Chapter 190: The Goddess Church

Chapter 190: The Goddess Church



Half a minute ago, a carriage escorted by several knights rounded the bend of a winding forest path, just in time to witness the might of Rain's hammer strike.

Upon seeing this, the knights' expressions changed dramatically, and at that moment, a corner of the curtain was drawn aside from the carriage window.

Under the hood, a handsome young face curiously stared in Rain's direction. Suddenly, a pair of beautiful eyes widened in shock, and her cherry-red lips formed an 'O' shape!

What caught the young lady's gaze was a grotesquely muscular humanoid creature, towering in height, brandishing a pitch-black iron hammer and delivering a powerful blow to the ground, creating a sensation akin to an earthquake in everyone's hearts.

In an instant, the ground cracked inch by inch, and an invisible shockwave rippled out from the point of impact at an incredible speed.

The stones and gravel on the ground, upon encountering this shockwave, instantly turned to dust.

And so, as Beast Knight Giovanni stood there in panic, with a bewildered expression on his face, a powerful shockwave struck him!

Despite his armor's protection and the vine-like, living Black Flame shield, he remained frozen in place for about half a second under Rain's full-force attack.

When masters clash, the situation can change in the blink of an eye!

Half a second may seem like enough time for an ordinary person to throw a single punch, but for Rain, it was enough to deliver at least three heavy hammer strikes!

"Bang! Bang!"

The third strike was followed by an application of the Tokkar Hammer Technique's secret skill, 'Ascending Dragon Hammer'!

Rain twisted his hips and harnessed the power of his core muscles, swinging the black hammer with such speed that it left a dark shadow. He struck Giovanni's wolf-like jaw from below with tremendous force.

"Crack!"

Giovanni's wolf-like jaw was shattered instantly, and his entire body was sent flying five meters into the air. His eyes rolled back, revealing the whites, but the attack didn't end there!

Rain dug his feet into the ground and quickly caught up with Giovanni's convulsing body in mid-air, delivering a series of heavy hammer blows!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

With each strike, the vine-like Black Flame on Giovanni's body dimmed, and his plate armor shattered into pieces, accompanied by the crisp sound of breaking bones.

The sound of breaking bones was like a string of firecrackers going off, 'Pop! Pop!'

"Thud!"

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed as Rain interrupted his hammer barrage. Giovanni's body slammed into the ground.

Giovanni, with a life force comparable to a Great Knight, had been in a state of convulsions, but now he was in the final throes of death. His wolf-like mouth was a bloody mess, spewing blood, and his body contorted in various strange ways.

Judging by his posture, it was highly likely that not a single bone in his body remained intact, and he lay on the ground like a pile of mud.

Giovanni's body quickly underwent a transformation, shedding its black fur and changing from a wolf-like face to a human one. However, the shattered jaw and broken bones throughout his body did not heal.

Soon, a human corpse lay before Rain.

Rain, holding the Pig-headed Mace, was panting heavily, having exhausted himself in that burst of full power.

However, at this moment, Rain's eyes shone with a brilliant light. For Rain, an opponent of such strength was a rare find, and he had fought with all his might, enjoying every moment of the battle.

Almost every improvement he had made during this time was put to the test and evaluated in this fight.

However, neither Rain nor the people in the carriage noticed that in the distant forest, high up in a Tall Tree, a thin man clad in patterned leather armor was observing Rain's situation through a copper single-tube telescope.

After witnessing Rain's defeat of Giovanni, the man was shocked and muttered to himself, "Impossible! How could Rain be this strong?"

"This is the Wilderness Brotherhood's President, Giovanni, known as the Beast Knight. How could he be killed by an unknown young man?"

"I thought the Baron was overreacting, but it seems I underestimated Rain."

"I must report this to Baron Alonso immediately!"

The thin man moved with the agility of a monkey, quickly climbing down from the tree and disappearing in the direction of the county town.

After a while, the young lady in the carriage finally regained her composure. She turned her head and asked in a crisp voice, "How strong is this person?"

"Very strong! No, extremely strong!" replied a middle-aged knight standing beside the carriage, his face solemn as he glanced at Rain.

"Stronger than you?" the young lady asked, puzzled.

