Chapter 348: Second Form (Part 2)

Chapter 348: Second Form (Part 2)



High in the sky, on the rapidly flying Bloodfeather Griffin.

Anna pointed anxiously towards a canyon on one side of the Frostfall Mountains, "Rayn, look over there!"

Rayn followed Anna's gaze and saw a gigantic creature resembling a winged lizard wreaking havoc among people in a winding canyon below.

Rayn narrowed his eyes and immediately controlled the griffin, diving towards the canyon.

As the distance closed, the massive creature's form became clearer, and the figures bravely fighting alongside it quickly caught Rayn's attention.

"Horned helmet, animal skins, battle axes, and rugged physiques."

The words 'Barbarian Tribe' instantly flashed through Rayn's mind.

"Oh no, Lord Rayn, that seems to be the Primordial Dragon Corax!" Melita also realized the situation below and exclaimed in shock.

"The Whitebear Beast is attacking the barbarian forces, while Corax is wreaking havoc in the middle, and there's a group of humans dressed as mercenaries led by several black-robed figures attacking the barbarians from the rear."

"It's over; this situation is a definite defeat," Melita watched in horror, her face paling.

The entire battle scene had already unfolded before Rayn's eyes.

Indeed, the situation was as Melita described.

Although the barbarians were surrounded, Rayn saw them valiantly counterattacking, and the situation wasn't entirely hopeless.

Clearly, the key to turning the tide of the battle lay in dealing with the Primordial Dragon Corax. Only by defeating it would there be a chance to change the outcome.

Rayn continued to control the griffin, diving swiftly towards the canyon area.

A Black Flame Cultist observing the battle from the heights of the Frostfall Mountains noticed the griffin's trail and immediately alerted Crowley, "High Priest Crowley, look! What is that?"

Following his subordinate's gesture, Crowley looked at the small dot in the sky that was rapidly growing larger, puzzled, "Could it be the High Archpriest? But how could it be just one person?"

"Hmm, it doesn't seem to be High Priest Erickson. No one in the church has a flying mount with blue-violet feathers."

"And High Priest Erickson loves a grand entrance; he never travels alone."

The two exchanged glances, both unsure of the stranger's origins.

After all, anyone in their right mind wouldn't get involved in such a battle.

With the current situation, only the Dragon Knights of the Dragon Empire could repel Corax and turn the tide.

Otherwise, anyone else would be of no use! But the stranger's flying mount was clearly a bird, not a dragon, so it couldn't be a Guardian-level figure.

"Could it be an ally summoned by the barbarians?" The two couldn't help but think of the same answer.

Crowley continued to watch the griffin's trajectory, noticing that it was indeed heading towards the center of the battlefield, straight for Corax. He shook his head and sighed, "Where did the Nordens find such an ally? Brave, but foolish."

"A pity, they're just seeking their own demise," another black-robed figure shook his head.

"By the way, why hasn't High Priest Erickson arrived yet? It's about time, according to my calculations." Crowley frowned, speaking to himself.

The same thought flashed through the mind of the Whitebear Beast Priest running at the foot of the mountain.

They had already rushed down from the mountainside and couldn't just stand by and watch like before now that their master, Corax, had entered the fray.

They had to join the fight.

As the griffin drew closer to the center of the battlefield, Rayn quickly assessed Corax's combat power.

At that moment, he spotted a familiar giant shield and a familiar figure charging towards Corax!

"Lagrelle!" Anna's beautiful eyes widened in surprise as she recognized Lagrelle.

The female warrior with the giant shield was indeed a striking presence, even in the midst of the chaos.

But the next moment, Rayn's anger surged.

Lagrelle was struck by Corax's dragon wing attack, sending her and four or five other barbarian warriors flying over a dozen meters, crashing heavily to the ground, clearly severely injured.

"Anna, you control the griffin and find an opportunity to rescue Lagrelle," Rayn's voice was unusually calm and cold.

Anna turned to look at Rayn's frosty expression, and the words of persuasion died on her lips.

Indeed, if Rayn were the one injured instead of Lagrelle, he would have charged in without a second thought.

Melita was about to ask Rayn if they should consider a long-term strategy, as the battle seemed hopeless from her perspective.

Unless someone could defeat Corax head-on, there was no hope of turning the tide.

