Chapter 318: The Death of the High Priestess

Chapter 318: The Death of the High Priestess



"Clang!!!"

Rain's Tempered Adamantium warhammer clashed with the six-armed Naga's twin short swords, the impact sending Rain flying several meters away. Although Sereniss did not retreat, her upper body arched back, and the ground where her snake tail touched instantly cracked.

Clearly, she had channeled the force into the ground.

Gasping for breath, Rain's body emitted white steam. Having continuously unleashed his Secret Technique, his stamina was greatly depleted, but his eyes shone brighter than ever. During the previous battle, Rain had already added two skill points.

In other words, Rain had effectively regained his stamina twice, allowing him to fight the six-armed Naga for so long.

The opponent's six arms, all capable of attacking, put Rain under unprecedented pressure in terms of technique.

He had to simultaneously control the three-sided 'Metal Barrier' Wizardry shield to block attacks that his warhammer couldn't handle, while also unleashing his Secret Technique.

This was the first time Rain had encountered such a worthy opponent.

At this moment, a flame seemed to flicker in Rain's heart, stirring his blood.

Unlike the ancient Mong and the possessed Black Flame Cult's High Priest, Extest, who relied on sheer power in their later battles, the current opponent's pure strength was only slightly greater than Rain's.

With Rain's Giant Strength and Dragon Bloodline buffs, they were almost evenly matched, and the battle relied on various close-quarters combat techniques.

For Rain, this was the perfect sparring partner!

In contrast, Sereniss was exhausted, her middle pair of arms holding the short swords trembling slightly.

Clearly, the previous battle had nearly exhausted her stamina.

Despite using all her tricks, she still couldn't defeat her opponent, which made Sereniss, already struggling to think rationally, extremely furious.

"Damn it!"

Her short staff-wielding arm began to wave, and she started muttering something.

If not for her injured soul, the 'Water Vortex' technique she was attempting to cast would have been almost instantaneous.

But now, she had to recite the incantation to cast it.

"Ung!"

Rain interrupted Sereniss's spellcasting with a Dragon Roar, causing her to pause for a split second. Rain then created two afterimages and attacked from the side, closing in on his opponent.

The two engaged in fierce close-quarters combat once more!

As Sereniss screamed, the twenty-plus male Blood Curse Nagas blocking the entrance to the Sealed Gateway, led by Angus, went berserk. Their eyes turned red, and they charged into the gateway without regard for their lives.

This caused Angus and his team to retreat step by step.

With this retreat, the best defensive position at the narrow entrance was lost, making it impossible to block the Blood Curse Nagas' entry.

Angus and his team were shocked, and Neor immediately shouted to Rain, "Captain, we can't hold them! Watch out for the Blood Curse Nagas rushing in!"

Hearing the warning, Rain glanced sideways and saw over ten injured male Blood Curse Nagas charging towards him. This sight brought a smile to his face.

To avoid prolonging the fight, Rain had been wanting to quickly kill the six-armed Naga instead of dragging it out.

Unexpectedly, soul energy had come to him! Rain unleashed his Shadow Step, appearing beside five Blood Curse Nagas almost simultaneously, and five different hammer-wielding silhouettes appeared.

"Bang! Bang!"

After five whip-like hammer strikes, four of the silhouettes vanished, leaving only Rain's true form, still holding the warhammer and delivering a heavy blow.

The five Blood Curse Nagas' heads exploded, and they collapsed to the ground.

After repeating this once more, nine transparent shadows of the Blood Curse Nagas, with long trailing tails, circled Rain several times before being sucked into his warhammer.

"Necromancy Wizardry!" Sereniss narrowed her eyes, surprised.

The next second, Rain raised his warhammer and charged at Sereniss, unleashing a full-power strike.

"Clang!!!"

She blocked the blow, but before she could recover, the 'Soulbreaker Warhammer' struck again, injuring her already wounded soul even more severely.

If not for her veteran legendary soul strength, this blow might have been enough to kill her.

At this moment, Sereniss went berserk, screaming in pain, her six arms flailing wildly.

Rain hesitated to engage her in close combat.

But in an instant, a flash of insight came to Rain.

His great mace transformed into a three-meter-long lance, and with agile footwork, he began attacking from a distance.

Although the lance's power was inferior to other weapons with Secret Techniques, and far below the mastery of top-tier hammer techniques, Rain maintained a safe distance and continuously stabbed with the lance.

Perhaps due to the two consecutive 'Soulbreaker Warhammer' strikes, the opponent's soul was severely injured, and their attacks lacked any semblance of technique. Rain's lance struck true each time.

On the six-armed Naga, whose defensive Wizardry had dissipated, bloodstains appeared with each lance strike.

She became Rain's lance training dummy!

