Chapter 253: Reversal

Chapter 253: Reversal



Having dealt with Ginessis, Rain swiftly countered with a heavy hammer strike, landing it on the venomous sea serpent that had bitten him, instantly rendering it unconscious.

Rain seized the opportunity to free himself from the serpent's massive jaws.

At that moment, the highly venomous sea serpent's poison began to take effect, and Rain could distinctly feel a wave of dizziness sweeping through his mind.

Fortunately, Rain possessed the core skill of the Deathbringer Alchemist, 'Passive Antidote', or else he might have passed out and succumbed to the poison within moments.

However, when the venomous sea serpent had emerged from the nearby pool, Rain had already devised a plan to address this issue.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked being bitten by the venomous sea serpent to slay the female four-armed Naga.

But now, he had to act swiftly without delay.

Rain grabbed the unconscious sea serpent by the head and swiftly placed his hand on the creature's massive head, immediately employing the signature skill of the Beast Priest—'Beast Vitality'.

Instantly, a surging, pulsating heat flowed from the large feral beast, the venomous sea serpent, into Rain's body.

This heat had the effect of restoring energy and healing wounds, and it also provided a sense of comfort akin to soaking in a hot spring after physical exhaustion.

Rain felt the heat coursing through his body, counteracting the damage caused by the venom.

It was a battle between destruction and restoration!

Due to the robust life force of the large feral beast, although Rain could only absorb a mere three-tenths of the total life force and vitality of the venomous sea serpent, it still exceeded the life force of a human Great Knight.

Soon, the venom began to recede as the heat overwhelmed it.

The remaining life force rapidly healed Rain's numerous wounds inflicted by Ginessis's four weapons.

After a few seconds, Rain felt rejuvenated, and most of his injuries had healed.

If not for the fact that most of the heat had been used to counteract the venom, Rain's injuries would have been completely healed by now, but even so, they were almost entirely mended.

Indeed, the power of a legendary profession was unparalleled!

The Beast Priest's core skill, 'Beast Vitality', was akin to a divine technique, capable of restoring energy and healing wounds.

This time, Rain's extraordinary poison resistance, combined with the immense life force drawn from the venomous sea serpent, neutralized the deadly venom.

Rain looked on.

The venomous sea serpent, though still alive, lay listlessly on the ground, barely breathing after receiving a hammer blow and having its life force drained.

Rain, however, was not one to show mercy. He unleashed a 'Shockwave', cracking open the serpent's skull, ensuring it followed the fate of the female four-armed Naga.

After all, master and servant should meet the same end!

But as the venomous sea serpent died, Rain faintly heard a hissing sound in his ears, like a giant snake spitting venom, subtly disturbing his mind.

Rain knew this was a side effect of using 'Beast Vitality', but it wouldn't have a significant impact if used only once in a short period.

After a few hours, the influence of the beast's soul would naturally dissipate.

Additionally, due to his position at the other end of the hall, some distance from Alisha, and the dim lighting, she would, at most, notice him bending down, assuming he was searching for loot, and wouldn't realize he had used an odd ability to heal his wounds.

Rain decided to turn back to rescue Alisha and the other captured Imperial colleagues.

However, as he turned, Rain suddenly noticed something.

Not far ahead of him, there was a long passageway with a bluish-green light membrane that seemed to block sound!

If not for this membrane, Rain's two loud 'Roar War Cry' would have echoed through the area.

Intrigued, Rain squinted and focused his gaze.

In the dim light, Rain's dark vision allowed him to see through the membrane, revealing another hall with a similar style, featuring a massive bronze metal gate dozens of meters high, adorned with intricate patterns and designs.

The patterns seemed to depict shells and sea snails, and in front of the gate was an altar with an unknown purpose.

Surrounding the altar were four fire pits, each with a strange sea-green flame, and at the center stood a stone statue of a multi-armed Naga, several meters tall.

Surprisingly, the bustling figures around the altar were not Merfolk or Blood Curse Naga, as Rain had expected, but humans.

Their robes were adorned with various marine creature patterns, including hundred-eyed starfish and giant-spiked squids, ferocious sea beasts.

"This seems to be the style of the Sea God Cult?"

Rain recalled a general knowledge class where the instructor had discussed typical cult attire.

But at that moment, Rain's ears perked up as he heard growing commotion and fighting sounds from behind him.