"Yes, his opponent was rumored to be the Wilderness Brotherhood's President, Giovanni, the Beast Knight. It's said that he has escaped from Great Knights several times."

"I never imagined he would meet his end here," said the middle-aged knight named Lawrence.

"Wow, he's so strong!" the young lady exclaimed, covering her mouth.

Although she didn't know who the Beast Knight was, she understood the power of a Great Knight, an opponent even the family's strongest warriors couldn't match. The young man's ability to defeat such a formidable foe was evident.

"Then, Lawrence, compared to the young man my father's friend, Lord Hamilton, mentioned—the one who might be able to solve that issue—who is stronger?"

"I can't say, as I haven't met that young man yet," Lawrence replied thoughtfully.

But in his heart, he was thinking, "How could anyone be stronger than this young man?"

He had never even heard of such a formidable young man, let alone seen one.

At that moment, Rain glanced at the system notification:

[Your Tokkar Hammer Technique has improved. Experience Points +1034]



[Your Bear Swordsmanship has improved. Experience Points +232]



[Your High-Temperature Force Field has improved. Experience Points +12]



[You have engaged in a battle. Extraordinary Knight Experience Points +298, Extraordinary Apprentice Wizard Experience Points +13]



In the recent battle, Rain primarily used the hammer technique, followed by swordsmanship, hence the distribution of experience points.

Additionally, the Extraordinary Knight's level had reached lv5 (795/2000), and the Tokkar Hammer Technique had been upgraded to lv7 (2724/5000), with over half of the experience points accumulated.

As for the remaining attribute points, one had been added to Agility during the battle, leaving only two points remaining. The remaining skill point remained unchanged.

At this moment, Rain, with his keen eyes, suddenly noticed a broken pouch that had slipped out of the mud-covered body of the fallen opponent.

This caught Rain's attention, and he wondered what kind of item a high-level expert like this would carry with them.

He approached the pouch and opened it, revealing a token made of an unknown metal. The token bore the image of three burning black flames, similar to the emblem on the Apostle Token that he had obtained from the Black Flame Apostle he had defeated earlier.

It seemed to be some sort of identification within the Black Flame Church.

Rain shook his head slightly; it was of no use to him, but the Goddess Church seemed to value such items.

"Hmm?" He noticed something else in the pouch—a special scroll made of beast hide. He carefully unrolled it and found that it contained a prayer written in divine script.

After some thought, Rain concluded that this was probably a prayer used in some Black Flame Cult ritual and held no significance for him.

This left Rain a little disappointed, as he had expected more valuable loot.

However, a sudden realization struck him, and he muttered to himself, "Perhaps the Goddess Church would appreciate this gift."

Rain glanced at the caravan, which was still hesitating at the corner, too afraid to approach. Without paying them any heed, he dragged the werewolf-transformed man and his distinctive weapon and threw them onto the carriage.

Just then, the previously hesitant caravan, having witnessed Rain's normal physique and his cleanup of the battlefield, seemed to conclude that Rain was not a bad person. They slowly approached from behind.

However, Rain had no intention of interacting with strangers at this point and quickly mounted his black horse, driving the carriage and the brown horse towards the county city.

Upon entering the city, Rain did not head home immediately but instead made his way to the Temple of the Goddess of Gale and Sea, which he had never visited before.

The grand and majestic temple stood tall, supported by over a dozen massive columns resembling the Ionic style of his previous life.

A distinctive feature of this column style was the two symmetrically curled volutes at the top, with a small decorative band between them, creating a visually striking and beautiful overall design.

It also perfectly matched the goddess's graceful temperament.

In front of the temple, a circular fountain descended in levels, featuring a nearly three-meter-tall statue of a woman holding a conch shell from which water flowed, forming a miniature waterfall.

A row of silver-armored Temple Guards stood guard around the temple.

When they noticed Rain's formidable presence, which exuded the aura of having slain the Beast Knight, the Temple Guards exchanged glances, feeling a sense of awe.

If not for their unwavering faith in the goddess, they might have felt a sense of cowardice.

"Is Archbishop Rudolph here?" Rain asked with a slight smile, his tone polite.

