Chapter 427: The Rift

Chapter 427: The Rift

"I don't want to die," Lord Rain shook his head calmly.

"But this body of yours is just a clone."

"Then why don't you go die instead?"

Although Lord Rain spoke calmly, his words were explosive.

In simple terms, it was like a mortal telling a deity to go to their death.

On top of that, Lord Rain's calm demeanor and trash-talking skills were on full display were truly impressive.

At that moment, the crowd on the second floor of the Imperial City's Astral Observatory was left in utter astonishment.

They finally understood why Goddess Hela of the Abyss had an odd expression and tone whenever she encountered Lord Rain.

Lord Rain's words were indeed a bit too much, weren't they?

Despite Lord Rain's formidable strength, the sanctuary's power restriction prevented the deity from unleashing her full power.

But was it wise to provoke a deity like this?

Meanwhile, Hela, in the form of a black-robed girl, suddenly restrained her smile, and her ample chest heaved violently.

It was clear that she had been irritated by Lord Rain once again.

Especially when Lord Rain spoke with such calm eyes.

The eyes are the window to the soul.

She had encountered many warriors, and in their eyes, there was always a hint of reverence for her.

But Lord Rain's gaze lacked any reverence, as if he was looking at a small animal like a cat or dog.

This was something she couldn't bear.

Just as Hela was about to take action, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, Lord Rain's muscles rapidly swell, and his body began to grow again, with his head and tail growing from eight to nine meters to thirteen or fourteen meters.

The sanctuary's space around him seemed to become unstable.

Tiny spatial rifts, like cow hair, began to appear around his body.

Why did Lord Rain dare to initiate the third stage of his transformation without worrying about being expelled from the sanctuary?

It was because he suddenly realized that he was different from before.

His bloodline concentration had reached a 'higher' level, allowing her to partially control the degree of her transformation.

For example, in her battle with Lambert, she only partially transformed her arms into dragon-like appendages.

This meant that when initiating the third stage of her transformation, she could also partially control the degree of her transformation, ensuring that her power tier didn't exceed the sanctuary's limit.

It seemed that she had succeeded.

Simply put, Lord Rain could only undergo integer stage transformations before, such as the first stage of the Draconic Warrior or the second stage of the Draconic General.

But now, things were different.

She could undergo transformations like 1.1 stage or 2.9 stage, allowing her to control her power tier within a narrow range.

Of course, the primary reason she initiated the third stage of her transformation was that through the recent battle, she realized that if she didn't raise her power tier to match that of Goddess Hela's incarnation, the battle would be futile.

This was something that no amount of combat techniques, witchcraft, or willpower could compensate for.

Because Hela was a deity with peak mastery in experience, various witchcraft, and combat techniques. If her power tier was even slightly higher, how could anyone fight her?

So, transformation was necessary.

Even if there were unexpected consequences, like being expelled due to a momentary loss of control, it was still better than perishing here.

Lord Rain had a system.

As long as there's a way to survive, there's no need to worry about running out of resources.

Hmm?

Lord Rain's further transformation caused Hela, who was about to take action, to narrow her eyes slightly.

She naturally sensed that Lord Rain's power tier had increased, and this power surge had reached the limit that the Dragon Valley Sanctuary could withstand.

In other words, if their power tiers had a slight difference before, now they were on an equal level.

Both were at the Legendary Perfection tier.

If their power increased further, even by a tiny bit, they would be expelled from the sanctuary.

"Boom!"

As Lord Rain transformed into the Draconic King, he suddenly stomped heavily, causing the ground to sink.

A surge of energy burst from Lord Rain's thirteen to fourteen-meter-tall body, and for a moment, the compressed transparent air flow resembled a water current, flowing backward from his body!

Accompanied by a loud sonic boom, Lord Rain's massive figure suddenly appeared in front of Hela.

His powerful dragon claw once again struck the black energy vortex surrounding Hela!

"Bang!!!

The vortex and dragon claw collided, creating ripples of black energy rings that blasted outward.

