Chapter 346: Transformation

Chapter 346: Transformation



"Is that so? Well, in that case, I have nothing more to say." Rayn couldn't help but sigh.

The three Grand Knights standing beside the slender black-robed figure laughed heartily upon hearing Rayn's words, assuming he was backing down.

"Young man, it's your turn to apologize to us," one of them said arrogantly, looking down his nose.

"

"No, it's them who should apologize to us," another Grand Knight suddenly interjected, pointing at the graceful figure of Melita and smirking.

"You're both wrong. It's these two who should apologize to us, hahaha!" The last Grand Knight, with a lewd smile, pointed at Melita and Anna.

Their voices were loud, causing travelers and caravan members at both ends of the passage to turn and look over.

Seeing the conflict between Rayn and the five men, accompanied by two women, many people pointed and whispered among themselves.

"This young man seems to be a Wizard Lord, but he lacks experience. Those five look very powerful, and he might be in trouble."

"Indeed!"

"Look at their flying mounts; they seem to be giant carrion vultures. Taming such ferocious creatures isn't something just anyone can do."

"They seem to be...black..." One of the older caravan members looked at the black-robed figures, then at the giant vultures, his eyes widening as if he had realized something. Just as he was about to blurt it out, his face paled, and he stopped himself from speaking further.

"Black what?" A nearby caravan guard asked curiously.

"Black birds," the old caravan member laughed and corrected himself.

"Tsk, who hasn't seen black birds? I thought you were going to reveal some secret!" A guard within the caravan scoffed.

Everyone around was staring at the young Rayn, looking surprised.

Many were still talking, all agreeing that the young Wizard Lord, accompanied by two beautiful companions, was likely in trouble.

"No, what I mean is, if you don't want to apologize, then you can go to hell!!!" Rayn's calm expression suddenly turned into a roar.

Before his words could finish, Rayn tapped his toes on the ground, and with a "Boom!" dirt splattered, and a large hole appeared on the ground.

As the dirt flew in all directions, Rayn's figure suddenly disappeared from everyone's sight.

The slender black-robed figure felt a chill run through his body, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe.

However, he was not weak, and his reflexes were quick. A black membrane-like protective dark magic had already appeared on the surface of his body, allowing him to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

But just as he was about to retreat, his vision blurred, and he suddenly found a silver giant hand in front of him, piercing through the black membrane and instantly gripping his neck.

"Pop!"

"Crack!"

The sound of the black membrane tearing and the sound of a broken neck were almost simultaneous!

At that moment, the smoke and dust dispersed, and the three Grand Knights looked like they had seen a ghost. They stared at Rayn, then at their High Priest Carhman, whom Rayn was holding.

A Second Rank Liquidation Wizard with near-legendary power had been killed in just one move?!

And the burly black-robed Erickson beside them had an even darker expression, as if he could drip water.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but Rayn's attack was too sudden.

Without any warning, he had launched a lethal attack!

His ferocity was even more brutal than theirs!

Moreover, this was the passage of Beverley Pass, a place where it was understood that no one should fight.

So, for these two reasons, by the time Erickson reacted and wanted to intervene, it was already too late.

His capable subordinate, Carhman, had his neck twisted by this young man.

"Whoosh!"

The surrounding onlookers, upon seeing this, burst into an uproar. Almost no one had seen what had happened, but one of the black-robed figures who looked quite fierce had just died on the spot.

The young and handsome Wizard Lord before them was a ruthless character!

"Did you see that just now? It was too fast!"

"But isn't this young Wizard Lord a bit too bold? Doesn't he know this is the Beverley Pass, where the Empire strictly forbids fighting?"

Meanwhile, Melita's beautiful eyes were fixed on Rayn!

Earlier that morning, she had seen Rayn mending his torn wizard robe with a needle and thread, giving her a warm feeling. But now, Rayn had shown an incredibly dominant side, instantly killing the man who had harassed her.

Oh my god! Melita's long legs beneath her white wizard robe involuntarily tensed, and she felt herself falling for him.

However, the next second, Anna pulled her away from her daze.

"Let's go; we might get caught in the crossfire," Anna said urgently.

"Melita, it seems like they are high-ranking members of the Black Flame Cult."

"Miss Anna, do you feel that too? No wonder Rayn was so ruthless!"

Melita looked enlightened, as she had vaguely felt a sense of familiarity earlier. With Anna's reminder, she instantly made the connection.

"Mhm."

"No matter who you are..."

