Chapter 255: The Airship

Chapter 255: The Airship



"Move!" Bartholomew seemed to sense someone behind him and spoke with great effort.

Upon hearing Bartholomew's words, Rain didn't say anything but took a step forward, blocking the way ahead.

This immediately caught the attention of the Tide Piercer, Rulgarz.

As the other's serpentine eyes fell upon Rain, he instantly felt as if he was being stared down by a natural enemy, his hair standing on end!

Rain now understood why Bartholomew, a peak Great Knight who had even used potions, was still beaten so badly.

While Bartholomew's previous injuries had some impact, it was more so the exaggerated strength of the Tide Piercer that made the difference.

This...

The opponent should have surpassed the level of a Great Knight.

But...

He himself was no longer the same as a few minutes ago!

The current him possessed the High-Ranked High Technique 'Shattering Hammer'.

Even if Bartholomew hadn't been injured, Rain believed they were evenly matched.

Since Bartholomew could hold off the opponent for a while, Rain had no reason to flee without swinging his hammer at least once.

Rain weighed the Pig Head Hammer in his hand, his gaze fixed on the Tide Piercer, Rulgarz, as the flames of battle intent in his heart burned brighter.

Compared to a peak Great Knight, he seemed to lack strength?

No!

To be precise, he would no longer be lacking!

Rain's body leaned slightly forward, his war hammer held in both hands and angled downward on his right side.

"Bang!"

As his toes touched the ground, the cobblestones shattered, and a wave of energy suddenly surged forth! Rain rushed forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, charging straight at Rulgarz!

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

With each step, Rain silently added points to his strength attribute. A warm current flowed from his heart.

With each step, Rain's aura grew more formidable. This caused the face of the giant Naga—the Tide Piercer, Rulgarz—to change slightly, and his graceful snake-like movement came to a halt.

Rulgarz's left hand held the Spiked Conch, emitting a dull buzzing sound. Instantly, a large amount of water energy particles began to swirl and gather, forming several snake-like currents of water that coiled around the white conch's surface.

After taking five steps and temporarily increasing his strength by five points, Rain's body felt like a dormant volcano about to erupt!

About to ignite!

About to explode!

Rain desperately needed to roar!

He needed to swing this hammer with all his might!

"Ahhhh!"

Rain let out a roar as he leaped forward, stopping just in front of the Tide Piercer, Rulgarz. In midair, Rain raised his war hammer high, his body tensed like a drawn bowstring, and he swung the hammer down with all his might, as if he were releasing all his strength in that moment.

In an instant, the dark Pig Head Hammer traced a bright black arc, striking the Tide Piercer, Rulgarz, right on the head!

When Remir finally arrived at the scene, this was the sight that greeted him.

Remir's pupils constricted instantly.

"Clang!"

Rain's Pig Head Hammer and the Tide Piercer's Spiked Conch collided! In that instant, time seemed to pause, and a high-frequency vibration similar to ultrasound emanated from the point of impact.

Even from a distance of over ten meters, Remir felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his scalp tingling.

"Crack!"

Rain's dark Pig Head Hammer seemed unable to withstand the high-frequency vibrations and the collision, and with a crisp sound, it shattered into pieces. But the immense force from Rain's swing caused the sharp, angular fragments of the hammerhead to fly like cannonballs towards Rulgarz.

Rain was immediately struck by the powerful recoil, flying and sliding over ten meters to land beside Remir.

"Ahh!"

The Tide Piercer, Rulgarz, suddenly cried out in pain.

One of the fragments from the shattered hammerhead had pierced his left eyeball.

The hammerhead had exploded so close that the fragments, moving at high speed, had penetrated his eye before Rulgarz could even raise his water ball defense.

"Gurgle, gurgle!"

Suddenly, six or seven smoke bombs rolled onto the ground near Rulgarz.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The next second, they all exploded!

Instantly, thick, acrid smoke filled the corridor, engulfing the tall figure of the Tide Piercer, Rulgarz.

"Move!"

Remir cast a Lightfoot Spell on himself while helping up Captain Bartholomew, who looked pale.

Hearing Remir's words, Rain immediately turned and retreated at full speed.

After all, with his Pig Head Hammer shattered, continuing to fight against such a powerful opponent was not bravery but foolishness!

However, the shattering of his beloved Pig Head Hammer left Rain feeling a sense of loss.

It was made by Lagre for him.

Seeing Rain, the guy who had blinded his eye, trying to escape, Rulgarz was not about to let him off easily.

He burst out of the smoke, charging towards the group of three at a much faster speed than before.

Rain glanced at the Giant Spiked Conch still wrapped in several blue water currents on Rulgarz's left arm.

