Chapter 429: The Overwhelming Blow

Chapter 429: The Overwhelming Blow

The giant black-robed maiden, an incarnation of Goddess Hela, effortlessly parried Lambert's slash with her trident, but suddenly, a sense of foreboding gripped her heart.

She spun around and saw Rayen in his draconic form, wielding a sword and a hammer, leaping high into the air and striking down upon her with tremendous force!

Hela raised her trident to block, but the resounding 'clang!' caused her right hand to tremble, nearly losing her grip. The force of the blow far exceeded her expectations.

Hela could sense that Rayen's hammer attack was not only aided by a charging boost but also empowered by an advanced hammer technique.

But Rayen's assault didn't end there.

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

It was Rayen's left-handed greatsword.

Hela had no time to raise her trident to block and could only retreat swiftly, narrowly dodging Rayen's slashing strike.

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

Rayen's right-handed hammer whistled through the air again, and Hela struggled to block with her trident, only to be pushed back once more. Rayen's left-handed greatsword followed up with lightning speed.

Under the relentless assault of sword and hammer, Goddess Hela of the Abyss found herself retreating step by step, pushed back by the relentless onslaught.

The Areda sisters, who were rushing towards the center of the battle, were stunned by this scene, marveling at Rayen's formidable power.

Lambert, who had just been repelled by Hela's trident, stood in awe, witnessing the draconic form of Rayen, wielding a sword and a hammer with rainbow-like might, dominating the incarnate deity with ease.

Having fought Hela, Lambert knew all too well the power of the Goddess's incarnation.

Even with his improved strength, he believed he could match the deity in technique but was vastly outmatched in raw power. Earlier, a mere tremor of Hela's trident had sent him flying.

Yet, Rayen was dominating the deity!

Hela's once relaxed expression vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness on her exquisite face.

She struggled to comprehend why Rayen's power kept escalating.

At this moment, Rayen's strength and agility surpassed their previous encounter, and his sword and hammer techniques seemed honed through countless battles, effortlessly executing advanced techniques with each swing.

Despite his youth, Rayen's skill was undeniable.

As Hela contemplated her next move, Rayen's calm and mocking voice echoed:

"Aren't you here to kill me?"

"Is this all the power of a god? How laughable."

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

Hela, deep in thought, burst into rage at the taunt.

To be mocked by this ant again!

What was the point of entering the sanctuary if not to avenge the previous humiliation?

"Ahh!"

Hela let out a piercing scream, her body emitting a transparent surge of energy that momentarily dazed Rayen, causing his movements to falter.

Seizing the opportunity, Hela quickly created distance between them, her face cold as frost.

"Mortal, you have angered me. The wrath of a god will annihilate you!"

Hela's energy surged, causing her to grow to a towering seventeen to eighteen meters, straining the fragile sanctuary's space. Cracks appeared and widened around them, and a rift over ten meters in diameter formed.

Hela's aura intensified.

She didn't intend to do this, as unleashing her full power would likely destroy her vessel, and the effort to channel her divine energy into this world's incarnation had already taken a toll.

But she hadn't anticipated that crushing Rayen, this ant, would be more challenging than she thought.

Most importantly, she was furious! Hela hadn't felt this angry in a long time.

The cracks in the air seemed to draw the surrounding debris, accelerating their growth and expansion.

Like punctured balloons, the rifts leaked energy, and within seconds, dozens of gray tornadoes of various sizes formed, rushing towards the cracks.

Although the rifts would heal themselves, the void destroyers crowded around them, and larger rifts revealed even more massive void destroyers.

These creatures exceeded five meters in size, surrounded by swirling black mist with irregular arcs of light, indicating a higher energy tier than ordinary void destroyers.

This scene caught the attention of everyone on the second floor of the Imperial City of Tamriel.

"This is bad. Goddess Hela is unleashing her power, causing the rifts to multiply and expand. And the void destroyers are reinforcing them. If this continues, not only will the rifts fail to close naturally, but they might tear even wider with the increasing number of void destroyers," Dalian, the Third Rank Crystal Mage, exclaimed.

"The void destroyers are fortifying the rifts. If this goes on, not only will the rifts fail to close naturally, but they might tear even wider with the increasing number of void destroyers," Campbell, the Admiral, added.

"Let's activate the rift closer at full capacity," suggested Campbell.

"Doing so will significantly stabilize the space, but it will also deplete the rift closer's energy, preventing us from reaching the intended usage duration," replied Campbell.

"There's another issue. Once the space is stabilized, Goddess Hela will be free to unleash her full power without being pushed out by the sanctuary's rules. Can Lord Rayen withstand her might?"

Lieutenant General Tatiya immediately pointed out the two significant drawbacks of Campbell's suggestion.

