Chapter 329: The Federal Delegation

Chapter 329: The Federal Delegation



Retreat?

Without assigning someone to cover their retreat, it would be nearly impossible for them to withdraw at this point.

Judging from the strength displayed by Ren, unless he left most of his team behind to cover their retreat, it wouldn't be very effective.

But there was still one problem—he didn't want to give up!

In front of him were two Elven women, and if he didn't make a move, he would miss this opportunity.

After all, they weren't fools. If they let the two Elves escape back to the Ferdinand Forest, all his planning would be for naught.

With the team suffering heavy casualties and a significant loss in strength, he would be in deep trouble!

No way!

At the very least, they needed to capture one Elf before retreating!

Although doing so would inevitably result in some casualties for the team, he would be praised rather than blamed by Duke Dram!

"Estevan, you two cover him! Garcia, take the shot!" Sam quickly instructed after making up his mind.

"Ioem, ignore the others and focus on the Elven Maiden!"

As soon as Sam finished speaking, the members of Sam's team sprang into action.

It was undeniable that the official members of Sam's team were well-trained and highly disciplined.

Of course, an essential factor was that team combat differed significantly from individual battles.

At this moment, the members of Sam's team believed that through their combined efforts, they could still challenge Ren or, at the very least, ensure a safe retreat.

Estevan and another member quickly drew out two nets and threw them towards Ren. The nets expanded like dark clouds, covering a diameter of five meters in an instant.

They were well aware that although the nets were made of special materials, they wouldn't pose much trouble for a skilled fighter like Ren.

However, their intention was clear—to briefly delay Ren and create an opportunity for Garcia to attack while he dodged or blocked the nets.

This was a well-rehearsed team tactic they had executed numerous times in actual combat, and they were confident in their ability to execute it.

Of course, their ultimate goal was to assist their leader in capturing an Elf, thus fulfilling their mission.

Garcia had already aimed her giant bow at Ren, and with a "whoosh," an arrow with a black glow shot towards Ren!

In an instant, the attacks of the three individuals converged on Ren!

Their gazes fixed on Ren, and as the arrow grazed him, they were delighted to see that he hadn't dodged.

Their expressions seemed to say that Ren, despite his youth, lacked experience.

They knew that Garcia's arrow was coated with poison.

If it grazed his skin, the poison would seep in, gradually paralyzing him, though not to the point of immobility, but a significant reduction in strength was inevitable.

Perhaps, the battle situation could be reversed.

"Whoosh!"

But to their astonishment, the arrow passed through Ren and embedded itself in the ground, its feathers still quivering!

Something was wrong!

It was just a phantom! Ren's real body was no longer there.

The three of them were shocked beyond words!

"Bang!!!"

Suddenly, Estevan grunted, and his entire body abruptly rose half a meter into the air, looking extremely awkward. His eyes bulged, his mouth gaped, and his tongue was forced out by the impact.

A figure appeared behind Estevan, poised to deliver a punch to his abdomen.

It was Ren!

After his class change to the epic profession 'Blade King', Ren's strength had soared.

On top of that, he activated the ultimate technique 'Shadow Step', his movement speed surpassing that of ordinary Grand Knights, reaching the limit of what the naked eye could perceive.

Only Garcia, as an archer, could barely keep up with Ren's movements.

She managed to track him, but before she could warn Estevan, he was already in trouble!

At that moment, another member of Sam's team who had thrown a net suddenly flew backwards, "Boom!" slamming into the villa's stone wall. Spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread in all directions from the point of impact.

Simultaneously, the person became embedded in the wall.

Garcia quickly glanced over and knew there was no saving him.

The person's pupils had started to dilate and spread, and blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Evidently, Ren's attack had shattered all his internal organs.

Two seconds, and two Grand Knights were down!

Garcia's heart sank as she witnessed this scene.

It felt like her heart had sunk into an ice cave.

Initially, she had hoped that with her arrows as a distraction, they could delay Ren's actions, and if things went well, they might even trap him for a while!"

But the harsh reality before her eyes shattered those hopes.

Teamwork could indeed counter powerful enemies, but this time, they couldn't even track their opponent's movements, let alone execute any subsequent tactics or encirclements.

It was all just an illusion!

"Swish!"

Ren's figure vanished from their sight once more, and Garcia's forehead broke into a cold sweat.

She knew that this time, it was her turn!

"Retreat!" Sam, upon witnessing this scene, realized his mistake and shouted.

Simultaneously, he redirected the three fireballs he held towards Garcia instead of the Vine Wall!

