Chapter 308: Transformation

Chapter 308: Transformation



In an instant, a squirrel-like, leaping arc of electricity, as vibrant as a high-voltage current, transmitted from the Spirit Greyhound's body to Ryan's palm.

Immediately after, a second green electric arc appeared, originating from a robust black warhorse that had just entered.

The next moment, a loud eagle's cry echoed in the sky, and a third green electric arc emerged.

For a moment, three visible, high-voltage-like green electric arcs connected the bodies of the three berserk beasts and Ryan.

Ryan slowly rose, and the stones on his body rolled off.

"Ouch!"

Ryan looked down at the depression on his chest.

This was the first time he had suffered such a severe injury.

Fortunately, he had taken the initiative to have his three battle pets arrive early.

After using the Beast Shaman's signature skill, Beast Vitality lv3 (Active), three streams of surging energy transmitted from his three battle pets, rapidly circulating around his chest.

This energy had the dual effect of restoring stamina and healing injuries.

Ryan squinted, feeling the tingling sensation from his chest as the injured bones and muscles were quickly repaired and healed!

After a few seconds, at the cost of the exhaustion of his three battle pets, Ryan stood up again, full of vigor.

Meanwhile, at the Swordbearer Division.

Although the division was strictly off-limits to non-swordbearers, they had allocated the first floor of the administrative building to accommodate some of the refugees.

The beautiful woman Jennifer was also arranged in the office of the Support Enhancement Department, together with Deputy Chief Melanie.

"Now that the lady is settled, shouldn't we go and support the captain?" Vieri said seriously.

"I agree," said Evelyn.

"I agree too. We can't let the captain fight alone," Angus nodded.

"Yes, but we still need to do something," Neor added.

"This time, the enemy is a cult. Let's go to the Exchange Hall and rent a replica of the Imperial Staff. It's said to be very effective against cultists."

"That's right, what are we waiting for? Let's go and exchange it now."

Inside the administrative hall.

Ryan, still in the corner, chose not to immediately join the ongoing battle but instead turned his attention to the beast-like Extor.

Ever since the disappearance of that trace of high-ranking aura, Ryan had noticed that the man before him seemed to have lost his sanity.

The grotesquely obese Extor raised his left hand, and several black spherical flames suddenly appeared above his palm.

The next second, they shot towards all the living people around!

Even the remaining Black Flame Cultists were attacked!

Several cultists also fell to the ground, screaming and quickly turning into charcoal, further confirming Ryan's suspicions.

In other words, the opponent's attacks at this moment had no specific target.

All they wanted was to slaughter and devour flesh and blood.

This indiscriminate attack made Extor seem less like a person and more like a beast.

However, Extor, who had experienced a failed ascension ceremony, now possessed an extremely exaggerated level of physical strength.

It was estimated that even among those of legendary rank, he would be considered a top-tier existence.

Ryan witnessed the colorful first-rank spells hitting the opponent, yet his skin didn't even show any wounds.

For those below the rank of Great Knight, Extor was a nightmarish existence.

Despite his obese figure, he moved with astonishing speed.

Great Knights could barely react and dodge by rolling.

But for those with slightly weaker abilities, it was a matter of life and death.

"Quick! Everyone else, get out of here! Those below the rank of formal wizard and Great Knight will only meet their demise by staying," said the severely injured Admiral Edward.

"Anyone who isn't a formal wizard or Great Knight, get out!" Remir shouted from the side.

Witnessing this scene, Ryan realized that he couldn't let the others stay.

Without hesitation, Ryan immediately used his attribute points to enhance his strength and restore his stamina to peak condition. Simultaneously, he tightly gripped the Tempered Gold Warhammer.

The next second, the marble floor beneath him suddenly cracked like a spider web!

Ryan drew a silver line and rushed towards the out-of-control Extor, causing the surrounding air to ripple like water and a powerful gust to surge in all directions.

"A berserk opponent is still easier to deal with than one in that state."

Facing the approaching Ryan, the insane Extor seemed to retain some sense.

As if he knew that Ryan was the culprit behind his failed ascension, and also seemed to understand that Ryan wasn't an easy opponent.

Extor quickly picked up a longsword from the ground, left behind by an unknown person, and fiercely slashed towards Ryan.

