Chapter 283: Fierce Battle (Part 1)

Chapter 283: Fierce Battle (Part 1)



The ancient hero Mong, who had been unharmed, suddenly let out a painful roar. Behind him, a solid and lifelike transparent shadow appeared, and Rain's hammer struck it, causing it to separate from Mong's body by at least a meter.

Not only that, but the transparent shadow, which had separated from the body, suddenly had dozens of fist-sized holes appear all over it.

The dimmed shadow was then quickly pulled back into Mong's body as if by some gravitational force.

Although the shadow had returned to his body, Ancient Hero Mong was on his knees, vomiting dark red blood and using his warhammer to support his body, trembling in pain.

Everyone, including Freeman, had a shocked expression upon witnessing this scene. According to the church's records, Ancient Hero Mong was not an ordinary Legendary Power, but a top-tier Epic-level powerhouse from the ancient church.

Even if he was far from fully recovered, his strength was almost entirely gone.

However, a tenth of an Epic-level powerhouse's remaining strength was still on par with a Legendary Power.

So, they never expected that such a top-tier powerhouse from their church, who was clearly not a Legendary Power, would be injured by a young Imperial who was not even Legendary. Moreover, it seemed like the injury was quite severe.

Kraya, who had seen Rain's arm muscles bursting, was worried, but the situation took a sudden turn.

The injured person was clearly a Legendary Power, and now it seemed like the injury was even more severe.

The shadow that had appeared earlier seemed to be a soul, and Flay immediately turned to his captain, Roland, and said, "Captain, I told you! With Sir Rain's help, we can still fight."

Roland was also confused by this turn of events.

He couldn't understand how a Legendary Power, and clearly not an ordinary one, could be injured like this by Rain. Could Rain also be a Legendary Power? But that was impossible!

Rain and the Serpent Sect's Cannon fought back and forth for a long time.

In terms of strength, Rain was still some distance away from being a Near-Legendary Power, and his victory over the Serpent Sect's High Priest Cannon was largely due to his 'Extraordinary Body' talent.

Roland couldn't understand how Rain had achieved this.

"Sizzle~~~"

Rain's legs were in a front-and-back kicking stance, his muscles bulging as he plowed two trenches over ten meters long and nearly half a meter deep into the garden's ground before finally standing firm.

His right hand was in excruciating pain, but Rain's eyes were fixed on Ancient Hero Mong, not blinking.

When he saw that Mong's transparent shadow had been struck and was clearly severely injured, he smiled slightly.

"True Damage, so it directly affects the soul?"

"It seems this battle is not over yet!"

Rain could clearly sense that Mong's aura was rapidly declining, and the Royal Thai Air Forces in the annual Cobra Gold exercise.

Not only that, but the previously tight and seamless field around Mong was now much weaker.

This was like a neatly arranged ribbon, which had been floating in one direction, now becoming chaotic and floating in all directions, with many gaps appearing in the middle.

"I need to recover my injuries first."

Beast Vitality only restores stamina and cannot heal injuries.

Rain quickly glanced at the Beast Priest (Legendary) panel and focused his attention on the 'Beast Vitality' core skill.

Previously, to quickly increase his Weapon Master (Legendary) combat power, he had used most of his skill points on Extraordinary Combat Skill, so this core skill, 'Beast Vitality', was still at level 1.

Of course, another reason was that Rain thought level 1 was sufficient.

However, today's situation was different.

There were no large Feral beasts nearby for him to absorb, so he could only heal his injuries by absorbing the vitality and energy from his three contracted pets!

Without hesitation, Rain continuously added points to 'Beast Vitality lv1 (Active)', and the icon changed slightly, transforming from a palm pressing down on a prostrate beast's head to a state where three beasts surrounded the user.

The small text in the lower right corner of the icon changed as follows:

【Beast Vitality lv3 (Active): As a Beast Priest inheriting the power of ancient giants, you can quickly absorb the vitality and energy of beasts or contracted pets within a certain distance to heal your injuries and restore stamina.】

(Note: You can perform this skill on up to three beasts or contracted pets simultaneously, but the maximum amount absorbed cannot exceed 30% of their vitality limit.)