Huh?

Ren was about to take out the enemy archer when Sam suddenly unleashed a barrage of fireballs directly at their own archer's position, surprising Ren slightly.

This meant that if Ren insisted on attacking the female archer, he would be injured by the fireball attack.

In other words, the enemy was willing to risk injuring their own subordinate to force Ren to abandon the attack.

But Ren had just been promoted!

He really wanted to get injured and test the power of the epic occupation core skill 'Bloodlust Rampage'.

So, to the shock of everyone present, Ren didn't dodge at all and instead threw a punch straight at Garcia's forehead.

The next moment—

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three consecutive explosions occurred where Garcia had been standing, and three small mushroom clouds rose one after another, exactly where Sam's barrage of fireballs had landed.

The power of the attack was astonishing!

As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, a faint figure could be seen, their once bright silver Mithril armor now in tatters and glowing red from the intense heat.

Garcia lay on the ground, motionless.

Ren had neither dodged nor cast the sorcery 'Metal Barrier'; instead, he had chosen to take the full force of Sam's barrage of fireballs.

"That's quite a powerful attack!" Ren muttered.

At this moment, his entire body was almost red, like a well-cooked lobster. He had forgotten that metal conducts heat.

So, while there were no wounds on his body, the intense heat was making him feel very uncomfortable.

"This... counts as being injured, right?" Ren whispered to himself, looking down at his unscathed but slightly scorched skin.

Ren then activated 'Bloodlust Rampage' for the first time, the core skill of the epic occupation 'Thousand Blade King'. Instantly, Ren felt his heart pounding faster, and his blood surged with power. His eyes slightly bloodshot, and tiny blood vessels began to spread across the whites of his eyes.

He felt a surge of power within him, like a volcano about to erupt, and the previous battle seemed insufficient.

But others were unaware of this!

This scene instantly made Sam's hands and feet go cold.

He could sense that Ren had neither cast any sorcery nor used any other means to defend against his barrage of fireballs.

"This is a Level 2 Fire Attack Spell!"

"He doesn't even bother to dodge?"

"How confident must he be in his defense to do this?"

Ioem, who was fighting with Vieri nearby, suddenly lost all confidence. As a senior member of Sam's team, he had accompanied his leader in various battles.

But this was the first time he had seen someone withstand a direct hit from his leader's Level 2 sorcery.

Moreover, he didn't even bother to lift a hand to block it!

What kind of monster was this?!

No wonder the Bloodtop Mercenary Group had been annihilated.

In an instant, Ioem, who had been dominating Vieri, became dazed and was struck twice by Vieri.

However, Ioem took advantage of the opportunity to quickly retreat.

But the next moment, he felt a restraining force beneath his feet.

Looking down, he saw that his legs were entangled by two thick vines emitting a faint green light, and he didn't know when they had appeared.

As Ioem cursed and struggled to break free from the vines, he suddenly heard his leader Sam's exclamation.

"Ioem, get out of the way!"

Ioem immediately sensed something was wrong. Suddenly, he felt a force behind him.

In an instant, a sense of foreboding filled his heart.

He tried his best to roll to the side, but it was too late.

"Boom!"

A lump suddenly formed on Ioem's chest, and at the same time, a figure in a punching stance appeared behind him—it was Ren.

Ren had seen Delana entangle the burly man nearby and seized the opportunity. He quickly rushed over and, as the man struggled to break free, delivered a heavy punch to his back.

"Pfft!"

Ioem's eyes widened, and his mouth gaped as he spat out a mouthful of blood, then stumbled and knelt on the ground. The punch didn't seem to have caused much external damage, but it had shattered Ioem's shoulder blade, ribs, and spine.

Sam's face turned pale, and he began to chant a spell while backing away.

The next moment, two flames encircled his legs, but instead of attacking, he turned and sprinted towards the exterior of the mansion.

The flames at his feet seemed to provide a pulse-like burst, propelling him forward at incredible speed.

In Ren's past life, Sam would have been a master of the streets, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning in his wake.

As the flames beneath Sam's feet alternately burst, his speed increased to an incredibly high level.

When the flames at his feet slightly intensified, he effortlessly leaped over the three-meter-high wall surrounding the mansion.

But at that moment—

"Sizzle!"

A black light, like lightning, shot towards Sam's back.

"Boom!"

In the instant of collision—

A ring of fire suddenly erupted from Sam's body, but the black light was not repelled and continued its forward momentum.

"Pfft!"

