Chapter 429: A Thorough Beatdown

Chapter 429: A Thorough Beatdown

The giant black-robed maiden, an incarnation of Hela, had effortlessly repelled Lambert's slash with a casual swing of her trident. But suddenly, she felt an ominous premonition.

She spun around and was startled to see Rein, in his Dragon Human form, wielding a sword and a hammer. He leaped high into the air and brought both weapons down upon her with tremendous force!

Hela quickly raised her trident to block, but a loud 'clang!' reverberated as her right hand trembled uncontrollably, nearly losing its grip. The force of the blow far exceeded her expectations.

Hela could sense that Rein's hammer attack was not only aided by a charging boost but also empowered by the effects of a top-tier hammer technique.

But Rein's assault wasn't over yet.

In an instant, a flash of arc light appeared before Hela's eyes, signaling another incoming attack.

It was Rein's left-handed great sword.

Hela didn't have time to raise her trident to block, so she quickly retreated, dodging Rein's left-handed slash.

However, after this retreat, she couldn't stop.

Rein's right-handed hammer whistled through the air again, and Hela struggled to parry it with her trident, only to be forced back another step. But Rein's left-handed great sword followed with lightning speed.

Under the relentless sword and hammer attacks, Hela, the Goddess of the Abyss, was driven back step by step, retreating over seven or eight meters!

This scene caught the attention of the Arida sisters, who were rushing towards the center of the battle. They couldn't help but marvel at Rein's formidable combat prowess.

Lambert, who had been knocked back dozens of meters by Hela's trident, stood there, dumbfounded, witnessing the ferocious Dragon Human incarnation of Rein wielding a sword and a hammer with overwhelming might, dominating the divine incarnation before him.

Having just fought Hela, Lambert was well aware of the strength of this Goddess of the Abyss incarnation.

Even with his improved skills, Lambert believed he could only match the divine incarnation in technique, but the power gap was immense. Earlier, Hela's trident had sent him flying with a single shake.

Yet, Rein was dominating the fight!

Hela's once-relaxed expression had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness on the exquisite face of the black-robed maiden.

She couldn't understand why Rein's combat prowess seemed to be increasing with each passing moment.

At this moment, Rein's strength and agility surpassed what they had been just moments ago during the battle.

Moreover, Rein's sword and hammer techniques seemed to have been honed through countless battles, effortlessly unleashing top-tier skill-level maneuvers with each strike.

How had he achieved such mastery at such a young age?

As Hela contemplated her next move, Rein's deep and calm taunts echoed in her ears:

"Were you planning to kill me?"

"Is this all you've got?"

"Is this what a god is capable of? It's laughable."

Rein's words were like pouring oil onto a fire.

Hela, who had been strategizing, suddenly erupted in fury. How dare this insignificant ant mock her again?

What was the point of her entering the Secret Realm if not to be ridiculed by this ant a second time?

"Ahh!"

Hela, consumed by rage, suddenly tilted her head back and let out a piercing scream. A transparent wave of energy surged around her, causing Rein to feel a momentary dizziness, his movements momentarily slowed.

Seizing this opportunity, Hela quickly created distance between them. Her delicate face now wore a frosty expression.

"Mortal, you have angered me. The wrath of the gods will utterly annihilate you!"

Hela's power surged, causing her to grow to a height of seventeen or eighteen meters. The fragile Secret Realm space began to shatter, with cracks appearing and expanding all around. Even a crack with a diameter of over ten meters appeared.

Hela's aura intensified.

She didn't want to do this, as unleashing her full power would likely damage her already-injured body beyond repair, and the divine energy she had channeled into this world through her incarnation would be exhausted in a single burst.

But she hadn't anticipated that crushing Rein, this insignificant ant, would be more challenging than she had expected.

More importantly, she was furious! It had been a long time since Hela had felt such anger.

The soil on the ground seemed to be drawn towards the cracks in the air, rushing upwards as if the cracks were leaks in a balloon, rapidly losing air. After a few seconds, dozens of gray tornadoes of various sizes formed and charged towards the cracks.

Although the cracks would heal themselves, at this moment, Void Destroyers crowded around them, preventing the healing. Some larger cracks even revealed even larger Void Destroyers.

These monsters, measuring over five meters in size, were surrounded by swirling black mist with irregular arcs of light flashing around them. Their energy levels were clearly superior to that of ordinary Void Destroyers.

This scene caught the attention of the astrologists on the second floor of the Imperial Astrologist Platform.

"Not good! The Goddess of the Abyss is going all out, and the cracks are increasing in number and size!" exclaimed the Grand Astrologist, Dallian.

"The Void Destroyers are reinforcing the cracks. If this continues, not only will the cracks fail to close on their own, but they might even tear wider due to the increasing number of Void Destroyers," added the Grand Astrologist.

"Is there a solution, Your Excellency?" General Augustus asked immediately.

"Let's initiate the Rift Closer at full capacity," suggested Admiral Campbell.

"However, while this will significantly stabilize the space, it will deplete the Rift Closer's energy reserves, preventing it from meeting the planned usage duration."