"My Pig Head Hammer, forged from hardened adamantine, was shattered, yet his Spiked Conch remains unscathed."

"Is this the power of an enchanted weapon?" Rain couldn't help but feel envious.

This further strengthened his desire to master the 'Metal Transformation Technique'.

"If I could control metal deformation, then even if a weapon shatters, it should be possible to quickly reassemble it!"

"It might even be possible to change the shape of metal for direct attacks."

"If I were to combine it with my High Technique..."

"Human, you will pay for your actions!" The Tide Piercer Rulgarz's voice boomed like rolling thunder.

Suddenly, a rustling sound of crawling echoed behind the three of them.

Judging from the sound, it was moving at an incredible speed, unlike Rulgarz's previous leisurely pace.

This caused Remir to panic inwardly! Rain glanced at the corridors on both sides, which were only about four meters wide, while Rulgarz's opponent stood over three meters tall.

Rain ran while swiftly swinging his greatsword at the cave wall above!

"Ssss! Ssss!"

As the greatsword swiftly sliced through the air, large chunks of rubble and dirt fell from the ceiling of the corridor, blocking the passage, leaving only a gap of more than a meter, and in one section, a large amount of dirt collapsed, almost completely blocking the way!

This made it impossible for the massive Tide Piercer Rulgarz to pass through.

Even if he wanted to get through, it would take considerable time to clear the rubble and dirt.

Hearing the increasingly angry roars from behind, Rain's group of three managed to escape with a close call, quickly catching up with the others ahead.

Seeing that Rain's group had returned, everyone was overjoyed!

Especially Alasha, whose beautiful eyes fixed on Rain.

The rest of the journey was straightforward.

In less than a minute, after dealing with several patrols of White Scaled Fishmen, the group reached the cave entrance near the beach where Rain had entered earlier.

"So, it's connected," everyone, including Remir, was surprised.

They had entered from a distant island's altar, unaware that the underground of two small islands separated by several kilometers was interconnected.

As soon as they saw the azure sky, Remir quickly launched a blue signal flare into the air.

After a moment's thought, Rain also launched the red signal flare given to him by Viscount Fabien.

The first to notice the signal flares was Vinonica and a group of shield crossbowmen who had been observing the cave's surroundings.

"Look, it's Baron Rain's red signal flare! He's out!" A soldier with a single-tube copper telescope pointed ahead and shouted.

The soldiers exclaimed in surprise!

Vinonica immediately looked up, and indeed, a red and a blue signal flare appeared in the sky.

This made her incredibly happy.

Soon, the situation was reported up the chain of command.

Viscount Fabien was currently controlling a griffin guardian present), and when he saw the signal flares, he was both surprised and delighted!

He hadn't expected the young man to actually fight his way out of the cave.

After all, Fabien had thought Rain was undertaking an impossible task. Just the fact that he returned safely was enough to prove his courage and strength!

Viscount Fabien's noble griffin let out a high-pitched cry!

Griffin Knights rose one by one from various positions along the Imperial Coastline, quickly forming a twelve-person Griffin Knight Squad flying towards Rain's location.

Additionally, the Imperial side's bronze cannons began to unleash their might.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sudden barrage of cannonballs caught the Sea Clan off guard.

Seizing the opportunity, the Griffin Knight Squad escorted Rain, Bartholomew, and others back to the Imperial camp on the beach side.

The group received a hero's welcome from the Imperial soldiers!

Lindy, the war dog Cookie, darted out and barked twice at his master, overjoyed.

The twin-tailed maiden Vinonica wanted to give Rain a big hug, but soon, she noticed a young girl walking alongside Rain.

This made her pause and scrutinize the girl.

Women are very sensitive to staring eyes, especially since Alasha was a Level 2 Arcane Apprentice.

So, she quickly realized someone was staring at her.

The other girl was also a beautiful twin-tailed maiden, young and full of vitality, just like Vinonica.

For no apparent reason, Vinonica felt that the girl's relationship with Rain was not ordinary.

Soon, this was confirmed in the conversation between Vinonica and Rain.

Bartholomew, who was severely injured, was immediately taken away for treatment. Although his injuries were critical, his life was saved.

The other rescued personnel were not severely injured, but they still needed medical attention.

Before leaving, the Imperial Army's 'Earthshaker' squad members approached Rain to express their gratitude.

"Baron Rain, we are extremely grateful for your assistance this time! Otherwise, we would not have made it back, and the 'Earthshaker' Fanged Bear Squad sincerely thanks you," said the leader of the 'Earthshaker' Fanged Bear Squad, a senior knight, as he bowed with two others.

"The Fanged Bear Squad, I merely did what I should," Rain replied with a slight bow and a smile.

