so than that of the world's fastest sprinter, Usain Bolt.

As expected, their speed was indeed astonishingly fast!

After some thought, Rain forcefully tore off the damaged knight's chest armor and threw it to the ground with a loud 'thud'. He then proceeded to remove his leg armor and other protective gear.

Giovanni, on the other hand, wore an expression of confidence and superiority as he watched Rain, as if he had already won. After a moment, he seemed to understand something and said, "Interesting! You don't seriously think that by removing this hundred-pound knight's plate armor, you can catch up to my speed, do you?"

"It's a wild idea, but all it takes is a light swipe of my scythe, and without the protection of your knight's armor, your body will split into two with a sizzle."

Seeing Rain's 'interesting' behavior, Giovanni had a look on his face that said, 'Go ahead, show me what you've got.' He watched Rain with great interest, not rushing to take action.

Indeed, Rain wasn't done yet. After removing the chrome-iron armor, he took his glowing greatsword and slammed it into the ground, then drew out a pig-headed mace with his other hand.

For the current Rain, under the buff of Hammer Expertise lv3, the mace was his number one weapon.

However, Giovanni was unaware of this, and he shook his head, saying, "If you're trying to reduce weight, the mace in your hand is obviously heavier than the sword. I really don't understand your logic."

But holding the pig-headed mace, Rain felt a sense of indescribable relief.

He felt as if his entire body was light as a feather, as if he could fly with a single leap.

"Whoosh!"

A figure wielding a hammer rushed towards Giovanni at an astonishing speed.

Rain's speed had clearly increased by over twenty percent! Giovanni smirked, and with a 'whoosh', his figure also disappeared from his original spot.

"Clang!"

The next second, Giovanni's smile vanished!

As their strange scythe clashed with Rain's warhammer, a shockwave rippled through them, causing Giovanni to be caught off guard.

Although Giovanni's strange scythe was no ordinary weapon and remained undamaged, each time he blocked an attack, his body would stagger due to the shockwave.

This almost completely negated his speed advantage, and Rain's relentless onslaught, like a tidal wave, prevented Giovanni from launching a counterattack. He could only continuously block, block, and block again.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Although Giovanni's strange scythe was no ordinary weapon, it remained undamaged. However, each time he blocked an attack, his body would stagger due to the shockwave.

This almost completely negated his speed advantage, and Rain's relentless onslaught, like a tidal wave, prevented Giovanni from launching a counterattack. He could only continuously block, block, and block again.

Finally, Giovanni revealed an opening, and Rain's hammer struck his chest. Although Giovanni had the protection of the black flame and quickly retreated to reduce the impact, he was still hit hard enough to crack his chest armor and send him staggering back over a dozen steps!

Giovanni's slender legs dragged long grooves in the ground before he could barely stand firm!

"Enough! It's time to end this!" Giovanni removed his helmet, revealing a face that was both angry and flushed.

Although he had already overestimated Rain, he never expected that Rain's proficiency with the two-handed sword would reach the level of mastery, and his skill with the two-handed warhammer would be even more advanced. It was almost as if he had surpassed the level of mastery, which was beyond Giovanni's comprehension. Even if Rain had been practicing hammer and sword techniques since he was one year old, it was still unimaginable for him to have reached such a high level with both weapons. If this was a matter of talent, it was simply unbelievable!

If he didn't use his trump card, Giovanni might not be able to defeat Rain, as Rain's stamina consumption, even with the Limit Break, was higher than Giovanni's.

The next second, Giovanni roared!

"Beast Transformation!"

Giovanni's body began to undergo a dramatic transformation!

His hair grew rapidly like a wild fire, his face contorted and deformed, his jaws protruded, sharp fangs emerged, and his hands transformed into claw-like shapes, still gripping the strange scythe.

Hiss!

Was this a Wolverine transformation? Rain was both surprised and excited.

This was the first time he had encountered an enemy with transformation abilities.

"Now, you can rest in the embrace of the goddess!" Giovanni, now with a wolf's head, spoke in a deliberate tone.

"Whoosh!"

Giovanni's figure vanished from sight.

The next second, a loud clanging sound rang out where Rain stood.