(Note: When absorbing vitality from beasts, you will be affected by the negative influence of the beast's soul. This does not apply to contracted pets.)



Immediately, Rain noticed the changes after the skill upgrade, with the addition of several keywords: 'certain distance', 'simultaneously', and 'three'.

As Rain's thoughts shifted, a small dog-sized creature suddenly emerged and rushed to his side, quickly crouching down. From another direction, a large, robust black horse charged towards him.

Just as everyone thought Rain was about to mount and retreat, a divine, swift predator with a unique appearance swooped down above Rain's head.

Instantly, three visible streams of green energy, like high-pressure currents, surged from the bodies of three feral beasts into Rain's body.

Rain felt three surging, pulsating waves of heat coming from his three war pets. This heat had the special effect of restoring vitality and healing injuries. With half-closed eyes, Rain sensed these three streams of heat rapidly circulating in his severely injured right arm.

The pain in his arm subsided within seconds, and his muscles and skin began to heal rapidly!

Although Rain could only absorb up to three-tenths of the life and vitality of his war pets, due to the strong life force of the feral beasts and the fact that there were three of them, the healing effect was significant.

In just a few seconds, his arm's injuries were completely restored!

However, the expressions of the three war pets looked somewhat wilted, apparently bearing the brunt for their master.

As Rain stood up straight, he felt invigorated and full of vitality.

Seeing this, Freeman, a Black Flame Adept, couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy shit!"

How could this guy do such a thing?

"Go and help Mong up. We're getting out of here!" Seeing the situation was beyond their control, Freeman quickly decided to retreat.

"Yes, sir!"

Several Black Flame Adepts immediately ran to the side of Ancient Hero Mong, who was kneeling on one knee, intending to assist their church's ancient powerful being.

"Thud!" Two Black Flame Adepts cried out in pain.

Ancient Hero Mong's hands were inserted into the bodies of two Black Flame Adepts, and numerous red lines on his arms began to surge towards their bodies, seemingly drawing upon the life force of the church's Black Flame Adepts to restore himself.

As he absorbed their essence, his once-lowered head suddenly lifted, and his blood-red eyes fixed on Rain, filled with raging anger.

This despicable ant had dared to harm his soul's origin with that artifact!

His already diminished combat power was now reduced to a pitiful state.

The ant must die!

Mong threw the two shriveled corpses aside and clenched his fists. The ground beneath him suddenly exploded, creating a deep pit!

Ancient Hero Mong's grayish-white straight line shot towards Rain, and the air around him rippled like water ripples.

Wherever he passed, it was like a powerful typhoon, uprooting trees and stirring up dust and smoke. Rain's pupils constricted, and his mind was highly concentrated. He keenly noticed that Mong's movement speed was not beyond the sound barrier, and he could barely capture their every move.

Apparently, this also proved that Mong's injuries were severe, and his combat power was not as strong as before he was injured.

Rain's confidence surged, and he roared, transforming the hardened fine gold covering his gauntlets into a dark, double-handed warhammer. He swung it towards Mong!

"Clang!!"

Sparks flew in all directions!

This time, the blue and white warhammer and the dark warhammer clashed again!

The piercing sound of metal impact reverberated throughout the area, and the shockwaves created by the impact caused the air to ripple, sending nearby guards and Black Flame Adepts flying over ten meters away.

This made the others scramble and crawl away, terrified, quickly moving away from these two human-shaped giant beasts.

Rain, on the other hand, trembled with his hands clenched, his knuckles whitening.

Ancient Hero Mong's attack still put him at a disadvantage, but Rain's eyes lit up!

The situation was now very different from before.

"This proves that my previous feeling was correct."

"My 'Annihilation Hammer' combined with 'Soul Shattering Impact' caused a certain type of injury to him, at least one that is extremely difficult to recover from in a short time, especially the true damage of 'Soul Shattering Impact'!"

