Chapter 418: The Search for Anna's Mother

Chapter 418: The Search for Anna's Mother

As Barnes initiated his Second Stage Transformation, his physique underwent significant changes.

Standing nearby, Ren quickly noticed that Barnes' second form, the Dragonkin General Form, bore a striking resemblance to his own.

For instance, their tails, initially short and stubby at around a meter in length, now stretched out to over three meters in length.

Having already exhausted a considerable amount of energy in the previous battle, Barnes wasted no time and immediately launched an attack on Ren as soon as his transformation was complete. He was racing against the clock before his energy depleted.

Defeating Ren was imperative.

Additionally, Barnes intended to defeat the Twin Serpent Cult's four-armed woman after dealing with Ren.

This time, Reagan and Bronson had learned their lesson.

Instead of flanking Ren from the sides, they took a potion and positioned themselves behind their eldest brother, Barnes, forming a triangular formation. They charged head-on towards Ren like a stampeding herd of bulls.

Witnessing this, Ren smirked and muttered, "Interesting!"

In an instant, his form began to drastically change.

His forehead started to protrude, growing horns, and his tail extended. Unlike Barnes, as his tail lengthened, three piercing spikes emerged at its tip, resembling a foreign object piercing through the tail with both ends sharp.

What?! Seeing Ren's ability to undergo the Second Stage Transformation surprised Barnes, but he became even more determined.

In that moment, he realized that their charge was like an arrow that had been drawn and must be released. If they stopped now, they would not only lose their momentum but also face certain defeat.

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

"Unite!" Barnes roared.

Reagan and Bronson each extended a hand and placed it on Barnes' back, and the three of them merged as one, their aura surging once more.

"Roar!!!"

Perhaps influenced by the mutated dragon bloodline, Ren's vertical pupils stared at the red dragon trio charging towards them with fierce momentum, feeling no fear but instead a thrilling excitement.

"It's been a long time since I've had such a power-centric confrontation."

"It's exhilarating!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ren charged straight towards the three.

Witnessing this, the four-armed woman, who was the fusion of the Aida sisters, showed a conflicted expression.

Initially, the two sisters had been exhilarated by Barnes' second stage transformation, their battle spirit ignited, believing they could defeat Ren. But as Ren transformed again, their confidence waned.

"Sister, let's give it our all!" Ailia communicated telepathically.

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

Evidently, Ailia, who had suffered in the previous battle, was determined to seek revenge.

Ailia's persistence seemed to spur her sister, Aida, into making a decision. "Alright!"

"Let's try again!"

The four-armed woman, holding four curved blades, began to spin at high speed once more. The blades were enveloped in black energy, and she appeared like lightning on Ren's left side.

The Aida sisters' objective was simple: to disrupt Ren, even if they couldn't inflict significant damage.

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

"Slap!"

A gray shadow, moving at lightning speed, suddenly struck the four-armed woman's waist and abdomen. Instantly, the Aida sisters' fusion, the four-armed woman, was launched like a cannonball, slamming into the ground nearby with a loud "Boom!"

A crater formed in the ground, and dust rose into the air. The four-armed woman's two faces simultaneously spewed mouthfuls of blood.

With two faces, the blood loss was doubled.

As searing pain tore through their waists, the Aida sisters looked down and discovered three cauldron-sized holes in their waist and abdomen.

It was then that the two sisters realized what had just whipped them away.

It was Ren's spiked dragon tail, transformed in his second stage.

In an instant, the two sisters' fighting power dropped to zero. Their four arms frantically covered the wounds, but with three piercing wounds and six holes, their arms couldn't keep up.

Perhaps due to the severe injury and excessive energy consumption, the two sisters separated from their fusion state.

On Ren's side, after swatting the Aida sisters aside like a bull swatting flies, he collided heavily with Barnes.

"Boom!!!"

An enormous white shockwave emanated from their swollen, robust elbows, spreading in all directions.

The massive impact caused their arms and dragon scales to ripple like waves, but instantly, Barnes felt a searing pain radiating from his elbow.

He realized that his dragon scales and muscles on his elbow were shattering inch by inch, extending up to his shoulder, and even the exposed arm bone began to fracture.

Reagan and Bronson, who were providing support to Barnes from behind, also sensed something amiss.

Although they hadn't directly engaged with Ren, avoiding the muscle rupture, they felt an immense and unstoppable force emanating from their eldest brother's body.

As their physiques were originally two sizes smaller than Ren and Barnes' second stage dragon transformations, they were instantly sent flying by Barnes.

In an instant, the red dragon trio took to the air.

From the Aida sisters' perspective, Ren resembled a steam locomotive, roaring past them. With a series of cracking sounds from shattering bones, he slammed the trio into the air.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of three heavy objects hitting the ground echoed.