The opponent's movements slowed, and Rain, narrowing his eyes, unleashed a powerful stab. The lance's tip pierced the opponent's throat.

"Hmm."

Sereniss's eyes widened as she felt her life slipping away. In an instant, countless memories flooded her mind.

"How can I die here? I can't accept this!"

"Clang!"

The sound of weapons clattering to the ground echoed as Sereniss's six-armed weapons fell from her grasp, and she slumped over, motionless.

"Huff... huff..."

Rain panted, recalling the sensation of the lance strike he had just received.

At that moment, he felt a dense green energy swirling around him, and palm-sized green leaves emitting a faint glow were falling onto his wounds.

Rain looked up and saw Anna performing a healing spell, her forehead glistening with sweat, indicating her utmost effort.

This warmed Rain's heart.

Noticing Rain's gaze, Anna offered him a sweet smile.

With the enhancement of his Dragon Bloodline, Rain's Advanced Steel Body defense was further bolstered, and even against the attacks of the six-armed naga, his injuries were not severe.

And under Anna's healing spell, he quickly recovered.

"Wow, that's incredible!" Farom exclaimed in amazement as he witnessed Rain defeating the six-armed naga.

Bartista and Remir, on the other hand, had much higher endurance.

Having witnessed Rain's exaggerated combat power, they quickly snapped out of their daze and rushed over after a few shouts.

"Your Excellency Rain, we owe you again. Otherwise, we would have all perished," Bartista and Remir approached Rain and bowed slightly in gratitude.

The last time, Rain had also rescued them here.

This time was no different.

Remir felt a bit embarrassed.

"You're too kind, Your Excellency Bartista and Your Excellency Remir. It's my duty," Rain waved his hand with a smile.

"Your Excellency Rain, I'm Farom, the captain of the Silver Rank Squad 'Broken Blade'. Thank you for your rescue this time!" A young man stepped forward with a slightly restrained expression of gratitude.

"Hello, Farom," Rain smiled and nodded.

After some pleasantries, the group began cleaning up the battlefield.

It was then that they had time to carefully examine the spacious cave within the Sealed Gateway.

Soon, they discovered a row of broken, half-human-sized eggshells deep within the cave, surrounded by bones. They then noticed the egg that Rain had crushed, still wet with egg liquid.

The group exchanged glances, astonished.

"Could this be the egg of the Three-Tailed Sea Dragon?" Remir exclaimed in shock.

He could quickly identify the origin of these eggs because he had personally witnessed the fierce battle between Princess Menia, the Dragon Knight, and the Three-Tailed Sea Dragon. He was familiar with the general situation within the Blood Curse Naga's cave.

"Yes, it should be," Rain nodded.

Hearing Rain's confirmation, the group couldn't help but marvel.

"Wow, the egg of the Three-Tailed Sea Dragon!"

"Imagine how powerful it would be if it hatched!"

"Dream on. Have you considered how long it takes for a three-headed sea dragon to mature? By the time it's an adult, you'll be long gone."

"Oh, right."

Rain, with the system prompts, already knew that these were sea dragon eggs.

However, he hadn't noticed the row of broken sea dragon eggs earlier.

Immediately, Rain focused his gaze on the sea dragon egg he had just crushed.

Hidden beneath the bones, the crushed egg was well-concealed.

Perhaps this was why only this sea dragon egg had survived?

"It's such a pity that the last Three-Tailed Sea Dragon egg is also broken. Otherwise, there would still be a chance to raise it as a battle pet," Neor sighed.

"The chances are slim. Three-Tailed Sea Dragons are wild and untamable. Unless you, as the master, can consistently overpower it, it's likely to escape," Remir explained.

"I can't, but the captain probably could," Neor glanced at Rain and spoke to Remir.

"Oh..."

This left Remir unsure of what to say.

Saying that Rain's strength is inferior to that of a three-headed sea dragon? It's hard to tell. Even without mentioning Rain's current strength at his age, there's a possibility that he could consistently suppress the Three-Tailed Sea Dragon.

Rain remained calm, as the essence of the sea dragon egg had already been absorbed by him, maximizing its utilization.

Most importantly, through this 'Egg Liquid Ritual,' he had obtained information far more valuable than a mere battle pet.

At that moment, the group had reached the corpse of the six-armed naga. Remir spoke to Rain:

"Your Excellency Rain, according to ancient records, six-armed nagas possess veteran or even legendary combat power. Moreover, being female, she is most likely a priestess or even the high priestess of the Blood Curse Naga clan."

"Oh?" Rain glanced at the naga's corpse again.

This confirmed his previous guess, as such formidable strength would likely belong to either a clan leader or a high priestess.