"Are they the ones from the straight passage earlier? The ones who came this way?"

This made Rain instantly realize that it was likely the battle from the straight passage earlier, which had now spread to this location.

So, Rain didn't continue observing but immediately turned around, dragging the body of the female Blood Curse Naga, and headed towards the row of hanging cages. He intended to first rescue the captured Imperial colleagues and the target person, Alyosha.

Regarding the bronze gate and statue, he was curious, but at this moment, he didn't plan to explore further.

Rain was clear about the objective of this mission: to rescue Alyosha and, of course, to save these Imperial colleagues along the way, which might increase the mission evaluation or bring other rewards.

As for why he was dragging the body of the female Naga, it was because Rain wanted to ask them if this would earn him Valor Points or something similar.

After all, he felt that this female Blood Curse Naga was very powerful and should be quite 'valuable'! At this moment, Rain glanced at the system prompt:

【Your Great Bear Sword Technique has improved. Experience gained: +1121】

【Your Tokkar Hammer Technique has improved. Experience gained: +2378】

【You have experienced a battle. Beast Priest (Legendary) Experience gained: +296】

【You have experienced a battle. Weapon Master (Legendary) Experience gained: +1909】

(Note: The above skill experience has benefited from the exclusive talent 'Basic Extraordinary Insight', with a 30% increase.)



【Congratulations! You have defeated a formidable foe and gained 2 Golden Skill Points!】

【Congratulations! Your Beast Priest (Legendary) profession has leveled up!】

"Hmm?"

"The Weapon Master didn't level up, but the Beast Priest did?"

"Is it because of using the core skill 'Beast Vitality'?"

"The target was a large Feral Beast, so the experience gained was especially high?" Rain guessed.

Rain checked his system panel and found that his Beast Priest (Legendary) profession had leveled up from lv2 to lv3 (12/500), while his Weapon Master (Legendary) was at lv7 with the progress bar more than halfway filled.

With the leveling up of the Beast Priest (Legendary), he also gained one attribute point and one skill point.

Due to using two points in the previous battle, he now had 13 remaining attribute points and 1 remaining skill point, along with 2 Golden Skill Points.

When Rain's figure appeared at the entrance of the hall, he was still dragging a corpse.

The suspended crowd couldn't help but cheer! Although they couldn't see clearly how Rain had defeated such a powerful Naga Commander due to the distance, they knew they were saved!

Even though dying for the Empire was glorious, if there was a chance to live, not a single person in the hall would choose to be a martyr.

Alyosha, with her fists clenched tightly and her cheeks slightly flushed, excitedly muttered:

"This Rain is truly formidable. I wonder where Father found such a talented young man!"

At the entrance of the hall.

This was the straight passage where Rain had heard the sounds of fighting earlier.

The Boulder Squad of the Minster Swordholder Division was fighting while retreating. The squad's defensive mainstay was a shield-bearing burly man and a young man with a short staff.

If Rain were there, he would definitely recognize these two.

They were the two Swordholders who had ridden the Griffin to Myester to deal with the Black Flame Cult.

Behind them were four men and women in different attire, seemingly members of the same squad as the burly man.

However, just like their captain, they all seemed exhausted, with damaged armor or tattered clothes, and weary expressions.

In contrast to the exhausted Boulder Squad, their opponents were led by a female Blood Curse Naga, who looked very similar to the one Rain had defeated earlier. She had a relaxed smile on her beautiful human face, and her body was completely unharmed.

Unlike the previous female Naga, this one had four arms, but only one arm held a gray wooden staff about one and a half meters long.

She casually waved her staff, commanding her subordinates—White Scaled Fishmen, various Sea Beasts, and seven or eight Male Blood Curse Nagas—to attack the Boulder Squad.

With such formidable opponents, it was no wonder the Boulder Squad were in such a sorry state.

"Captain, there's a fork in the road ahead. The target should be there," said a man in a gray robe holding a crystal ball at the front of the squad.

"You four, go check it out. Bartholomew and I will hold them off!" the shield-bearing burly man said in a low voice.

At this moment, his face showed signs of poisoning.

Upon hearing Bartholomew's words, the four squad members nodded gravely, understanding that their captain was creating an opportunity for them. Although the squad had not suffered any casualties, they were all exhausted! Their mission this time was to investigate an island altar and the fate of several elite squads the Empire had sent earlier.