Sam plummeted to the ground like an arrow-pierced swan! It was the result of Ren's powerful throw of his javelin, unleashing his 'Bloodlust Rampage' ability.

A Level 2 Liquidation Wizard was impaled by a single javelin throw! Everyone present was left dumbfounded by this spectacle.

Vieri, after witnessing Sam's convulsing body on the ground, turned to his team captain, Ren, and was completely stunned himself.

The captain's strength seemed to have increased even further.

Delana, usually composed, now wore an equally bewildered expression.

A single thought crossed her mind at that moment.

'A Level 2 Liquidation Wizard who could hold their own against her, possibly even slightly stronger, was killed by a single javelin throw?

'Does that mean I could be killed by a single javelin strike too?'

Anna, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, shared the same shocked expression.

Although she wasn't the primary combatant, she had been assisting Delana against the enemies, so she was well aware of their formidable nature.

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Such a powerful enemy, defeated by a single javelin throw from Ren?

It was as if he had effortlessly skewered a wild rabbit in the woods, an exaggeration beyond belief!

Ren slowly retracted his right arm, returning to a normal stance from his throwing posture.

He used this process to calm the restlessness and bloodlust brought on by 'Bloodlust Rampage'.

As Ren turned and walked towards Anna, the guards inside the mansion parted like a curtain, clearing a path for him.

Each guard gazed at Ren with a mixture of reverence and fanaticism.

Ren approached Anna and reassured her, "Anna, I believe those who were spying on you earlier are all taken care of. You can rest easy now."

Vieri then realized that the group that attacked them earlier was the same one that had been tailing Anna—the so-called Sam Team.

Delana gracefully approached and nodded to Ren, "Ren, your strength surpasses my imagination. You are much stronger than I anticipated. I think I no longer need to stay in Minster."

"I believe you can protect Anna better than I could."

"Thank you for your compliment, Lady Delana. Protecting Anna is my duty," Ren smiled and bowed slightly.

"By the way, Ren, the creature you just killed seemed to be a Draconic Lizard."

"A Draconic Lizard?" Ren nodded, recalling that it was a dragon-related species.

"Yes, it's a rare dragon-related species. The one earlier was still in its growth phase, not fully mature. Otherwise, it would have been more troublesome to deal with," Delana explained.

Ren nodded in agreement.

In his heart, he secretly hoped that the Draconic Lizard would have been in its mature phase, as it might have provided slightly more dragon gene fragments.

Additionally, if the rider's mount was indeed a Draconic Lizard, it would be easier to trace their origins.

After all, with such a unique mount, they shouldn't be unknown even within the entire Empire.

Initially, Ren suspected that the Draconic Lizard rider might be from Sam Team, but based on the recent battle, it seemed unlikely. It was more like Sam Team had called in reinforcements.

"By the way, Ren, I believe what you said earlier is true. I think there's no need to go to the Minster Auction House tomorrow," Delana said.

Before Ren could respond, Delana turned to Anna and said, "Anna, I need to return to the Ferdinand Forest as soon as possible. I received a message from home earlier today."

"Your safety is in Ren's capable hands, but you must also take care of yourself. I'll come to see you again after some time."

"Aunt Delana, are you leaving now?" Anna held Delana's hand, her face a mix of surprise and reluctance.

"Yes."

"Lady Delana..."

As Ren was about to persuade her to stay, Delana waved her hand, stopping him. "Ren, as a token of my gratitude for protecting Anna, I have something that might be of use to you."

Delana took out a palm-sized, colorful feather from her pouch and handed it to Ren.

Ren, surprised, accepted it without refusal. The feather emanated a strange sorcery glow, and he could sense an unknown energy within it.

"This is a feather from the fallen Thunderhorn Eaglebeak, containing a portion of its essence. It will significantly accelerate the maturation of your pet," Delana said, gazing at Ren.

Ren's face lit up with joy!

Could this accelerate the growth of his Bloodplume pet?

Would he be able to soar freely in the sky like a Griffin or Dragon Knight?

"Thank you, Lady Delana. This item will be of great use to me," Ren expressed his gratitude.

"Indeed. Then I shall take my leave." Delana patted Anna's hand and walked towards the nearby garden, soon disappearing into the forest.

Immediately, a loud eagle cry echoed, and both Ren and Anna looked up, knowing Delana had truly departed.

At that moment, Neorlo and Angus arrived outside the mansion, with Angus carrying two people who seemed to be Sam Team members or followers of the Draconic Lizard rider.