At that moment, the space around the two combatants, originally filled with hairline cracks, suddenly expanded to the size of a thumb, as if the sanctuary could no longer bear the intense fluctuations of their battle.

This time, Hela's black energy shield, resembling a deflating ball, was suddenly dented by Rain's dragon claws, leaving a large indentation.

Even the sharp dragon claws were just an inch away from Hela's enchanting face, now transformed into a black-robed girl.

Hela's expression finally changed, becoming solemn.

She quickly raised her other hand and pointed a finger at Rain.

The ancient witchcraft 'Ancient Abyssal Water Souls', which had instantly killed Captain Agripa, reappeared! Five rapidly spinning black water vortices appeared in front of her, and in the next instant, they shot towards Rain like lightning.

But Rain didn't dodge or evade this attack!

Instead, he raised his other massive claw and slammed it into Hela's black energy shield, which was swaying precariously.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

For a moment, countless claw shadows flew towards Hela, creating a scene of mutual injury.

"Bang!"

The shield shattered!

Hela's body flickered with black light, and in the next moment, she appeared several dozen meters away.

At the same time, the five black water vortices, faintly revealing the drowned faces of the dead, approached Rain, who was in his Dragon King form, from multiple directions.

Rain's claw, covered in Enchanted Serenium, struck out repeatedly like lightning.

In an instant, all the black water vortices exploded.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

For a moment, the sound of explosions filled the air, and smoke rose in all directions! After the explosions, Rain's dragon claws, covered in the combined witchcraft Steel Plate Armor, were only slightly charred on the surface, and a putrid smell of burnt flesh emanated from them.

But compared to the earlier scene where Captain Agripa was instantly corroded, the difference was like night and day!

This was the level of power Rain displayed in his third form.

Just as Rain was about to launch another attack, the next second, both of them looked to the side.

Apparently, the intense energy fluctuations had made the nearby space increasingly unstable, and dozens of thumb-sized spatial rifts suddenly seemed to connect with each other.

In an instant, a giant rift, approximately two to three meters in diameter with irregular edges, appeared.

But the most crucial thing was that one after another, black fog-like monsters, emerged from the rifts.

Although they had no discernible features, just a mass of black fog, Rain could sense the joyous fluctuations they emitted upon entering the sanctuary.

At the same time, in the Imperial Capital, on the second floor of the Astral Observatory.

A voice of doubt echoed.

"If Rain had used it, perhaps both Captain Nick and Captain Agripa could have survived?"

An elderly man, dressed in the uniform of an Imperial Guard officer, frowned. Captain Nick was their top powerhouse among the Imperial Guard, and they shared a blood relation, making him Rain's cousin.

"This should be Rain's trump card, not to be used lightly," someone replied.

"Rain's bloodline transformation has a significant weakness; the greater the power of the transformation, the faster the stamina consumption."

"Therefore, Rain likely considered this and chose not to activate this level of transformation at the beginning when the situation was unclear." Tatiya explained logically.

But General Augustus was more direct.

"Admiral O'Connor, didn't you see what just happened?"

"That bastard Nick used his Crystalization kill move, 'Dragon Thunder', without any regard for Rain!"

"And after using it, he immediately retreated!"

"Such an ally is not worth keeping!"

General Augustus spoke bluntly.

He had just witnessed the entire scene and felt infuriated, and now Admiral O'Connor was making these comments, further fueling his anger.

"You!" Admiral O'Connor was berated by General Augustus, his face turning red, and he stood awkwardly in place.

"Augustus, don't say things that will affect our unity."

"Admiral O'Connor, the deaths of Captain Nick and Captain Agripa were clearly seen by all of us. It was due to the power of the Sea Goddess Hela far exceeding expectations."

"Casualties are inevitable in battle, and this has nothing to do with Rain. Don't forget, Rain didn't retreat but fought alone!"

Marshal Alfred pointed to the image in the elliptical stone plinth, his expression turning solemn.

"This..." Admiral O'Connor was momentarily speechless!

