Chapter 423: The Fourth Form

Chapter 423: The Fourth Form

At the same time, in the Dragon Valley Secret Realm, southwest direction.

Not far from the Whispering Water Pool.

"Hsss!"

A gigantic rhinoceros-like unicorn beast, with a massive horn, exhaled two streams of white mist from its nostrils, pawing the ground with its hooves, its huge copper-bell-like eyes fixed on a human swordsman in front of it.

The swordsman, Lambert, had a two-meter-long double-edged sword slung over his shoulder and wore a simple, undyed linen coat.

Lambert was the top disciple of the Tide Sword Saint.

"Roar!"

The gigantic rhinoceros seemed to be the first to succumb to the pressure of the standoff.

It raised its head and let out a loud roar, then lowered its head, aiming its dark horn at Lambert, and charged forward with all four hooves!

"Thud, thud, thud!"

The dull footsteps sounded like a rapid drumbeat, and the ground trembled slightly in sync.

Facing the oncoming beast like a steam locomotive, Lambert remained unmoved, instead showing a faint smile.

"Swish!"

Just as the beast was about to reach him, Lambert's figure suddenly blurred, and he disappeared from his original position.

A long silvery arc of light then flashed into existence beside him.

The silvery arc instantly slashed across the giant rhinoceros's neck, but the beast seemed unaffected, continuing to charge forward for a dozen meters before stopping.

Lambert's figure slowly reappeared in his original spot, holding the sword with the tip pointing downwards.

A trickle of crimson blood dripped from the blade.

"Plop!"

A heavy object landed with a thud.

The once ferocious giant rhinoceros now had its massive horned head separated from its body.

The huge cut on its neck was as smooth as a mirror, revealing its spine, blood vessels, and the texture of its red muscles.

"Hiss!"

Like a small fountain, a large amount of blood gushed out under high pressure from the severed main artery at the cut on its body.

"Lucky me, I've taken care of the third freshwater giant rhinoceros so quickly."

Lambert smiled to himself.

After entering the secret realm, he followed the requalification task's instructions and set out to obtain the Dragon Language Mark of a young blue dragon.

Before entering the secret realm, Lambert had already planned his approach.

As a disciple of the Tide Sword Saint, he prioritized obtaining the Dragon Language Mark of a blue dragon descendant with a talent for water and ice-based abilities.

Fortunately, his luck held, as the teleportation array placed him near the Whispering Water Pool, a settlement area for some adolescent blue dragons.

Just a quarter of an hour ago, he had found a young blue dragon, communicated with it using simple dragon language, and received a 'small task.'

The task required him to bring three freshwater giant rhinoceroses in exchange for a Dragon Language Mark from a blue dragon descendant.

The one before him was the third.

"It seems these three freshwater giant rhinoceroses are a family. It's better to keep them together."

Lambert glanced at the other two giant corpses, a large and a small one, lying not far away like small mountains, and made a silent vow.

Just as Lambert was about to carry the bodies back, he suddenly looked towards the northeast.

"This energy fluctuation..."

"If I'm not mistaken, this is a relatively rare metal-type energy particle fluctuation. Could it be that Ren is over there?"

Lambert's eyebrows arched, and he suddenly realized something.

He had observed Ren during the Dragon Knight's initial trial and remembered that Ren specialized in the uncommon metal-type witchcraft.

There was another point to consider.

This time, in the secret realm's requalification trial, there wasn't a second metal-type crystallization wizard.

Therefore, unless it was a similarly rare metal-type creature, the answer was obvious.

Inside the secret realm, west of Flame Mountain.

As Ren and his group observed such a scene.

The three of them stared at Barnes' trio, their eyes first falling on Pierce's body on the ground, then moving to the two women, and finally settling on Ren, unmoving.

It was as if they had discovered something fascinating.

Ren, in his heart, somewhat understood.

The communication plate from Tatiya mentioned, 'According to Grand Astrologist Dalien's reminder, the Void Beast prefers to parasitize creatures with powerful physical strength. Among humans, they tend to choose bloodline descendants.'

Obviously, these three Void Beasts considered him a more delicious dish.

