Chapter 337: The Corrupted Heart

Chapter 337: The Corrupted Heart



Rain approached the three battle puppets and swiftly cast Animation on them.

With his level 4 Animation, the three battle puppets rose to their feet with agility.

Indeed, Rain had just allocated his remaining two skill points to Animation, raising it to level 4.

The description of the level 4 Animation had also changed:

Level 4 Animation Effect: Consumes a certain amount of psychic energy to activate mysterious side energy particles, granting a certain degree of sentience and flexible movement to a lifeless object resembling a humanoid or beast, lasting for two hours.

The highlights were "flexible" and "two hours."

At the same time, Rain used his Talent Spell 'Metal Transformation' to alter the left-hand shields of the three battle puppets made of different materials into hooked spikes.

A weapon that was difficult to remove once embedded in the body.

"Puppetry?" Duke Mingstra couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

He had always believed Rain to be a peak Great Knight proficient in multiple Extraordinary Combat Skills, but now it seemed he was also a rare puppeteer.

Even Edward, who was more familiar with Rain, was taken aback.

Although he knew Rain was a rare Metal Wizard who had also studied the Sorcerer path, he was unaware that Rain was also a puppeteer.

Of course, the focus of those present who were less familiar with Rain was not on this aspect.

Instead, their attention was on how this unfamiliar young man planned to defeat the Corrupted Dragon.

The dragon had a highly infectious field of corruption around it, and the Griffin Knights could only attack from a distance, circling around it.

Including Duke Victor, they all witnessed Rain's fluid actions and vaguely understood that the young man had a plan in mind. However, despite their curiosity, the urgency of the situation prevented them from asking.

Most of those present were intelligent individuals.

A few of them connected Rain's request for high-explosive bombs and their eyes lit up, but soon, they fell into deep thought again.

Even with the high-explosive bombs, how to make them effective was still a problem.

At that moment, three bags of high-explosive bombs were delivered, and with a thought from Rain, the three battle puppets each picked up a heavy bag of explosives.

Rain leaped onto the Bloodfeather Griffin, and with the puppet with the magicized serenium shell behind him, the griffin's claws grabbed the other two puppets.

"Let's go!"

With a squeeze of Rain's legs, the Bloodfeather was enveloped in a cyan aura and flapped its wings vigorously, carrying Rain towards the corrupted dragon.

The onlookers on the military airship watched Rain depart, their minds filled with curiosity and speculation about how this seemingly extraordinary young man intended to defeat the corrupted dragon.

Rain had already sensed that the dragon's infective ability was exceptionally powerful, but its physical defense was relatively weak.

In essence, it was an enemy with very obvious strengths and weaknesses.

However, close combat was his and the Bloodfeather Griffin's forte!

Therefore, he had to get close to utilize his strengths.

Of course, there was a prerequisite: he needed to withstand the dragon's yellowish-green gaseous field and, ideally, resist the damage from its corrupted breath.

The valiant Griffin Knights had been relentlessly engaging the dragon, so the Bloodfeather Griffin, which was similar in size to the griffins, did not attract the attention of the corrupted dragon Agnes.

At that moment, Agnes's wrath was directed at the federal mega-battleship that had just inflicted heavy damage on her.

"Bloodfeather, throw!"

As the griffin reached directly above the dragon, Rain swiftly issued the command.

The ordinary iron battle puppet on the griffin's left claw, carrying the high-explosive bomb, fell onto the massive body of the corrupted dragon Agnes like a spider.

Agnes, who had been tearing at the federal battleship's protective membrane with her claws, paused for a moment as she felt the presence of an ant on her back.

This was because the iron battle puppet had fixed its body by piercing its axe blade into the dragon's skin, allowing the dragon to sense it immediately.

But she shook her head, still unconcerned.

Any living being within her field of corruption would quickly succumb to it and become her minion, she remained unbothered.

However, after a while, she realized that this was not as simple as she had thought.

She could feel a constant stinging sensation on her back, and the ant-sized object was crawling upwards, almost reaching her head.

This puzzled her—why hadn't this tiny creature been corrupted and turned into her minion?

The corrupted dragon Agnes had no choice but to retract the claw that had been tearing at the federal battleship's protective membrane and reach for her own neck.

The next second—

"BOOM!!!"

A flash of intense light!

The iron battle puppet met its 'glorious' end.