Even if the Winterfort Academy's wizards came to their aid, it would be challenging to help the barbarians in their current dire situation.

In Melita's heart, the current battlefield seemed beyond salvation.

If Lord Rain was here to rescue someone named Lagrelle, then the best option would be to have the Bloodfeather Griffin grab and carry her away.

As for the Primordial Dragon Corax, it would be best to head to Winterfort Academy first and discuss the matter with the academy's upper echelon before making any plans.

But the next second, Melita was shocked to find that Lord Rain, who was in front of her, suddenly stood up.

Then, in the air hundreds of meters above, he suddenly leaped and dove towards the Primordial Dragon Corax.

"Ah!"

This made her scream.

"Oh my god! Miss Anna, Lord Rain is going down there!"

"Is Lord Rain going to fight the dragon?" Melita's face paled.

"Yes, because the dragon injured someone important to Lord Rain," Anna replied, her expression much calmer, though there was a hint of concern. Still, she seemed to have an inexplicable faith in Lord Rain.

Lord Rain, who was rapidly descending, activated the core skill of his Epic Class, 'Thousand Blade King', 'Weakness Control' for the second time.

Instantly, the three-dimensional image of Corax's massive body appeared in Lord Rain's vision, marked with blue, yellow, and red dots to indicate the differences in defense strength.

About four-fifths of the dragon's body was flashing with blue light, indicating an extremely strong defense.

In the remaining areas, most were flashing with yellow light, indicating a moderate defense.

Only a few limited locations, like the tips of the fleshy wings, the base of the thighs, and a few side scales on the abdomen, had faint reddish dots.

Of course, these dots were not static; as the Primordial Dragon Corax changed its combat stance, these few defense weak points (red dots) also turned into yellow dots.

Apparently, this Primordial Dragon's flesh was extremely tough, and the intelligence provided by Olena was accurate; its close-quarters combat ability was exceptional, and its flesh had almost no defensive weaknesses.

"However, my strength lies in close-quarters combat as well!" Lord Rain narrowed his eyes and made a quick decision.

Corax, through its perception, naturally noticed the tiny figure suddenly attacking from mid-air, but it paid no attention.

The scales on its back were particularly thick, one of its strongest defensive areas.

If an enemy tried to launch a threatening attack from its back, Corax would scoff at them.

It was like a joke!

At this moment, Corax was annoyed by the Barbarian warriors in front of it. These stubborn warriors continued to attack fearlessly.

It was like being stung by dozens of bees; although the bees could only sting once before dying, they still caused a stinging pain.

So, Corax's attention was focused on these 'bees'.

Lord Rain, who was in mid-air at this time, canceled his levitation spell. His entire body accelerated downward due to gravity, and his dive became faster and faster.

The white wizard robe he wore was torn by the powerful wind, revealing a set of bright silver Secret Silver Engraved Plate Armor underneath, and the Hardened Mithril in his hand instantly transformed into a long spear.

His diving posture resembled a silver meteor falling from the sky, and his target was the back of the Primordial Dragon Corax.

"Look, what's that!"

Both sides on the battlefield noticed the silver meteor.

It was too eye-catching to ignore.

It was right above the Primordial Dragon Corax, impossible to overlook.

"It seems to be attacking that monster!"

"But that's the dragon's strongest defense, it's too reckless!"

The elite Barbarian warriors surrounding Corax exclaimed.

A few hours ago, the wizard who had sent the message from Winterfort Academy had told them about some combat precautions regarding Corax.

For example, Corax's flesh had extremely strong defenses, especially its back and limbs, which were absolutely epic-tier in strength. Therefore, Winterfort Academy strongly advised against engaging in close combat with Corax.

But for the Barbarians, they seemed to have no other choice.

They could only focus their attacks on Corax's eyes, fleshy wings, and other relatively weak areas.

Just like Chief Dalarius, who had just chopped at the fleshy wings of the Primordial Dragon Corax instead of its robust limbs or thickly scaled back.

Lagrelle, who was lying on the ground with blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, also saw the silver meteor descending not far away.

At this distance, she could naturally distinguish the figure and general appearance of the person.

Hmm?

This familiar figure and face?!

Lagrelle's beautiful eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, and she looked at Lord Rain, who was descending from the sky at this moment, with an expression of disbelief.