As the conversation continued, two other members of the 'Earthshaker' Swift Dragon Squad also came forward to express their gratitude, and one of them said:

"Baron Rain, we heard that you are new to the Swordsman Squad. Have you considered joining us at the 'Earthshaker'?"

"Although in terms of overall strength, we might not be on par with the Swordsmen you belong to, the treatment is not much different."

"Also, since our Swift Dragon Squad captain unfortunately fell in battle, if you were to join us, we would support you as the captain of our Swift Dragon veteran squad."

At this moment, Remir couldn't take it anymore.

Damn it, Rain was someone he had his eye on long ago, and now they were poaching him right in front of him.

Back then in Myester, after dealing with the Black Flame Church incident, he had already told Rain to come find the Earthshakers.

Just then, Remir quickly interrupted the invitation from the Swift Dragon Squad to Rain, saying, "The esteemed members of the Earthshakers, we just rescued you from the enemy's hands, and now you're going to start poaching our Swordsmen?"

"Isn't that going too far?"

The members of the Earthshakers couldn't help but blush slightly at Remir's words.

At this moment, a female Knight from the Fanged Bear Squad, with her slender waist and bouncy, voluptuous hips, walked up to Rain's side, slowly extended her hand, and placed it on Rain's muscular chest, saying, "Lord Rain, thank you for your rescue! If you have any needs, you can come to me at any time. I am Alexandra Bullock, a formal member of the Earthshakers' Fanged Bear Squad."

As Alexandra spoke, she licked her flexible, pink tongue beside her red lips, and her beautiful brown eyes stared at Rain, almost as if she could pull out silk.

Especially when she said 'any' in a drawn-out tone, it made the few male Knights of the Earthshakers beside her reveal envious expressions.

You should know that Alexandra is one of the three roses of the Earthshakers. Although they are all in the same squad, Alexandra doesn't really look highly upon the others.

Facing Alexandra's words, Remir didn't know what to say for a moment.

As for Veronica beside him, she was both angry and anxious, cursing in her heart, 'Shameless! Slut! Lord Rain wouldn't like someone like you!'

As for Alasha, the thought that popped into her mind at this moment was, 'So flirtatious!'

Suddenly, the two girls seemed to have a tacit understanding, glancing at each other, their eyes seemingly conveying the message, 'Compared to this Alexandra, the other one is more likable.'

Hearing Alexandra's words, Rain felt a little embarrassed. He naturally understood her implied meaning.

Some things shouldn't be said in public, and one's image should be maintained. Moreover, there were also the two young ladies, Veronica and Alasha, watching from the side.

"Cough, thank you, beautiful lady. We both belong to the Empire's special departments, and I believe there will be many opportunities for cooperation in the future."

The numerous Imperial soldiers standing by the side listened with great interest. The people before them included members of the Empire's special department, the Earthshakers, and the Swordsmen, all expressing their gratitude to the young Baron Rain and making various offers.

This young Baron Rain had not only rescued the ponytailed girl but also brought back the trapped Imperial elite squads.

At this moment, the Imperial soldiers looked at Rain with even more admiration in their eyes.

Viscount Fabien had already dismounted from the griffin.

However, he didn't come forward to disturb them but stood by the side with a smile.

Earlier, when he was providing cover on the griffin, he had seen the severely injured Swordsmen captain Bartholomew and noticed the crowd's subtle reverence towards Rain. He had already guessed something.

Now, after eavesdropping for a while, the answer naturally became clear.

He hadn't expected Rain to not only rescue Alasha but also bring back several elite squads of the Empire's special departments.

After the members of the Earthshakers and Swordsmen bid farewell to Rain, Viscount Fabien finally stepped forward.

After some pleasantries, Viscount Fabien said, "Baron Rain, if you're interested in aerial combat, you can join the Royal Griffin Guard."

"The Royal Griffin Guard?"

"Haha, Baron Rain, perhaps you're not very clear. Our full name is 'Dragoon Empire Royal Griffin Guard Minster Squadron'."

Rain suddenly understood.

He politely declined, saying, "Thank you very much, Viscount Fabien. Although I yearn to ride a griffin and soar through the skies, I've only recently joined the Swordsmen, so it's too soon."

Viscount Fabien nodded, not continuing his recruitment efforts.

Some words were best left unspoken.

He held Rain in high regard. At such a young age, he already possessed such formidable strength.

Additionally, he felt that Rain's character was relatively mature for his age.

He remembered that at Rain's age, he also had some strength, but he had indulged himself in the banquets organized by those beautiful, mature ladies and young, lively noble ladies, singing and reveling night after night, never wanting to leave.

