Chapter 416: Fusion

Chapter 416: Fusion

After some thought, Barnes decided to go down and check the situation.

On the one hand, he felt that if he missed this village, there would be no other opportunity.

If an opportunity arises and is not seized, it will undoubtedly lead to regret later.

On the other hand, Barnes believed that his strength was on par with Rain, and even if he couldn't defeat him, Rain would certainly not be able to defeat him either.

In terms of safety, he didn't think there would be a problem.

Finally, there was one more thing.

If Barnes went to the valley below now, he and Bronson would have less distance to cover, and the time for the three of them to meet up could be brought forward.

So, Barnes quickly collected the things in his hand, holding the blood essence extraction device, and hurried towards the valley where the battle aura had just emanated from.

At the same time, in the Imperial City of Tamriel, on the second floor of the Astral Mage Platform's Command Center.

"Have you made contact?" Augustus, General, asked Tatiya as soon as he saw her return from the room next door.

Tatiya shook her head, her pretty face solemn, and said,

"I'm sorry, General Augustus, the liaison personnel have been trying to contact them continuously, but due to energy interference, fifteen minutes have passed, and they still haven't been able to contact any of the three squads."

"Additionally, the Imperial Guard has just sent word that they are currently fighting against cultists at multiple points in the Imperial City's suburbs. Although the resistance of the enemy is resolute, they have gradually narrowed the encirclement and eliminated most of them."

"The Royal Family has also sent news that five minutes ago, at the Falling Star Lake, Her Highness Queen Menia has personally gone to deal with the situation."

Upon hearing Tatiya's report, Alfred nodded, indicating that he understood.

Since the Imperial City was temporarily safe, the focus now naturally shifted to the Mystic Realm.

This, on the contrary, put even more pressure on everyone.

"Lord Dalian, has the energy disturbance weakened? Can we check the situation in the Mystic Realm?" Alfred turned his head and asked.

The top priority at the moment was still to find out the situation in the Mystic Realm as soon as possible.

Lord Dalian, upon hearing this, chanted a spell, and as a colorful arcane light enveloped him, the next second, the Grand Astral Wizard Dalian shook his head and said,

"The interference is still there, but it has calmed down a lot. It's estimated that in a few more minutes, we can check the situation in the Mystic Realm. However, the scene we see then may not be very stable."

"It's good that we can view it." Upon hearing Dalian's words, Alfred's expression improved slightly.

After all, as the commander, if he couldn't even see the situation in the Mystic Realm, how could he command?

In the Dragon Valley Sanctuary, within the valley on the western side of Flame Mountain.

Rain and Aida, Alida's battle continued.

"Sister, be careful!"

After Rain's first stage transformation, his speed and strength increased several times, and taking advantage of the dust's cover after the explosion, a five-meter-tall giant shadow appeared, drawing an arc and quickly reaching Aida's rear seven or eight meters away.

The dragonman's fighting style was different from the human form.

At this moment, Rain, running like a bulldozer, created a strong air current behind his powerful dragonman body, forming a thirty-meter-long earth dragon after breaking through the air.

As for the trees on both sides, large and small, they fell like cut stalks.

The intensity of the attack made Aida's neck hairs stand on end.

It was as if a giant beast was staring at her, and her heart immediately sounded the alarm!

"Roar!!!"

Just as Aida was about to cast a spell to attack, a deafening roar burst from Rain's mouth, and a series of circular air waves swept around, causing Aida's mind to falter.

Before she could fully recover, she saw a huge dragon claw the size of a millstone rushing towards her.

"Bang!!!"

The double layer of arcane defense on her body instantly ruptured like bubbles, but fortunately, these two protective spells blocked the attack, allowing her to barely react and tense up her entire body.

"Boom!"

In the instant she was hit!

Aida was like a cannonball, and her light body was immediately knocked flying, crashing into seven or eight trees that two people could embrace, and blood was splattered all the way!

But she hadn't landed yet.

The strong dragonman body had appeared in front of her again.

"How can he be so strong!"

If she were hit directly, Aida was sure she would become a pile of flesh on the spot.

"Sister!"

Not far away, Alida screamed, and at the same time, she used the Twin Shift again.

As the two sisters switched positions, Alida suddenly appeared in front of Rain, crossing her double-bladed swords to block her chest, exerting all her strength to withstand Rain's dragon claw strike!

"Clang!!!"