"Oh my god! Lord Rain?!"

"How could it be him?"

"How did he come to the Frostwind Tundra?"

"And, at this exact moment???"

In an instant, Lagrelle's emotions were conflicted. She hoped it was Lord Rain, yet she also hoped it wasn't him!

She was like a princess about to be abducted by an evil dragon, only to be saved by her dream knight.

She was willing to face the dragon alone, but its formidable strength left her no choice.

"Damn! The back is the strongest defense of a Primordial Dragon, idiot! Don't attack there!"

As Lagrelle's face turned red with anxiety, she was about to shout a warning to Rain, but a mouthful of blood rushed up her throat.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"It's over!"

Dalarius, the leader of the Norden tribe, had just broken free from the blue ice, his body severely injured. He couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment when he saw Rain attacking the back of the Primordial Dragon, Coraxus.

He could tell that Rain's strike was powerful, and if he had targeted the dragon's wings instead, there was a high chance of achieving some success.

But the back... Sigh!

High Priest Rom also frowned at the sight, puzzled by the sudden aerial knight's decision to attack the most well-defended part of Coraxus.

Could it be that the knight was unaware of Coraxus's true capabilities and launched the attack without hesitation?

"Shadow Step!"

"Armor Piercing Strike!"

"Pfft!"

Rain realized that his four-meter-long lance, after piercing the gap in Coraxus's scales, had only penetrated about half a meter deep before encountering an incredibly resilient resistance.

This was the result of combining the force of gravity with the power of two Ultimate Arts.

Even so, it was still difficult to pierce any deeper.

At that moment, Coraxus, who had been stung, reacted. It was surprised that the insignificant knight it had ignored could actually hurt it.

However, the injury was not enough to cause any significant damage to the mighty Primordial Dragon.

"You insignificant worm, do you think you can harm the great Coraxus?" A deep rumble emanated from its chest.

"By doing this, you are only sealing your own fate!"

"Draconic Form!"

"Roar!"

With a dragon's roar, Rain's body suddenly expanded, causing the Secret Silver Engraved Plate Armor to crack and shatter into fragments.

Only a few remnants of the armor remained hanging on his now-enlarged body.

Rain's skin had turned a dark gray, and dragon scales the size of fingernails protruded from his surface. His once flat fingernails had transformed into sharp and elongated claws.

A tail, over a meter long and covered in dragon scales, rapidly grew from the base of his spine.

Rain's hands, now the size of a washbasin, gripped the four-meter-long lance like a dagger.

"Pfft!"

With a surge of strength, Rain thrust the entire lance into Coraxus's back. Simultaneously, he cast Metal Transformation, altering the lance's tip into the shape of a chrysanthemum.

Each petal of the metallic chrysanthemum became a hook.

Although Coraxus's defense was exceptionally formidable, its internal organs might have several times the resilience and elasticity of a human's.

But they were still internal organs.

The metallic petals, each a sharp barb, instantly pierced the soft innards.

As searing pain permeated its bones, Coraxus let out a deafening scream, nearly passing out from the agony.

During its momentary daze, the once insignificant knight had transformed into a Dragonman, exuding a powerful dragon aura.

"You... Who are you?" Coraxus asked, feeling a sense of panic for the first time. It seemed to have completely misjudged the knight's strength.

The previous strike, though not hitting a vital spot, had penetrated deep into its organs, causing excruciating pain.

The onlookers' pupils contracted in shock as they witnessed Rain transform into his first form, the Dragonman Warrior, and pierce the back of the Primordial Dragon.

Anna and Melita, riding on the Bloodfeather Griffin, stared in disbelief, especially Anna, who had spent a lot of time with Rain but had never known about his transformation ability.

As for Lagrelle, she had witnessed Rain's transformation during his battle with the Black Flame Cult's high priest, but due to the smoke and brief transformation, she had assumed it was a normal kill.

Crowley, watching from the mountain slope, was stunned, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"What is this?" he exclaimed. "Is this still a human?"

The White Bear Beast Priest, watching from the foothills, stumbled and almost fell, but a nearby White Bear Beast guard steadied him.

"How is this possible?" the priest muttered, incredulous. "Coraxus is injured!"