"In the Blood Curse Naga clan, females hold the highest authority, and the high priestess outranks the clan leader. All these positions are held by female nagas," Remir added.

"Yes, I've also seen related records in ancient books," Neor agreed.

"Captain, come and see. There's a letter on the body," Vieri said, holding up a letter.

Rain took the letter and was surprised to see it written in Common Tongue, "Why isn't it written in Naga language?"

"High Priestess Sereniss, please organize the forward outpost to launch a counterattack at the opportune moment."

"Indeed, she is a High Priestess."

"And this is a letter from the Sea God Cult addressed to a person named Sereniss."

After reading it, Rain passed the letter to Remir beside him, deep in thought, quickly sketching out the general outline of the situation.

The other party's purpose for returning to the Sealed Gateway this time should be twofold.

One is to hatch the egg of the Three-Tailed Sea Dragon with the unknown tail, which was fortunate enough to be preserved; the other should be to respond to the request of the Sea God Cult and cooperate with them in launching a counterattack.

It seems that I need to pass this news to the Navy and the Swordsmen immediately to facilitate decision-making at the upper levels.

"Evelyn, you immediately contact the division and send this letter and the news of the rescued people to Lady Olenna."

"Yes, Captain." Evelyn took the letter and quickly put it into a small bamboo tube.

"Let's leave here now," Rain called out.

Everyone naturally had no objections and followed Rain quickly towards the cave entrance.

Along the way, Bartista and Rain were talking: "We were in Mayst, guarding against the newly emerged Serpent Sect followers. However, after receiving the news of the situation here, we rushed over immediately."

"Hmm? What are the Serpent Sect followers up to now?" Rain listened with a tight heart.

"They scattered and seemed to be searching for something, not launching an attack on the Empire." Bartista said.

"It seems that they are most likely searching for the traces of the Legendary Earth Serpent." Rain nodded.

"Legendary Earth Serpent?" Bartista was obviously startled.

"Mhm."

Rain immediately recounted the previous events to Bartista briefly.

It was then that everyone realized that Rain, standing before them, had actually completed such a badass task, encountering the Legendary Earth Serpent and slaying a High Priestess and a Priestess of the Serpent Sect.

"But will they leave Mayst quietly after they have dominated the Earth Serpent?" Vieri couldn't help but ask.

"Most likely not, that would be the moment they launch their attack." Rain thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Captain, if that's the case, what are we waiting for? Let's find and eliminate them first. We can't just sit and wait for them to dominate the Legendary Earth Serpent and then be forced to defend passively." Vieri suggested.

"Mhm, that's what I was thinking too. It seems we need to return to Mayst City as soon as possible." Rain naturally thought of Claireya.

If the other party chooses to directly attack the Habsburg Castle, Claireya would have a hard time holding them off, even though she has now entered the Great Knight tier.

The reason is simple; even the High Priestess Gannon, whom Rain killed last time, would not be a match for Claireya in a one-on-one fight.

But this time, the other party is well-prepared, and the people they have sent are naturally stronger than Gannon.

"Lord Rain, I'll have Remir and the others stay to help. They have tracked those Serpent Sect followers and will have more experience." Bartista, knowing his physical condition, suggested staying, as he wouldn't have much combat power.

"That's perfect." Rain nodded.

Soon, the group exited the cave, and the guards at the entrance were naturally delighted, exchanging warm greetings.

Anna, after slightly recovering her spiritual power, began to quickly bandage the injured and cast the 'Healing Touch' spell.

'Healing Touch', as an entry-level Druid spell, consumes much less spiritual power and is more suitable for the current situation.

Rain looked at his attribute panel:

Constitution: 47

Strength: 54 (3 points added in combat)



Agility: 47

Spirit: 55

Willpower (Hidden Attribute): 9

"Willpower increased by 2 points?" Rain was pleasantly surprised.

"Not bad!"

"In that case, I only need 1 more point for Willpower to reach the 10-point threshold."

Rain carefully felt again and realized that the Evil Flame Mark's influence on him was indeed minimal.

Indeed, one's strength is always the best reliance.

"Huh? The Longhorn Spear has been upgraded to level 9?"

"Doesn't that mean I can now directly enhance it through attribute points and comprehend its secret technique?"

Instantly, Rain's eyes lit up.

Mayst.

The gate of the Habsburg Castle.

Butler Jordel, accompanied by a guard, got into a luxurious carriage marked with the Calibird emblem and drove off.

However, the carriage was soon stopped by a voluptuous female figure in a black robe on the street.

"Please, is that Butler Jordel inside?" The guard and Jordel heard this and felt their hearts go soft, inexplicably developing a liking for the black-robed woman.

So, even when they saw the woman in black approaching the carriage, the two didn't stop her.

