Chapter 428: Sword and Hammer

Chapter 428: Sword and Hammer

"Huh? Void Devastators? Have Galaxis' minions spread this far already?" Hela's eyes flashed with surprise and disgust as she whispered.

Void Devastators?

Ren keenly picked up on the term the Goddess of the Abyss Hela had just mentioned.

But he was certain he had never heard of them before.

However, these creatures, known as Void Devastators, were clearly not Hela's subordinates; instead, they seemed like enemies.

At this moment, these bloated black mists flickering with electrical light were rapidly approaching the two of them.

"A bunch of Galaxis' minions dare to offend the majesty of a true god, seeking death!" Hela was visibly annoyed by the attack of the Void Devastators.

Black water surged beneath her feet and quickly spread outward, rapidly expanding from a diameter of several meters to over ten meters.

The Void Devastators that entered the black water area, like mist evaporated by the sun, disappeared within two seconds, eventually turning into a cloud of black smoke.

In an instant, they were killed one after another.

On the other hand, Ren was also besieged by the Void Devastators.

After a brief thought, Ren didn't engage in close combat; instead, he tapped his fingers, unleashing a barrage of his liquid killing technique, 'Multi-Strangle Net'.

One after another, dense, silver-glowing nets shot out in all directions.

Basically, each slash severely wounded the Void Devastators, and with two slashes, they were instantly annihilated.

"Huh?"

"They're not that strong, no wonder Hela called them someone's minions."

These suddenly appearing black mist creatures had initially startled Ren.

But upon engaging, Ren discovered that the Void Devastators' strength was actually not that formidable, merely at the quasi-legendary level.

Of course, in the outside world, the Void Devastators, with their near-immunity to physical attacks and such numbers, would undoubtedly possess terrifying destructive power. Still, they had encountered Ren and Hela's incarnation.

For Ren, these level of Void Devastators, as long as they weren't in the thousands, posed no threat to him.

Thus, Ren's gaze remained fixed on the black-robed maiden, Hela's incarnation.

At this moment, his injuries were rapidly healing under the influence of his innate talent, 'Rapid Healing', while his body subtly grew taller and more robust.

Ren also noticed that as the space became increasingly unstable, he seemed to be able to unleash more power, and the invisible force attempting to push him out had intensified.

Ren's powerful hind legs pushed off the ground, causing it to crack and form a pit. His fourteen-meter-tall massive body shot towards Hela like a bolt of lightning.

As soon as he stepped into the black water, the thick layer of steel armor on Ren's body emitted a sizzling sound of corrosion.

But before much corrosion could occur, Ren's sharp claws struck Hela's black water vortex again.

"Bang!"

This time, the black water vortex was struck with another massive dent. The black-robed maiden swiftly turned her head, but a strand of hair by her ear was severed by the tip of Ren's sharp claws and drifted down.

"How dare you!"

This caused Hela, who had initially been in a playful mood, to feel a chill down her spine and a sense of being offended.

Hela finally manifested a battle form, causing the black-robed maiden's figure to immediately grow—three meters, five meters—instantly reaching a height comparable to Ren's.

The two colossal beings clashed! "Bang! Bang!"

With each collision, the transparent air rippled like water, forming ripples that spread outward, followed by thunderous roars and billowing dust!

Cracks of various sizes appeared around the two combatants, constantly flickering with their every move.

The mere aftermath of their battle was enough to clear the vicinity.

The Void Devastators, who had just arrived at this secret realm and were initially delighted, were now desperately fleeing in other directions.

The residual force from Ren and Hela's battle had already annihilated dozens of their companions.

However, as both combatants unleashed true flames and released more power, some of the void rifts grew larger. The originally two to three-meter-wide rifts now expanded to four to five meters, occasionally appearing.

Through the rifts, one could vaguely perceive larger and more powerful void creatures lurking in the dark void outside the secret realm.

One kilometer away.

Baldwin and his group.

"Let's go! We'll prioritize eliminating the Void Devastators," Baldwin said, turning to the three people beside him.

Upon hearing this, Ailia, who stood at the forefront of the group, looked at Baldwin in disbelief and asked, "Huh? Aren't we going to support Lord Ren?"

"Do you think we can intervene in the battle between Lord Ren and that person?" Baldwin sighed and said, "We should..."

Before Baldwin could finish, his sister, Aida, interrupted him.

"No! Lord Baldwin, perhaps you've misunderstood one thing. We have little connection to the empire. We are merely followers of Lord Ren, not imperial soldiers or officials."

"Therefore, supporting Lord Ren is what we should do." Aida's face turned solemn as she spoke.

"This..." Baldwin was slightly taken aback.

Indeed.

He had assumed too hastily.