"Who are you?" Commander Baldwin, seeing their stiff but agile figures, felt a sense of unease.

But before he could get a reply, the three of them ignored the others and rushed towards Ren.

This made Ailia and Menya, who had just become Ren's followers, feel a bit ignored.

Ailia's figure flashed, and she appeared behind Barnes, her sharp blade piercing from top to bottom, lightning-fast!"

But what surprised Ailia and the crowd was that it was as if she had pierced into cotton, this strike almost completely without resistance!

Because the other's figure, in an instant, turned from solid to ethereal, becoming a jelly-like translucent energy body, and at the same time, almost immune to Ailia's powerful blade stab!

"Careful!"

Seeing the other's bizarre countermeasure, Aida immediately reminded, and at the same time, cast a Shadow Shield for her sister.

And Barnes, who was parasitized by the Void Beast, his body turned from ethereal to solid, and he instantly turned to swing a punch at Ailia.

"Bang!"

Ailia's reaction was also extremely fast, blocking the punch with her blade, but her whole person was knocked back seven or eight steps.

"This strength..."

Ailia looked at the 'Barnes' in front of her, her beautiful eyes flashing with awe and doubt.

Because the other's strength was obviously much stronger than before.

"Be careful, they've been parasitized by the Void Beast," Ren reminded.

Hearing Ren's words, the Aida sisters both revealed expressions of realization.

When they first entered the secret realm, they had killed similar beasts but didn't think about humans being parasitized, so they didn't consider this angle.

And at this time, Aida's witchcraft, 'Shadow Impact,' just hit one of the three, Reagan.

Despite Reagan's use of Etherealization to defend, a charred mark could be seen on his chest where his energy had condensed.

"Lord Ren, nearly immune to nine-tenths of physical attacks and at least six-tenths of Sorcery attacks." Aida frowned and spoke.

Ren nodded.

He wasn't in a hurry to act; Aida's analysis was similar to his observations.

Although the Communication Plate provided crucial information about the enemy from the Command Center, it didn't offer detailed instructions on how to eliminate them, leaving him to rely on his own adaptability.

However, Ren didn't entirely agree with Aida's assessment of immunity to over nine-tenths of physical attacks.

There was a crucial prefix missing—'while Etherealized.'

When not Etherealized, they weren't immune.

"Tier 1 Talent Spell, 'Metal Transformation'!"

"Tier 2 Spell, 'Iron Armor'!"

"Tier 3 Talent Spell, 'Steel Armor'!"

"Combined Spell: Steel Plate Armor!"

As Ren chanted rapidly, his body was enveloped in a thick layer of armor shimmering with dark silver light. Then, to the trio's astonishment, he charged towards the enemy.

Aida initially thought she hadn't made herself clear and was about to remind Ren of the enemy's near-immunity to physical attacks.

But as the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back.

She realized that Ren must have heard her, and there was only one explanation for his actions. Ren's figure flickered, and he appeared beside the possessed Reagan using Shadow Step.

Upon Ren's sudden attack, Reagan's body Etherealized, becoming semi-transparent like jelly.

Ren punched, hitting what felt like a thick fog, passing through without causing significant damage.

Despite his punch's ineffectiveness, Ren showed no sign of discouragement.

At that moment, Reagan swung a punch at Ren's abdomen, and as the semi-transparent fist was about to make contact, Reagan suddenly solidified.

"Now!" Ren's eyes narrowed, and he struck again with lightning speed.

His second punch was evidently over fifty percent faster than the first.

As a result, Ren's fist landed before Reagan's, hitting the solidified Reagan.

"Crack!"

Ren's fist, a top-tier Esoteric Technique, was incredibly powerful. This punch, imbued with Explosive Force, shattered Reagan's jaw and penetrated his skull.

The sound of the impact wasn't a dull thud but a crisp crack of shattering bone!

Reagan's head exploded, scattering red and white matter everywhere.

Reagan's body, now limp like a noodle, slowly collapsed to the ground.

A jellyfish-like creature screamed and frantically crawled towards Pierce's corpse.

But as Ren pointed, a fine metal net emitting silver light struck the creature.