"Additionally, there's another issue. Once the space is stabilized, the Goddess of the Abyss, Hela, will be free to unleash her full power without the pressure of the Secret Realm's force pushing her out. Can Sir Reign withstand her assault?"

Lady Tatia, a major in the army, pointed out the two major drawbacks of Admiral Campbell's suggestion.

"But if we don't act, the Secret Realm might soon be overrun by Void Destroyers.

"Marshal Campbell rebutted.

Upon hearing these words, the crowd fell silent for a moment.

Once the realm is opened, and should Reign is defeated, it means that although the space will be stabilized, the Goddess of the Abyss will have no opponents within the secret realm, and the immature dragons in Dragon Valley will undoubtedly be slain by her.

However, if the realm is not opened, according to the current situation, the void creatures will completely devour the Dragon Valley Secret Realm.

In other words, the Drargon Empire will permanently lose this secret realm.

This is a difficult choice.

"Lord Dallian, could you please make a long-distance mental connection with Reign? I know this will be very taxing for you, but..."

"I understand, please wait a moment." The grand astral mage, Dallian, took out a crystal ball from his robe.

"Place your hand on it."

Marshal Alfred nodded, extended his hand to grasp the crystal ball, and in the next second, his mind seemed to connect to another place.

"Reign, it's Alfred."

The people present were all tense, watching Alfred's expression, as this decision had to be made quickly. They had already seen that legendary-level void destroyers had entered the realm.

These guys would instinctively seek out the weak points in the Dragon Valley Secret Realm and cause damage.

If they delayed any further, and stronger creatures entered, it would be terrible!

"Reign says he's confident in dealing with her," Alfred said gravely.

"Can he do it?" someone else asked doubtfully.

"I believe in Sir Reign," General Augustus said.

"Open it!" Marshal Alfred finally made the decision.

As a large arcane array on the Astral Observatorium was activated, the three rift closers hidden in the Dragon Valley Secret Realm's crevices seemed to receive the command to open.

The three rift closers hidden in the void activated with full force, and instantly, three fist-thick beams of light connected to form a giant equilateral triangle.

This sudden change immediately caught the attention of Reign and Hela within the secret realm.

Huh? The rift closers opened so quickly.

Reign didn't expect the realm to be opened right after the mental connection ended.

He could clearly feel that the space had stabilized significantly.

They saw the enormous rifts around them shrink, and many void destroyers passing through were squeezed out.

Basically, rifts larger than ten meters in diameter shrank to two or three meters, and those originally less than five meters in diameter quickly disappeared.

At this moment, the Goddess of the Abyss, Hela, laughed: "It seems the Empire has abandoned you, choosing to preserve this realm from being destroyed by void forces."

"How pitiful, you fight here, but they stab you in the back."

"Now, I'll give you one last chance. Submit to me."

Reign's expression remained unchanged, unmoved by her words.

"My answer is the same as before. Otherwise, it's time for you to consider submitting to me."

"Mortal, your provocations will ultimately become the source of your pain!" Hela's expression turned cold.

Before she finished speaking, her energy trident rapidly took shape.

"Clang!"

A giant trident shadow, dozens of meters long, instantly pierced through Reign's body, where his sword and hammer crossed.

This time, Reign's perception was even clearer. The attack was definitely multi-damage, and although he blocked the trident's tip and his steel armor weakened the accompanying energy damage, the unknown third layer of damage pierced through his body.

It was similar to the soul-shattering impact of the warhammer wizard's signature move, causing true damage.

"Do you think only your strength can be fully unleashed after space stabilization?" Reign wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said slowly, "Actually, I can too!"

To win, he had to continue to increase his power, even if it meant exposing more of his strength.

Instantly, Reign began to surpass the third form, transforming parts of his body into the fourth form. His arms became thicker, and what was once a somewhat human-like arm was now a beastly limb.

His stomach also expanded further, but unlike the previous muscular dragon-human form, this time, his belly began to swell, resembling a beer gut.

Additionally, his neck seemed to have something new, giving him an urge to spit it out!

Reign opened his mouth and spat out a stream of scorching flame towards the Goddess of the Abyss, Hela.

Flame breath?

Isn't this the signature of a red dragon's breath?

Hela was slightly startled but easily raised her hand to block it with her shield. However, in the next instant, she was shocked.

"Die!"

In the moment those two words left Reign's mouth, his muscles swelled, and his massive hind legs kicked with tremendous force, taking a single step that covered dozens of meters, as if entering supersonic flight.

This step was nearly twice as fast as the previous one, and white air waves rolled around, as if dozens of steam locomotives were roaring past in an instant!

Due to the incredible speed, the air seemed like a stream of water, and when it was forcefully broken, a sound akin to a ten-thousand-ton giant wheel's whistle rang out, deafening!

With Reign's stomp, the ground softened like a swamp, instantly sinking several meters. This was because the burst of power was so astonishing that the ground didn't have time to shatter, instead sinking like rubber!

