Chapter 418: Anna's Mother's Whereabouts

Chapter 418: Anna's Mother's Whereabouts

As Barnes initiated his second stage transformation, his physique underwent significant changes.

Rain, standing nearby, quickly noticed that Barnes' second stage transformation resembled his second form—the Dragon Knight General form.

For instance, their tails, which were initially about a meter long and short, thickened and extended to over three meters in length.

Having already expended a considerable amount of energy in the previous battle, Barnes immediately launched an attack on Rain as soon as his transformation was complete, determined to make every second count before his energy ran out.

Defeating Rain was imperative.

Additionally, he intended to defeat the Viper Sect's four-armed woman after taking down Rain.

This time, Reagan and Bronson had learned their lesson.

Instead of flanking Rain from the sides, they wisely chose to support their older brother Barnes from the front, forming a triangular formation with him after taking their potions.

Witnessing this, Rain's lips curled into a slight smile, and he muttered, "Interesting!"

Instantly, his form began to undergo a dramatic change.

His forehead started to bulge, and horns grew from it, while his tail elongated. Unlike Barnes, as his tail extended, three piercing spikes emerged at its tip.

These spikes seemed like foreign objects piercing the tail, revealing sharp tips at both ends, but they were actually an integral part of the tail.

What!

Barnes was shocked to see Rain's second stage transformation, but he became even more determined.

In an instant, he realized that at this very moment, their charge was like an arrow drawn, and there was no turning back. Not only would they be defeated, but it was also a matter of survival!

When warriors meet on a narrow road, the brave shall prevail!

"Unite!"

With Barnes' roar, Reagan and Bronson each extended a hand to push against Barnes' back, and the three of them merged as one, their aura surging once more!

"Roar!!!"

Perhaps influenced by the mutated dragon bloodline, Rain's vertical pupils fixed on the red dragon trio's fierce charge without a hint of fear. Instead, he roared with excitement, "It's been a while since I've had such a power-focused showdown."

"It's exhilarating!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Rain charged straight towards the trio.

Seeing this, the Areda sisters, who had fused into a four-armed woman, showed signs of struggle.

Initially, the sisters were exhilarated by Barnes' second stage transformation, their battle intent soaring, believing they could defeat Rain. But as Rain transformed, their spirits dampened.

"Sister, let's give it our all!" Aida, the younger sister, conveyed through their mental link.

"I refuse to believe that in this situation, the two of us can't defeat Rain!" Alida said with resentment.

Apparently, the younger sister, Alida, who had suffered in the previous battle, was determined to get her revenge.

The younger sister's persistence seemed to have convinced the older sister, Aida, who immediately made up her mind, "Alright!"

"Let's do it again!"

The four-armed woman, holding four curved blades, started spinning at high speed, the blades enveloped in black energy, and in the blink of an eye, appeared on Rain's left side.

The Areda sisters' objective was simple—to cause as much damage to Rain as possible, even if it was just a distraction.

But just as their blades were about to strike Rain's dragon body!

"Slap!"

A gray shadow, moving at lightning speed, suddenly struck the four-armed woman's waist and abdomen, and in an instant, the Areda sisters, fused into a four-armed woman, were like a cannonball being fired, and with a "Boom," they slammed into the ground beside them.

The ground instantly formed a crater, and dust rose!

The four-armed woman's two faces simultaneously spewed mouthfuls of blood.

With two faces, the blood loss was doubled!

As searing pain from their torn abdomens reached them, the Areda sisters looked down and discovered three bowl-sized holes in their waist and abdomen.

The two sisters finally realized that it was Rain's second stage transformation's spiked dragon tail that had whipped them earlier.

For a moment, their fighting strength dropped to zero, and their four arms frantically covered their wounds, but with three piercing injuries and six holes, their arms couldn't keep up.

Perhaps due to the additional severe injury and energy depletion, the two sisters also separated from their fused state.

On Rain's side, after swatting the Areda sisters aside like a bull's tail swatting flies, he collided heavily with Barnes!