Rain was struck by a heavy blow, sending him flying back more than ten meters!

It turned out that after the other party transformed, their speed and strength further increased, and their speed, in particular, reached a level that was difficult for ordinary people to capture with their naked eyes.

Although Rain had strong dynamic vision and could still keep up with the opponent, his own reaction speed was slightly slower, so he was at a slight disadvantage just now.

"You have no chance now!"

"Ding ding dang dang!"

Although Rain was also extremely fast, he was still a bit slower compared to Giovanni in his beast form.

From the side, as one watched closely, Rain's figure seemed to flicker, but one could still barely make out his human form. As for Giovanni, he was completely blurred, and one could only hear his incessant chatter.

The entire battle scene gave onlookers a sense of eeriness, as if Rain were fighting some indistinct blurry thing around his body.

Every second, sparks from metal collisions would appear around Rain multiple times, accompanied by that piercing clanging sound! But no matter how one looked, they couldn't identify Rain's opponent!

"Too slow!"

"Too slow!"

"Rain, you're too slow!"

"Hahaha, if you're this slow, you'll die here!" Giovanni burst into laughter.

Rain's heart was calm, listening to Giovanni's wild laughter, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

"It seems I can only increase Agility."

"Originally, I wanted to save points for Spirit and complete the visualization of all twenty-four Will Runes in the Basic Meditation Technique."

"What a pity!"

Just as Rain looked up at Giovanni, his remaining Attribute Points on his panel instantly changed from 3 to 2, and Agility increased from 19 to 20.

With this, Agility also reached the 20 mark!

At the same time, Rain's Strength, Agility, and Constitution, the three basic attributes, also met the pre-requisite conditions for the Legendary Weapon Master profession, requiring all attributes to reach or exceed 20.

In an instant, Rain felt the soreness and numbness in his muscles, which had been gradually building up, instantly disappear!

His entire body's condition instantly returned to its peak.

Moreover, the increase in Agility also slightly improved his speed and dynamic vision, allowing Rain to keep up with the opponent's offensive rhythm.

Perhaps he was still a bit slower, but the gap had narrowed significantly!

At this moment, the two had been engaged in an intense battle for three to four minutes, and any slight change in their movements would be quickly perceived by the other.

Soon, Giovanni felt something was amiss.

Because, since the beginning, Rain's hammer swings showed no trembling, as if he had just started the fight with his stamina fully intact.

But what was going on? Giovanni couldn't afford to think deeply during the intense battle; he could only make a rough guess.

Could it be that Rain had been holding back?

No!

That was absolutely impossible!

So, the only other possibility was that this was one of Rain's Knight talents—an extraordinary stamina or endurance! But Rain's talent was too good!

Giovanni felt his understanding of genius had been refreshed!

But soon, he noticed something even more astonishing and puzzling!

Because he realized Rain's speed seemed to have increased! Although it was only a slight increase, perhaps not even a tenth of his original speed, it was indeed faster.

This...

While exceptional stamina could be understood, the increasing speed was baffling. Giovanni felt his mind couldn't keep up!

Could it be that his own stamina depletion had caused a decrease in speed, creating the illusion that Rain was getting faster? That must be it!

Only this explanation seemed reasonable. Giovanni's mind was in disarray, and Rain, his opponent, immediately sensed it.

At this moment, Rain's belief was exceptionally firm!

A perfect opportunity! The next second, as Rain silently chanted "Gigantic Strength lv3," "Power Surge!"

Instantly, Rain felt a surge of heat pump from his heart, causing his blood to accelerate, his veins to bulge, and his muscles to swell!

Rain raised the indestructible hammer in his hand high and brought it down with full force upon Giovanni!

Oh no!

Facing Rain's all-out attack, even Giovanni in his werewolf form couldn't withstand it and had to retreat instead of taking it head-on! Seeing the dark hammerhead pass just inches in front of his nose, Giovanni felt a moment of joy.

He had dodged it!

But just as Giovanni thought he had escaped Rain's attack range, Rain's hammer slammed into the ground less than half a meter in front of him!

In Giovanni's astonished gaze—

"Boom!"

Instantly, a powerful shockwave erupted.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end