They never expected that the altar would be heavily guarded by the Sea Beasts, and there was also a secret beneath the altar—a deep cave hidden there.

The ancient giant cave was littered with signs of fierce battles, indicating that the Empire's squads had ventured deep into its depths.

They must have fought their way here!

Fortunately, based on the tracking spell just cast, the Empire's elite forces were nearby.

The four followed their captain, Bartholomew's orders, and quickly rushed towards the hall where Rain was located.

After a few seconds, as the four stealthily entered the hall and cautiously surveyed the area, they all froze in shock!

After a moment of stunned silence, they cautiously stepped into the hall.

What stunned them was a circle of white-scaled Merfolk, neatly laid out in a fan shape on the floor, at least twenty or thirty of them, all dead.

The sight before them was so shocking that they couldn't help but gasp in awe.

Wow!

What kind of attack could do this?

Even harvesting wheat wouldn't be this neat!

Then, they saw two male Blood Curse Nagas with different death poses.

One was kneeling at the entrance of the hall, covering his neck with both hands and bowing his head, as if in repentance. The other had an even more exaggerated death pose.

A silver double-handed greatsword had pierced through the chest of the second Naga, with the tip of the sword embedded in the hard cobblestone floor. Perhaps due to the speed of the strike, most of the blade had penetrated the body, leaving only the hilt protruding from the chest. This caused the male Naga's body to remain standing, supported by the greatsword and its own upper body, forming a stable triangular structure.

When Rain, carrying Gnosis's body, approached from the other end of the hall, the four members of Boulder Squad) were completely stunned by the sight.

Is this the Blood Curse Naga Commander?

Four arms, a female Blood Curse Naga!

No mistake.

It seemed that all the Merfolk here were killed by this young man.

White-scaled Merfolk aside, those two male Blood Curse Nagas, and even the Naga Commander they were dragging...

That's a Naga Commander!

Can our captain defeat them? This young man's strength is terrifying!

And how did they get here? Our group struggled through countless hardships to reach this place.

Instantly, numerous doubts and questions filled the minds of the four.

Rain glanced at them and nodded, not speaking.

The four, seeing Rain's nod, felt both honored and surprised, quickly nodding back twice.

Rain was puzzled by the unusually respectful attitude of these newcomers.

However, he didn't dwell on it and instead retrieved his greatsword, swiftly moving to the wall where the cages were hanging. With two swift strikes, he slashed through all the nets, freeing the captured individuals.

"Finally, we're rescued! Thank you! Are you Rain, sir?" One of the freed individuals, still bound in the hanging cage, asked Rain with a friendly expression.

"Hmm?" Rain was slightly taken aback, surprised that someone here knew him.

"It seems it's really Rain, sir. I'm Braulio, from the Mad Sand Squad. I've heard about you defeating a black obsidian giant during the new recruit assessment."

"Braulio, this isn't the time for pleasantries. Let's get out of here first." Another person, seemingly Braulio's teammate, smiled at Rain and gestured towards the hall's entrance.

"Look, who's there?"

Braulio turned around and was stunned. "It's the Boulder Squad's Alvis and the others. I was saying, even Rain, sir, as powerful as he is, still needs help, right?"

Rain was taken aback by the mention of Boulder Squad.

Although he didn't recognize the four, the name Boulder Squad sounded familiar.

At this moment, Rain seemed to hear Braulio's voice, and the four members of Boulder Squad quickly approached, saying, "Braulio, McKinney, we finally found you."

"This... sir, thank you for your assistance!" Alvis, the young man, impressed by Rain's strength as he dragged the Naga Commander, respectfully bowed.

"You're welcome, it was a small effort," Rain nodded.

"Alvis, don't you know Rain, sir?" Braulio and McKinney, the two teammates freed by Rain, looked at each other in confusion, both having the same question in mind.

Because they both thought of a question, that is "Alvis doesn't know Rain, sir? So, this adult is..."

At this moment, Rain stopped in front of Alyosha, who was massaging his wrist, and asked with a smile, "You're Alyosha, right?"

"Yes, Rain, sir. Thank you for saving me."

"That... is my father." Alyosha's big eyes curiously examined Rain, while also asking the question on his mind.

"Yes, follow me closely, and we'll talk outside," Rain smiled.

He noticed that the girl had a bright round face, thin lips, and a small mole on the lower left corner of her mouth, giving her a friendly and approachable appearance, like a neighbor's little sister.

