https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-418-The-Search-for-Anna-s-Mother/13001562/
Chapter 417: Five Against One
Chapter 417: Five Against One
In the capital of Tamriel, within the Command Center on the second floor of the Astrologist's Platform, the projection on the elliptical stone platform suddenly blurred, and soon, the images of the Dragon Valley Secret Realm became unviewable.
Grand Astrologist Dalien spoke gravely, "The residual energy around the Mystic Realm still exists, causing intermittent interference. Therefore, the scenes displayed through Astrology are not stable."
"But don't worry, it should recover soon."
"Indeed, Lord Dalien, your efforts are appreciated," acknowledged Marshal Alfred with a nod.
Meanwhile, in the Mystic Realm...
The battle between Barnes and Rayen continued.
Barnes lifted his sturdy thigh and kicked at Rayen, but Rayen blocked it with a swift leg lift, producing a crisp "smack" as he deflected the attack.
Their exchange was lightning-fast, each move accompanied by bursts of energy and waves of force, resembling a clash of giant beasts!
The more they fought, the more surprised Barnes became. After all, once a Dragonkin transformed, the strength of their physique and their unarmed combat abilities played a significant role in determining the power of the Dragonkin form, especially if they could achieve a second or even third stage transformation.
With each transformation, their increasing size allowed for casual attacks with the force of Tier 3 Magic.
This was similar to giant beasts, where a larger physique often correlated with greater combat power.
Of course, the innate Magic and Breath attacks also played a significant role and were not to be underestimated.
However, these techniques either consumed a considerable amount of stamina, limiting their usage to a few times per battle, or required charging up, which was challenging to execute during close-quarters combat due to the lack of opportunities to do so calmly.
The move Barnes had just used was an explosive force technique developed by the Dragon Scale Brotherhood, specifically tailored for the offspring of the Red Dragon Bloodline. With each movement, his attacks carried a powerful impact.
But when he unleashed this force against Rayen, it was like a pebble sinking into the sea, with no noticeable effect.
Suddenly, Rayen, in his Dark Gray Dragonkin Warrior form, stomped his foot on the ground, causing it to shatter. The powerful recoil propelled his formidable Dragonkin body towards Barnes.
His Dragon Claw, partially transformed into hardened Mithril, became a lethal blade.
"Shadow Step!"
"Swift Slash!"
In an instant, Rayen's body flickered to Barnes's side, and his Dragon Claw attacked with astonishing speed. Only the lingering afterimages of dozens of arcs of light remained visible.
"Sssss!"
One after another, the sound of slicing through flesh resonated.
Despite Barnes's Flame Armor and tough Dragon Scales, Rayen's Secret Art Combo left him stunned. His scales shattered, and blood flowed from the wounds on his left shoulder, chest, abdomen, and even forehead—deep cuts that exposed the bone.
This wasn't a reflection of Barnes's weakness but rather Rayen's burst of power, which was completely unexpected.
Typically, with a larger physique, while the attacks carried more force, the movements would be slightly slower, making it nearly impossible to execute the intricate Secret Arts of the human form.
This was precisely why the Dragon Scale Brotherhood had focused their research on developing explosive force techniques for Dragonkin combat.
The understanding and application of force was something knights began to grasp early on, followed by the primal force of the Grand Knight tier and later, the cultivation of willpower.
Returning to the basics of force manipulation at this stage had a certain back-to-basics feel to it.
This was the essence of combat that needed to be relearned to maximize the potential of their massive Dragonkin forms.
But Rayen had achieved the seemingly impossible, executing a Secret Art-level close-range attack in his Dragonkin form.
The difficulty and stamina required for such a feat were immense.
"Boom!!!"
After being heavily wounded by Rayen's Secret Art, Barnes's head was met with a whip kick, sending him tumbling headfirst into the ground, his head buried in the soil.
Rayen, focusing on his mental attributes, quickly recovered his stamina after two consecutive battles, returning to peak condition.
The outcome of the subsequent fight was all but certain. In less than half a minute, Barnes's Red Dragonkin form was reduced to a state of mere defense.
At this moment, a group of two to three-meter-tall Scythe Talon Dragons poked their heads out from the nearby forest, eyeing the severely injured Arida Sisters on the ground with greedy eyes.
These vicious creatures of the Mystic Realm, while not the largest among the ferocious species, possessed sharp claws and formidable attack power, often living in groups that resembled packs of hyenas.
They also shared the habit of scavenging and stealing prey from other ferocious species.
"Oooh!"
Upon seeing Rayen and Barnes, the two mighty Dragonkin, battling in the distance, the Scythe Talon Dragons excitedly howled and charged towards the two women.
The Arida and Ailia Sisters, despite their severe mental and physical injuries, were in the midst of recovery. Seeing the aggressive Scythe Talon Dragons rushing towards them, they felt a surge of joy.
The sisters exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with anticipation. As the leader of the Scythe Talon Dragons, reeking of putrid odor, approached, the sisters' snake-like hair suddenly transformed into hundreds of tiny snakes.