Barnes, Reagan, and Bronson crashed to the ground, spewing mouthfuls of blood like the Aida sisters. Their bodies rapidly reverted to human form, signifying the complete loss of their fighting capabilities.

And at this moment, in the Capital of Tamriel, within the Command Center on the second floor of the Astrologist's Platform, everyone witnessed the scene inside the elliptical stone platform, and for a moment, all was silent.

They saw that Lord Ren had also mastered the second stage of the Dragonkin Transformation, and at the same time, he defeated Barnes, Reagan, Bronson, and the Arida Sisters from the Twin Serpent Cult in one go! The people in the Command Center were momentarily at a loss for words.

It seemed that all their efforts had been in vain.

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

"Alfred, Augustus, is this young man from your Swordmaster Headquarters? He possesses a mutated Dragon Bloodline and is incredibly powerful," said Grand Astrologist Dalien with a smile.

"Indeed, he's a very capable young man," Lord Alfred smiled and replied.

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

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

At this moment, Captain Tatiya's persistent calls finally got through.

After the battle, Lord Ren had also returned to his human form, and naturally felt the vibration of the communication tablet in his arms. He immediately responded:

"This is Lord Ren, please speak."

"Uh, Lord Ren, it's Tatiya," she said, but then she faltered.

Lord Ren could sense that the other side seemed to be hesitating, but there was no static or interference.

This was Lord Ren's misunderstanding of Tatiya.

Tatiya had been holding onto the thought that Lord Ren must hold out for ten minutes, and she had been continuously calling, but when the call connected, Lord Ren had already defeated the others.

This outcome left the usually efficient Tatiya momentarily stunned, and she couldn't finish her sentence.

Lord Ren had won, and he still needed to hold out for ten minutes?

At this moment, General Augustus took the communication tablet from Tatiya's hand.

"Lord Ren, this is General Augustus," he said in a low voice.

"General Augustus, it's nice to meet you."

"..."

Hmm?

Was it another energy fluctuation interfering with the call?

It seemed that General Augustus had something to tell Lord Ren.

After calling a few more times, it was still static, so Lord Ren could only temporarily abandon the attempt to contact the Command Center.

However, Lord Ren changed his mind and decided to use this opportunity to handle the situation on-site and ask some questions.

Lord Ren walked forward and broke the knees and elbow joints of the five people, then covered them with Tempered Mithril, encasing them like cocoons, leaving only their heads exposed.

But Lord Ren's actions actually made the five people feel relieved.

Although they were in pain, they were still alive.

Lord Ren approached the Red Dragon brothers and said, "You three, tell me, who knows the purpose of the Second Prince's experiments on the female elves?"

"Also, what is the situation with those elves?"

As Lord Ren spoke, he concentrated his mind and observed the expressions of the Dragon Scale Brotherhood trio.

Among the three, Barnes had the calmest expression, while Reagan and Bronson's eyes flickered with a hint of panic and shock, which Lord Ren's keen senses immediately picked up.

In an instant, Lord Ren burst out laughing.

It didn't make sense that the weaker Reagan and Bronson knew the inside story, while the stronger Barnes didn't.

Most likely, all three of them knew the truth.

"If none of you will speak, then fine." Lord Ren picked up the box that Reagan had dropped on the ground, and after taking a glance at the three brothers, he returned.

He opened the box and quickly examined its contents.

Barnes, Reagan, and Bronson exchanged glances and nodded slightly, their faces breaking into smiles.

Although they didn't speak, they all understood each other.

The blood essence extraction equipment inside the box was something that only a Potion Master could operate, and even they would require some training.

They didn't believe Lord Ren could understand it.

Or that he could even assemble it.

"Not bad, a complete set of blood essence extraction equipment. Who's first?" Lord Ren busied himself with the equipment, assembling it, and then picked up a syringe and approached the three brothers.

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"You..." At this moment, even the usually calm Barnes looked at Lord Ren as if he had seen a ghost.

How could he possibly know how to assemble and use it?

Although most Extraordinary beings had a general understanding of blood essence, they were not clear on the extraction process.

However, Lord Ren was different. He possessed the advanced knowledge of the Ultimate Poison Master - the Potion Master, a legendary profession in potion-making, and he had learned about blood essence extraction process during his time as a Royal Potion Master.

He had a fairly good understanding of it.

"Since it's your equipment, we'll start with you." Lord Ren surveyed the three brothers and smiled at Reagan.

"No! Lord Ren, let's talk!" Reagan's face paled.

It was common knowledge that what a powerful being feared the most was not death, but rather, a fall from grace.

If his blood essence was extracted, his strength would plummet, and Reagan felt that this was worse than death! Seeing that Lord Ren was still approaching him calmly, Reagan's hair stood on end, and he said, "Lord Ren, wait, I know what you want!"