Erickson's muscles bulged, and his black robe tore into four pieces, revealing his body.

The most striking feature was the intricate pattern of black and brown lines etched on his skin, consisting of straight and curved lines, circles, hexagrams, and ellipses, covering his entire body.

"You've managed to infuriate me!" Erickson's face flushed as he glared at Rain, and without warning, he launched a surprise attack, seemingly in response to Rain's earlier ambush.

"Explosive Fist!"

With a heavy punch, he slammed into the ground, causing a four to five-meter radius of dirt to explode, sending dust flying into the air.

Erickson's black fire snakes coiled around his arms, and with a push, several tons of dust were instantly heated to scorching temperatures, forming a tsunami of molten metal that surged towards Rain.

Rain was prepared, and instead of retreating, he advanced, using a metal shield to protect himself as he charged into the dust tsunami.

"Clang!!!"

A deafening crash echoed from within the dust storm.

Two sturdy figures collided with each other.

Rain's pupils constricted.

He had sensed Erickson's robust physique and aura, which were different from ordinary Liquidation and Crystal Mages. To his surprise, Erickson was a specialized Crystal Mage who focused on physical enhancement.

Moreover, his weapon of choice was tiger claws.

Erickson's attack was so powerful that it overwhelmed Rain.

Among all the enemies Rain had faced, this was a unique and formidable opponent.

In his youth, Erickson had been a gladiator in the Imperial Arena, and by chance, he joined the Black Flame Church. However, he retained his gladiatorial combat style.

Years ago, he had obtained ancient knowledge from a sealed samurai in a ruin, which influenced his combat style.

Ever since, during every Black Flame prayer, Erickson prayed to the God of Hunting for the strengthening of his physical strength and defense.

Eventually, he almost fully restored the ancient combat tattoos of the sealed samurai, becoming a unique Crystal Mage specializing in close-quarters combat.

Erickson was surprised that Rain could withstand his attack amidst the dust storm.

"Black Flame Impact!"

With a low roar, the tattoos on Erickson's arm flashed, and a black flame erupted, instantly blasting Rain back several meters.

Erickson quickly closed the distance, roaring again, "Black Flame Acceleration!"

The tattoos on his calves flashed, and he appeared like a ghost in front of Rain, punching towards him.

Rain reacted swiftly, blocking with both hands, and a crane shield appeared before him.

"Boom!!!"

Rain was sent flying over ten meters by Erickson's powerful strike, and several Purple Tumor Wood trees along the way were snapped in half, but he managed to stabilize himself.

Rain's epic-tier profession, 'King of a Thousand Blades,' was also a close-quarters combat profession inherited from ancient giant combat masters. He withstood Erickson's powerful attacks.

"Hmm? Not bad."

"But that's all you've got!" Erickson's face twisted with mockery as the tattoos on his upper body lit up, and a circle of face-sized black flames surrounded him.

"Group Black Flame!"

"Roar!!!"

Rain let out a roar, and a white wave of energy centered on him swept through the area, causing Erickson's tattoo energy to stall momentarily.

The black flames that had appeared around Erickson vanished, leaving only a few remaining.

The surrounding Purple Tumor Wood trees shook violently, and the tumors on the nearby trees exploded due to the sound waves.

After the roar, Rain launched a counterattack.

He instantly created seven or eight afterimages and charged towards Erickson.

"Bang! Bang! Ding! Clang!"

Both of them moved with incredible speed, and the intense sounds of their clashes seemed to blend into one continuous assault.

"Boom!"

A face-sized black flame suddenly appeared next to Erickson and slammed into Rain, but a demonic Serenite shield appeared in front of Rain, blocking the attack.

The battle between the two caused the surrounding Purple Tumor Wood trees to suffer, with one tree after another falling, and some even collapsing in groups during explosions.

The three Grand Knights initially thought that their High Priest Erickson would easily defeat the opponent.

But as the fight progressed to this point, even a fool could see that the young man's strength, though not on par with their High Priest, was still of a similar caliber.

They could be considered of the same tier.

At this moment, the three knights were crawling and rolling, trying to quickly distance themselves from the center of the battle.

"Damn it!

What the hell!

Just teasing a female mage has brought us such a formidable opponent.

Even if High Priest Erickson defeats him in the end, we will surely face severe punishment!"

The intense battle between Rain and Erickson naturally attracted the attention of the Imperial Guards at Beverley Pass.

"Damn it! They're fighting in the passageway without a care for their lives!"