"You are..." Jordel looked at the unfamiliar woman before him with a puzzled expression.

The woman in black slowly lifted her hood, revealing a stunning face. Her deep eyes flashed with a mesmerizing glow as she looked at Butler Jordel.

Butler Jordel felt his vision blur, and his eyes took on a dazed and confused look.

At the same time, two tall figures in black robes appeared next to the coachman and the guard.

Just as the two felt something was amiss, a hissing sound, like a snake's breath, emanated from within the black-robed figures.

The next moment, two python-like creatures with gaping mouths emerged from the wide sleeves of the black-robed figures and swallowed the coachman and the guard whole, not even giving them a chance to scream.

As the woman in black sat in the carriage, the two black-robed figures quickly took control of the carriage and drove it down an isolated alley in the distance.

"Jordel, tell me about the young man who controlled the giant snake recently. How did he die, and at whose hands?" The woman in black asked, turning her head slightly as she sat in the carriage.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

In Jordel's eyes, the person questioning him at this moment was the esteemed Habsburg Count.

As for why the Habsburg Count appeared before him, Jordel didn't know, and he didn't seem to want to think about such a complex issue.

Jordel instinctively went over the entire incident in detail. "Very good!"

"Now you're of no use to me." The woman in black spoke calmly.

"Hmm?" At this moment, Jordel's eyes gradually cleared, and he heard the woman in black's last words.

Just as he was pondering the meaning of her words, a giant mouth suddenly bit down on his head. Jordel felt the world go dark, and a sharp pain spread through his body, leaving him unconscious.

The carriage slowly came to a stop in the secluded alley, and the two male black-robed figures immediately entered the carriage from the coachman's position.

"Envoy Icsera!" The two respectfully bowed.

"The situation is now clear. My dear brother was killed by a Swordsman named Rain during the attack on Habsburg Castle."

"Envoy Icsera, what do you mean by that?"

"That Rain fellow has returned to the Swordsman Division of Mystra. But my dear brother's death is connected to the Habsburg Count. I will make sure everyone in that castle pays the price and accompanies him!"

"Then, I will pay another visit to Mystra."

"Your Excellency, perhaps we should wait for Edmundo to find the Legendary Earth Serpent first. After all, the Pope's command was to..." The black-robed figure chose his words carefully, seemingly intimidated by the woman before him.

"Hmm."

A pale arm suddenly grabbed the black-robed figure by the neck, silencing him before he could finish his sentence.

"I hate it when people try to pressure me with the Pope!" The pale fingers tightened their grip, seemingly intent on twisting the figure's neck.

The other black-robed figure quickly bowed respectfully to Icsera. "Please calm your anger, Envoy Icsera. If you attack Habsburg Castle now, the chances of completely wiping them out are not high. There are only three of us, and some of them will surely escape. Look up at the sky."

Hmm? Icsera followed the black-robed figure's gaze and looked out the carriage window. Two small black dots were flying one behind the other above Mayorst City.

With Icsera's keen eyesight, she could clearly see that the two small black dots were Imperial Griffin Knights.

"So, once Edmundo has tamed the Legendary Earth Serpent and joins us, I believe we can ensure that everyone in Habsburg Castle will be annihilated without a chance of escape."

"Waiting is for a better outcome."

"Very well! You've convinced me. I'll wait for two more days." Icsera nodded and released her grip. The first black-robed figure who had spoken fell to the ground with a thud and began gasping for air.

The black-robed figure's face turned purplish-red, and he looked at Icsera with terror before lowering his head, not daring to meet her gaze.

This woman, known within the sect as 'Mad Snake,' was one of the twelve Serpent Envoys, second only to the Pope. She held the unique ability to perform sacrifices to the great devouring serpent.

"Holdan, my beloved brother's killer will face the wrath of his sister, who is a Brother-Protector!" Icsera said in a low voice.

Although these words were not directed at the two Serpent Sect elites beside her, they couldn't help but shiver and exchange glances, seeing a glimmer of pity in each other's eyes.

Of course, this pity was for the killer of Holdan.

Everyone in the sect knew that Icsera, Holdan's sister, was a Brother-Protector. Even the high-ranking Great Priests who offended Holdan would be directly confronted by Icsera.

One could imagine how terrible the enemy's death would be this time!

Furthermore, they had heard about this incident.

Recently, Holdan had followed the Great Priest of Nom Province on a journey that was supposedly a 'golden opportunity' arranged by Icsera herself.

The purpose of this trip was to gain experience and facilitate future promotions.

But who would have thought that this 'golden opportunity' trip would lead to Holdan's death in Mayorst City?

This made Icsera, the Brother-Protector, both grief-stricken and furious.

Now that she knew who the killer was, Icsera's anger was unstoppable.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end