Even though Ryan could instantly shapeshift a shield or cast the spell 'Metal Barrier' to block the attack, he didn't intend to engage in a head-on confrontation.

Ryan's primary objective at this moment was to buy some time for his side to catch their breath and regroup.

In an instant, Ryan's feet touched the ground, and he swiftly moved to the left of Extor, launching an attack.

Extor's reaction was equally swift. Suddenly, he slammed the hilt of his long-handled war knife onto the ground!

"Boom!"

A visible shockwave rippled through the air, shattering the marble floor within a four to five-meter radius around him into pieces.

The sheer power of his casual strike was no less than that of a peak Great Knight executing an advanced technique.

However, Ryan was not alone in this battle.

With Ryan drawing the enemy's attention at the front, the Duke's advisor Minor and Remir, who were by his side, seized the opportunity to cast spells and attack the enemy.

A colorful array of spells rained down on Extor's bloated and massive body, causing explosions all around him.

Although Extor's robust physique allowed him to withstand most of the spells without sustaining significant injuries, the constant barrage of spells was a nuisance, causing pain and obstructing his vision.

This only made Extor more agitated.

Seizing the opportunity, Brandul, the Sacred Knight, gathered his remaining strength and charged forward!

His silver double-handed war hammer glowed brightly, and a giant war hammer phantom several meters long materialized, slamming into Extor's corpulent back.

"Boom!!!"

With a legendary-tier strike, Brandul's blow created a basin-sized hole in Extor's back.

Thin strands of dark aura attempted to repair the wound, but the dense blue energy clinging to it hindered the healing process.

Extor roared in anger and pain from the strike.

The counterattack came swiftly.

A circular black flame shockwave knocked Brandul, who had just landed a successful blow, flying over ten meters away, causing him to fall heavily to the ground.

Due to the fierce battle, the Sacred Knights, including the five bishops, had exhausted their strength and even sacrificed themselves using a self-sacrificing divine technique, leaving them unable to stand.

The radiant energy surrounding Brandul began to dissipate as his strength rapidly declined from the legendary rank to near-legendary.

The divine technique they had used to boost their strength by combining their powers had severe side effects.

At this moment, Brandul struggled to get up after being knocked away, seemingly finding it difficult to rise again.

"You've killed them all?"

Ryan noticed that all the Black Flame Monks had been slain by the man before him.

This forced him to abandon his plan to gather ten portions of soul energy and cast 'Spirit Shattering Strike' to finish off the enemy in one go.

"Captain, catch!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from outside the hall.

Neor and Angus rushed into the hall, with Angus throwing a replica imperial staff towards Ryan.

The white staff traced an arc in the air and landed securely in Ryan's hand.

Neor continued, "Captain, go for it! We have more here!"

The remaining individuals drew replica imperial staffs from behind their backs and waved them towards Ryan.

This made Ryan smile.

"These guys must have brought all the replica staffs from the Swordmaster Division."

"Now, perhaps we won't need to use the 'Spirit Shattering Strike' after all."

Without hesitation, Ryan, seeing Extor angrily charging towards Brandul, transformed his tempered gold into three overlapping kite shields, surrounding him.

Ryan held the replica imperial staff and rushed towards Brandul's left side.

"Annihilate!"

Ryan's muscles bulged as he thrust the replica staff towards Extor's bloated abdomen.

The annihilation power, combined with the trace of imperial power within the staff, created a devastating strike, piercing Extor's waist and abdomen with a basin-sized hole.

With a single blow, Extor was severely injured. Even in his delirious state, Extor grimaced in pain and staggered back several steps.

Ryan, not one to let up, caught the second replica staff thrown by Neor and spun around, quickly moving to Extor's left side for another strike.

"Boom!!"

Two more basin-sized holes appeared in Extor's waist and abdomen, leaving him kneeling on the ground as Ryan's continuous onslaught overwhelmed him.

Taking advantage of the enemy's weakness, Ryan struck with precision!

Ryan allocated more points to Strength, restoring his stamina, and with a swift leap, his Tempered Gold shield transformed into a mighty warhammer in his hands. He swung it down upon Extor, who was still wailing in agony.

"Clang!"

The sound of the skull cracking was startlingly crisp.