These snakes opened their mouths, biting into over a dozen Scythe Talon Dragons.
Once they latched on, the snakes began to suck vigorously, and a stream of blood and flesh essence could be seen flowing through the slender snake bodies into the sisters.
In just a few seconds, a robust Scythe Talon Dragon was reduced to a mere skeleton, while the Arida Sisters sighed in satisfaction, their eyes rolling up slightly in bliss.
It turned out that the sisters had turned the vicious Scythe Talon Dragon pack into their 'blood meal,' rapidly consuming their essence and restoring themselves.
After just over ten seconds, the two women's wounds completely healed, and their abdomens were once again restored to their fair complexion, leaving no trace of injury, as if they had never been hurt.
Not far away, Barnes, transformed into a red Dragonkin, was struck and sent flying again, knocking over seven or eight trees that would require two people to embrace.
Barnes, having been knocked away, was now a little bewildered. He hadn't expected that even with the first stage of his transformation, he couldn't last a minute against Ren.
This left him a bit perplexed.
Generally, after transforming into a Dragonkin, one relies on close-quarters combat skills like punches, claws, and kicks.
Barnes had learned specialized Superhuman Battle Techniques in the Dragon Scale Brotherhood, but what about Ren?
Aside from his formidable physical strength and high defense, the power of his claws and fists clearly demonstrated mastery of the Secret Arts.
"Damn it, this is crazy!"
"Do I need to use that last move now?!"
"How can I not use it? Reagan and Bronson won't be here for at least another two minutes!"
Seeing Barnes knocked away again, the older sister, Aida, made a decision, "Sister, we need to fuse immediately. This newcomer doesn't seem to be Ren's match either, but he's greatly exhausted him. It's the perfect opportunity to counterattack!"
"Mhm!" The younger sister, Ailia, nodded firmly.
Having been beaten so badly, they were eager to seize the chance for revenge, without caring why this person was targeting Ren.
The two slender bodies quickly converged, snake scales appeared, and they merged like melting candles, constantly lengthening and adjusting.
Soon, the Arida sisters transformed into a bizarre form, standing about eleven and a half feet tall, with four arms, and a pretty face on both the front and back.
This was the secret fusion technique of the Aida sisters.
After the fusion, each of their four arms held a curved blade, and these four blades originated from Ailia's two battle blades.
The long battle blades had detachable handles, which now formed the current four curved blades.
At that moment, Ren, not far away, was about to deliver a heavy blow to Barnes, but suddenly, he seemed to sense something. He turned his head towards the direction of the Aida sisters and immediately spotted the strange fused figure.
Barnes, struggling to get up on the ground, was also taken aback as he followed Ren's gaze.
He hadn't anticipated that, although he had planned to take out Ren first and then the two sisters, this change in sequence would have such an effect.
"Huh? Good thing I didn't kill those two first, or I'd have to fight for my life!"
"Fortunately, it's clear that the Twin Serpent Cult's two women aren't pushovers either, and they've recovered to join the fight."
The four-armed woman, the fused Aida sisters, held four curved blades and suddenly started spinning like a top.
In an instant, a black cyclone formed, and the next second, hundreds and thousands of silver arcs, like wind blades, flew out from the cyclone towards Ren!
Meanwhile, Barnes, after a brief rest, charged towards Ren again.
Clearly, Barnes intended to attack Ren from both sides.
At the same time, in the forest several kilometers south and north of this location, two strong men noticed the commotion of the fight.
They were Reagan and Bronson, who, although not together, had simultaneously determined that one of the combatants must be their boss, Barnes, after observing from a distance and checking the locator crystal.
So, they, who hadn't been rushing before, now hurried towards the battle.
In less than a minute, Reagan and Bronson arrived at the battlefield, one after the other, from the south and north.
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The two men's expressions changed as they saw three non-human monsters fiercely fighting. They immediately recognized Barnes and Ren as the two Dragonkin, but who was the tall, four-armed woman with a beautiful face?
Why was she helping their boss attack Ren?
No, she wasn't attacking; she was helping to defend!
Ren, in his dark gray Dragonkin form, punched Barnes hard in the abdomen and then quickly spun around, kicking the four-armed woman away.
The two of them tumbled on the ground several times before quickly getting up and attacking Ren again!
Reagan and Bronson exchanged glances and then quickly threw their backpacks aside, joining the fight without hesitation.
"Roar!"
"Roar!!"
With two consecutive roars, they transformed, and since they both had Red Dragon bloodlines, their forms were almost identical to Barnes'.
Hearing the familiar roars of his brothers, Barnes' eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed.
"They're finally here!"
When the great Astrologist Dalien repeatedly performed astrology and finally projected the situation in the secret realm onto the stone platform.
The real-time image on the elliptical stone platform stunned everyone present.
"This..."
"What's going on?!"