After a moment's thought, Admiral O'Connor realized that although Rain's displayed power was astonishing, the combat strength of this incarnation of the Sea Goddess Hela was on a whole different level.

General Connor did not believe Rain could survive.

Since that was the case, there was no point in arguing.

The few commanders who had previously shared General Connor's thoughts also fell silent.

Because Marshal Alfred had pointed out the most crucial aspect: Rain was currently fighting alone, refusing to retreat, making any doubts meaningless.

Those with hidden thoughts would dare to bravely face a divine clone alone, intending to tarnish the Empire's hero!

At this moment, everyone suddenly noticed that the image on the elliptical stone plinth became blurry.

Then, it completely disappeared.

"The energy fluctuations from their battle are too intense, affecting the stability of the secret realm's space, and my astrology is also greatly affected," said the Grand Astral Mage Dalian, who was standing nearby, his eyebrows furrowed in surprise.

He didn't expect the young Imperial Swordsmaster Rain to possess such formidable strength, almost reaching the level of an Epic Powerhouse.

"Marshal Alfred, perhaps you can use Baldwin's perspective to observe the situation," suggested the Grand Astral Mage Dalian, who was standing nearby.

Marshal Alfred knew that real-time astrological observation required pinpointing an individual's location, and Rain's current combat intensity was beyond the scope of observation. Clearly, the best option was Baldwin, who was about to arrive at the scene.

"That's a good idea."

As the Grand Astral Mage Dalian cast his astrology once more, the elliptical stone plinth displayed the scene of a small team rapidly moving.

It was Baldwin, the Arede sisters, and Lambert, who had just recovered.

Half a minute earlier, Baldwin had just received a transmission from Lieutenant General Tatiya, informing him of the intense battle ahead.

Within half a minute, two Legendary Peak Powerhouses had fallen.

This... Although Baldwin himself didn't have much confidence, sometimes, there was no choice but to step up.

"Later, try to engage in a mobile battle, and pay attention to the two special witchcrafts of the Goddess of the Abyss's incarnation."

"One is an ancient Abyssal Water Wraith, with immense power and strong tracking abilities. So, once targeted, be sure to keep your distance and don't engage directly!"

"The other is an energy trident, which not only explodes but also has a corrosive effect. Be sure to dodge immediately, or else you'll be hit by the impact wave and corrosive damage."

"Even Legendary Peak Powerhouses couldn't withstand it!"

Baldwin quickly conveyed the information he received from the Comm Link to the Arede sisters and Lambert.

At this moment, the fastest among them, Alida, suddenly stopped her urgent stride and pointed ahead in surprise, "Look! What's that?"

In the center of the devastated forest, a giant Dragon Man was fighting a stunningly beautiful girl in a black robe. On their right side, there was a flickering spatial rift.

One by one, black mist-like creatures, never seen before, emerged from it.

The giant Dragon Man, as everyone knew, was Rain, and the black-robed girl he was fighting was undoubtedly the incarnation of the Goddess of the Abyss.

But what were these black mist-like creatures, and how did they appear from within the spatial rift, entering this secret realm?

At this moment, Baldwin's Comm Link vibrated again.

"Captain Baldwin, this is Augustus."

"General Augustus, please go ahead."

"According to Grand Astral Mage Dalian's observations, a Void Destroyer has appeared near Rain's combat location. Please eliminate it as soon as possible to prevent it from damaging the secret realm's space!"

"Additionally, the Void Destroyer is immune to most physical attacks, but witchcraft is relatively effective."

"Understood, General Augustus." Baldwin's heart tightened for a moment, and he looked towards the center of the battlefield.

Indeed, at that moment, the two were engaging in another fierce battle.

Even from his position, nearly a kilometer away, he could sense the intense energy fluctuations.

Moreover, what was even more terrifying was that around the two of them, within a diameter of several meters, spatial rifts appeared frequently.

Some lasted for an instant, some for several seconds, and some remained continuously. From these rifts, countless black mist-like Void Destroyers emerged, like sharks sensing blood in the water.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end