"The Second Prince is experimenting on those female elves!" Reagan shouted.

At this moment, Ren's syringe paused at the nape of Reagan's neck, just above the cervical vertebrae, as he listened intently.

"Huff...huff..." Reagan panted heavily, his forehead already covered in a fine layer of sweat.

He knew that if Ren injected and then drew the syringe, it would be the end for him.

"Oh? What experiment? Tell me about it."

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

However, he was overthinking it. Barnes and Bronson, standing nearby, had no intention of stopping Reagan.

Their situation was no better than Reagan's, and they had no reason to keep any secrets from the Second Imperial Prince, Everton, when faced with death.

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

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

"In the laboratory beneath the Brotherhood's headquarters, I once saw those female elves locked in nutrient tanks, their blood slowly being extracted from their bodies."

"As for why they were female elves... I heard a rumor that their eggs seemed to be the best breeding ground, but I'm not sure what the experiment was for."

"So, besides drawing blood, they also extract their eggs."

Upon hearing this, the Arida sisters, Aida and Ailia, exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock.

Apparently, there were even more secrets within the Dragon Empire. Compared to what their Twin Serpent Cult did, which was mostly limited to killings and blood sacrifices, this felt like child's play.

Moreover, was this information even suitable for them to hear?

Would the two sisters be executed by Ren right then and there? Aida's eyes flashed with determination as she desperately searched for a way out.

In her mind, she was prepared to die, but she wanted her sister, Ailia, to live.

"That's all I know," Reagan said, his face filled with despair.

"Where is the headquarters located?" Ren asked after a moment of thought.

"I'm not sure. We always go to the Golden Age Pub in the fourth ring of the capital, and from there, we use a teleportation array located in the second basement level to reach the laboratory," Reagan shook his head.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Lord Reagan."

"Pfft!"

Without further ado, Ren injected the syringe into the back of Reagan's neck, right into the spinal gap.

The extraction of blood essence required a mixture with a portion of spinal fluid.

"You don't keep your word!"

"Credit? Sorry, did I promise you anything just now?" Ren smiled slightly.

At this moment, Barnes and Bronson, who were struggling violently and glaring at Ren with anger, were about to shout but stopped short.

They suddenly realized that Ren had never promised to spare them or not extract their blood essence if they cooperated.

It was their own minds playing tricks on them, making them believe that by confessing, the matter would be over.

Understanding this, the two men's faces turned pale, and they felt incredibly disheartened.

The two women, witnessing this, exchanged glances once more.

From this incident, they couldn't help but notice Ren's 'cunning' and 'cold-blooded' nature.

If he treated those within the Empire this way, how would he treat them, the so-called heretics?

As Ren finished extracting, Reagan's entire body seemed to have been drained of blood, his face pale and his breath weak.

Ren looked at the syringe, now filled with a deep crimson liquid, and smiled.

He walked to the box, quickly performed some operations, and then returned with a new syringe, approaching Barnes.

"Lord Ren, wait..."

"Bang! Bang!"

In an instant, Ren struck the back of Barnes and Bronson's heads, knocking them both unconscious.

Since they had already provided information about Anna's mother, there was no need to question them further.

As Ren finished extracting, their vitality weakened significantly, barely stronger than a newly advanced Knight.

Even if Ren let them go at this moment, the three of them wouldn't survive more than two hours in the Dragon Valley Secret Realm.

Quickly, Ren searched the vicinity and found the box that Barnes and Bronson had hidden earlier.

He placed the three boxes together, and Barnes's box was noticeably larger.

However, Ren didn't inspect them immediately. Instead, he approached the two women.

Just as he was about to question them, the tablet on his chest vibrated again.

Ren took out the tablet and infused it with a strand of his consciousness.

"Lord Ren, please respond," Tatiya's voice came through.

"This is Ren. Go ahead."

As Ren finished speaking, a sigh of relief could be heard from the other end of the tablet.

"Lord Ren, this is Augustus. To avoid energy disturbance, I'll be brief."

"It's like this: in the northwest direction from your current position, our task force member, Lord Baldwin, is being pursued by a heretic."

"Lord Ren, please provide support while ensuring your own safety."

"Received! General Augustus."

"Lord Ren, most importantly, Lord Baldwin has the Rift Closer."

"Understood!"

Ren understood General Augustus's meaning. He wanted to convey that if they couldn't make it in time to rescue Baldwin, it would be acceptable, but the Rift Closer must be retrieved at all costs.

After all, it was crucial for the survival of the Dragon Valley Secret Realm.

As the call ended, Ren put away the tablet and focused his attention back on the two women.

"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. So, I apologize, ladies."

"Wait! Wait..."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end