"The three red Dragonkin should be the transformed forms of Barnes, Reagan, and Bronson, plus that four-armed woman, who, from her face, should be... Aida and Ailia's some kind of fusion secret technique."
"Four Legendary Peak powerhouses are surrounding Lord Rayen!" After her initial shock, Tatiya quickly analyzed the situation.
"What!" General Augustus was taken aback by Tatiya's words. He had been planning to send Rayen to assist Captain Baldwin of the nearby military squad to ensure the safety of the 'Rift Closer,' but now it seemed Rayen might be struggling to survive on his own.
"Who else is around? Who can quickly provide support?" Marshal Alfred asked sternly.
"Well, the closest one, besides Baldwin, is our Swordmaster Headquarters' Mithril Rank Swordmaster, Gardner."
"However, even if Sir Gardner rushes with all his might, it will take at least ten minutes to reach Lord Rayen's location," Tatiya replied, her fingers flying as she searched for information.
"Contact Gardner and tell him to get there immediately!" Marshal Alfred decided without hesitation.
"Also, contact Rayen and tell him to hold on for ten minutes."
"Yes, Marshal," Tatiya replied solemnly.
Inside the Mystic Realm.
Five people surrounded Rayen, launching a fierce assault.
Regan and Bronson attacked from Rayen's left and right rear, respectively. Both aimed at Rayen's lower back, using Explosive Force to claw at him with all their might.
Barnes, on the other hand, used a Collision Secret Art, charging like a massive bull, leaving a red streak as he rushed straight at Rayen from the front.
As for Aida and Ailia leaped over Rayen's head, they swung their four curved blades in a high-speed rotation, the black light on the blades flashing like a drill coming down from above.
Despite the attacks from all sides, Rayen remained calm.
Rayen swiftly used Shadow Step, creating two dark gray dragonkin warrior images. His hands blocked Regan and Bronson's claw attacks from the left and right, and then his fists shot upward, striking the chins of the two men.
"Bang!!!"
As the two men reeled from the blows, Rayen grabbed their heads and slammed them into the charging Barnes.
This left Barnes both angry and anxious. He couldn't use his Explosive and Collision forces on his own teammates, so he had to slow down and catch them.
But the next moment, a dark gray dragonkin fist struck his unprotected abdomen, creating a basin-sized indentation, and a similar bulge appeared on his back.
"Bang!!!"
Barnes, in pain, flew back over ten meters, clutching his two teammates, and the three of them tumbled to the ground in a heap.
Meanwhile, the Aida Sisters, who had failed to land their attack with Rayen’s Shadow step, came at him again from the right.
They wielded their four curved blades and Rayen’s Tempered Mithril claws in a flurry of fast strikes, clashing with a cacophony of metal.
But with a swift kick from Rayen, "Bang!" Aida and Ailia were sent flying, their bodies writhing in pain as they crashed to the ground.
For a moment, all five were sprawled on the ground, looking rather disheveled.
Rayen, however, remained composed, his energy renewed to its peak. His eyes swept over the five and he said, "Is that all?"
Hearing Rayen's words, Barnes struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth, and said calmly,
"Lord Rayen, I'm becoming increasingly interested in your unknown dragon bloodline."
"Unfortunately, though your bloodline is unique and powerful, it’s just that—"
"Oh? Just what?" Rayen asked with a smile.
"It's just that... the bloodline concentration is not sufficient! Sometimes, the concentration of the bloodline is the most critical factor, ah!!"
With a roar, Barnes’ body began to swell, growing to nearly eight meters tall.
The second Stage Transformation wasn't something Barnes hadn't wanted to use before, but he could only sustain it for half a minute. So, he had to save it as a trump card.
And now, this was the moment Barnes had chosen for his counterattack!
In his view, no matter how strong Rayen was, after being surrounded and attacked by the five of them, he must be running out of energy, like an arrow that has lost its force.
Barnes’ transformation to the second stage sent Regan and Bronson into a trembling, red-faced frenzy of excitement.
"The boss is finally using the second stage transformation!"
"Let’s use the Bloodline Burst Potion too!" Regan said.
"Sure!" Bronson nodded vigorously.
This Rayen was too difficult to handle!
First, the boss was going all out, and they couldn't afford to hold back.
Second, if they didn't go all out, they might die here!
As they each gulped down a vial of the red, crystalline potion, Regan and Bronson’s forms changed significantly.
Their height, which had been around four to five meters in the first stage transformation, now grew to over six meters.
While still far from Barnes’ second stage transformation, they were clearly much stronger than in the first stage.
It was almost like an intermediate form between the first and second stages.
In fact, this potion was a secret creation of the Dragon Scale Brotherhood, designed for those with dragon bloodlines to use during intense battles. While its power was immense, its side effects were equally severe.
After use, the user couldn’t transform into a dragonkin for a day, and they would experience full-body weakness, with a recovery period of several days.
Thus, using this Bloodline Burst Potion effectively meant giving up the Dragon Knight requalification task.
But now, the two of them clearly couldn’t care less about that.
(End of Chapter)
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