Lord Ren was indeed the empire's sword-bearer, but the Arida sisters were not.

Previously, Rein had been constantly on missions, and the two girls naturally followed him, giving the impression that the Ailia Sisters were also on imperial missions.

In reality, the two were merely following Rein, and not actually on official imperial assignments.

Now, with Rein engaged in a fierce battle, the Ailia Sisters' first instinct was to provide support. He had no right to stop them, nor could he order them to prioritize the command from the command hall - to kill the Void Devastator.

"Sister, let's go!"

Before Baldwin could say another word, the older sister, Ailia, leaped onto the top of the Hellfire Enhanced Golem. Simultaneously, she called out to her younger sister, Aelia, who stood nearby.

"Okay, sister!" Aelia responded with a sweet smile, then quickly composed herself and let out a hum of acknowledgment to Baldwin. She, too, leaped onto the top of another Hellfire Enhanced Golem.

The next moment, the sisters and the two golems raced towards the heart of the battlefield with lightning speed!

"But... can you two really intervene in the fight between Rein and that person?" Baldwin suddenly realized an issue, his expression changing as he shouted.

But by then, the two girls had already dashed out dozens of meters.

Baldwin knew that even if the Ailia Sisters heard him, they wouldn't listen and return.

Standing nearby, Lambert, with his great sword sheathed and arms crossed, watched the exchange between Baldwin and the sisters with great interest.

From the moment he first saw the sisters, Lambert had a hunch, based on his experience and keen perception, that they weren't typical members of the imperial special forces.

Their speech and demeanor didn't fit the usual calm, humble, and cautious characteristics of those within the imperial system. After experiencing the Dark Healing, Lambert had a vague guess about their origins.

Now, he finally understood.

It turned out that the Ailia Sisters were legendary top-tier experts of the Serpent Sect. They had entered the secret realm and were defeated by Rein, somehow becoming his followers! Rein was so young, yet he was truly exceptional.

Lambert had never heard of such a thing in all his years.

Furthermore, could it be that the evil god had some kind of control over the sisters? How did they break free?

But now wasn't the time to ponder such matters.

Lambert noticed Baldwin's gaze shift towards him.

"Baldwin, don't look at me like that," Lambert said with a slight smile, shaking his head at Baldwin.

"I joined this imperial mission because I lost to Rein in a duel. Now that Rein is in a tough battle, both emotionally and logically, I should prioritize helping him first, rather than dealing with the Void Devastator."

"I'll take care of the Void Devastator, no problem," Lambert assured Baldwin.

As he finished speaking, Lambert's figure suddenly vanished from his original spot, and the ground beneath him cracked like a spider web! The next second, Lambert reappeared dozens of meters away.

People's mental states differ when facing different enemies.

Lambert, having lost to Rein, a fellow imperial genius, felt a mix of resentment and acceptance.

There was no past grudge between them; Lambert had chosen not to interfere with Rein due to a promise he made to the Dram family.

From this perspective, his position wasn't entirely justifiable.

It wasn't his personal choice either.

Naturally, his conviction wasn't as firm.

So, when given a choice by Rein, Lambert chose to live, not out of fear of death.

But now, he faced an incarnation of an evil god, the sworn enemy of the empire.

Lambert, as the top disciple of the Tide Sword Saint, a sense of duty.

Rein, who had shown mercy to Lambert, was now engaged in a bloody battle.

In this situation, Lambert knew that to avoid embarrassment for himself and his teacher, he had to take action!

As Lambert rushed forward, he felt a sudden enlightenment, and the great sword 'Wave Cleaver' on his back vibrated in response.

This sudden change filled Lambert with excitement! He looked into the eyes of the Dark Sea Goddess, his gaze filled with battle intent, excitement, and anticipation.

An incarnation of a goddess?

This was their first encounter!

"Lambert, close-quarters combat is dangerous, remember to dodge!" Seeing Lambert rushing towards the center of the battlefield, Baldwin was initially taken aback, but quickly shouted a reminder.

The next second, Baldwin gave a bitter smile, cast a 'Stone Skin Technique' on himself, and charged forward.

As an Earth Wizard, his self-defense capabilities were quite reliable.

Baldwin decided to move slightly forward to engage in combat. At the very least, he could provide some support to Rein and the other three while eliminating the Void Devastator.

The crowd on the second floor of the Imperial Astrologist's Platform in the capital city fell silent at this sight.

Human nature is complex.

There are those in high positions who behave dishonorably, like Nick.

And there are those who seem subservient and fearful, but in their hearts, they are driven by their convictions, like Lambert.

In the Dragon Valley Secret Realm.

The intense battle between Rein and Hela continued.

At this moment, Rein had already used his third energy point to replenish his stamina.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to endure the massive energy consumption in his third form.