Although Alida was skilled in speed and had a nimble body, strength wasn't her forte. Rain, on the other hand, had transformed into the dragonman warrior form, and with his increased strength, the gap between them was even greater. Alida was immediately knocked half into the ground.

At this moment, her arms trembled as she maintained the blocking posture, but her eyes had rolled back, and her head buzzed.

She felt like her bones were dislocated, her whole body weak, and she couldn't exert any strength!

Alida knew she couldn't withstand a second blow!

The only way was to use that move!

Although it would greatly damage her vitality, making it difficult to carry out subsequent tasks, but at this moment, there was no better choice.

"Sister, let's fuse!!!"

Instantly, Alida's eyes turned into a pair of vertical pupils, and her skin instantly covered with dense, fine scales. At the same time, a red fog of red energy enveloped and quickly spread around the two sisters.

Just as Rain's dragon claw slashed down again, in an instant, sister Aida suddenly appeared beside Alida.

The two bodies began to fuse strangely, and the red fog energy around them formed a high-intensity energy shield!

"Bang!" The sound of Rain's dragon claw striking the energy shield and bouncing back, as if it had hit a highly elastic ball.

Hmm?

This surprised Rain a little!

But then, Rain made a decision. He didn't activate the second form but used the core skill of the Epic Class 'King of a Thousand Blades', Weakness Control!

Instantly, in his eyes, a three-dimensional image of the energy shield of the two women appeared, directly ignoring the green and yellow points, Rain discovered two small red points, wandering on the surface of the shield.

"This is the weakness!"

The sharp dragon claw suddenly accelerated, piercing the shield at the red point,

"Swish!!!"

The dragon claw pierced the energy shield and knocked the two sisters, who had just fused halfway, folding them at the waist.

"Boom!!!"

The two were hit like a steam engine, smashing into the ground a dozen meters away, instantly creating a crater with the ground cracking all around!

Both women now had a bowl-sized blood hole in their abdomens, inflicted by Rain's Dragon Finger, and they were also vomiting blood profusely.

"Pfft~ Pfft~"

Their eyes widened, and they stared at Rain with expressions of shock and disbelief.

"How is it possible for the energy shield to be broken?!"

"This is an energy shield with a defense level close to the Epic class!"

When the two women fused, they were protected by a Red Fog energy shield, a kind of indestructible effect. Their bodies would automatically be enveloped in a powerful energy shield, and it had never been broken by anyone in previous battles.

But Rain had a 'Divine Skill' for close combat, and after transforming into the Dragonman Warrior Form, his strength was immense.

With these two combined, the indestructible effect of the Areda sisters was directly broken!

Their fusion technique was naturally interrupted, causing them to suffer backlash and severe injuries.

Barnes arrived nearby and witnessed this scene.

"Hiss~"

Looking at the surroundings, which resembled a field plowed by heavy artillery, Barnes could easily imagine how intense the battle had been. Especially the unknown form of the five-meter-tall Dragonman in front, which confirmed his earlier guess.

The Rain before him indeed had the Dragon Bloodline.

Moreover, judging from the appearance of his Dragonman transformation, it wasn't the traditional form of the Five-Colored Giant Dragon Bloodline transformation.

"No wonder the Second Prince wanted the essence of Rain's bloodline!"

"Now I understand why the carver Harold died at Rain's hands."

In an instant, Barnes felt he had figured out a lot.

"Hmm? Are these two from the Mystic Snake Cult?"

"How did they enter the sanctuary?"

When Barnes turned his gaze towards the two women, he immediately noticed the red Ouroboros mark on their foreheads and their unique aura, confirming their identities.

Alright! This put Barnes in a difficult decision again.

Should he take action now, taking advantage of Rain's exhaustion right after his transformation? Or should he wait for Rain to kill the two women and then make his move?

The former would imply collusion with the enemy, as both Barnes and Rain were from the imperial military department, and taking action at this time could lead to misunderstandings.

The latter would be foolish.

However, Barnes quickly figured it out.

Since they were going to kill anyway, why not kill Rain first and then the two women?

With no survivors, who would know he killed Rain? He could also get credit for killing cultists!

Barnes, having made up his mind, placed the blood essence extractor aside and glanced at the locator crystal to check the positions of the other two, Reagan and Bronson, feeling relieved.

The two were already very close to this location, and they should be able to join him in about three to five minutes.

"Then there's definitely no problem!"

