Chapter 189: Transformation
Chapter 189: Transformation
The bearded man with the Knight's Longsword raised his arm and shouted, "Charge! Let's take him down!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed forward, taking the lead. As one of the few Senior Knights in the area, the bearded man was one of the strongest bandits in the Wildwolf Hills.
His bandit gang was named after the Wildwolf Hills, reflecting his confidence and ambition.
With money, he could expand his team, improve their weapons and equipment, and by completing this task, he could also deepen his cooperation with the Wilderness Brotherhood, achieving two goals at once. Naturally, the bearded man was highly motivated.
Over twenty men dressed as mercenaries saw their boss leading the charge, and their morale instantly soared. Their faces flushed, they roared and excitedly charged towards Rain.
Several crossbow bolts were fired at Rain before the rest of the group.
Facing the group's charge, Rain drew his greatsword, his gaze still fixed on the front. With a swift movement, Rain's figure dodged the incoming crossbow bolts with two quick movements.
Suddenly, Giovanni's armor was enveloped in black flames, like black vines wrapping around his body. At the same time, a chain of black flames coiled around his oddly-shaped scythe.
Although Rain had strong dynamic vision and could still capture his opponent, his reaction speed was slightly slower, so he was at a slight disadvantage just now.
Rain's speed had clearly increased by more than twenty percent! Giovanni smirked, and with a 'whoosh', his figure also disappeared from his original position.
Rain's chest suddenly inflated, like a frog's throat during a call! The most striking feature was his swollen neck, as if a steam-powered locomotive was hidden within his chest, struggling to contain the surging high-temperature airflow that was about to burst forth from his swollen neck!
"Ding ding dang!"
Rain realized that his sorcery, 'High Temperature Field', was not functioning as it should have. Obviously, the reason was the black flames that entwined his opponent like vines, blocking his sorcery damage.
After the loud noise, most of the bandits covered their ears in pain for several seconds. Their ears and brains still rang, unable to recover for a long time! Even Giovanni in the carriage frowned and muttered, "Sonic attack? Not bad."
The gray knight's chest armor had three dull-colored burning black flames, which immediately reminded Rain of the Black Flame Sorcerers he had killed before.
"Too slow!"
The man's entire body, accompanied by a piercing sound, charged straight at Rain! So fast!
Was it because he had exhausted his stamina, causing his speed to slow down, and thus giving him the illusion that Rain's speed had increased? That must be it!
The speed of the oddly-shaped scythe in the opponent's hand suddenly increased, becoming almost invisible.
His hair grew rapidly like a wild fire, his face distorted, his jaws protruding, and sharp fangs piercing through. His hands also transformed into claw-like shapes, but he still held the oddly-shaped scythe.
"High Temperature Field!"
"Clang clang clang!"
Although the High Temperature Field had no color or physical form, the energy fluctuations on Rain's body still surprised Giovanni.
Three black flames?
Suddenly!
Rain's speed during the previous battle was too slow, and he couldn't possibly withstand this attack, even without breaking his limits. Even if he had broken his limits, how much could he improve? Seventy percent? Or eighty percent? It wouldn't change the outcome.
"Whoosh!"
Giovanni was both surprised and excited by Rain's transformation into a Black Wolf.
Every second, sparks flew from Rain's body, along with the piercing sound of metal collisions! But he couldn't see who Rain's opponent was.
"I just learned something new and wanted to test it against a worthy opponent. But the savage beasts I encountered before lacked a certain flavor. Meeting you is quite exciting!"
"Charge! Kill him!" The leaders of the Wild Wolf Bandits were startled, realizing that the man before them was a tough opponent. However, relying on their numbers, they continued to roar and waved their weapons at Rain.
However, Giovanni was unaware of this and shook his head, saying, "If you're aiming for reduced weight, the hammer in your hand is obviously heavier than a sword. I really don't understand your thinking."
"Boom!!!"
The man's figure suddenly disappeared from his original position.
But soon, he noticed something else that surprised and puzzled him even more!
"Oh? Why is that?" Giovanni stopped his action and curiously asked upon hearing Rain's unexpected response.
It turned out that Rain had just activated 'Break Limit'.
The perfect opportunity! The next second, as Rain silently uttered "Great Strength lv3", he unleashed a "Power Surge!"
Giovanni's perception was correct; the opponent's speed had indeed increased.
Sparks flew!
But strangely, the screams of agony from the bandits diminished.
But did he not have it?