The Temple Guard who had questioned Rain relaxed upon hearing that he knew Archbishop Rudolph. "You know Archbishop Rudolph? He just returned yesterday. May I inform him of your visit?"

"Please inform him that Rain has come to visit."

"Yes, Lord Rain."

The Temple Guard quickly ascended the steps and ran towards the temple.

Soon, an elderly man dressed in a water-blue robe with golden trim, holding a thick book, emerged from the temple.

Upon seeing the elder, Rain smiled and dismounted from his horse.

Archbishop Rudolph also noticed Rain atop his tall black horse and greeted him with a smile, saying, "Now, I should address you as Baron Rain, right?"

The Temple Guards beside them were taken aback by this revelation.

"Archbishop, you're too kind. Please continue to call me Rain," Rain replied, also nodding slightly to the two Temple Knights behind Rudolph.

One of them, whom Rain recognized as Machini, had fought alongside him in the Night Song Forest.

"Baron Rain," the two Temple Knights acknowledged with a slight bow.

"Archbishop, there's something I need your help with," Rain said, gesturing towards the large carriage behind him.

Archbishop Rudolph, being an experienced and shrewd man, immediately understood Rain's intention. "Then let's discuss it in my quarters, Baron Rain."

He then signaled the Temple Knights to lead the carriage into the temple.

In the temple's courtyard, Rain's expression turned solemn. "Archbishop, on my way back to the county town, I was ambushed by the Black Flame Cult. You should take a look at the bodies first."

"An ambush?" Archbishop Rudolph's expression changed, and he immediately instructed the Temple Knights to open the carriage.

The Temple Knights opened the carriage and removed the tall and slender body of the Beast Knight.

However, as they lifted the body, they realized it was so badly damaged that it almost fell apart, and they also found the distinctive strange scythe weapon beside it.

The two Temple Knights exchanged glances.

"What a powerful hammer technique!" exclaimed a Temple Knight, who was also a practitioner of the hammer technique. At a glance, he could tell that the wounds on the corpse and its muddy state were clearly caused by an extremely powerful hammer strike.

The way the shockwave force was utilized was so exquisite and refined that it was evident that decades of arduous training were required to achieve such mastery. And to think that Baron Rain was so young!

The Temple Knight glanced at Rain, his eyes widening in astonishment.

"Oh! This is Giovanni," said Rudolph, looking at the corpse and the distinctive weapon placed beside it—a long-handled strange scythe with the Cali bird emblem. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the weapon.

Despite his calm demeanor, his heart was filled with shock.

This guy was the leader of the Wilderness Brotherhood, and many of the underground dealings were orchestrated by him and his gang.

In fact, the Goddess Church had long wanted to eradicate this cancerous organization, but due to the strong opposition from the nobility within the county and the lack of concrete evidence, the matter had been put on hold.

Additionally, Giovanni's strength was formidable, and after transforming, he could even hold his own against a Great Knight. It was unexpected that he would meet his end at Rain's hands.

"This is Giovanni, the leader of the Wilderness Brotherhood, known as the 'Beast Knight.' Rain, was it you who attacked him?" Rudolph looked at Rain in surprise.

"That's right, Your Grace. However, you might find his other identity even more intriguing." As he spoke, Rain took out a diamond-shaped badge with three black flame-like emblems and a prayer written in divine script, presenting them to the trio.

"The Black Flame Guardian's badge and the Black Flame Shelter Prayer!" Rudolph exclaimed as he took the items, his eyes widening in surprise.

"What!" The two Temple Knights gasped in unison.

"It's the Black Flame Guardian's badge!" They exchanged glances, seeing the shock reflected in each other's eyes.

Their exclamations, especially from the usually composed Rudolph, caught the attention of several young Temple Knights and guards practicing combat skills in the front courtyard of the temple.

Rain looked at Rudolph and the two Temple Knights, puzzled. "What is the Black Flame Guardian? I remember the last time I killed a Black Flame Apostle, and he also had a similar badge."

"However, that one had a single black flame, while this one has three, suggesting a higher rank."

"You're right, Rain. The Black Flame Guardian's rank is just below the High Priest, and they possess formidable strength while remaining hidden. We knew the Black Flame Cult had two Black Flame Guardians, but their identities were unknown."