After a while, the Noble District Guard, the Night Watch Squad, and the City Defense Force all arrived.

Ren consoled his mother Emma, Jennifer, and the unfortunate Agatha, while briefly explaining the night's events to the Noble District Security Officer, Jan.

Soon, the Swordbearer Branch took over the scene.

It was only then that Ren had the time to return to his room and rest.

The next morning, Ren's study—

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Come in!"

Olenna, the Vice-Chancellor of the Mission Hall, entered with a beaming smile, saying, "Ren, I didn't expect you to return to Minster so soon."

"Yesterday morning, I forwarded your reports on the Ancient Blood Curse Naga Cave and the Serpent Cult to Admiral Edward, and you must have seen the look of shock on his face."

Olenna covered her mouth and chuckled as she spoke.

As Ren's liaison officer, she took pride in his outstanding achievements.

"A legendary high priest of the Ancient Blood Curse Nagas, plus a legendary strongman from the Serpent Cult, and a legendary Earth Serpent—that's equivalent to three legendary powerhouses, all taken down by you. You're truly incredible!" Olenna, the capable middle-aged woman, couldn't help but sigh.

"Hmm? Olenna, what's wrong?" Ren was puzzled by her sudden sigh.

Could it be that completing the task efficiently was a bad thing?

"Your situation... I'm afraid Admiral Edward won't be able to keep it under wraps for long. Sooner or later, the Imperial Capital will summon you, and just thinking about that..."

Ren couldn't help but laugh.

So, that was the reason.

"Olenna, I believe I won't be leaving for the Imperial Capital any time soon. If the headquarters want to transfer me, they should consult me first. I'll try to delay it as much as possible." Ren said with a smile.

Ren himself intended to take some time to reflect.

Especially the Advanced Meditation Technique and Puppetry he obtained from Mentor Mogaro, which would require some time to study.

Additionally, after advancing to the epic occupation 'Thousand Blade King', Ren needed time to think, summarize, and improve.

Only then could he fully unleash the power of this epic occupation.

In last night's battle, he used the core skill 'Bloodlust Rampage', and that was an incomplete version due to his minor injuries.

Another core skill, 'Weakness Control', didn't even get a chance to be used.

"Mhm, that's great. Olenna, as long as you're in the branch, I'll ensure my service to you." Olenna nodded repeatedly, her face filled with a smile.

"By the way, about what you mentioned last time, has the news about the suspected Sealed Gateway at Dragon Tooth Pass been confirmed?"

"Not yet. It's only been three days, and the team should have just arrived. We can expect news in another two or three days at the earliest." Olenna shook her head.

"Mhm! Let me know as soon as there's news." Ren nodded.

"Yes, with such a long distance, the harsh environment, and the exploration, it will indeed take more time."

"Okay, Ren."

"So, there probably won't be any missions in the next few days?"

"That's right, Ren. However, in three days, the Eagle Federation will send a large delegation through Minster, and Admiral Edward hopes that you can attend the welcome banquet."

"The Eagle Federation?" Ren raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised. "I've had dealings with the Eagle Federation twice, but those were battles against the Leviathan Squad."

There was another one, if it counted, and that was barely a connection.

It was the Iron Man from the Bloodtop Mercenary Group, who was said to be from the Eagle Federation. At this moment, his trophy cabinet still held the remains of Iron Man's metal arm, crafted by a top puppet master from the Eagle Federation.

"Yes, Ren."

"How will they get here? With our intense battles against the Sea Tribes, it'll be difficult for them to safely reach the waters near Minster."

"Ren, the Eagle Federation's delegation isn't coming by ship but by a colossal airship. You may not be aware, but the Eagle Federation's airship technology is more advanced than ours." Olenna explained.

"I see. Olenna, please let Admiral Edward know that I'll attend." Ren nodded.

He was quite curious about the Eagle Federation.

—

Meanwhile, in the skies above the Eagle Federation's mainland coast, a massive oval-shaped airship slowly headed towards the vast blue ocean.

At the bow of the airship, a middle-aged man in a federal officer's uniform respectfully spoke to a middle-aged noblewoman in a hunting outfit beside him:

"Lady Treena, why aren't we flying directly to the Imperial Capital of the Dragon Empire, Temriel, but instead making a detour to their Minster Province?"

"If we're going, we might as well take the opportunity to observe the current situation in the Dragon Empire," said the woman named Treena.

"I heard that some Sea Tribes, encouraged by the Sea God Cult, are engaging in conflict with the Dragon Empire in Minster. We can observe the situation."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end