Although he had already overestimated Rain, he was surprised to find that Rain had not only reached the Master level with his two-handed greatsword but was even more skilled with the two-handed warhammer. This was almost beyond the Master level! Giovanni found it hard to comprehend. Even if Rain had started practicing hammer and sword techniques at the age of one, it would be impossible to reach such a high level with both. If this was a talent, it was truly unbelievable! Giovanni also realized.
Rain seemed to have gotten faster! Although it was only a slight increase, it was probably less than half of a tenth.
Could it be that Rain had been holding back before?
But at this moment, Giovanni felt uncomfortable because Rain's gaze made him feel like the prey, while Rain was the hunter.
Although his speed was still faster than Rain's, he couldn't finish him off like a cat playing with a mouse.
A roar, louder than all their combined shouts, resounded!
"Huh?"
"Rain, you're too slow!"
Although the opponent wore shin guards on their shins, Rain could still tell at a glance that their Achilles tendon was extremely long and slender, even more so than the world-class sprinter Usain Bolt.
Rain understood what Giovanni meant.
"Last time, if it weren't for that Druid...never mind, I won't bring it up."
So, there was only one other possibility left—Rain's exceptional endurance, a knight talent that allowed him to endure longer than others! But this talent of Rain's was too good! Proficient in sword techniques and almost surpassing proficiency in hammer techniques, combined with his exceptional endurance, made Giovanni feel like his understanding of geniuses had been refreshed!
Rain's pupils constricted, and he immediately swung his sword to block!
In an instant, Rain felt a surge of heat pump from his heart, causing his blood to rush, his veins to bulge, and his muscles to suddenly bulge. His entire body seemed to swell up abruptly!
As Giovanni finished speaking, he raised his oddly-shaped scythe as if to attack, but he immediately stopped, curious about what Rain would say next.
Rain's gaze intensified as he stared at his opponent, realizing that this was the main event.
Ignoring his opponent, Rain seized the opportunity when his opponent's momentum stalled and quickly launched his ultimate move, 'Roar Strike!'
Perhaps he was still a little slower, but the gap had clearly narrowed!
"Huh? Not bad, you figured it out! But I don't have much time to chat. Although this place is remote, there are still occasional merchant caravans passing by. If they see you, Baron, dead, it won't look good."
It seemed to increase both defensive power and attach to weapons to enhance attack power! This should be a more potent sorcery than the black flame fireball of the Black Flame Cult.
"Clang!!!"
"It's an interesting idea, but if I lightly slash you with my scythe, without the protection of your knight's plate armor, your flesh will sizzle and split in two."
"Roar!!!"
Giovanni, with a confident and condescending expression, watched Rain, feeling that he had the upper hand. After a while, he seemed to understand something and said, "Interesting! You don't think that by taking off this hundred-pound knight's plate armor, you can catch up to my speed, do you?"
"As punishment, I'll make your death more painful!"
The next second, Giovanni couldn't smile anymore! As his oddly-shaped scythe clashed with Rain's war hammer, a shock wave rippled through, causing him to stall slightly, unprepared.
Killing a genius was more satisfying than killing an ordinary person.
Giovanni had never seen the man before him, but the mention of the "Druid" from last time made him wonder if the elf lady, Anna's aunt, had repelled the opponent.
Rain shook the bloodstains off his radiant greatsword, his gaze fixed on the large carriage, unmoving. As for why he used his ultimate move at the start, it was because there was a master nearby, watching intently, and the longer the frontal combat dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became, with the possibility of being ambushed at any moment.
"Interesting, very interesting! I didn't expect you to know sorcery, killing you now is even more interesting."
Rain was struck by the opponent's heavy blow, sending him flying back ten meters! After the beast transformation, his speed and strength had further improved, especially his speed, which had reached a level that was difficult for the naked eye to capture.
Hammer strike! Strike again! Hammer jump strike!
For Rain, with the support of Hammer Proficiency lv3, the hammer was his number one weapon.
This caused the bandits of the Wild Wolf Bandit Gang, who were charging, to be shocked, feeling that something was wrong. They hurriedly tried to stop their charge, but before the thought could fully form, a wide-range sonic attack reached them!
Seeing Rain's calm expression, Giovanni felt a bit bored and shook his head, "I like the madness and screams of my prey before death. You're too calm, I don't like it."
"What a pity!"
At the same time, Rain's strength, agility, and constitution met the prerequisites for the Master Armorer (Legendary) job transition, which required all attributes to reach or exceed 20.
"Enough! It's time to end this!" Giovanni removed his helmet, revealing a slightly angry and flushed face.
Next, Rain's dense hammer attacks, like hailstones, pounded down on Giovanni.