"Shh!"

It was instantly shredded into powder.

"What...?" Aida and Baldwin exchanged bewildered glances, utterly stunned.

How did he do that?

Ailia, standing beside Ren, had a sudden realization, understanding why Ren was able to hit the enemy.

It was because Ren had exploited a weakness, not a flaw, in the enemy's abilities—they couldn't remain Etherealized while executing physical attacks.

However, this opportunity was fleeting, lasting only a fraction of a second, demanding lightning-fast reflexes and speed.

Ailia estimated that a counterattack had to be executed within 0.1 seconds.

If it took longer, the enemy would Etherealize again.

Understanding this, Ailia felt a surge of excitement.

While many titled knights might not achieve this, she was different; her agility and speed were her strengths.

With a swift movement, Ailia appeared beside the possessed Bronson, her dual-bladed sword creating a beautiful arc as she slashed at his waist and abdomen.

However, learning from Ren's strategy, she didn't put full force into her first attack, slightly slowing her blade.

Indeed, it was like cutting through water, causing no harm.

The next second, Bronson counterattacked. He swiftly turned and swung a punch at her abdomen. As the punch was about to land, he suddenly solidified!

In that instant, Ailia's eyes lit up. Her blade spun faster, accelerating rapidly.

"Shh!"

Bronson was cut in half by Ailia's blade, and she was hit by his punch, which had penetrated her Shadow Shield, knocking her back several meters.

Despite being struck, Ailia's face lit up with joy.

"Lord Ren's attack strategy is indeed effective!" she thought with satisfaction.

Ren, witnessing this, couldn't help but smile.

"This Ailia, what a quick learner," he thought.

At the same time, as the possessed body was cut in half, a jellyfish-like creature, similar to the previous one, emerged from the top of the body.

It immediately started crawling towards Pierce's corpse, just like the previous one.

However, its success was impossible.

Seeing her sister take a punch, Aida's heart filled with anger, and she reacted swiftly.

She immediately unleashed a Shadow Blast at the semi-transparent Void Beast, and a black beam struck its body.

"Shh!"

After leaving the possessed body, the Void Beast's defense seemed weak.

The Void Beast, hit by the blast, vanished into nothingness, turning into a wisp of gray smoke. Yet, everyone could sense an invisible wave emanating from the creature, spreading outward in all directions.

Within seconds of Ren's attack, both Void Beasts were eliminated.

Perhaps witnessing the death of its companion, the possessed Barnes went into a frenzy.

His entire body Etherealized, and a transparent ripple radiated from him, causing the surrounding plants to wither.

(Chapter End)

Ren and Ailia dodged the opponent’s special ability akin to an aura with a swift movement.

However, Ren’s counterattack came extremely fast!

He pointed at the opponent, using the liquidation killing move, 'Metal Cut Net!' Meanwhile, Aida, who was at a distance, released a Shadow Impact at Barnes!

As the three metal nets sliced through the jelly-like, translucent body, even though the Void Beast could resist most sorcery damage, it was still severely injured.

However, Barnes disregarded his injuries and charged at Ren.

In the next second, his chest swelled, and his neck bulged.

"Hmm?"

As someone skilled in dragon roars, Ren immediately understood what the opponent was about to do.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, using Shadow Step to rush forward and swiftly raised his hand to strike Barnes’ chin.

In the next instant, a transparent beam of light shot diagonally upward into the air, and a large tree directly in front was suddenly pierced, blackening quickly.

But this attack seemed to have consumed a significant amount of the opponent's energy. The opponent could no longer maintain its ethereal state and began to solidify.

Suddenly, an iron fist slammed into Barnes’ head, and almost simultaneously, a battle blade sliced from top to bottom, instantly cutting into Barnes’ scalp.

The iron fist belonged to Ren.

The battle blade was from Ailia, who had been waiting for the right moment.

This couldn’t help but make Ren smile slightly at Ailia.

At this moment, a larger jellyfish-like monster emerged from Barnes’ head, attempting to flee in a panic.

But this was just a beautiful dream.

With a flash of black light, the last Void Beast was obliterated.