Facing such a powerful attack, the Goddess of the Abyss, Hela's first reaction was to block and then retreat. However, as she raised her trident to block, she was stunned.

"Soul Shattering Impact!"

As Reign brought the hammer down, Hela felt that she had clearly blocked the attack with her trident, but her entire being was shaken, as if a bell had been struck beside her ear, causing a splitting headache.

At the same time, due to Reign's significantly increased strength, the enormous force transmitted through the hammer caused the semi-transparent black trident to crack, and then it shattered!

Hela's environment, before she could make an effective defense.

Boom! Swish! Boom!

Rayn's arms moved like a blur, each hammer and sword strike seemingly imbued with immense force. In just a moment, he unleashed dozens of attacks, leaving behind a trail of silver arcs and black hammer shadows in the air.

Seizing the opportunity while Hela was stunned by the Soul Shattering Impact, Rayn went all out and completely overwhelmed her.

Hela's massive figure crumbled, and all that remained was the black-robed maiden, her eyes closed and her expression serene, floating in mid-air.

"Huff... Huff..."

Rayn's chest heaved as he panted heavily, but he also noticed that even the reinforced space was now subtly pushing him out.

If he didn't want to be forced out immediately, it was best to control the level of his power.

Rayn quickly shifted from his current form to the second form, and instantly, he felt the repelling force of the secret realm dissipate.

The next moment, Rayn reverted to his human form.

At the same time, a deep sense of weakness surged through his body. Although the burst of power had only lasted for a few seconds, the energy expenditure was immense.

Rayn once again focused his Mental Energy, restoring his stamina to its peak.

Only then did he turn his attention to the black-robed maiden floating before him.

Rayn did not damage the black-robed maiden's body, as he vaguely sensed that there might be something beneficial within her.

As for the concern of the Goddess of the Abyss Hela descending again, Rayn had no worries within the secret realm.

He was ready to fight her as many times as she dared to descend.

After a moment's thought, Rayn approached and picked up the black-robed maiden, feeling a soft and smooth sensation.

Just then, the system notification chimed:

Ding! Detected a small amount of Divine Essence that can enhance Mental Energy Crystallization. Absorb? (Note: System absorption can remove impurities and complete absorption in one go.)



"Hmm? Divine Essence?"

"I recall something related to Divine Power, which was the Divine Crystal. But based on the name, the Divine Essence should be of a higher grade than the Divine Crystal." Rayn thought to himself.

Without hesitation, Rayn chose 'Yes' for this unexpected surprise. Instantly, he felt a surge of power in his arms as he held the black-robed maiden, and then, under the system's guidance and conversion, a cool breath entered his Mental Sea.

At the same time, Rayn seemed to hear a distant female voice from far away.

The emotion in the voice seemed to be a mix of anger and helplessness.

Just like before, within a short time, Rayn felt the silver liquid in his Mental Sea rapidly thicken, and crystallization became visible throughout the liquid.

After a few seconds, Rayn felt his mind clear and refreshed like never before. He glanced at the system panel, and his eyes widened in surprise.

The system panel displayed:

Mental Energy: 141 (76% Crystallization)



"Such a huge increase?" Rayn's heart was filled with both surprise and joy. "I remember it was 43% before, and now it's 76%, an increase of a full 33%!"

"And I'm still in the Crystallization stage, yet I managed to increase by almost a third!"

"It truly lives up to its name as Divine Essence, far surpassing the Divine Crystal. And this is just a small amount; if it were a large quantity, I might directly reach the pinnacle of Crystallization!"

This increase was equivalent to decades of arduous cultivation for a typical Crystal Wizard.

At this moment, Lambert, who had been standing still for several seconds, approached with a smile, "Sir Rayn, it seems that during our previous sparring, you were holding back."

"Thank you, Sir Lambert," Rayn replied, choosing not to address Lambert's question and instead expressing his gratitude.

Although he could have defeated the Goddess of the Abyss Hela without Lambert's help, humility is a virtue.

"Sir Rayn, we're late," the Arida sisters arrived by Rayn's side.

The younger sister, Ailia, curiously examined the black-robed maiden in Rayn's arms.

"Sir Rayn, is this the vessel of the descended deity? She's so beautiful."

It was no wonder Ailia was so amazed, for if one disregarded the maiden's background and the events that had transpired, her beauty was indeed rare.

After a moment's thought, Rayn placed her on a nearby golem. He planned to take her with him after the secret realm mission was complete.

He suspected that this divine vessel might have other special purposes.

Just then, Baldwin rushed over with a joyful expression. As Rayn was about to say something to Baldwin, suddenly, a semi-transparent giant claw reached out from the largest Void Rift that was not fully closed, snatching the black-robed maiden from the golem's hands and retracting in a flash.

But a strong Dragon Claw was faster, instantly grasping the giant claw as it tried to retract! It was Rayn's Right Arm Dragon Transformation.

He had sensed something lurking in the Void, but he thought it had given up. Apparently, it had chosen this moment to strike.

"Trying to steal from me?"

Rayn's eyes turned cold, and his body began to swell again. With a mighty heave, he pulled with all his might!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end