"His combat power is at least two levels lower than at the beginning."

"From the almost impossible to resist, to now, I'm only slightly at a disadvantage."

If Rain had previously made up his mind to fight to the death, determined to turn the tables, now he was filled with excitement, eager to test his strength against this powerful enemy.

Because once this legendary-level powerful being remembered him, Rain's safety, let alone protecting Kraya's safety, was always hanging by a thread!

Moreover, if he could kill such a demon legionary?

Rain's blood boiled with excitement.

Ancient Hero Mong was also pushed back a step by the tremendous counterforce.

As the battle raged on, Rain, who had retreated a step due to the ant-like soldiers, realized the severity of the situation. The young man, who had been knocked back by a soul-damaging attack, was now clashing fiercely with Monge, a legendary-level power user. Rain's concern grew as he witnessed the intense fight between the two.

Nearby, Flay, Roland, and Kraya were engaged in a fierce battle with Freeman, a Black Flame Adept. Both sides deliberately avoided the area where the Ancient Hero Mong and Rain were located.

Freeman's strength was not inferior to Laksoor's, and he even held a slight advantage, making it challenging for Roland and his team to maintain their ground.

Kraya, on the other hand, remained at the villa's entrance, primarily to protect Count Habsburg.

Rain's worries intensified as he sensed the ongoing battle. Suddenly, Viscount Filck, a Griffin Knight, emerged from the ruins, his griffin severely injured. Despite this, Filck himself remained largely unharmed.

Filck looked up and shouted to his subordinate, Fesher, who was hovering nearby, "Quick, Fesher! Go and inform Lady Menia!"

"A legendary-level Demon Legionary has appeared in Maistre County!"

Filck was certain that the one who had severely injured his griffin was a legendary-level power user, and possibly even more than that.

The only one who could handle this situation with absolute certainty was the Red Queen, Lady Menia.

Upon seeing that Fesher was unharmed, Filck's expression brightened. After hearing Filck's shout, he immediately understood and controlled his griffin to fly towards the East, in the direction of the Fishing Port Town!

As Fesher went to inform Lady Menia, Filck finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But at this moment, he stared at the scene in front of him, his eyes widening in shock!

The legendary-level Demon Legionary who had severely injured his griffin was now fighting the young man he had met before, Rain, and the two were locked in an intense battle!

At the same time, he also noticed Roland's team, who was at a disadvantage.

Without hesitation, Filck joined Roland's battle, and with his help, Roland's team gradually stabilized the situation.

Freeman remained calm, even in the face of this stalemate. He was well aware that even the injured Ancient Hero Mong still had more strength to offer.

Rain was no match for Mong.

For Filck, maintaining the current stalemate was sufficient. Once Mong emerged victorious, he could easily finish off the rest.

Rain fought with all his might, but he was still being pushed back by Mong.

Although the gap in strength between the two was narrowing, it was not easy to bridge it.

Each of Mong's attacks was augmented with willpower, elemental force, strength, and a special kind of energy, forcing Rain to use his ultimate technique, 'Annihilation Hammer', to barely defend against each strike.

If it were any other high knight who hadn't mastered an ultimate technique, they would likely struggle to block even a single attack!

But Rain's eyes shone brighter with each blow. He keenly realized that this battle felt entirely different from any he had experienced before.

In this battle, he had to concentrate with all his might to defend against each attack, and unconsciously or consciously using his spiritual power!

It was as if he was walking a tightrope over a thousand-foot cliff.

Rain had a feeling.

It was as if he, a freshly forged iron block, was being tempered by a master blacksmith. Each second of this battle seemed to forge his spirit, benefiting his willpower!

In an instant, he seemed to understand how to enhance his new attribute, 'Willpower'.

But Rain also knew he couldn't keep retreating!

To hold on was to lose!

And the best defense was to attack!