Although it didn't reach the head of the Corrupted Dragon Agnes to detonate, at this moment, it almost climbed to the very top of the long neck of the Corrupted Dragon Agnes, right at the connection to the head.

This explosion instantly created a huge hole in the back of the neck of the Corrupted Dragon Agnes, exposing the cervical vertebrae!

"Roar!!!"

A pitiful dragon roar reverberated.

Seeing the self-destructing Battle Puppet attracting all the attention of the Corrupted Dragon, Rain's eyes lit up, and he immediately seized this opportunity, activating the 'Goddess's Protection' divine technique granted by his medal, and launched a surprise attack.

"Charge! Bloodfeather!"

Rain covered Bloodfeather with a layer of magicized serenium to block the yellow-green mist surrounding the Corrupted Dragon as much as possible, while his hardened mithril quickly transformed into a four-meter-long lance. With Bloodfeather flapping its wings to accelerate, Rain and his eagle drew a silver line, diving down from above the Corrupted Dragon.

Their target was the toughest part of the Corrupted Dragon Agnes—its head!

Why choose to attack the enemy's most robust location? Because Rain had previously skimmed through the introduction of the undead creatures in this world, and destroying the head was still one of the most effective methods.

Therefore, even for a corrupted dragon, the key to controlling its entire body might lie in its head.

Of course, Rain wasn't entirely sure, but it was worth a try.

Meanwhile, on the Federation's Lancelot-class mega battleship, the Federation officers had lost their previous composure.

The arrogance they displayed while instructing the Empire's combat had completely dissipated, and now, in the violently shaking captain's cabin, they were shouting hoarsely:

"Maximize the defensive energy of the sorcery array! We must hold out!"

"Close-quarters combat teams, launch the offensive immediately!"

"We've tried that! As soon as we step out of the ship's cabin, we're infected by the corruption field, losing our combat abilities, and quickly becoming the dragon's minions," a nearby colonel quickly reported.

If it weren't for the cabin's multiple sorcery array enhancements, the people in the captain's cabin might have been infected by the corruption field as well.

"Damn it! Why aren't the side cannons firing?" Vice Admiral Riez shouted.

"The shaking is too intense; the cannons can't be loaded," said a nearby brigadier general, his expression grave.

Orders were given, and incomprehensible situations were reported back.

The mission leader, Terra, maintained a calm demeanor, but her heart was already in turmoil, and she silently cursed the chief engineer of the Lancelot-class mega battleship.

Although she was the representative and leader of the mission, she wasn't skilled in actual combat.

When she boarded the mega battleship, the chief engineer who built the Lancelot-class mega battleship introduced it as a great Federation invention with comprehensive capabilities comparable to a dragon.

She had taken the words 'combat power equivalent to a dragon' to heart.

This was why she had made such decisions earlier.

However, in actual combat, the mega battleship's shortcomings became glaringly obvious.

It seemed to have powerful firepower, but when faced with a giant monster at close range, its response was meager, and the cannons couldn't fire due to the violent shaking. Now, they relied solely on the defensive sorcery array's inscriptions to withstand the onslaught.

Otherwise, at this moment, both the ship and its crew would have been destroyed.

"Look over there! What's that?" an officer in the captain's cabin exclaimed, spotting Rain and the Bloodfeather griffin, his eyes widening in surprise.

Everyone looked up.

As the Corrupted Dragon drew near, it let out a pitiful dragon roar.

They witnessed a man and an eagle, both protected by dark silver armor and emitting a sacred glow, drawing a silver line as they descended from the sky, piercing the dragon's head with a long lance.

The silver light flashed and vanished like a falling star.

"Pfft!"

Within a hundred-meter radius, almost everyone could hear the crisp sound of the piercing.

Amid the shocked gazes of the Federation officers, who were nearly stunned into a daze, they saw a bird of prey the size of a griffin perched on the Corrupted Dragon Agnes' head.

And on the bird's back was a knight who had thrust his lance into the head of the Corrupted Dragon Agnes.

The Corrupted Dragon Agnes' head immediately went limp, and its claws released their grip on the Federation's mega battleship, falling softly.

Rain's strike stunned the Federation's officers, including the high-ranking and influential lady, Terra. Their minds were filled with the image of Rain's lance descending from the sky.

Lady Terra's beautiful eyes sparkled with excitement as she grabbed a telescope and eagerly observed Rain, asking, "Was that the Draconian Empire's Guardian?"