Just as Rain was recovering his human form and walking forward to interrogate the two women about the cult's plans, he suddenly had a premonition and turned to look towards the west, saying:

"Come out, don't hide anymore."

"What a coincidence, Barnes!" Barnes emerged with a smile.

"Indeed, Barnes, it is quite a coincidence," Rain said, sensing the surroundings.

However, he did not find any traces of Reagan and Bronson, the two who had accompanied Barnes during the Dragon Knight's preliminary test.

"Cough, are these two cultists of the Mystic Snake Cult? They seem quite capable. Rain's strength is indeed formidable." Barnes exclaimed.

"Yes, they are cultists of the Mystic Snake Cult."

"Rain, I have an unpleasant request."

As Barnes spoke, he positioned himself between Rain and the two women, his intentions clear.

"Oh? Barnes, please go ahead." Rain narrowed his eyes, looking at Barnes.

"I need a portion of Rain's blood essence. Your Dragon Bloodline is very rare, and I believe it would be of great research value to all Dragon Bloodline possessors."

"I hope Rain can consider the bigger picture and make some sacrifices."

"Of course, if there are research results, you, as the contributor, will have access to all the findings."

Since Barnes believed he had the advantage, he spoke rather directly.

Hmm?

At this moment, Areda and Alida, who were struggling to get up from the ground, stiffened upon hearing Barnes' words.

The two sisters exchanged a glance, wondering if they were hallucinating due to their severe injuries.

What's going on?

They were well aware that blood essence was not something to be given away lightly.

Even a single drop was extremely precious, let alone a portion?

Giving away a portion of blood essence could cause the strength of a legendary peak powerhouse to drop to the initial legendary level or even to the near-legendary level! Were these two enemies?

"Barnes, perhaps we can make an exchange. How about you give me your blood essence, and after I research the results, we can share them?"

"That's unfortunate. I'll have to take it myself!" Barnes shook his head.

"Barnes, those words are exactly what I was going to say." Rain couldn't help but laugh, saying.

At the same time, in the Imperial Capital of Tamriel, on the second floor of the Astral Platform's command hall, Grand Astral Wizard Dalien suddenly frowned and said, "Alfred, perhaps I can try to view the sanctuary."

"Oh? That's wonderful." Alfred was naturally delighted to hear this.

Dalien immediately began chanting and casting spells, and dense multicolored witchcraft aura gathered around him.

As Dalien lifted his hand and pointed forward, a scene suddenly appeared on the elliptical stone platform, nearly ten square meters in size, located in the center of the hall.

It was a scene taking place at that moment in the Dragon Valley Sanctuary.

Seeing this, several staff members standing near Tatiya were overjoyed and gathered around.

The scene showed a middle-aged man with a greatsword in his hands, executing a killing move, beheading a young green dragon corrupted by void energy.

The angle, strength, and speed of his strike exuded a sense of being tempered through countless battles.

"Hmm, this person is very strong." Augustus exclaimed in surprise.

"This is Lambert, the top disciple of the Tide Sword Saint, with the strength of a near-sword saint." Tatiya, a major general, explained.

As the person in charge of the Swordsmaster Intelligence Hall, Tatiya was naturally familiar with the renowned legendary powerhouses within the empire.

"This person, they're not part of the task force, right?"

"No. They have a close relationship with the Dram family and weren't originally going to participate in the Dragon Knight Cadet Selection. It's said that they received an invitation from the Dram family."

After a moment's thought, Tatiya organized her words and replied.

"Hmm? Does Rain know about this?" Augustus understood Tatiya's implication and spoke in a low voice.

"Yes."

Marshal Alfred, standing nearby, nodded after hearing this but remained silent.

At this moment, the image on the circular stone platform shifted again, showing two people engaged in a fierce battle.

One of them wore a military uniform, holding a box in their left hand and wielding a staff in their right, casting an Earth Spike spell from the Earth element of Witchcraft.

The other person, dressed in a black robe with a hood covering their face, was surrounded by several streams of blood-colored flows, emitting a bloody and sinister aura.

With a swift movement, they dodged the Earth Spike attack and, in response, unleashed a series of rapidly spinning blood-colored energy cones towards the military-clad individual.

The military uniformed person was visibly flustered and dodging frantically.

"Oh no, that's Captain Baldwin from the military squad. He's encountered a cultist, and that cultist seems to be a Legendary Powerhouse from the Black Flame Cult!"