"I never expected the leader of the Wilderness Brotherhood, Giovanni, to be a Black Flame Guardian!" Rudolph exclaimed.

Although it was hard to believe that the death of the Black Flame Guardian was at the hands of this young-looking boy, Rain's previous feat of killing a Black Flame Apostle kept reminding him that it was plausible.

Moreover, the Black Flame Guardian's badge and the prayer were the best proof.

This was undoubtedly good news for the Goddess Church, as the death of the Wilderness Brotherhood's leader presented an excellent opportunity to sweep them away.

"Machini, gather the team immediately. I will report to the Archbishop, and we'll launch an operation against them. Pass these items to the Archbishop and inform him of the situation." After a moment's thought, Rudolph issued his orders.

"Rain, you should meet with the Archbishop. I believe Archbishop Sean will be delighted to see you." Rudolph turned to Rain.

Rain thought for a moment and nodded. "It's an honor. I'd appreciate your help."

This time, when Rain came to the church, he didn't expect to receive an audience with the highest authority in the county city's church—Archbishop Sean.

Rain was about to engage in a bloody duel with Baron Norman, and he didn't want to be distracted by dealing with the Black Flame Cult.

Within the county city, gaining the support of the Goddess Church would ensure the safety of his family, alleviating his concerns.

After all, the church had more experience and means to deal with mysterious curses and dark magic than he did.

As Rain and Rudolph walked away, the young Temple Knights and guards in the front courtyard whispered among themselves.

"Who is the Black Flame Guardian? Have we ever killed such a high-ranking member of the Black Flame Cult before?"

"I've heard that the Black Flame Guardian's strength surpasses even that of a peak knight."

"This young man's strength is truly remarkable!"

"Rain? The one who's been the talk of the town, challenging Baron Norman to a duel?"

"So, he's Rain?"

"..."

Compared to outsiders, the church members, who worshipped the divine, understood the significance and challenge of killing a Black Flame Guardian.

Although Rain could faintly hear their whispers, he wasn't concerned about the news spreading. The grudge between him and the Black Flame Cult had become irreconcilable, and he was prepared for the consequences.

Soon, Rain arrived at the central area of the temple, a grand hall with high-arched ceilings and exquisite decorations. The walls and ceilings were adorned with carvings and paintings related to the Goddess.

There, an elderly man in a water-blue robe with thick golden borders, holding a staff, smiled warmly at Rain as he entered the hall.

The man had white hair and appeared quite old, but his spirit was vibrant.

Rain raised his eyebrows slightly and stepped forward to greet him. "Archbishop, it's an honor to meet you."

"Hello, my child!" Archbishop Sean approached with a gentle demeanor and gave Rain a light embrace.

"I heard from Rudolph that you killed a Black Flame Guardian, my child. Whatever you need, just ask."

Rain was already familiar with the Goddess Church, and he knew that the Dragon Empire was governed by both imperial and divine authority, with the former currently holding more power.

As a Bishop, his status in the entire Myester County is second only to the governor, Earl Habus. Even in matters concerning the eradication of heretics, the Bishop's opinion carries more weight. This is an unspoken agreement between the Empire and the Goddess Church.

For such a prominent figure to agree to meet him, this was much better than Rain had initially anticipated.

Originally, he merely intended to mention the matter to the familiar Archbishop Rudolph and gain some favor with the Church. He never expected this to lead directly to the Bishop of the county's Goddess Church.

Since the important figure had spoken, Rain thought it appropriate to voice his concerns.

"Your Grace, slaying heretics is a duty I cannot shirk. However, I am somewhat worried about the safety of my family in the county. You know, heretics have some dark arts that are difficult to guard against."

"Ha ha ha, so you're worried about that. Rudolph, arrange for two Temple Guards to go to Rain's residence and set up a divine ritual—the ‘Detect Evil.’”

"Once the ritual is triggered, we will sense it at the temple, and we can quickly dispatch the Church's forces to assist." Archbishop Shane said to Rain, turning his head.