The dark Tempered Gold warhammer struck Extor's forehead, causing a large mass of white, jelly-like substance mixed with red liquid to spray out from the back of his head, forming a wide fan-shaped pattern on the ground.

Even the hardest of skulls couldn't withstand the blow of the top-tier Ultimate Move, 'Annihilation Hammer.'

The extreme hardness of the skull only made the sound of the impact all the more piercing, echoing throughout the entire hall.

"Huff... Huff..."

Ryan maintained his stance, still swinging the warhammer downward, his breath coming in quick gasps. He seemed not to have fully recovered from the intense concentration required during the fight.

As Extor's bloated corpse lay still, a peculiar aura began to dissipate from it.

This aura was vast, majestic, and awe-inspiring, and Ryan felt a vague sense of familiarity with it.

It was as if the 'Spirit Shattering Impact' he had used to slay that trace of a high-rank projection had something to do with this.

This deja vu moment stirred Ryan's heart.

Just then, the system verified Ryan's suspicion:

[Ding! Unknown high-quality absorbable energy detected. Absorb/Not Absorb?]



(Note: This high-quality energy can be directly converted into Talent Points after absorption.)



As expected!

Upon seeing the system prompt, Ryan's face lit up with joy.

Since the last time he killed a Black Flame Cultist High Priest during the Promotion Stage and the time before that when he slew the ancient hero Mong, Ryan had encountered situations where he could convert Talent Points.

Afterward, Ryan had briefly summarized his findings.

It seemed that only enemies with some connection to deities had the potential to yield Talent Points.

And this was the third time.

Currently, this judgment seemed accurate.

Moreover, what delighted Ryan even more was that the aura this time was more concentrated than the previous two occasions.

Without hesitation, Ryan chose 'Yes!'

Instantly, the strange aura, which had begun to dissipate, was absorbed by Ryan's body, like a small stream flowing into a great river.

The system prompt sounded again:

[Ding! Converted into 4 Talent Points.]



[Please choose to enhance the talent 'Basic Weapon Mastery (Passive)', 'Basic Extraordinary Insight (Passive)', 'Intermediate Gigastrength (Active)', or 'Advanced Steel Body (Passive)'.]



Amazing!

Ryan's smile widened as he read the system prompt.

This meant that even a high-level talent could be enhanced this time. Of course, he needed to carefully consider which talent or talents to enhance.

However, now was not the time to decide on talent allocation.

Admiral Edward was stunned by what he had just witnessed.

Although he had already learned of Ryan's strength from a series of mission completion reports, Ryan's power far exceeded what he had demonstrated during the Swordsman Assessment.

But how much stronger was he?

Paper reports could never compare to the impact of witnessing it firsthand!

While Extor had been severely injured by the combined efforts of the three of them at the beginning, when that high-rank projection attached itself to him, his injuries were instantly healed.

Yet, Ryan was able to send that projection back to the other plane with a single strike of his warhammer.

Even a top-tier Ultimate Move could not achieve such a feat!

This left Edward perplexed, but he had no intention of asking questions.

With his wealth of experience, he knew that everyone had their secrets.

As long as he was certain that Ryan stood on the side of the Empire, that was enough.

If, on top of that, Ryan could fulfill the duties of an Imperial Swordsman, he would wholeheartedly support him.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Minster was utterly shocked.

Unlike Edward, this was his first time witnessing Ryan in combat.

Usually composed, the Duke now had his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape as he took in the scene before him.

Soon, he approached Edward and said, "Old friend, I never imagined you had such a formidable ace up your sleeve."

"You see, maybe we should consider having Ryan work at the Administrative Hall..."

"Hold on, Ferrera," Edward interrupted, his expression turning serious as he waved his hand to stop the Duke. "That's out of the question."

He silently muttered to himself, "I dare not even promote his Swordsman rank to Mithril, fearing he'd be taken away by the Imperial Capital, and you're trying to poach him from me!"

To avoid further discussion on this matter, Edward changed the subject:

"This time, Minster's losses are likely significant."

Hearing this, the Duke surveyed the surroundings, his face darkening as he nodded in agreement. "Indeed, the losses are substantial.

But the Church of the Goddess has suffered even greater casualties than the Empire.

