Chapter 329: The Federation Delegation

Chapter 329: The Federation Delegation



Retreat?

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

And judging by the strength Rain has displayed, unless he left most of his team behind to cover their retreat, it was unlikely to be effective.

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

In front of him were two elven women, and if he didn't make a move now, 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 heavy casualties and a significant loss in strength, it would be a huge loss!

No! They couldn't retreat!

At the very least, they had to capture one of the elves before retreating! Although this would inevitably result in casualties for the team, Rain was determined.

"Sam, you two cast your nets! Garcia, cover us with your bow!" Sam quickly commanded after making up his mind.

"Theom, ignore your opponent and focus on the elven girl!"

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

It must be said that the official members of Sam's team were extremely well-trained and disciplined, and their teamwork was exceptional.

Of course, a crucial factor was that team battles were significantly different from individual fights.

At this moment, Sam's team members believed that with their combined strength, they could still challenge Rain, and at the very least, a safe retreat seemed feasible.

Estevan and another member quickly drew out two nets and threw them towards Rain, and as the nets flew through the air, they expanded like dark clouds, covering a diameter of five to six meters.

The two were well aware that although the nets were made of special materials, they wouldn't cause much trouble for a skilled fighter like Rain.

However, their goal was clear—to slightly delay Rain and create an opening for Garcia to attack while he dodged or blocked.

This kind of teamwork was something they had practiced many times in actual combat, and they were confident in their abilities.

Of course, their ultimate goal was to help their leader capture an elf, and if they succeeded, they would have achieved their objective.

Garcia, the archer, had already aimed her bow at Rain, and as she released an arrow, a black light trailed behind it as it shot towards Rain!

The three of them launched their attacks at Rain simultaneously, their eyes fixed on his figure. As the arrow approached Rain, he still didn't dodge, and the three of them couldn't help but smile in delight.

Their expressions seemed to say that Rain, despite his youth and strength, lacked experience.

After all, Garcia's arrow was coated with poison.

If it grazed Rain's skin, the poison would seep in, gradually paralyzing him. Although he wouldn't be completely immobilized, a significant reduction in strength was inevitable.

At that point, the battle could possibly turn in their favor.

But to their surprise, the arrow pierced through Rain and embedded itself in the ground, its tail feathers still quivering!

Something was wrong!

It was an illusion! Rain's real body was no longer there.

The three of them were shocked and pale with fear.

"Bang!!!"

Suddenly, Estevan grunted and was lifted half a meter into the air, his body bent unnaturally as if struck by an immense force. His eyes bulged, his mouth agape, and his tongue lolled out.

At that moment, a figure appeared in front of Estevan, poised to deliver a punch to his abdomen.

It was Rain!

After his class advancement to the epic profession 'Thousand Blade King', his strength had soared.

On top of that, he activated the ultimate secret technique 'Shadow Step', his speed surpassing that of an ordinary Great Knight, reaching the limit of what the naked eye could perceive.

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

She managed to catch a glimpse of him, but before she could warn Estevan, it was too late.

At that moment, Garcia drew an arrow and aimed repeatedly, but she couldn't bring herself to shoot.

The next second, another official member of Sam's team who had cast the net was suddenly flung backward, slamming into the villa's stone wall with a loud "Boom!"

Spiderweb-like cracks radiated from his body, spreading rapidly across the wall.

Garcia glanced at her fallen comrade, seeing that he was beyond help.

His pupils were dilated and his mouth was foaming with blood.

Apparently, Rain's punch had shattered his internal organs.

Within two seconds, two Great Knights had perished!

Garcia's heart sank as she witnessed this scene.

She felt as if her heart had plunged into an icy cave.

Initially, she had planned to rely on her arrows to disrupt Rain, and with their tight teamwork, they could at least delay his movements and possibly trap him in a specially designed fishing net for a while.

But the harsh reality before her eyes shattered those hopes.

While teamwork could counter powerful enemies, this time, they couldn't even track Rain's movements, let alone execute any subsequent encirclement or siege.