Thinking for a moment, Rain forcibly tore off his damaged knight's breastplate and threw it to the ground with a 'thud', then removed his leg armor and the rest.
As soon as Rain removed the chromium-iron armor, he brandished his Radiant Greatsword and forcefully drove it into the ground, swiftly drawing out the Pig Head Hammer with his other hand.
But something peculiar happened; Rain's speed suddenly increased by nearly double, allowing him to precisely block Giovanni's attack.
Giovanni's slender legs dragged along the ground, creating two long trenches before he could finally stand firm.
"Too slow!" Rain's mind was calm, hearing Giovanni's wild laughter. He couldn't help but think, "He must be a prominent figure within the Black Flame Cult."
The scythe-like weapon in Giovanni's hand was no ordinary item, and with the added effect of the black flame, its killing power was formidable. The chromium-iron armor on Giovanni's weapon barely offered more protection than a thick piece of paper against its destructive force.
Facing Rain's full-power attack, Giovanni, in his werewolf form, had a fighting prowess comparable to a Great Knight. At this moment, he could only choose to retreat rather than withstand the blow. As the dark hammer head narrowly missed his nose by a mere twenty to thirty centimeters, Giovanni's heart leaped with joy.
This was the first time he had encountered an enemy with the ability to transform.
"But I stand by my words; your fate will not change!" Giovanni declared, his eyes fixed on Rain. Rain took three steps back before firmly planting his feet, looking down at his chest where a deep scratch had appeared on the chromium-iron chest plate, now torn open by the strike.
Giovanni's speed suddenly increased by several times.
No! This is impossible!
"Originally, I thought I could complete the basic meditation technique and manifest all twenty-four will runes, but..."
Soon, Giovanni felt something was amiss.
His original speed advantage was almost entirely lost, and Rain's relentless assault prevented Giovanni from launching a counterattack, forcing him to continuously block, block, and block again.
In an instant, Rain felt his muscles, which had begun to ache and soften, suddenly became invigorated, the soreness vanishing.
Rain understood Giovanni's intention; he was surprised by Rain's Break Limit level, wondering why it was so high, reaching ninety percent.
The entire battle scene gave onlookers a sense of strangeness, as if Rain were fighting something invisible and blurry around his body.
Although Giovanni's scythe-like weapon was no ordinary item, it remained undamaged. But with each block, Giovanni's body slightly staggered due to the shockwave force.
This was the only reasonable explanation. Giovanni's mind was in disarray, and Rain, his opponent, was the first to sense it.
After missing his strike, Giovanni backed away several meters and spoke in a deep voice, "Ninety percent?"
The next second, a loud clanging sound reverberated from where Rain stood.
A deep voice emerged from the carriage, and a tall, slender knight, at least two meters and twenty centimeters in height, emerged from the carriage, holding a scythe-like weapon.
"Now, you can rest in the embrace of the goddess!" Giovanni, now with a wolf's head, spoke in a halting manner.
When Giovanni saw Rain use 'Break Limit', and his speed increased by nearly double, he knew Rain had real skills. From a close distance, Rain's figure seemed to flicker, but Giovanni's form was completely unrecognizable, and all he could hear was Rain's incessant talking.
"Whoosh!"
Rain thought to himself, "Perhaps only by increasing agility."
Facing the sonic attack, one could only dodge if their retreat speed exceeded the speed of sound. But for the group of bandits, this was impossible. Suddenly, a loud boom exploded in the ears of the bandits, most of them losing their focus, some even rolling their eyes, their minds going completely blank. Their facial skin was repeatedly pulled, deformed, and reshaped by the subsequent shockwaves.
Additionally, from the aura, it was clear that the opponent was not a Great Knight, and Rain's level 3 'Danger Sense' warning was not strong enough to be unmanageable.
Giovanni, with a look of disdain, swung his scythe-like weapon towards Rain's neck.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
If he didn't use his trump card, Giovanni, who was expending a lot of energy, might not be able to defeat Rain, as Rain had activated both Break Limit and the Supernatural Trait, increasing his energy consumption.
Rain felt like he was floating, as if a powerful jump could make him fly.
At this point, both sides had already engaged in intense combat, and any subtle change in their movements would be quickly noticed by the other.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Rain had never seen such a move before.
Seeing Rain's interesting performance, Giovanni wore a 'come on, show me' expression, watching Rain with interest, not rushing to attack.
And it wasn't just any ordinary speed-type knight.
This indicated the activation of a supernatural trait.