Although Rain currently had 5 remaining attribute points, he needed to use them to recover his stamina, so he couldn't allocate them to strength or agility to reduce the power gap with his opponent.

However, Rain had another solution to further narrow the power gap.

He quickly invested 2 points into the 'Beast Fortitude' icon in the Beast Priest (Legendary) panel, under the 'Beast Vitality' skill.

The icon's pattern didn't change, still displaying Rain's current three battle pets: the eagle, the horse, and the griffin.

Only the small text at the bottom-right corner changed:

{Beast Fortitude lv3 (Inherited from the ancient giant, the Beast Priest naturally possesses the ability to absorb the vitality of contracted pets, enhancing their physical qualities and resistances.}

(Note: At lv3, you can simultaneously obtain the effects of all three pets.)

In the blink of an eye, Rain felt a profound change within himself!

On the attribute panel, Rain gained the buffs of [Canine Agility], [Equine Endurance], and [Griffin Feather Power], each with a +3 boost!

His Strength, Constitution, and Agility all increased by three points, resulting in a nearly 10% boost to his combat effectiveness.

The counterattack began!

After another exchange, Ancient Hero Mong noticed that Rain's status had improved significantly, making him a more formidable opponent.

Mong's eyes filled with anger, and his emotions were in turmoil.

For the first time, Mong carefully scrutinized his opponent, the young Imperial man he was fighting.

Initially, the battle was one-sided, with Rain barely able to counter or block Mong's attacks.

But now, things were different. Rain could occasionally launch effective counterattacks, forcing Mong to block or dodge.

As both fighters wielded heavy warhammers, their strength was unmatched, and each clash resonated with the sound of a mighty bell.

Every strike sent powerful shockwaves that caused the ground to sink several centimeters and dust to fly!

If anyone was unlucky enough to be nearby, they would be stunned by the sound waves, and if they were unlucky, they might become incomplete men.

It was truly incomplete, with missing limbs or even missing half their bodies.

At that moment, a hapless soul was brushed by Rain's warhammer.

"Huh?"

Rain was surprised to see a comet-like transparent shadow being sucked into his hardened gold-forged warhammer.

This scene flashed through Rain's mind like lightning.

He glanced at the description of the 'Soul-Shattering Warhammer.'

As expected, it didn't specify that a certain legendary warhammer was required; it only mentioned a warhammer.

In other words, unlike the need for a specific legendary warhammer during the class transfer, the 'Soul-Shattering Hammer' was the core skill of the top-tier legendary class, the Warhammer Wizard, and not a special skill of a particular hammer.

However, it seemed that legendary-level warhammers had some power.

In an instant, several thoughts flashed through Rain's mind.

He looked at the blue and white warhammer in Ancient Hero Mong's hand, his eyes burning with intensity.

"Since that's the case..."

The next second, Rain unleashed a heavy blow with his hammer, forcing Mong to block before he dodged and charged towards the area where dozens of Black Flame Adepts were located.

Seeing Rain charging towards them, Freeman, who was fighting Roland and Filck, couldn't help but curse, "Damn! You can't beat Mong, so you come here to show off?"

"So shameless!"

Rain swung his hammer, wreaking havoc among the Black Flame Adepts, and in the blink of an eye, he took down three of them.

Including the unlucky one who was killed by Rain's warhammer at the start, Rain had stacked four layers of buffs.

Although each buff only increased his Strength by 2 points, but four times.

In a short time, Rain gained 8 points of Strength.

When Mong charged towards him, he noticed that Rain's warhammer was enveloped in three long, transparent shadows, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Another exchange, these eight points of Strength allowed Rain to gain the upper hand, and the tide of the battle began to turn.

More importantly, after learning that the core skill 'Soul-Shattering Hammer' of the Warhammer Wizard wasn't linked to a legendary warhammer, Rain would find opportunities to rush to a Black Flame Adept every few seconds and take them away.

Finally, when Rain stacked the buffs nine times, Mong's expression changed drastically.

He knew this couldn't continue.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end