Tatiya instantly recognized their ally and, from the dark magic they were using, identified the enemy's origins.

"Baldwin is at a disadvantage, and he still has the Rift Closer. Tatiya, quickly check if there are any other team members nearby who can provide support!"

Augustus, sensing the potential severity of the situation, immediately gave the order.

"I'll check right away, sir."

"Hmm? Rain is nearby and can reach them in about five minutes. Should I..."

Tatiya was surprised to find that the closest team member to Baldwin was Rain.

"Contact Rain and ask him to go there immediately, prioritizing the safety of the Rift Closer." Hearing that Rain was nearby, Augustus' expression relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted.

"Yes, sir. I'll contact Rain right away." Tatiya smiled and nodded.

"Rain, Rain, this is Tatiya, please respond!" Tatiya called out while holding a comm link.

After several seconds, there was no response.

She tried again, but still, there was no reply.

"Hmm? Shouldn't the energy interference around the Mystic Realm have subsided by now?"

"Why can't we reach him? That's not right."

Augustus frowned and spoke softly.

"Dalian, can you switch the display to the scene where this member is located?" Marshal Alfred seemed to have an idea and pointed to the wall on the other side of the hall, where Rain's marker was displayed.

"Of course." Grand Astral Wizard Dalian nodded and waved his hand.

The image on the elliptical stone plinth changed once more.

However, this time, everyone was stunned by what they saw. In the new image, two female cultists were lying on the ground, apparently having just been defeated.

But the two individuals who were clearly on their side were engaged in a fight.

No wonder Tatiya's repeated calls went unanswered by Rain.

Even if the communication device vibrated to indicate a message, it wouldn't make a sound during an intense battle, so it would likely go unnoticed.

"Who is this person?" Augustus asked, slightly angered.

"It's Barnes! A member of the Empire's Special Department, the Seismic Headquarters, with a Red Dragon bloodline. After transforming into a Dragonman, his power reaches the Legendary Peak."

"He has extensive combat experience and has successfully completed numerous high-difficulty missions over the past decade." Tatiya reported proficiently.

"Is that so? General Gobel?" Augustus turned to a nearby man wearing a General's uniform.

Gobel, his forehead sweating, nodded and said, "Tatiya is correct. Barnes is from the Seismic Headquarters. I contacted him before this selection, but he politely declined, saying he wouldn't participate."

"However, on the day before the selection deadline, he decided to join, but by then, we had already chosen our team members."

"The question is, why is Barnes in conflict with Rain?" Augustus asked, puzzled.

Gobel's face turned red, and he was at a loss for words to explain the situation.

"Well, sir, according to our intelligence, Barnes seems to have joined the secret organization Dragon Scale Brotherhood, and recently, the Dragon Scale Brotherhood has also tried to recruit Rain..." Tatiya blinked, providing a timely explanation.

"Hmm?" Marshal Alfred and Augustus exchanged glances but remained silent, seemingly understanding the implications.

Clearly, they were both aware of the Dragon Scale Brotherhood and the person backing them.

However, they had no knowledge of any connection between the Dragon Scale Brotherhood and the cultist organization.

"Not good, they've both transformed!" Tatiya exclaimed.

In the new image, Rain and Barnes had both transformed into Dragonmen.

Barnes' transformed body was similar in size to Rain's, but the dragon horns on his forehead and the color of his dragon scales were significantly different, one red and the other dark gray, as they clashed in battle.

Even without weapons, their powerful limbs and sharp dragon claws were as effective as blades.

Rain's body was covered in steel plate armor, while Barnes' body emanated a red witchlight, a manifestation of his innate Flame Armor ability after transformation.

"Bang!"

Barnes' downward claw strike was blocked by Rain's raised elbow, and a wave of red and silver energy burst forth from their collision.

The sound of their clash was like a thunderous bell!

Barnes was shocked by the strength of Rain's Dragonman form, which was even more powerful than that of a transformed Black Dragon bloodline possessor.

Barnes was certain that Rain had also only undergone the first stage of transformation.

But when Rain blocked his attack, his arm didn't budge, and not only was Barnes' strike deflected, but his palm also tingled, indicating that Rain's strength was superior.

However, Barnes wasn't intimidated; instead, he felt a surge of excitement.

Aside from the impending arrival of Reagan and Bronson, Barnes also had his own ace up his sleeve and wasn't intimidated by Rain.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end