The highest-ranking officer among the guards, a bearded Grand Knight with a rugged face, witnessed the rising dust and energy waves in the middle of the passage and couldn't help but curse.

Then, he saw two almost indistinguishable figures leaping and flashing in the distance, and his face paled in shock.

"Fuck, they're so strong!"

"Quickly report this! Near-legendary warriors are fighting in the Beverley Pass!"

"No! They're legendary warriors!"

The Imperial Guards were all stunned upon hearing this.

As the battle between Rain and Erickson intensified, Erickson's aura suddenly surged, and the black flames on his body began to rage, enveloping his entire body. The tiger claws in his hand were also burning hot, like a branding iron.

"Flame Tongue Impact!"

Suddenly, Erickson threw a punch towards Rain, who raised his hand to block, but the black flames in Erickson's hand suddenly surged a meter, like a cow's tongue, licking towards Rain's face.

Although the Enchanted Serenite Eagle Shield, transformed by the Metal Shield Spell, instantly blocked the attack, the flame tongue exploded on impact!

The powerful blast knocked Rain back several meters.

"Flame Storm Strike!"

After landing a successful hit, Erickson continuously unleashed a barrage of punches, and hundreds of dense sparks rushed towards Rain's face.

"Dragon's Roar!"

"Blade Storm!"

Rain's Hardened Mithril instantly transformed into a double-handed sword, and over a hundred four-cornered darts shot towards Erickson.

In an instant, the red flame storm and the dark sword blade storm fiercely intertwined.

"Boom! Boom!"

A few sparks pierced through the blade storm and hit Rain, exploding one after another.

Erickson also suffered, as more than ten four-cornered darts pierced his rock-like body, drawing thin threads of blood despite not penetrating deeply.

The battle entered a brief lull.

"Weakness Control!"

Rain activated the core skill of the epic-tier profession, Thousand Blade King, for the first time.

Instantly, in Rain's vision, Erickson's body was outlined like a three-dimensional pattern, with blue, yellow, and red dots indicating the differences in defense strength.

About two-thirds of Erickson's body flashed with yellow light, indicating moderate defense strength.

One-third of his body flashed with blue light, indicating strong defense.

However, these dots were not static; as Erickson's posture and techniques changed, the defense strong points (blue dots) would transform into defense weak points (red dots).

But Rain soon discovered that the two red dots on Erickson's knees almost always remained, sometimes a light red and other times a deep red.

In other words, that was Erickson's most noticeable weakness.

Rain's right hand quickly transformed into a short spear, and he actively attacked Erickson, feinting towards his upper body before striking his knee, instantly piercing a small hole.

But in the next moment, Erickson's entire body flashed with black light, and both his hands simultaneously struck Rain's chest.

"Boom!"

The Secret Silver Engraved Plate Armor shattered, and Rain was blasted away several meters by the black flames, his chest skin torn despite the Ultimate Steel Body defense.

"You..."

Erickson pulled out the short spear from his abdomen. He wanted to ask, 'How did you discover my weakness?'

But immediately, Erickson realized that asking such a question would only dampen his own morale.

"Do you think you've won?"

Erickson's anger surged, and he threw the short spear, staring at Rain.

The round hole-like wound on his knee began to close, and fine flesh sprouts extended, healing itself within a few seconds.

"Young man, you have some strength, but do you know? I only used half my strength just now because if I fought with all my might, I'd have to transform, and the cost would be too great!"

"However, you have earned this honor!"

"Prepare your last words!" Erickson's face twisted into a sinister smile.

"Oh? Transform?"

Rain looked at Erickson with a meaningful gaze.

At the same time, he muttered to himself in a voice so low that no one else could hear, "I can transform too, but it's just so ugly!"

Suddenly, Erickson's body split open! To be precise, the black lines on his skin tore apart, unable to contain the violent changes within.

In an instant, Erickson's body swelled to about three meters tall, and his skin, like small sticky notes, clung to a clearly larger blood-colored puppet, creating a bizarre sensation.

"Whoosh!"

Erickson threw a punch towards Rain, creating a white sonic boom.

"Boom!"

With a surge in strength and speed, Erickson's punch sent Rain flying over ten meters, slamming him into the ground, which dented and sent dust and smoke billowing dozens of meters high.

Without hesitation, Erickson pressed his advantage, his massive form generating rolling waves of energy as he charged into the smoke and dust.

Seeing this, Anna couldn't help but rush forward to help Rain.