It was all just a mirage!

"Whoosh!"

Rain's figure disappeared once more from their sight, and this time, cold sweat dripped down Garcia's forehead.

She knew it was her turn.

"Retreat!" Sam, realizing his mistake, shouted.

At the same time, he aimed the three arrows he was holding at Garcia's position instead of the Vine Wall!

Huh?

Rain was about to take out the female archer, but Sam suddenly unleashed a barrage of fireballs directly at his own archer's position, which surprised Rain slightly.

This meant that if Rain insisted on attacking the female archer, he would be injured by the barrage of fireballs.

In other words, the opponent was willing to risk injuring their own subordinate to force Rain to give up the attack.

But Rain had just finished his promotion!

He really wanted to get injured and try out the power of the epic class core skill 'Blood Frenzy'.

So, to everyone's astonishment, Rain didn't dodge and instead punched Garcia on the forehead with a 'smack'.

The next moment!

"Boom boom boom!!!"

Three small mushroom clouds suddenly rose one after the other from Garcia's original position, the result of Sam's barrage of fireballs.

The power was astonishing!

As the smoke and dust gradually dispersed, one could vaguely see a figure, whose originally bright silver secret silver armor was now in tatters, and the body was glowing red from the heat!

Garcia, on the other hand, was lying on the ground, motionless.

It turned out that Rain had not dodged or cast the sorcery 'Metal Barrier', but instead chose to endure the barrage of fireballs released by Sam.

"Not bad power at all!" Rain muttered.

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

So, he had no wounds on his body, but the heat was making him feel quite uncomfortable.

"I guess this counts as being injured, right?" Rain looked down at his intact but slightly scorched skin and muttered to himself.

So, Rain activated 'Blood Frenzy' for the first time, the core skill of the epic class 'Thousand Blade King'! Instantly, Rain felt his heart beating faster, and blood was being pumped out with great force. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and fine blood vessels began to spread across the whites of his eyes.

He felt a power in his heart like a volcano about to erupt, and the previous battle seemed to have not satisfied him at all.

Rain was testing.

But others didn't know that!

This scene instantly made Sam's hands and feet turn cold!

Because he could feel that Rain had not cast any sorcery or used any sorcery artifacts, but had endured his barrage of fireballs head-on!

"This is a Tier 2 fire-based attack sorcery!"

"And he didn't even try to dodge?"

"He must be confident in his defense."

Teom, who was fighting Vieri nearby, was also watching with a shocked expression. As one of Sam's elders, he had fought alongside his boss against various enemies.

But this was the first time he had seen someone endure a direct hit from his boss's Tier 2 sorcery.

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

Where did this monster come from?

No wonder the Bloodtop Mercenary Group was wiped out.

In an instant, Teom's expression changed from dominating Vieri to one of shock, and he was struck twice in a row by Vieri.

However, Teom managed to break free and retreat.

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

He looked down and saw that his feet were entangled by two thick vines emitting a faint green light, and he didn't know when it had happened.

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

"Teom, get out of the way!"

Teom immediately sensed something was wrong and felt a gust of wind behind him.

In an instant, a bad premonition arose in his heart.

He tried his best to roll to the side, but it was too late! "Boom!!!"

Teom's chest suddenly bulged, and at the same time, a figure in a punching stance appeared behind him—it was Rain.

"Pff!"

Teom's eyes widened, his mouth gaped, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, he stumbled and knelt on the ground!

The punch didn't seem to have caused much external damage, but it had actually shattered Teom's scapula, heart, and ribs!

Sam, on the other hand, had turned pale. He quickly chanted a spell and retreated.

The next moment, his legs were surrounded by a ring of fire, but he didn't choose to attack. Instead, he turned and sprinted towards the outside of the mansion.

The fire around his legs seemed to give him some kind of pulse-like burst.

With each step, his feet would explode slightly, and with the sparks flying, he was propelled forward at an incredible speed.

If this were Rain's previous life, Sam would definitely be a social person, running with lightning and thunder!