"But if we don't act, the sanctuary might soon be overrun by void creatures.

General Campbell refuted, "I disagree."

For a moment, everyone fell silent upon hearing these words.

Once the rift is opened, and if Lord Rayen loses, it means that although the space will be stabilized, the Goddess of the Abyss will have no match within the secret realm. The juvenile dragons in the Dragon Valley Sanctuary will undoubtedly be killed by her."

However, if the rift remains closed, according to the current situation, the Void creatures will completely devour the Dragon Valley Sanctuary.

In other words, the Dragon Empire will permanently lose this sanctuary.

This is a difficult choice.

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

"I understand. Please wait." Grand Astral Mage Dalian took out a crystal ball from his robe.

"Place your hand on it."

Marshal Alfred nodded, reaching out to hold the crystal ball. In the next second, his mind seemed to connect to another place.

"Lord Rayen, it's Alfred."

The people present all watched Alfred's face with tension. This decision needed to be made quickly, as they had already seen legendary-tier Void Destroyers entering the sanctuary.

These guys would spontaneously search for the weak points in the Dragon Valley Sanctuary's space and attempt to breach it.

If this drags on, stronger creatures might enter, and that would be terrible!

"Lord Rayen said he's confident in dealing with her," Alfred said solemnly.

"Is he capable?" someone else questioned.

"I trust Lord Rayen," General Augustus replied.

"Open it!" Marshal Alfred finally ordered.

As a large wizard array on the Astral Mage Platform was activated, the three rift closers in the Dragon Valley Sanctuary's crevice seemed to receive the command to open.

The three rift closers hidden in the Void activated with full force, and instantly, three beams as thick as a fist connected, forming a giant equilateral triangle.

This sudden change immediately alerted Lord Rayen and Hela within the sanctuary.

Huh? The rift closers are opening so fast.

Lord Rayen hadn't expected that the Astral Mage Platform would be activated so quickly.

He could clearly sense that the space had stabilized significantly.

They saw that the original massive crevice around them rapidly shrunk, and many Void Destroyers passing through were directly squeezed out.

Basically, the giant crevices with a diameter of over ten meters shrank to two or three meters, while those with a diameter of less than five meters disappeared even faster.

At this moment, Goddess Hela of the Abyss smiled, "It seems the Empire has given up on you and is preserving this sanctuary from the Void's destruction."

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

"Now, I give you one last chance, surrender to me."

Lord Rayen's expression remained unchanged, unmoved by her words.

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

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

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

"Clang!"

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

This time, Lord Rayen's perception was even clearer. He knew the attack was definitely a multi-hit, and although he blocked the trident's tip, his steel plate armor also weakened the accompanying energy damage. But the unknown third layer of damage penetrated his body.

It was similar to the 'Spirit Shattering Impact,' the signature move of the hammer wizard, which inflicts true damage.

"Do you think that only you can fully unleash your power after the space stabilizes?" Lord Rayen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "Actually, I can too!"

To win, he had to continue escalating his power, even if it meant exposing his strength more than he'd like.

Instantly, Lord Rayen began to surpass the third form, transforming some of his limbs into a more beastly state.

His arms became even more robust, and what was once a somewhat human-like arm was now a beastly limb.

His belly also further inflated, but unlike his previous muscular dragon form, this time, his belly began to swell, resembling a beer gut.

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

Lord Rayen opened his mouth and spat out a fiery breath, attacking Goddess Hela of the Abyss.

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

This caught Hela off guard for a moment, but she easily raised her hand to block the attack with her shield. However, in the next instant, she was shocked.

"Die!"

In the moment he spoke these words, Lord Rayen's muscles swelled again, and his thick hind legs kicked with tremendous force, taking just one step to cover dozens of meters, like a supersonic fighter jet.

This step's speed was nearly double that of his previous one, and the white air waves spread even more rapidly, as if dozens of steam locomotives were roaring by in an instant!

Due to the incredible speed, the air seemed to flow like water, and when it was violently broken through, it emitted a whistle loud enough to deafen, akin to a ten-thousand-ton ship!

With Lord Rayen's stomp, the ground softened like a swamp, instantly sinking several meters. This was because the explosive force was truly astonishing, causing the ground to sink like rubber rather than shattering!

Facing such a powerful attack, Goddess Hela's first reaction was to block and then retreat. But as she blocked with her trident, she was stunned.

"Spirit Shattering Impact!"

As Lord Rayen brought his hammer down!

Although Hela felt she had blocked the attack with her trident, her entire body trembled, and her mind was shaken as if a bell had been rung right next to her ear.

At the same time, due to Lord Rayen's increased power, the semi-transparent black trident showed cracks, and then it shattered!

Before Hela could react with effective protection.

"Bang! Swish! Bang!"