"It should be, but I couldn't see clearly. According to our current information, there's no Guardian with matching physical features," a nearby attendant quickly reported.

"However, that sacred glow from earlier felt like the aura of a divine technique."

"Huh? That's not right," Terra exclaimed in surprise as she looked through the telescope and saw the handsome young Rain sitting on the back of the Bloodfeather griffin.

The opponent's age clearly indicated that they couldn't be the protector of the Draconian Empire. Yet, their strength was formidable.

What was their origin? Treyna couldn't help but be curious.

Rain's strike also stunned everyone on the Empire's military airship, including his superior, Admiral Edward, and Duke Mingster, who were all wide-eyed with astonishment.

And as for Duke Victor, who had previously been annoyed with Rain, he was now left speechless.

After a while, Victor regained his senses and glanced at Admiral Edward, finally understanding the situation. He cursed under his breath, "Damn it! No wonder he insisted on waiting for this young man to board the airship. He's the secret weapon of the Mingster Swordsman Division!"

"Old fox!"

"To be able to pierce through the skull of a corrupted dragon, this young man is undoubtedly a legendary-level powerhouse!"

"Even in the capital's Swordsman Headquarters, he would be at least a Mithril-ranked Swordsman, maybe even a Hardened Mithril-ranked Swordsman. How could Edward hide someone like that in a provincial division?"

"And he even claimed to be a Diamond-ranked Swordsman. What a cunning fellow."

"To be so strong at such a young age, he's a promising talent!"

Victor's previous annoyance towards Rain had vanished without a trace.

Now, all he could think about was finding a suitable reason to transfer Rain to the capital, preferably under his command.

In mid-air, the surviving Griffin Knights gathered around.

Most of them had been prepared to sacrifice themselves just moments ago.

So, to be alive at this moment was a pleasant surprise! After all, it was better to live, no matter how dire the circumstances.

"Your Excellency Rain, you are truly amazing. We owe our victory to you!" Fei She was the first to fly over on his griffin, gazing at Rain with admiration.

Just now, he had almost been hit by the corrupted dragon's breath, narrowly escaping the embrace of the Goddess."

After witnessing Rain's fighting prowess on multiple occasions, Fei She had become an avid fan.

"Your Excellency Rain, was that lance strike just now a top-tier divine technique?" Philk, with his keen observation skills, asked curiously.

Setting aside how Rain managed to resist the incredibly powerful corruption field, even if he could withstand the corruption for a short time, he wouldn't be able to pierce the dragon's skull with a single strike!

However, despite the relaxed expressions on the faces of the Griffin Knights, Rain's expression remained grave as he stared intently at the falling corrupted dragon.

He knew that the Corrupted Dragon hadn't died.

The reason was simple; the system hadn't prompted any experience point rewards.

But fortunately, at this moment, another Hardened Mithril-clad combat puppet was lying on the fallen corrupted dragon."

Additionally, although Rain had activated the Level 2 Goddess Medallion's divine technique 'Goddess's Protection,' which completely shielded him from the dragon's corruption field, he could sense the rapid depletion of the divine technique's energy.

The dragon's corruption field was indeed formidable.

Although Rain had the weakening effect of his Magicized Serenite armor and his top-tier talent Steel Body, it was still best to avoid direct confrontation.

"Your Excellency Rain, what's wrong?" Philk immediately noticed Rain's unusual behavior.

Logically, Rain, who had just killed the corrupted dragon, should have been the happiest person, but at this moment, his expression remained grave.

"I can sense that the corrupted dragon is not dead."

Rain's voice wasn't loud, but it caused the celebratory atmosphere in mid-air to fall silent.

"It can't be!"

"It's still alive?"

Many Griffin Knights were startled and expressed their doubts.

However, since it was Rain who had killed the dragon, most of them believed his words and immediately became vigilant.

On the Empire's military airship, the atmosphere relaxed as they witnessed the corrupted dragon's head being pierced and its body falling again.

But at that moment, a messenger reported, "Urgent intelligence from the division."

"It's about the detailed information on the corrupted dragon."

"Oh? Read it!" Admiral Edward ordered.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel speechless about this 'belated' intelligence. The battle was already over, and now the intelligence was arriving.

"Agnes is an ancient dragon from thousands of years ago, known as 'Ancient Corruption.'"

"Her weakness is not the head. If the Heart of Corruption within her body is not destroyed, the corrupted dragon Agnes, with the constant support of her minions, is virtually immortal!"