As Sam's feet alternated in bursts, his speed instantly increased to an extremely high level.

The nearly three-meter-high walls of the mansion were easily leaped over by Sam.

But at that moment in the air!

"Swoosh!"

A black light flashed and struck Sam's back!

"Boom!"

At the moment of impact!

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

"Pfft!"

Sam plummeted to the ground like a swan struck by an arrow! It was none other than a spear thrown by Ryan, who had just activated 'Blood Frenzy'.

A single spear had killed a Tier 2 Liquid Mage! At this moment, everyone present stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before them. Vieri looked at Sam's twitching body on the ground, then at his own captain, Ryan, and his mind went blank.

How did his captain's strength seem to have increased again?

Delana's usually composed face was also filled with bewilderment.

A single thought floated through her mind.

'A Tier 2 Liquid Mage, who was evenly matched against me and even slightly stronger, was killed by a single spear?!'

'If that's the case, wouldn't I be killed by a single spear too?'

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

Although she wasn't a primary combatant, she had been helping her aunt Delana fight the enemy, so she was well aware of how formidable they were.

Such a powerful enemy...

Yet, Ryan had easily killed him with a single spear.

It was as effortless as spearing a wild rabbit in the forest.

This was too exaggerated!

At this moment, Ryan slowly retracted his right hand, transitioning from a throwing stance to a normal standing posture.

He used this process to calm the agitation and bloodlust brought on by 'Blood Frenzy'.

As Ryan turned around and walked towards Anna, the guards in the mansion parted with a 'whoosh', clearing a path for Ryan.

Each guard looked at Ryan with a mixture of reverence and fervor.

Ryan walked up to Anna's side and comforted her, "Anna, the ones who were spying on you earlier should be this group. They're all taken care of now, so you can rest easy."

Hearing Ryan's words, Vieri realized that the attackers from earlier were the same group that had been tailing Anna—the so-called Sam's Team.

At this moment, Delana gracefully approached and nodded to Ryan, "Ryan, your strength is even greater than I imagined! You're much stronger than I thought. It seems I no longer need to stay in Mystra."

"I believe you can take better care of Anna's safety than I can."

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

"By the way, Ryan, the one you just killed seemed to be an Earth Dragon."

"An Earth Dragon?" Ryan nodded. He had heard that it was a dragon-kin creature.

"Yes, it's a relatively rare dragon-kin. The one from earlier was still in its growth phase and not fully mature. Otherwise, dealing with it would have been more troublesome." Delana explained.

Ryan nodded.

In truth, he hoped it would be a mature Earth Dragon, as it might provide a greater amount of dragon gene fragments.

Additionally, if the rider's mount was confirmed to be an Earth Dragon, their origins would be easier to trace.

He initially suspected that the Earth Dragon Rider might be a member of Sam's Team, but based on the earlier battle, it seemed unlikely. Instead, it appeared more like Sam's Team had called for assistance.

"By the way, Ryan, you don't need to go to the Axson Auction House anymore." Delana said.

Before Ryan could respond, Delana continued, "I need to return to the Ferdinand Forest right away. I received a message from home earlier today."

"I believe Ryan can ensure your safety. However, you must also take care of yourself. I'll come to see you again after some time."

"Lady Delana, are you leaving now?" Anna asked, her face showing surprise and reluctance as she held onto Delana's hand.

"Yes."

"Lady Delana, you..."

Just as Ryan was about to try to keep her, Delana waved her hand to stop him. "Ryan, as a token of my gratitude for protecting Anna, I have something here that I think you'll need."

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

Ryan's eyes widened in surprise, and he reached out to accept it without refusing. The feather emanated a strange sorcery glow, and he could sense an unusual energy within it.

"This is the feather of a fallen Eaglehorn. It contains a portion of its essence, which will significantly accelerate the growth of your pet," Delana said, gazing at the sky as she spoke to Ryan.

Ryan's face lit up with joy.

Accelerate the growth of Bloodfeather? Wouldn't he be able to soar freely in the sky like a Griffin Knight or Dragon Knight right away?