Lord Rayen's arms moved with the speed of the wind, and each swing of his hammer and sword seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds. In an instant, he executed dozens of strikes, leaving residual silver arcs and black hammer shadows lingering in the air.

Seizing the opportunity during the Spirit Shattering Impact, Lord Rayen took advantage of Hela's momentary daze and struck her with full force!

Hela's massive form instantly disintegrated, leaving only the black-robed maiden floating calmly in mid-air with her eyes closed.

"Huff... Huff..."

Lord Rayen's chest heaved violently, but at this moment, he also realized that even the reinforced space was beginning to subtly push him out.

If he didn't want to be pushed out immediately, it was best to control the power tier.

Lord Rayen swiftly reverted from his current form to the second form, and in an instant, he felt the repelling force of the sanctuary's space disappear.

The next second, Lord Rayen reverted to his human form.

At the same time, a deep sense of weakness emanated from within his body. Although the burst of power lasted only a few seconds, the energy expenditure was enormous.

Lord Rayen immediately infused more spirit energy, restoring his stamina to its peak.

At this moment, he finally focused his gaze on the black-robed maiden floating before him.

Lord Rayen did not damage the maiden's body.

He vaguely sensed that within her body, there seemed to be something beneficial to him.

As for the concern of the Goddess Hela of the Abyss reappearing, Lord Rayen was not worried at all within the sanctuary.

"If she dares to descend again, I'll strike her down each time!"

Lord Rayen approached the black-robed maiden, picking her up. Her body felt soft and warm.

Perhaps due to his contact with the black-robed maiden, the system prompt suddenly sounded:

"Ding! Detected a small amount of Divine Essence capable of enhancing Spirit Crystallization. Absorb? (Note: System absorption can eliminate impurities and complete the process in one go.)"

"Hmm? Divine Essence?"

"I remember the last time it was a Divine Crystal, but from the name, the Divine Essence seems to be of a higher tier than the Divine Crystal." Lord Rayen contemplated silently.

Faced with this unexpected joy, Lord Rayen didn't hesitate and immediately chose "Yes"!

Instantly, Lord Rayen felt a surge of power from the maiden in his arms, and following the system's guidance and conversion, a cool breath entered his spirit sea.

At the same time, Lord Rayen faintly heard a distant female voice.

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

Similar to the previous time, within a short period, Lord Rayen felt the silver liquid in his spirit sea rapidly thickening, and crystallization became visible within the liquid.

After a few seconds, Lord Rayen felt his mind exceptionally clear, experiencing an unprecedented sense of well-being. He glanced at the system panel, and his eyes widened in surprise!

The system panel displayed the following:

Spirit: 141 (Crystallization 76%)



"Increased by so much?" Lord Rayen was both surprised and delighted!

"I remember it was 43% before, and now it's 76%, an increase of a full 33%!"

"I'm still in the crystallization stage, yet I can increase by nearly a third!"

"As expected of the Divine Essence, it's not only stronger than the Divine Crystal, and this is just a small amount. If it were a large quantity, I'd directly reach the pinnacle of crystallization!"

This enhancement was equivalent to the progress of an ordinary crystallization mage's thirty years of arduous cultivation!

At this moment, Lambert, who had been standing still for a few seconds, approached with a smile, saying, "Lord Rayen, it seems you didn't use your full strength during our previous sparring."

"Thank you, Lord Lambert," Lord Rayen replied with a slight smile, expressing gratitude instead of answering Lambert's question.

Even without Lambert, he could defeat the Goddess Hela of the Abyss, but humility was a virtue.

"Lord Rayen, we're late," the Areda sisters arrived at Lord Rayen's side.

The younger sister, Alida, looked at the black-robed maiden in Lord Rayen's arms with curiosity.

"Lord Rayen, is this the vessel of the Goddess? She's so beautiful."

No wonder Alida would exclaim like this. If one didn't consider her background and the previous events, the beauty of this black-robed maiden was indeed rare.

Lord Rayen thought for a moment and placed her on the nearby magical golem. He planned to take her with him after the sanctuary's task was complete.

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

At this moment, Baldwin rushed over from a distance, just as Lord Rayen was about to say something to Baldwin.

Suddenly, a semi-transparent giant claw reached out from the largest spatial rift that wasn't fully closed, snatching the black-robed maiden from the golem's hands and retracting back in a flash.

But a robust dragon claw was even faster, instantly grasping the giant claw as it tried to retract!

It was Lord Rayen's right arm, which had instantly dragonized!

He had just sensed something lurking in the void, assuming the opponent had given up, but unexpectedly, it appeared at this moment.

"Trying to steal my things?"

Lord Rayen's eyes turned cold, and his body began to swell again. Immediately after, he exerted a powerful tug!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end