"I did promise the High Priest that I would make you, the newly appointed baron, disappear without a trace."
Although Rain was also extremely fast, he was still a bit slower compared to Giovanni after his beast transformation.
However, you have your dark arts, and I have my sorcery! Rain thought to himself.
It wasn't an empty boast.
Seemingly recalling his previous encounter, Giovanni's expression beneath his helmet changed, and he stopped speaking.
"Ah! Ah!"
As expected, the next moment, a massive gust of wind, like a train whistle, blasted out from Rain's open mouth!
"Hmph! I didn't expect you, the newly appointed baron, to be a braggart too. Well, now you can go die!"
Giovanni tapped his foot, and the ground beneath him shattered.
Clear clapping sounds echoed from inside the carriage.
A gray figure holding a greatsword appeared, moving like the needle of a high-speed sewing machine, weaving through the crowd of over twenty bandits. The hissing sound of the air being cut was incessant! After a few seconds, not a single member of the Wild Wolf Bandits, including their leader, a bearded man named Luo Xiezi, was left standing. They had all been cut into pieces and lay dead on the spot!
Both figures moved at incredible speeds, like two clouds of smoke, drifting back and forth on the path, leaving a trail of sparks and clashing sounds.
A hammer-wielding figure shot towards Giovanni.
"Clang!"
"Are you a member of the Black Flame Cult?" Rain asked, speaking for the first time.
Rain raised his unbreakable power high above his head and brought it down with lightning speed, striking Giovanni with tremendous force! Oh no!
At this moment, Rain's faith was exceptionally strong.
"Actually, I'm quite happy to have met you today." Rain's eyelids drooped, and he spoke calmly.
"However, it doesn't matter much. Your fate won't change."
Giovanni's body began to undergo drastic changes.
However, this only made Giovanni's excitement grow.
This calmed Rain's mind.
But after removing the hundred-pound knight plate armor and setting down the seventy to eighty-pound radiant greatsword, Rain, now holding the boar head hammer, felt a sense of relief.
Just as Rain raised his head to look at Giovanni, his remaining attributes on the attribute panel changed from 3 to 2, and his agility increased from 19 to 20.
Read the uncensored version on Book Bar 69! 6=9+Book_Bar.
As expected, his speed was exceptionally fast!
Moreover, the increased agility, which also enhanced his speed and dynamic vision, allowed Rain to match the opponent's offensive rhythm.
"Or do you think you can escape this time as well?"
Of course, the opponent likely had a trump card.
"Hahaha, so slow, you're going to die here!" Giovanni laughed maniacally.
Finally, Giovanni revealed an opening, and Rain struck him with a hammer on the chest. Although Giovanni had the protection of the black flame and quickly retreated, reducing the impact, his chest armor still cracked, and he was forced to retreat over a dozen steps.
Additionally, the opponent was a speed-type knight.
Sometimes, when the two clashed beyond the path's boundaries and entered the nearby forest, the trees suffered! Trees with bowl-sized trunks were instantly cut down by the two, one after another, creating a loud crashing sound.
Hammer sweep!
But what was happening? Giovanni couldn't focus on the details during the intense battle and could only guess.
This...
Perhaps if he hadn't gone to Master Gunther for further training, his strength might have been inferior to the opponent, but now, the opponent's strength was likely on par with his own.
"Your strength is impressive. I thought you'd at least get injured, but it seems I underestimated your level."
Rain chanted a spell, and soon, a spherical high-temperature force surrounded his body.
Although Rain tried his best to dodge, he was still struck by the scythe and sent flying! "Tsk, at your age, you've managed to raise your break limit value to over ninety percent. It's rare to see such a talented knight."
Since the beginning of the battle, Rain's hammer swings had become exceptionally steady, without a hint of trembling in his hands, as if he had just started fighting with full stamina.
"Sizzle!!"
"You have no chance now!"
His entire body state instantly recovered to peak condition.
But the battle had already begun, and only a fool would pay attention to the opponent's question.
If the exceptional stamina could still be understood, what was happening with the increasing speed? Giovanni felt his brain couldn't keep up!
He missed! But just as Giovanni thought he had dodged Rain's attack, Rain's hammer heavily struck the ground less than half a meter in front of Giovanni!
Giovanni stared in shock.
"Boom!"
Instantly, an incredibly powerful shockwave, with the hammer head as the vertex of a fan shape, swept towards Giovanni in the blink of an eye! "Earthsplitter Hammer!"
Thank you for the 1000 starting coins from both of you! Thank you for the 1000 starting coins from Wind!
(End of Chapter)
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