Rudolph added at the right moment, "Recently, there have been many mysterious and heretic-related incidents, which have tied up a lot of our manpower. Otherwise, we wouldn't just send two Temple Guards."

Rain nodded, understanding the situation.

Moreover, if the Temple Knights were to be permanently stationed at his residence, he would feel a bit uncomfortable, almost as if he were receiving too much attention. After all, each Temple Knight was a full-fledged Knight, and if he were a Baron, it would be more fitting.

"Oh, by the way, there's been a lot of talk in the county about Baron Norman challenging you to a Bloody Duel. Child, do you need the Church to intervene and negotiate on your behalf?" Archbishop Shane, remembering something, spoke up.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Grace. I and Baron Norman will inevitably have a battle, and this duel is one I am looking forward to."

"Very well, then. May the Goddess bless you. Child, this is a Silver Conch Medal of the Goddess Church, awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions in the fight against evil."

"In the battles against heretics, both the previous one and the current one, I believe you have ample reason to receive this medal." Archbishop Shane said, picking up a medal the size of a child's fist, shimmering with a silver glow, from a tray held by a nearby attendant.

On it was a very clear and lifelike conch shell pattern!

"Thank the Goddess, thank you, Your Grace!" Rain carefully took the medal and fastened it to his inner lining.

"Baron Rain, please keep this medal safe. In any part of the Empire, wherever there is a temple of the Goddess of Gale and Sea, you can seek and receive help."

"Additionally, this medal has a ‘Detect Evil’ divine spell embedded in it, which will vibrate slightly to alert you when evil approaches." Rudolph explained from the side.

Rain nodded and bowed slightly to Archbishop Shane, expressing his gratitude again.

"Furthermore, considering the battle you are about to face, I have a blessing from the Goddess that might be of help to you," Archbishop Shane said with a smile, looking at Rain.

"A blessing?" Rain was taken aback, but Rudolph was giving him continuous signals to agree.

Rain thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Then I'll trouble you, Your Grace!"

Originally, Rain was somewhat wary of blessings from the divine, but he then realized that his system could absorb the energy from the blood crystal and black crystal.

So, the blessing from the Goddess should also be some form of energy.

As the high-pitched chanting began, the gray-haired Bishop gazed at Rain and raised his staff. A water-blue light grew increasingly intense and bright, and in the next second, this water-blue light enveloped Rain.

A cool, strange energy began to seep into Rain's body.

The system prompt sounded immediately:

【Ding! Detected a large amount of unknown absorbable energy around the host. Absorb? (Note: Absorbing it can convert it into designated profession experience points.)】

Rain felt a sudden joy in his heart!

Indeed, it works.

He silently thought, "Yes"!

Soon, the water-blue energy was fully absorbed.

【Ding! A total of 1976 Extraordinary Experience Points have been converted. Please choose to enhance Knight (Extraordinary), Apprentice Wizard (Extraordinary), or Beastmaster (Extraordinary).】

Hmm!

This is great!

It seems coming to the Goddess Church was the right move.

But which Extraordinary profession should he enhance?

This made Rain a bit hesitant.

Because adding to any of the Extraordinary professions would grant him a level-up reward.

---

At the same time, in a study room of the Habus Manor.

"What? Giovanni is dead?" Alonso stood up abruptly, his face full of shock.

"Yes, according to the spy's report, he saw it with his own eyes. Rain killed ‘Beast Knight’ Giovanni in the battle." Steward Michel wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.

When he heard this news just now, he was also deeply shocked. Giovanni, as the president of the Wilderness Brotherhood, not only helped the Black Flame Church but also handled many inconvenient matters for the nobles in the county.

In the upper echelons of Myester County, the ‘Beast Knight’ was quite famous, yet Rain managed to kill him in a one-on-one duel.

"Are you sure no one else helped him?" Alonso asked, still finding it hard to believe.

"Absolutely sure! The spy was very clear about it being one-on-one. I also double-checked this," Michel nodded firmly.

Alonso frowned and paced for a few seconds, then seemed to think of something and quickly gave orders:

"You immediately inform Baron Norman of this news and see if he needs any help. If we can assist, promise it on my behalf."

"As you wish, Baron." Steward Michel bowed slightly and quickly left the room.

---

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end