Chapter 249: An Impossible Task

Chapter 249: An Impossible Task



Rayen ended his observation and rode down the hill on his swift zebra 'Blackie'. As he approached the temporary camp of the Imperial Army at the front, he heard wails coming from the tents even before he arrived.

After passing the checkpoint, Rayen entered one of the tents.

He found that most of the tent was filled with severely wounded Imperial soldiers from the recent battle.

At the same time, Rayen also saw a small number of town residents who had been rescued from the ruins of Seaport Town.

Rayen's mood sank as he asked a nearby soldier, "Are there only about a dozen survivors from Seaport Town?"

"Yes, sir," the soldier replied gravely, nodding his head.

When they arrived, they found that the sea creatures were truly despicable, almost completely destroying the entire town. Some marine creatures were still devouring human corpses, a scene too gruesome to bear.

From a distance, Rayen saw a Blood Curse Naga, significantly taller than the surrounding fishmen, emerge. As soon as it appeared, the Imperial Army suffered heavy casualties.

At this moment, its upper body held a massive metal trident, ready to charge forward.

Knighten, whose emotions had calmed down a bit, looked at Rayen and asked, "Sir Rayen, why are you here?"

"The seaside?" Knighten's eyes widened.

"Moreover, the situation inside the cavern is unclear, and there are quite a few fishmen specialized in net-throwing guarding the entrance. I just tried to take a look, but there was no chance to get a clear view."

Although he had predicted the hermit crab's path and speed in advance, for a rampaging hermit crab, even standing still and letting the crossbowmen shoot at it wouldn't break through its nearly seven to eight centimeters thick shell.

Its strength was almost overwhelming for humans.

The elite Imperial crossbowmen, known as the Giant Shield Crossbowmen, watched in shock as the scene unfolded before them.

Surely, with a series of rapid attacks, they could catch the opponent off guard!

"Thank you, I'll be careful."

But he never expected that his younger brother could survive.

Under the effect of the Intermediate Mystic Technique 'Shockwave'.

Thus, the ogres intimidated the human army before them.

The ancient race was indeed so powerful.

In an instant, the beach between Rayen and the target island, along with the shallow sea area of several dozen meters, was filled with dense smoke.

After a brief exchange, Veronica also learned of Rayen's mission destination.

"Don't worry, if it's really not possible, I won't force it."

Even if Knighten and his brother teamed up, they could only hold out for less than a minute.

"Just like you, soon after you left Rayen, I received an urgent assignment from the Swordsman Branch for a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice specializing in bird reconnaissance."

"I'm safer here, Rayen, please take me with you."

"That place is already the most heavily guarded area by the sea creatures. On a nearby island, there's a huge cavern that appeared out of nowhere, and the sea creatures are guarding it very tightly."

"Knighten, can you describe how you felt during your encounter?"

Therefore, the overall battle situation was relatively intense.

The Leaman brothers, even against a Great Knight, could normally fight several rounds.

At the same time, there were also a few Blue Gill Fishmen carrying throwing spears and holding sturdy fishing spears.

"Hmm? The Seaport Town's security officer? Take me to see him." Rayen's eyes lit up.

"Oh, we've met before. You're the newly appointed Swordsman Rayen?" The person who came was Viscount Felk, the deputy captain of the Minester Griffin Squad, whom Rayen had met before.

Just now, they were about to provide Rayen with bow and crossbow support, but Rayen was too fast, and they were afraid of hitting their allies. So, at this moment, they were aiming their bows and crossbows.

Fortunately, there were still four or five left to charge forward.

This was a Blood Curse Naga over two meters six in height. When he saw the Blue Gill Fishmen lying on the ground behind Rayen, he became furious! He roared and twisted his barrel-thick snake body, charging towards Rayen with a huge rampaging hermit crab by his side.

As for the enemy's tactics, for a normal human Great Knight to defeat the opponent, it would be necessary to adopt hit-and-run or siege tactics, as Knighten had said.

A Blood Curse Naga, even stronger than a human Senior Knight, had fallen into Rayen's hands.

Apparently, she was delighted to meet Rayen here.

"Thank you." Rayen took the signal arrow from Felk.

Suddenly, he tapped his toes, and the sand beneath him exploded, sending a circle of air and sand flying!