"What?!"

Whether it was Duke Victor, Admiral Edward, or Duke Mingster, they had all believed the battle was over when they saw the corrupted dragon fall. But now, an unexpected twist had occurred.

"Not good!"

"Rain is in danger!"

"Quickly, send a message to Rain. Tell him to be cautious!" Admiral Edward instantly realized the situation.

After all, the reawakened Corrupted Dragon's target was undoubtedly Rain.

"Yes, sir!"

As expected, the Corrupted Dragon Agnes, after her fall, summoned thousands of her corrupted minions to act as 'power banks,' healing her wounds.

"Roar!!"

The Corrupted Dragon Agnes flapped her wings and soared towards Rain's direction.

This time, her hatred was clearly focused on Rain.

"Lord Rain, urgent intel! The Corrupted Dragon's weak point is its heart, located in the chest. There's an energy source called the 'Heart of Corruption' there. Only by destroying it can we truly kill her."

A Griffin Knight swiftly flew from the military airship and delivered the message.

"Lord Rain, we'll engage in aerial combat. You find the opportunity," Viscount Philk said solemnly.

After witnessing several battles, Philk, who had come from the Imperial Capital, was thoroughly impressed by Rain's strength.

If anyone could destroy the Heart of Corruption, it would be Rain.

"There's no need. I have a plan."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rain controlled his Bloodfeather Griffin and dove down.

The Griffin Knights were stunned by this move. Lord Rain was going to clash head-on with the Corrupted Dragon Agnes?

They knew that Rain had previously succeeded by catching the dragon off guard, but this time, it was a direct confrontation. The Griffin Knights weren't optimistic about Rain's chances.

A similar situation unfolded on both the Federation's mega cannonboat and the Empire's military airship.

Whether it was Lady Terra and the Federation officers or Duke Victor and the others on the Empire's airship, they were all astonished to see Rain charging directly at the Corrupted Dragon Agnes.

"Isn'tu"

"A successful ambush doesn't guarantee victory in a direct confrontation!"

In the sky, two figures, one silver and one gray, dove and charged upwards, respectively, creating two straight lines that were about to collide.

However, just dozens of meters apart, a bright fireball suddenly erupted from the dragon's left wing root.

It was Rain's second combat puppet, which he had set up for self-destruction.

"Shadow Step!"

"Piercing Strike!"

Rain kicked off, and with the Bloodfeather Griffin's boost, his already fast speed was further enhanced by the ultimate art. In an instant, he seemed to have teleported, appearing right in front of the Corrupted Dragon's chest.

"Pfft!"

Rain, along with his long spear, charged into the dragon's chest, enduring the intense corrupt energy.

Instantly, the putrid dragon's pus, more nauseating than century eggs, century eggs, or canned sardines, drenched Rain.

But at that moment, Rain had no time to care, as he sensed the 'Heart of Corruption' pulsating with immense energy.

"Hiss!"

In an instant, Rain used his innate sorcery, 'Metal Transformation,' to bend his spear and deeply insert it into the still-beating Heart of Corruption.

The Corrupted Dragon Agnes's body convulsed, and then, like a thermobaric grenade's shockwave, chaotic energy rippled out from Agnes, centered on her and spreading rapidly in all directions. Rain was also blown away by this invisible force, but his Bloodfeather Griffin caught him with its claws.

At the same time, on the ground, all the Spore Humans within a few hundred meters radius fell like cut wheat, one after another.

At this moment, the system prompt sounded:

Ding! Detected host's exposure to Corrupted Dragon Agnes's pus. Discovered a medium-level absorbable dragon gene fragment. Absorb?

(Note: Absorbing this dragon gene fragment will moderately enhance the host's Dragon Bloodline concentration limit.)



"Hmm, I can absorb it?"

"The wording is different, 'medium-level,' 'moderate enhancement'!"

"I thought it wouldn't help much since it's been corrupted for so many years. But now it seems that even a stinking dragon is still a true dragon! It's clearly of a higher caliber than those previous Legendary Earth Snakes and Earth Dragons."

Rain immediately chose "Yes!"

Like the previous time, Rain felt the part of his skin that had been drenched in the dragon's pus heat up, as if something was seeping into his body.

Additionally, the entire process lasted for about three seconds.

"Is the effect this good?"

Rain glanced at his attribute panel and was overjoyed.

Just as he had predicted, the Dragon Bloodline's effect had increased.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end