"Boom!!!"

A massive white energy wave radiated from their enlarged and muscular elbows, spreading in all directions.

The tremendous impact caused their arm muscles and dragon scales to ripple like waves, but in an instant, Barnes felt excruciating pain from his elbow!

He realized that his elbow's dragon scales and muscles were shattering inch by inch, extending to his shoulder, and even his exposed arm bones began to fracture!

Reagan and Bronson, who were providing support to Barnes from behind, also felt the immense force.

Although they didn't engage Rain directly, avoiding muscle rupture, they still felt the impact through Barnes' body.

As they were two sizes smaller than Rain and Barnes in their second stage dragon transformations, they were instantly knocked away.

In the blink of an eye, the red dragon trio took flight.

From the Areda sisters' perspective, Rain was like a steam locomotive, and with a series of cracking sounds, he knocked all three of them into the air!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The red dragon trio slammed into the ground, immediately spewing mouthfuls of blood like the Areda sisters, and their bodies quickly reverted to human form, completely losing their fighting ability.

In the command center on the second floor of the Star Mage Platform in the Imperial City of Tamriel.

The crowd watched the scene within the elliptical stone plinth, and for a moment, there was complete silence.

They witnessed Rain's mastery of the second stage of Dragonman Transformation, and in one fell swoop, he defeated Barnes, Reagan, Bronson, and the Areda Sisters of the Viper Sect.

The command center personnel were momentarily at a loss for words.

It seemed that all their efforts had been in vain.

However, Marshal Alfred and General Augustus couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Alfred, Augustus, this young man is from your Swordsmaster Headquarters, right? He possesses a mutated Dragon Bloodline and is incredibly powerful." Grand Astral Mage Dalian smiled at this moment.

"Indeed, he's a very capable young man," Alfred said with a smile.

Normally, for someone of Rain's age, terms like 'high potential' or 'rising star' would be more appropriate.

But after witnessing this scene, it was clear that Rain possessed the strength of a top-tier Legendary Powerhouse, and using those terms would no longer be fitting.

At this moment, Major Tatiya's persistent calls finally connected.

After the battle, Rain had returned to his human form, and naturally, he felt the comm link vibrate in his embrace. He immediately responded, "This is Rain, go ahead."

"Er, Rain, it's Tatiya..." Tatiya hesitated.

Rain could sense that she seemed to be struggling, perhaps due to poor signal quality.

But strangely, there was no static noise.

Rain realized it wasn't Tatiya's fault.

Tatiya had been continuously calling, hoping Rain would hold out for ten minutes. When the call connected, Rain had already defeated the others.

The usually efficient Tatiya was momentarily speechless, having started to speak but unable to continue.

Rain had won, and there was no need to hold out for ten minutes.

At this moment, General Augustus took the comm link from Tatiya, who was still unsure of what to say.

"Rain, this is Augustus..." General Augustus said in a deep voice.

"General Augustus, it's nice to hear from you," Rain replied.

"Um...is it energy interference again?" Rain wondered.

It seemed General Augustus had something to discuss.

After several attempts to reconnect, Rain could only temporarily abandon his efforts to contact the command center.

However, Rain took the opportunity to process the scene and ask some questions.

He approached the group, breaking their knees and elbow joints, then covering them with hardened Tempered Gold, encasing them like cocoons, leaving only their heads exposed.

Surprisingly, this action brought relief to the group.

Although they were in excruciating pain, at least they were alive.

Rain approached the three Dragon Scale Brothers and asked, "Tell me, what is the purpose of the Second Prince's capture of female elves?"

"Also, what is the situation with those elves?" Rain said, observing their expressions.

Among the three, Barnes maintained the calmest demeanor, while Reagan and Bronson's eyes flickered with unease, trying to hide their fleeting panic and shock, but Rain's keen senses detected it.

In an instant, Rain realized that the weaker Reagan and Bronson were aware of the situation.

Most likely, Barnes, being the strongest, was unaware.

"None of you will speak? Very well." Rain picked up the box Reagan had left on the ground, then returned.