"Yes, Rain, sir."

"Alasha smiled sweetly and nodded vigorously.

It's a miracle to find salvation in the nick of time!

The seven Imperial elite soldiers, who had been incidentally rescued by Rain, were stunned as they overheard the conversation between Rain and Alasha. They glanced at their four 'ragged' allies, then at Rain conversing with Alasha, and suddenly realized that these four were the actual rescue team, while Rain was here to rescue Alasha.

And they were just an afterthought.

For a moment, a strange sentiment filled their hearts.

It's great to have a badass dad who can send such capable rescuers.

If Rain hadn't arrived, even with these four reckless youths, they would likely have met the same fate, hanging in the net cages.

"Damn, I forgot about our captain at the hall entrance," Alvis slapped his thigh. He had been so shocked that he forgot about Captain Bartholomew and Remir, who were holding off the enemy at the entrance.

As Alvis was about to call for everyone to leave, he suddenly remembered something and quickly ran to Rain, saying, "Your Excellency Rain, and you, Miss, let's leave this place immediately."

"Our captain is holding off the pursuing sea creatures in the passage, but he won't last long!"

"Of course," Rain nodded, as that was his intention too.

After all, he didn't feel right about this place; it felt like his mind was being suppressed.

Meanwhile, in the hall where the bronze gate was located.

A middle-aged man in a Sea God Cult robe respectfully approached a female six-armed Naga who was presiding over a ceremony. He bowed slightly and said, "High Priestess Seraphina, the wizardry array just showed that Commander Gnosis's life flame has suddenly gone out. What do you think?"

"Hmm, isn't Gnosis stationed in the Omen Hall?"

"Bashak, go and take a look. If there are indeed intruders, you know what to do."

"Yes, High Priestess." A deep voice echoed from the corner of the bronze hall.

Immediately, the owner of the voice slowly emerged from the shadows.

It was a giant male Blood Curse Naga, moving with an unusually thick snake tail, and he passed through the water membrane.

In the Omen Hall.

The rescued Imperial elite soldiers quickly gathered weapons from the fallen white-scaled fishman and Blood Curse Naga, then surrounded Rain and hurriedly left the hall.

Just then, an explosion sounded from the front, followed by a burly man with an axe and shield and a young man with a short staff, who retreated into the hall, grumbling, "Alvis, what are you guys up to now? You've been scouting for so long."

Realizing something was amiss, Bartholomew turned and saw a group of people surrounding a somewhat familiar young man exiting the hall.

Remir, the one with the short staff, was even more astonished. His eyes widened, and he pointed at Rain, "You, you're Rain. What are you doing here?"

Bartholomew then remembered that this young man was the one they had encountered during the incident with the Myester Cult.

As the commander of the Blood Curse Naga, Stasha naturally knew that this hall was under Gnosis's responsibility.

But these humans didn't know, and now they had walked into a trap. Soon, they would be attacked from both sides by Stasha and Gnosis.

That's why, at first, she commanded her followers to attack fiercely, but once they entered the passage, she reduced the intensity and frequency of their attacks.

This human team was quite capable, and a direct confrontation would result in heavy losses.

But now, the humans were exhausted, and when they entered the hall and saw Gnosis waiting for them, they would likely feel desperate. Then, she could easily defeat them.

However, when Stasha led her followers to the hall entrance, she was stunned!

The scene before her, not only herself but also her followers behind her, left everyone speechless.

Where was Gnosis?

The one who was captured earlier was now free and seemed to be preparing for a ritual.

The worst part was that the humans had received reinforcements.

Stasha felt like she had swallowed a fly, feeling nauseous.

The group, however, showed no fear and instead seemed eager to avenge their earlier humiliation.

After all, with two Earthshaker squads and a Swordsman squad, they had a good chance of defeating the sea creatures. Especially with Rain, whose strength was unfathomable.

Suddenly, Rain's eyebrows furrowed, and he immediately turned to look behind him.

Bartholomew and Remir also turned to look back.

The Naga commander, Stasha, wore a strange smile.

At the other end of the Omen Hall, a massive figure emerged, and instantly, a powerful and unsettling aura filled the air.

It was an exceptionally tall and robust male Blood Curse Naga. His left arm seemed to be adorned with a two-meter-long sharp-tailed conch.

Thank the sea, it's all water.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end