Otherwise, his strength would have been even greater.

"Miss Alasha!" At this moment, a young man dressed as a cavalryman hurried over, calling out joyfully.

"This must be Lord Rain?" Lorenzo bowed.

Rain nodded, saying, "Hello!"

"Huh? Lorenzo? Did your father send you?" Alasha seemed to recognize the young man named Lorenzo as a cavalryman from the envoy's family.

"Yes, Miss. The master asked me to wait here for news. When I saw so many people cheering, I rushed over immediately. Fortunately, you've returned safely."

Alasha thought of the two familiar family knights who had sacrificed themselves to protect her, and her eyes reddened. "Slav and Mansfield couldn't make it back safely. They gave their lives to protect me."

"That was the mission of the two knights!"

"Miss Alasha, wait a moment. The military has arranged for a return airship to Minster, and you and Lord Rain can take it back. The master has already made the arrangements."

"An airship?" Rain was slightly surprised.

"Yes, Lord Rain, look, the airship is coming this way." Lorenzo pointed to the sky in the northwest corner.

Hmm?

Rain followed the direction Lorenzo was pointing.

In the distance, there was a small gray oval dot in the sky, moving towards them.

Rain squinted and examined it.

With his excellent eyesight, he immediately recognized the oval object as a type of airship similar to the zeppelin from his previous life. It had an oval-shaped airbag on top and a large gondola below, resembling a ship.

The entire airship approached them slowly but steadily, propelled by several straight rows of propellers at the stern.

On both sides of the airship, two agile griffin knights escorted it, flying up and down. Rain took a closer look and realized they were the escorts.

"Lord Rain, what do you think?" Alasha didn't immediately agree to Lorenzo's suggestion of taking the airship back to Minster. Instead, she turned to Rain and asked.

"Oh, Lord Rain, I forgot to report to you. Your family and Lady Crowley have already been escorted to Minster by a team of elite cavalry."

"At their speed, they'll arrive in Minster by noon the day after tomorrow," Lorenzo added, patting his head.

"They've already been escorted?" Rain nodded, slightly surprised.

This gave him a new understanding of Javier's efficiency.

The speed of the noble carriage was much faster than when Rain had escorted the merchant caravan due to the superior horses and lighter carriage.

Under these circumstances, there was no need for him to return to the county city.

His warhammer was damaged, and if he encountered enemies, he wouldn't be able to exert his full strength. It was better to return to Minster and get a new warhammer first. Rain thought to himself.

"Yes, Lord Rain, currently, Myester County City is in a state of panic. Baron Hubert has been injured, so Captain Danuven decided to return to Minster first after receiving your family."

Rain nodded, slightly surprised.

This new information gave him a better understanding of Javier's efficiency.

The speed of the noble carriage was much faster than when Rain had escorted the merchant caravan due to the superior horses and lighter carriage.

Under these circumstances, there was no need for him to return to the county city.

His warhammer was damaged, and if I encounter enemies, I won't be able to exert my full strength. It was better to return to Minster and get a new warhammer first." Rain thought to himself.

Rain didn't immediately return to his room after boarding the airship. Instead, he looked down at the long coastline from the air. Alasha, feeling slightly tired, returned to the cabin to rest.

At that moment, along the coast, the defensive lines of the Empire and the Sea Clan were clearly divided, like the blue seawater and the yellow land. Occasionally, there were sporadic skirmishes between the Empire and the Sea Clan.

However, as Rain watched this scene, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Where were the Empire's high-end combat forces? Even the Blood Curse Naga had powerful individuals like the Tide Piercer, yet the Dragoon Empire, which had stood for over two thousand years, seemed to lack high-end combat power.

There was obviously a secret here.

This made Rain feel a sense of urgency, a worry about the unknown.

If the situation continued to develop as it was, Rain stood on the deck of the airship for a while before returning to his cabin.

Half-lying on the soft bed, with Cookie standing guard beside him, Rain finally relaxed.

He touched his chest, where there was a proof letter from Remir representing the Boulder Squad. The letter mainly described how Rain had rescued the Boulder Squad and saved the elite Earthshakers as well.

Originally, this had been a task assigned to the Boulder Squad.

According to Bartholomew's intention, this time, the Boulder Squad could only be considered as assisting Rain in completing the task.

According to the rules, Rain could receive most of the Boulder Squad's task rewards.

In other words, perhaps after submitting the proof letter, Rain, who had rescued Alasha and coincidentally rescued the Empire's elite forces, had inadvertently met the minimum requirement of a Golden Medal for the loan.

Subsequently, Rain took out a loan to obtain the Fog Condensation Elixir, Level 1 Defensive Fire Magic, and Metal Morphing.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end