Dalarius and High Priest Rom, leaders of the Norden people, were also shocked, their eyes meeting in mutual astonishment.

However, the situation in the middle of the battlefield changed again.

The injured Coraxus, furious, began to roll like a dying crocodile, attempting to shake Rain off its back.

"Huh? They're not running?"

Koraxus was delighted. With his hundred-ton body, he was certain that crushing his opponent would be fatal.

"Boom!!"

The next second, the entire back of the Primordial Dragon Koraxus slammed heavily onto the ground, followed by an earthquake-like impact that shook the earth and sent shockwaves and dust flying everywhere.

Amidst the dust and smoke, the massive Primordial Dragon Koraxus had flipped over, seemingly crushing Rain, who had been on its back, under its enormous weight.

"Rain!"

The two women on the Bloodfeather Griffin and Lagrelle on the ground gasped in shock.

"It's over!"

Everyone present believed that Rain was surely doomed under such a massive creature's crushing attack.

Although the opponent's transformation had been stunning, it was fleeting, like a meteor from the heavens, dazzling for just a few seconds and then gone.

"To dare challenge Lord Koraxus is sheer foolishness!"

The Whitebears, led by their priest, sighed in relief. They had thought the humans had brought a formidable opponent, but now it seemed they had worried too much.

On the other side of the mountain, Crowley shook his head regretfully, saying, "What a pity. That young man had courage, but like the barbarians, he was a bit dull, not knowing to dodge and only relying on brute force!"

"If he had managed to heavily wound Koraxus, he might have gained a significant advantage once High Priest Erickson arrives."

Suddenly, Koraxus's expression changed as he felt something pushing up from beneath his body, and the pain in his back intensified.

The onlookers stared at Koraxus in disbelief, as they witnessed the massive dragon's body forming a convex shape.

A powerful Dragonman, glowing with a blood-red aura, used a lance to lift a portion of Koraxus's body off the ground.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The repeated stabs of the lance caused Koraxus excruciating pain, like being twisted by knives, and he couldn't help but scream in agony.

As Rain repeatedly withdrew the lance, a large lump of pale blue dragon blood, cool to the touch, poured onto his body like a blue waterfall.

At that moment, a system notification sounded:

[Ding! Detected exposure to the blood of the giant Primordial Dragon Koraxus. Found a large number of absorbable dragon gene fragments. Absorb? Yes/No?]



This caught Rain off guard.

"A significant increase?!"

Rain immediately chose 'Yes!'

Just like before, Rain felt his skin, drenched in the blood of the giant Primordial Dragon Koraxus, heat up, as if something was rapidly seeping into his body.

Koraxus seemed unable to endure the pain any longer and chose to flee, taking advantage of Rain's momentary daze and dragging his exhausted body away.

Rain's absorption process took much longer than before, nearly six seconds, before he returned to normal.

"Huh? Why didn't my bloodline concentration increase by another level?"

Rain could feel his body surging with power, but his dragon bloodline concentration remained at the 'Pure' level, failing to advance to the next tier.

However, upon further reflection, he realized that the limited amount of dragon blood he had bathed in might be the reason. His current state was likely on the verge of an upgrade.

Most likely, after another dragon blood bath, he would be able to enhance his bloodline concentration.

As Rain looked up at Koraxus again, he saw the dragon dragging its injured body and flying north.

After a moment's thought, Rain decided against pursuing.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; his physical condition wasn't ideal.

Not to mention the transformation's aftermath.

The previously indestructible dragon scales had shattered under Koraxus's weight, marking Rain's first injury in his dragonman form.

Ironically, it was this injury that allowed Rain to activate the core skill of his Epic Class, 'Blood Frenzy', for the first time, enabling him to lift most of Koraxus's massive body.

Additionally, with Anna and Melita on the Bloodfeather Griffin, he couldn't engage Koraxus in aerial combat.

Rain wasn't concerned about Koraxus recovering and returning for revenge; he welcomed it!

Time was on his side, and he would only grow stronger.

The next encounter with Koraxus would likely end in the dragon's defeat.

"Huh?"

"This..."

Rain was stunned as he noticed a system notification:

[Congratulations! With the power of your bloodline, you've unlocked the Mutated Dragonman Second Form (Dragonman General Form)!]

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end