Veronica's big watery eyes stared at Rayen, examining him for a long time before lowering her head and taking out a scroll from her waist pouch. She said, "This is an Invisibility Scroll, which can provide about a minute of invisibility. It was left to me by my mentor."

However, the force exerted from his waist injury was not as strong as he had imagined. Rayen easily blocked his attack with his heavy hammer.

Rayen remained silent.

"Knighten."

"The island you want to reach is heavily guarded by the sea creatures."

Consequently, many Blue Gill Fishmen panicked and threw smoke grenades at their comrades' feet.

The Giant Shield Crossbowmen, under their captain's command, aimed at the rampaging hermit crab and fired.

At this moment, the entire battle had lasted less than ten seconds!

It was pure luck to have survived this.

The next second, his eyes reddened, and with a choked voice, he cried out, "Sir Rayen!"

"Rayen, I know you're strong, but perhaps you shouldn't take this risk." Veronica looked at Rayen with a worried expression.

He looked deeply into Rayen's eyes, unsure of what task the young Imperial Baron had that required him to go to the island ahead.

Perhaps, he could take this opportunity to break through the defenses of the human army before him.

Rayen nodded.

"Although the number of sea creatures inside has decreased significantly, the proportion of Blood Curse Nagas is clearly higher than outside.

And the Merfolk inside are not like the ones outside; they are much stronger."

In addition to their formidable close combat abilities, the combination of a beast and a person is generally difficult to deal with.

This level of arrow rain is like a tickle to it.

Felk was right.

"If you manage to get out safely, fire this signal arrow, and I'll hold off some of the enemies in the air for you."

After all, he was here for a rescue mission, and it would be best to enter the cavern as quietly as possible.

"Ren!"

"The Sea Beasts alone are no weaker than Great Knights, and as for the ancient race of Blood Curse Nagas, Baron Ren, you may not have encountered them before, so you're unaware of their strength."

"Of course, if you unfortunately become a casualty, please forgive me. I'm sorry, but I can't send people to retrieve your body. So, Baron Ren, I hope you'll consider this before taking action."

Even with the cooperation of this Giant Shield Crossbowman.

"I'm here to carry out a task, heading in that direction."

At least for most Great Knights, it's almost impossible to break through the Sea Clan's defenses and reach the island to enter the cavern.

Seeing a familiar person, Knighten burst into tears and snot, and Ren rushed over to him, firmly grasping Knighten's remaining left hand and comforting him, "Knighten! Take care of yourself."

Ren nodded to indicate his understanding.

After all, Ren had a sturdy black unicorn and a Feral Beast, which were quite eye-catching.

Additionally, he was different from ordinary Great Knights.

"Baron Ren, you may not be aware. Although Merfolk are generally not strong, look at their dense numbers." The Giant Shield Crossbowman captain pointed his finger forward.

The man quickly stood up.

"And look there, behind the Merfolk. Those large creatures are male Blood Curse Nagas, and their Feral Sea Beasts."

The Giant Shield Crossbowman captain, an experienced knight, was on the battlefield.

The male Blood Curse Naga, on the other hand, had a cunning look on his face and was advancing in sync with the Hermit Crab, about five to six meters behind it, also charging towards Ren.

Don't forget that with each additional attribute point, he can restore his peak physical strength.

"As for the dense Merfolk or sea creatures launching an attack, we rely mainly on the Bronze Cannons and the special poison provided by the Royal Apothecary Association, specifically targeting the Sea Clan."

Although the enemy had numerous troops, their combat organization was far less efficient than the Imperial Army, so they couldn't inflict significant casualties.

Ren was taken aback and immediately began to think.

He and his brother had one dead and one seriously injured, yet they still hadn't assessed the enemy's strength, which was a bit too wasteful.

Ahead, dozens of Deep Sea Blue Gill Merfolk, far taller than Grayfin Merfolk, were wandering in the shallow sea, with the water only reaching their knees. They held steel tridents or transparent bottles containing pungent blue-green smoke.

Ren's eyes lit up, and his heart was filled with an urge to try.

Ren smiled.

After a moment of daze, he reacted as his Hermit Crab flew back.

The man's eyes were closed, his brows furrowed, and his face was contorted in pain, as if recalling something.

His prized shell armor.