But a hand reached out and stopped her, saying, "Miss Anna, if you go up there, it will only distract Lord Rain. From his expression, it seems he isn't afraid of his opponent, and he must have a trump card."

Anna understood.

Indeed, she had been worried for nothing.

Upon reflection, she realized that Rain always seemed to defeat powerful enemies.

This time, it should be fine too. As Ericson charged into the smoke and dust, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Rain, a sudden turn of events unfolded.

His fist, the size of a clay pot, was grasped tightly by the claws of an enormous scaly monster.

Hmm?

A hideous creature, covered in scales, appeared before him.

As Ericson wondered about the sudden appearance of the monster:

"Your transformation is pathetically weak!"

Ericson's eyes widened in disbelief. At that moment, he couldn't help but recognize that the nearly five-meter-tall monster was, in fact, the handsome young man from earlier.

Could he also transform?!

"Crack!"

In the brief moment of Ericson's astonishment, his clay pot-sized fist was twisted and squeezed by the monster, emitting a creaking sound as each finger bone rapidly deformed.

"Who... who are you?" Ericson exclaimed in shock.

This revelation left Ericson utterly stunned.

Damn, this level of strength was almost on par with the Dragon Knights of the Dragon Empire.

Throughout the entire Dragon Empire, this individual was undoubtedly not some unknown figure.

"Bang!"

Rain's response was a massive punch, the size of a washbasin.

With a single strike, Ericson's head was nearly twisted ninety degrees, and his brain matter splattered, sending his entire body crashing into the ground.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

The giant fist continued its relentless assault, punch after punch.

Soon, Ericson's body began to shrink, his limbs rapidly diminishing in size.

It was then that Rain realized he had completely crushed Ericson's head.

The surrounding area, once obscured by smoke and dust, gradually cleared, revealing a massive crater-like depression, about ten meters in diameter, where Ericson had been standing.

The Black-Robed Figure, now with his head buried in the ground and limbs barely twitching, was clearly defeated.

The outcome of the battle was evident.

But how could the Black-Robed Figure, who had the upper hand moments ago, be defeated in just a few seconds?

The onlookers were left bewildered by the abrupt change in the battle's outcome.

"Ah! Why is Lord Rain only wearing..." Melita exclaimed, her face flushing with surprise after a few seconds of shock.

In her heart, she added, 'Why is Lord Rain's underwear pleated? How strange! Does he like pleated skirts?'

Anna's face also turned red as she watched.

Without hesitation, she rushed towards the nearby Bloodfeather Griffin, seemingly intent on retrieving a piece of clothing for Rain.

Anna felt a sense of loss, as if she had been cheated, seeing Rain exposed like this.

As Rain prepared to leave, he suddenly turned back and began searching the Black-Robed Figure's body. Moments later, he retrieved a heavy waist pouch from the figure.

At that moment, the Bearded Knight cautiously approached, his eyes fixed on Rain with a nervous expression.

"Sir... Sir Wizard, in the Beverley Pass, the Empire strictly prohibits any fighting." The Bearded Knight's voice trembled as he spoke, clearly anxious.

He swallowed hard, fearing that Rain might lash out in anger and strike him down as well.

The Bearded Knight decided to at least leave a word before departing, fulfilling his duty to the best of his ability.

If the other party didn't listen, it was beyond his control.

"My apologies, sir," Rain said with a smile, nodding at the Bearded Knight.

As if remembering something, Rain took out a transparent badge from his pocket and tossed it to the Bearded Knight. He then handed over the official letter signed by General Edward, explaining, "I'm an Imperial Swordbearer. That man was a Black Flame Cultist. It's my duty, so please excuse me."

"If you're a Diamond Rank Swordbearer, then it's all good." The Bearded Knight seemed familiar with the Swordbearer system and immediately understood the situation upon seeing Rain's badge. His face relaxed into a relieved smile.

The Bearded Knight carefully examined the text on Rain's badge and exclaimed, "The strength of the Swordbearers in your Minster Province is truly remarkable!"

"I thought with your abilities, you'd surely be one of the top experts at the Imperial Swordbearer Headquarters."

"Uh..." Rain was at a loss for words.

Just then, a sharp whistle pierced the air.

"Not good! Lord Rain, your battle attracted the Wind Phoenixes!" The Bearded Knight's expression changed as he looked up at the sky with urgency.

Rain lifted his gaze, and in the left corner of the sky, dozens of yellow dots appeared, rapidly approaching from the horizon and becoming increasingly distinct.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end