Unfortunately, the ascetic, Mugur, didn't even leave behind a corpse." The Duke of Munster sighed.

"Alas! We had anticipated a possible attack and set up an ambush, but we never expected that they would receive attention from such an existence." Admiral Edward nodded in agreement.

"If not for you, we would have been completely overturned by them, and the entire Munster would have faced a great disaster."

"Ferrera, you said that we have drawn attention from that existence. What about the Imperial Capital...?" Admiral Edward trailed off.

The Duke of Munster's expression turned solemn, and he nodded, "Of course, it's a matter of great concern! But I believe His Majesty the Emperor must have some preparations in place, but..."

"Alas! Facing such an existence, and not just one! I fear that no amount of preparation would be enough."

"Captain, you're truly amazing!"

At this moment, Vieri and the others excitedly ran over to Rain's side, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Rain slowly transformed the double-handed war hammer in his hands back into metal plates, covering his arm armor as before.

"How did you all get here?" Rain smiled, feeling warmth in his heart as he saw his team members rushing over without fear of danger.

After a brief chat, not far away, the avenger Brandul struggled to stand up and walked over, sincerely saying, "Lord Rain, thank you!"

Rain held great respect for Brandul.

He was a true temple knight.

"You're too kind, Viscount Brandul. We fought side by side last time, didn't we?" Rain smiled and extended his right hand.

Brandul also smiled and extended his large hand, shaking Rain's hand firmly.

The Church of the Goddess suffered heavy losses, and with his younger brother's sacrifice, Brandul soon departed.

At this moment, Admiral Edward and the Duke of Munster approached, while Neor and the others bowed and stepped back slightly.

"Admiral Edward, how is your injury...?" Rain asked with concern, looking at the severely wounded Admiral Edward.

"It's not a big deal." Admiral Edward waved his hand and smiled.

"Rain, if not for you, the situation would have been unimaginable." The Duke of Munster stepped forward.

"I must thank you for everything you've done for the Empire, for Munster, and for the Bavaria family."

"Your Grace, this is what I should do as an Imperial Swordbearer." Rain bowed slightly.

"A humble and powerful young man! I will handle the current matters, and as for your reward, I will discuss it with the Emperor."

"Your Grace, thank you very much."

After a while, Rain, along with Neor, Angus, and the others, left the Administrative Hall.

Upon returning to the mansion and comforting his mother, Emma, and the rest of his family, Rain quickly went to the Swordbearer Division and brought back the beautiful woman, Jennifer.

After settling everything, he finally had time to return to his room to rest.

At this moment, Rain looked out the window of the third-floor study towards the street. He saw the bustling patrol officers and city guards outside the Swordbearer Division's entrance, all busy and overwhelmed.

Clearly, the losses and casualties caused by the cult attacks in both the trade district and the administrative district were not insignificant.

Moreover, in the short term, the mindset of the ordinary people of Munster would undoubtedly be filled with fear and anxiety.

After all, this time was different from the previous incident. The previous attack by the giant evil spirit occurred at night, causing relatively minor damage.

But this time, it happened in broad daylight, and the impact was incomparable.

"I fear the Duke of Munster will be very busy."

"Next, I estimate that the mission assignments at the division won't be few." Rain frowned slightly, thinking as he returned to sit at his desk.

At the same time, he brought up the interface to carefully review the system prompts after the battle.

---

Meanwhile.

Myester County, Flashgold Town.

In a lush forest, a large antelope suddenly darted out.

The antelope was a creature with a pair of huge antlers, three meters long, and standing over two meters tall, possessing considerable combat power.

But this antelope seemed a bit different.

Its big eyes were especially lively, as it looked around and revealed a highly anthropomorphic satisfied smile.

Suddenly, the antelope underwent a violent and rapid transformation.

In about two seconds, the antelope turned into a slender woman standing on all fours.

She quickly stood up, dusted off her palms, and muttered to herself, "Transforming into an antelope is quite fast for traveling in the forest, but I still haven't learned to transform into a leopard, which would have been even faster."

"Alas~ When will I learn to transform into a voice mimic eagle!" The girl looked up at the sky, with admiration in her beautiful eyes.

Then, she turned her head towards Flashgold Town and exclaimed in surprise,

"Huh? Why do the houses in Flashgold Town look so collapsed?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end