Despite Ren's exceptional stamina, he found himself at a disadvantage against the enlarged Goddess of the Abyss Hela. He clearly sensed that the energy intensity and duration of the Divine Incarnation state far surpassed that of the projection form.

In terms of strength, speed, and close-combat skills, there was little difference between them, but Hela's witchcraft abilities were a cut above.

Although they had been fighting intensely, Ren had yet to uncover her trump card.

Consequently, Ren refrained from using his ultimate move prematurely.

He had a premonition that the Goddess of the Abyss Hela before him must have a countermeasure for his Soul Shattering Impact.

Suddenly, Hela's right hand clenched, and a semi-transparent Energy Trident instantly appeared.

"Swoosh!"

In the next moment, Hela, holding the semi-transparent black trident, swiftly thrust it towards Ren with lightning speed. Ren reacted swiftly, and his Dragon Claw, covered in Steel Armor, grasped the tip of the trident, blocking the attack.

Although the Dragon Scale was pierced by the trident's tip, and blood flowed, Ren considered it a minor injury.

However, a mysterious smile suddenly appeared on Hela's face, and in an instant, Ren saw a flash of black light on the trident!

The trident instantly expanded tenfold, forming a gigantic trident shadow that directly pierced through the 'Steel Armor' and his body from the front.

Ren's pupils constricted, feeling a sharp pain in his body. He looked down and saw three bloody holes in his waist and abdomen, with blood gushing out.

He had clearly blocked the trident's path with his Dragon Claw.

Logically, only if the Dragon Claw was pierced could he be injured.

But the current situation was that his Dragon Claw was injured, but it wasn't a piercing wound. It was as if the trident's shadow could pass through the Dragon Claw's defense and harm him.

"True Damage?"

"Or Multi-Damage?"

Ren's heart skipped a beat.

Regardless of which, it meant that the Hela Incarnation before him was far more powerful than the projection, possessing a higher level of strength and greater capabilities.

As Ren contemplated his next move, suddenly, two familiar presences appeared on his left.

"It's my Golem!"

Ren's eyes glanced over, and indeed, two Hellfire Enhanced Golems were rushing towards him, with the Arida sisters on their backs.

The older sister, Arida, unleashed a series of Shadow Impacts, eliminating or repelling nearby Void Devastators.

The younger sister, Ailia, repeatedly flickered, moving at an incredible speed, and inserted her black-lighted battle blade into the bodies of the Void Devastators injured by her sister.

Although the Void Devastators were immune to physical attacks, Ailia's blade was imbued with special witchcraft, making it highly lethal.

Suddenly, a figure flashed by!

Ren recognized Lambert.

Lambert leaped high, creating several afterimages, and his dual-bladed greatsword emitted a dazzling light as he executed a 'Sword Shadow Clone Strike' towards the back of the over ten-meter-tall Goddess of the Abyss Hela.

A bright arc sliced through the air!

Hela's body, protected by a black water vortex, was instantly split in half.

The bright arc lingered in the air for a full second before disappearing completely.

"Hmm? Such a level of Sword's Will?"

The attack from behind caught Hela off guard as she was about to continue her assault on Ren. She immediately turned around and raised her Energy Trident to block Lambert's strike.

"Hmm? Seems stronger," Ren's eyes flickered.

He noticed that Lambert's Sword's Will was purer than when they had fought.

Apparently, Lambert hadn't held back or concealed his skills during their previous encounter.

There was only one explanation.

Lambert was a rare swordsmanship prodigy.

In a short time, he had achieved a sudden realization.

"That's rare."

Ren was well aware that without the system, he wouldn't stand a chance against Lambert, let alone Meister's 'Genius Female Knight' Claire.

The scene before him made Ren's heart stir.

At that moment, he seemed to sense something, and his figure flickered, moving closer to the Golem.

The Golem's arrival meant he finally had a suitable weapon to use.

In the Dragon King Form, Ren's height reached nearly fourteen meters, and the rare metals he carried in his human form were insufficient for transformation into a large and handy weapon.

This was why, when creating the Golem in the school, he had placed a four-meter-long greatsword and a similarly-sized two-handed warhammer on their backs.

Ren's thoughts stirred, and the two Golems nearby immediately grabbed the weapons behind them and threw them towards him.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The massive weapons spun and howled in the air, but in the next moment, they landed firmly in Ren's hands.

Finally, taking advantage of Hela's focus on blocking Lambert's Sword Shadow Clone Strike, Ren caught the prepared greatsword and warhammer.

"Clang!!!"

Ren held the greatsword in his right hand and the warhammer in his left, clashing them together. He narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze towards the Goddess of the Abyss Hela, and his aura underwent a dramatic change!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end