A piercing sound tore through the air! Ren's figure flashed, and he rushed towards the Blue Gill Merfolk ahead.

Under this dark iron hammer, they seemed as fragile as paper!

In other words, he could restore his strength thirteen times. No matter how numerous the enemies were, they would become his source of experience.

Clearly, Felk didn't have high hopes for Ren's mission.

"For Blood Curse Nagas, their resistance to poison is very high, and it has little effect. And it's even less likely for cannonballs to hit them directly."

Half a second ago, Ren had switched his greatsword for the Pig Head Mace on his back and clashed head-on with the Feral Hermit Crab's giant claws.

In his perception, even in a seriously injured state, it shouldn't have been so easy for this 'small' human to deflect his piercing attack.

In the sky, Blood Feather guided him, which was enough.

This time, the attack directly hit the male Blood Curse Naga's forehead, who couldn't dodge in time! A crisp snap sounded! Perhaps due to the powerful shockwave, the Blood Curse Naga's entire head exploded, spraying white, red, and sticky tissues in a radiating pattern.

This was something the Blood Curse Naga hadn't expected again.

Overall, for a task that others considered impossible, Ren thought he could give it a try.

At that moment, a Griffin's high-pitched cry echoed in the sky.

He had thought there were only about a dozen survivors, and the Leaman Brothers had probably fallen victim to the Blood Curse Nagas' poison.

As they rushed forward, the Leaman Brothers, one dead and one injured, was something Ren hadn't anticipated.

This was the good news in the bad.

Brother Cuthbert died on the spot, and he passed out due to his severe injuries.

Veronica seemed to start controlling the White Seagull, muttering incantations.

"So, I'll do it! Veronica, I'm happy."

But the problem was that this was a rescue mission, and if it took too long, the target, Alisa, might die, rendering the mission meaningless.

Therefore, Ren didn't refuse, taking the scroll and saying, "Thank you, Veronica."

This showed that the introduction of the ancient race of Blood Curse Nagas wasn't exaggerated but rather conservative.

Hmm? What was going on?

As Ren entered the tent, he suddenly saw a familiar figure lying on one of the beds—Knighten Leaman, the younger of the Leaman Brothers.

A series of heavy thuds resounded behind him, the sound of something dense and heavy hitting the ground.

"When these Grayfin Merfolk, Blackgill Merfolk, and Deep Sea Blue Gill Fishmen, numbering in the dozens or even hundreds, surround you, even a human Great Knight will eventually tire."

"But look at the dense number of Sea Tribs in front of you, and among them, the Blood Curse Nagas. This ancient race is a headache even for me when I encounter them."

As Rayen spoke, he slowly drew out a faintly glowing greatsword from behind him.

Instantly, half of the Seagulls were captured, leaving only four or five to fly into the cavern.

These Blood Curse Nagas were all male, each with a Ferocious Sea Snake, a Mutated Hermit Crab, or a Giant Octopus at the level of a Feral Beast by their side, giving Rayen the impression of Beastmasters.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. Looking down, he saw a pitch-black hammer with a pointed tip that had pierced his waist, creating a bloody hole.

Fortunately, he fainted, and the Blood Curse Naga mistook him for dead, allowing him to narrowly escape with his life.

Rayen walked forward and ruffled Veronica's hair.

Rayen was taken aback by what he heard and turned to look.

A Griffin Knight clad in pale gold armor descended swiftly from the sky, also noticing Rayen in the arena.

The next moment, Rayen unleashed the Intermediate Mystic Technique 'Shockwave' once more.

Just as the Seagulls were about to circle and descend near the cavern, suddenly, over a dozen Blue Gill Fishmen emerged from the side, throwing their fishing nets.

However, her heart sank again!

Rayen didn't refute.

The Hermit Crab in front of him suddenly grew larger.

But within just three or four moves, one of the Leaman brothers was dead, and the other was severely injured.

Veronica couldn't help but feel heartbroken for them.

Perhaps, if things went well, they could kill this reckless human Great Knight on the spot!

But now, the vast disparity in strength made such thoughts mere wishful thinking.

Veronica?

"Baron Rayen, I know your capabilities."

Earlier, he had used 'Beast Soul' to scout from the air through the perspective of Blood Feather.

For a moment, Knighten sobbed uncontrollably, and between sobs, he recounted to Rayen the sudden attack they had faced the previous night.