Ren watched this scene, lost in thought.

"It seems that the strength of these Void Beasts varies."

At the same time.

In the command center on the second floor of the Astrologist’s Platform in the Capital Tamriel.

After watching Ren’s battle against the three infected, everyone was deep in thought.

General Augustus asked first, "Did you record the combat methods and special abilities of those three infected?"

"Yes, sir," Tatiya nodded.

"Very good. Immediately have the combat advisors analyze any possible weaknesses the opponent might have. At the same time, quickly inform the other personnel in the secret realm to be cautious of the bodies after the enemies are killed. After defeating the enemies, it’s best to destroy any evidence."

General Augustus swiftly issued two orders.

"Understood, sir."

"By the way, do you think Ren’s handling method could be promoted?" Suddenly, Marshal Alfred asked Augustus.

"Um, I don’t think it’s very feasible, or rather, only a few individuals could achieve what Sir Ren did," Augustus shook his head and said.

"Because most of the personnel are sorcerers, and titled knights are in the minority. Those with close-combat reactions as good as Sir Ren’s are even rarer."

Marshal Alfred nodded and said nothing more.

"Tatiya, inform Sir Ren about the encirclement."

Augustus was about to speak when Marshal Alfred interrupted, "Wait, let me do it."

This couldn’t help but surprise Augustus.

After all, as the highest commander on the scene, it was almost impossible for a marshal to personally contact each mission executor.

"Understood, sir," Tatiya’s beautiful eyes also flashed with surprise.

Marshal Alfred took the communication plate Tatiya respectfully handed over and said:

"Sir Ren, this is Alfred."

Hearing the word ‘sir,’ General Augustus, standing beside Marshal Alfred, raised an eyebrow, and Captain Tatiya confirmed a suspicion in her heart.

Clearly, Sir Ren’s performance had thoroughly impressed Marshal Alfred.

After all, in the entire empire, there were very few people who could be addressed as ‘sir’ by Marshal Alfred, and in the Empire’s Swordbearers system, they could be counted on one hand.

"Sir Marshal?" Ren was also somewhat surprised to hear Alfred’s voice.

"It’s me. Sir Ren, I have a more challenging task for you."

"Sir Marshal, please proceed."

"I believe you saw the transmission earlier. The Goddess of the Abyss has entered the secret realm. Although her intentions are unclear, we cannot allow her to move freely within the secret realm."

"Therefore, I have already arranged for the Secret Guard and Swordbearers to form two task forces to go after her. However, I am still a bit concerned, so I hope you can quickly provide support after successfully setting up the Rift Closer."

"Set up the Rift Closer first and then provide support, correct?" Ren confirmed again.

"Yes, try to complete the setup of the Rift Closer within half an hour. As for the assembly point, I will have Tatiya send it to you immediately. Any difficulties?"

"No."

After ending the communication, Ren looked up toward the north, about to face the goddess of the Abyss, Hela, again, making his heart stir with excitement.

It wasn’t fear, but rather a sense of anticipation and excitement.

However, he still had something to do.

Baldwin and the Aida sisters were destroying the bodies, while Ren went to the Hellfire Enhanced Golem and took the last box, retrieving the test tube containing Barnes’ blood essence.

As he dipped his index finger into it, the system prompt sounded again:

【Ding! Detected host contact with special blood essence, found partial absorbable dragon gene fragments. Absorb? Yes/No】

(Note: Absorbing this dragon gene fragment can enhance the host’s dragon bloodline concentration.)



"Sure enough, unlike Regan and Bronson, the system used the term ‘partial’ instead of ‘minor’ for Barnes, who has the ability to transform into a second stage and is a descendant of the Red Dragon."

This made Ren’s heart leap with joy.

"It seems this time there’s a good chance."

Without hesitation, Ren immediately chose "Yes!"

However, unlike the previous time, after Ren completed the absorption, the system prompt flooded the screen:

【Congratulations, your mutated dragon bloodline concentration has been upgraded to ‘high’!】

【Congratulations, under the influence of bloodline power, you have unlocked the fourth form of the mutated draconic human (Dragon Beast Form)!】

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end