"This item is very useful to me," Ryan thanked her.

"Alright, I'm off then!" Delana patted Anna's hand and walked towards the garden, disappearing into the forest.

Soon after, a loud eagle cry rang out, and both Ryan and Anna looked up, knowing Delana had left.

At that moment, a commotion came from outside the mansion.

Ryan looked up and saw that both Inauro and Angus had arrived. Angus was holding two people, who were likely Sam's Team members or followers of the Earth Dragon Rider.

A while later, the Noble District Guards, Night Watch, and City Defense Forces arrived.

Rain comforted his mother Emma, Jennifer, and Agatha, who had been affected by the unexpected disaster, while briefly explaining the night's events to the Noble District Magistrate.

Soon after, the Swordsmen Division sent people to take over the scene.

At this point, Rain finally had some free time and returned to his room to rest.

The next morning, Rain's study.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Come in!"

Olenna, the Deputy Director of the Mission Hall, entered with a smile, saying:

"Lord Rain, I didn't expect you to return to Mystra so soon."

"Yesterday morning, I received your report on the Blood Curse Naga Cave and the Serpent Sect, and immediately forwarded it to General Edward. You must have seen the look of shock on his face."

Here, Olenna covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.

As Rain's liaison officer, the more outstanding Rain's achievements, the more Olenna felt proud.

"A High Priestess of the Ancient Blood Curse Nagas, a legendary Serpent Sect member, and a Legendary Earth Serpent. That's equivalent to three legendary powerhouses, all taken care of by you."

"You're truly amazing! But..." Olenna, the capable middle-aged woman, couldn't help but sigh.

"Hmm? Lady Olenna, what's wrong?"

Rain was puzzled by Olenna's sudden sigh.

Could it be that completing the mission efficiently was not a good thing?

"Your situation, I'm afraid General Edward won't be able to hide it for long. Sooner or later, the Imperial Capital will transfer you away. Just thinking about this..."

Rain couldn't help but laugh.

So that was the reason.

"Lady Olenna, I don't think I'll be leaving Mystra for the Imperial Capital any time soon. If the headquarters want to transfer me, they should consult me first. I'll also try to delay it." Rain said with a smile.

Rain himself planned to take some time to settle down.

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

Additionally, after advancing to the Epic Class 'King of a Thousand Blades', Rain needed time to think, summarize, and improve.

Only then could he fully utilize the power of this Epic Class.

In last night's battle, he used the core skill 'Blood Frenzy', and it was still an incomplete version because his injuries were minor at the time.

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

"Hmm, that's great, Lord Rain. As long as you're in the division, I'll continue to provide you with the best service." Olenna nodded firmly, her face showing a smile.

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

"It's only been three days, and the team should have just arrived. It's estimated that it will take at least another two or three days before we receive clear news." Olenna shook her head.

"Hmm! Once there's news, I'll be the first to know."

Indeed, with such a long distance, harsh environment, and exploration, more time was needed.

"Okay, Lord Rain."

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

"Yes, Lord Rain. However, in three days, the Eagle Federation will send a large delegation, and they will pass through Mystra. General Edward hopes that you can attend."

"The Eagle Federation?" Rain raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised.

Although he had dealt with the Eagle Federation twice, it was in combat, and with the Eagle Federation.

"They're not coming by boat but by a giant airship. You may not know this, but the Eagle Federation's airship technology is more advanced than ours."

Olenna explained.

"I see. Lady Olenna, please tell General Edward that I will attend." Rain nodded.

He was quite curious about the Eagle Federation.

---

At the same time, in the airspace over the Eagle Federation's coastal line, a huge oval-shaped airship slowly headed towards the vast blue sea.

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

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

"Since we're going, we might as well take the opportunity to observe the current situation in the Dragon Empire." said Traena.

"I heard that in Mystra, some sea creatures, under the instigation of the Sea God Cult, are fighting against the Dragon Empire. We can observe the situation."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end