"Even if you manage to reach the vicinity of the cavern by chance, how much stamina will you have left to continue your investigation inside?"

"Rayen, perhaps I can give it a try."

At that moment, a crisp and familiar female voice rang out.

"That's not the case."

"On the front line, whenever we encounter Blood Curse Nagas, we fire signal arrows to alert the Empire's Great Knights and Wizards to deal with them."

When the power gap is so significant, techniques and battle skills hold little meaning.

"Oh, right, can they use water sorcery?" Rayen asked, turning back to the soldiers. He had suddenly thought of a question.

"Oh, right, sir. But the Seaport Town's security officer was lucky enough to survive," the soldier replied, seemingly remembering something.

Knighten nodded, as if in deep thought, his eyes betraying a hint of fear. He fell silent for a moment before saying, "Their strength... it's too powerful!"

The sudden disappearance of a significant number of fishmen's life force seemed to attract the attention of a male Blood Curse Naga who was dozing at the entrance of the cavern.

Rayen moved like a curving arrow, dodging and weaving through the crowd of Blue Gill Fishmen.

The Blue Gill Fishmen, upon seeing this, became enraged and shouted angrily, throwing their fishing nets and smoke grenade bottles at Rayen.

"Greetings, Viscount Filck," Rayen said with a slight bow.

"But these methods are more effective against fishmen and lobstermen."

Before arriving, Rayen had assumed that even if the Leaman brothers were defeated, they could still lead a retreat while fighting with a portion of the elite night watch.

Rayen never expected to encounter them here.

In his previous life, it would have been a 'one-man army' scenario! "Their height exceeds two meters and fifty centimeters, and their robust build would make them formidable opponents even for Great Knights in terms of strength."

But within half a minute, Veronica covered her head with both hands, her pretty face contorted in pain.

"Sir Rayen! My brother is dead! Seaport Town is finished!"

With such words, he would undoubtedly receive praise from the tribe's high priest.

His confidence stemmed from his remaining 13 attribute points.

She said wearily, "Rayen, all my Seagulls are dead. Inside is a dark cavern. My Seagulls flew over a hundred meters into it, but I still couldn't see the end."

Filck's handsome face paled slightly as he exclaimed, "Hmm? You might not know this, Baron Rayen, but I just finished scouting from the air."

The imperial army was small but elite.

"Are you on a special mission?"

"The second strike knocked me away, and then, with two consecutive stabs, my brother was killed instantly, and I was severely injured and fell unconscious!"

A flock of several dozen Seagulls flew towards a nearby island under Veronica's command.

Rayen left Curious and Blackie here.

A human knight clad in pale silver armor emerged from the dense human formation, immediately drawing the attention of the Seagulls.

Rayen listened to the introduction while observing with focused attention.

After leaving the camp, Rayen quickly reached the front line.

Many couldn't help but shout, "Baron Rayen!"

Hearing this familiar voice, Knighten's eyes widened in disbelief, and he turned to look with an incredulous expression.

At that moment, he needed only to leap forward and use his trident for a series of overpowering stabs.

"Veronica, why are you here?"

With just one strike, Ren's Pig Head Mace shattered the giant claw of the hermit crab in front of him! At the same time, he sent the nearly one-ton heavy body of the hermit crab flying backward like a cannonball.

In the male Blood Curse Naga's estimation, when faced with the dual-claw attack from his ferocious hermit crab, the human Great Knight, who seemed to be quite powerful, would inevitably have to stay put and defend himself with all his might.

The fishing nets hadn't even had the chance to get close to him, let alone the bottles.

A body tough as iron.

At this moment, seeing that Ren was determined to go, even his 'girlfriend' couldn't persuade him otherwise, Viscount Felk couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Baron Ren, if you insist, then we can only hope that the Goddess of Fortune is truly on your side."

"Of course, perhaps because we are too weak, the other side didn't even bother to use their full strength. Lord Ren, you must still be cautious," Knighten said, his expression downcast.

He listened silently.

Under the watchful eyes of the gathered crowd, filled with worry and surprise, Ren stepped over the defensive wooden stakes and walked toward the beach.

At this moment, a matching combat force was necessary, or it would often require the loss of many lives to repel the enemy.