He opened the box in front of the three brothers, quickly assembling the equipment inside.

Barnes, Reagan, and Bronson exchanged glances, each nodding slightly with a smile.

They understood each other's thoughts.

The blood essence extraction equipment in the box required specialized training, even for master alchemists.

They doubted Rain's ability to use it.

Moreover, they believed Rain couldn't comprehend the contents of the box.

"Not bad, a complete set of blood essence extraction equipment. Who's first?" Rain quickly assembled the equipment, then focused on Reagan.

"Wait, Rain! We can talk this out!" Reagan's face paled.

It was common knowledge that what terrified powerful individuals the most was not death but the loss of their power.

The extraction of blood essence would undoubtedly lead to a significant drop in strength, and Reagan found this harder to accept than death.

As Rain approached, Reagan's voice trembled, "Rain, wait, I know what you're talking about."

"The Second Prince is capturing those female elves for experiments!" Reagan shouted.

At this moment, he heard what he wanted to hear, and Rain's needle was above Reagan's cervical spine.

"Huff~ Huff~" Reagan, on the other hand, was panting heavily, his forehead already covered in fine beads of sweat.

He knew that if Rain's needle pierced him, he'd be done for if he pulled it out.

"Oh? What experiment are you talking about?"

Reagan lowered his head, not daring to look at the two beside him.

But in truth, he was overthinking, as Barnes and Bronson beside him had no intention of stopping Reagan.

Because at this moment, their situation wasn't any better than Reagan's, and they had no right to keep secrets from Second Prince Everton when faced with death.

In reality, their relationship with the Dragon Scale Brotherhood was more of an employer-employee one.

They served the Dragon Scale Brotherhood, and the special potions and combat techniques suitable for Dragonmen were their rewards.

"In the laboratory under the Brotherhood's headquarters, I once saw that the female elves were slowly having their blood extracted, and their eggs were being gently drawn out."

"As for why it's female elves, I heard a rumor that their eggs are the best breeding ground, but I'm not sure what experiment it's for."

"So, besides drawing blood, they also have their eggs extracted."

Hearing this, Aida and Alida exchanged glances, their faces showing shock.

Dare I say there's such a secret organization within the Dragon Empire? In comparison, the things their Viper Sect does feel weak! Basically, they just kill and offer blood sacrifices.

Also, is this news something they should be hearing?

The two sisters must be about to be executed by Rain, right? Thinking of this, Aida's eyes flashed as if she was desperately searching for a way out.

In Alida's eyes, she could die, but she wanted her sister Aida to live on.

"I only know this much." Reagan's face was dejected as he spoke.

"Where's the headquarters?" Rain thought for a moment and asked.

"I'm not sure, we're heading to the Golden Age Bar in the fourth ring of the Imperial Capital, and from there, we'll take a teleportation array to the underground laboratory." Reagan shook his head and said.

"Good, thank you for your cooperation, Reagan."

"Pfft!"

As he spoke, Rain inserted the needle into the back of Reagan's neck, into the spinal gap.

Because the extraction of blood essence required a portion of spinal fluid to be mixed in.

"You're not trustworthy!"

"Trustworthy? Sorry, did I promise you anything just now?" Rain smiled slightly.

Hearing this, Barnes and Bronson beside him struggled intensely, glaring at Rain. They wanted to curse, but the words stuck in their throats.

The two of them then remembered that Rain hadn't said a word, only that if they were honest, he'd let them go or not extract their blood essence.

Thinking they'd get off easy if they confessed, the two of them paled, feeling extremely disheartened!

Seeing this, the two women exchanged glances again.

From this, they could see Rain's 'cunning' and 'cold-blooded' nature.

If everyone in the Empire is treated this way, then how should those heretics be treated?"

As Rain finished extracting, Reagan's entire body seemed like a pig after a bloodletting, his face pale and his breath weak."

Rain looked at the crimson blood essence, but I must hurry. So, I'm sorry, but I have to leave you two."

"No! Wait!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end