"The entire process, the strength displayed by the other side was terrifying!"

Ren nodded, indicating understanding.

"Using just one strike with the trident, the other side pierced through my brother's steel shield!"

However, due to the other side's severe injuries, the bed allocated for Knighten was placed further inside the camp.

Under the cover of the hermit crab's body, Ren tapped his toes, leaving a residual shadow behind as he lunged forward to attack the Blood Curse Naga.

Thinking about this, a self-satisfied smile couldn't help but appear on his hideous draconian face! However, suddenly, something unexpected happened!

Veronica, dressed in a light blue robe, was waving her small hands excitedly not far behind him.

The Great Shield Crossbowmen by the shore couldn't help but exchange glances! Veronica also covered her small mouth in excitement, having always believed Ren to be strong, but never expecting this level of strength! It seemed that during his time in Minster, Ren's strength had significantly improved.

After a few seconds, as the smoke dissipated, Ren stood at the edge of the island, sword in both hands, the tip pointing downward, and shook off the blue blood that clung to the glowing blade.

"Therefore, I do not recommend you go now. Going now would be no different from suicide," Viscount Felk said.

The two-meter-six-tall Blood Curse Naga, with a muscular body, swayed and crashed to the ground with a loud thud!

What they hadn't anticipated was that within a few blinks, the dozens of Blue Gill Fishmen were all lying on the ground, dead in various ways: some beheaded, some bisected, some sliced in half.

Along the long coastline, every hundred meters or so, a Blood Curse Naga was responsible.

Occasionally, fierce battles erupted along the extended defensive line, subsiding after a period before calming down again.

"Lord, please be cautious. By the shore, you will inevitably encounter the Blood Curse Naga. The strength of this race is truly terrifying."

Ren nodded, indicating understanding.

"Indeed, I am going there," Ren nodded, pointing to the southeast direction.

If used when charging to the cave entrance, it could avoid being surrounded by multiple Blood Curse Naga on the sea tribe's defensive line.

Ren's speed was too fast, like an arrow released from a bow.

The hermit crab, carrying a several-meter-high sea snail, moved with incredible speed. Its long stalk eyes suddenly stood up, staring viciously at Ren.

"Indeed, I will go there," Ren nodded, pointing to the southeast.

If used when charging to the cave entrance, it could avoid being surrounded by multiple Blood Curse Naga on the sea tribe's defensive line.

Ren carefully observed that the opponent's right arm was severed at the elbow, and the chest and abdomen were tightly bandaged with thick bindings, the bindings showing three dark red bloodstains, but fortunately missing the heart.

The Rampage Hermit crab used its giant claw to partially shield its lower stalk eye, continuing at full speed, charging directly at Ren.

This level of lethality unexpectedly made the male Blood Curse Naga's heart race! He endured the intense pain, managing to swing the trident heavily at Ren.

"If you encounter them, please be extremely cautious and try to engage in guerrilla warfare. Additionally, never fight two Blood Curse Naga simultaneously," Knighten thought for a moment and warned.

On the main battlefield, Ren observed various peculiar-looking fishmen, lobstermen, and sea creatures densely covering the beach.

Not to mention whether the other side could injure him with his 'Intermediate Steel Body,' even if he were injured, with his new Legendary Class as a Beast priest, he could recover from injuries using his core skill, 'Beast Vitality.'

As for injuries?

The tall male Blood Curse Naga, facing the charge of the hermit crab, couldn't afford to strike lethally, so he altered his stance to deflect the charging hermit crab to the side with the trident.

Because he knew that the initial meeting with the Great Shield Crossbowman captain was entirely correct.

"Rest well, Knighten."

Ren then realized that the night before, the Seaport Town was almost defenseless when attacked, as the Blood Curse Naga's combat strength was too formidable. The night patrols were killed on the spot before they could even sound the alarm.

After giving the signal arrow, Felk controlled the griffin to quickly ascend and leave, attending to other matters.

The battles on the island had already drawn the attention of the surrounding sea tribes.

At this moment, a large group of fishmen, lobstermen, four or five male Blood Curse Naga, charged at Ren from all directions!

The cave was right before Ren.

Looking at the sea tribes charging from all directions, Ren pulled out the invisibility scroll gifted by Veronica from his pocket, tore it open, and disappeared from the spot.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end