Chapter 452: Total Annihilation

Chapter 452: Total Annihilation

"Boom!!!"

Just as over a thousand Stone Jaw Golems, each with strength surpassing that of a Great Knight, stared at the corridor-like room extending into the sky, the outer wall of the room suddenly exploded again.

A man in black robes, his face filled with relief at his narrow escape, leaped out from the opening, but as he hung in mid-air, he seemed completely unaware that the outer wall of the room on this side was actually suspended in the air.

So, when he glanced down, his eyes widened in shock, and his expression was one of utter astonishment! He had just jumped out of the room to avoid Reyn's Sawtooth Ring Spell, seeking more space to maneuver.

But he never expected that this leap would indeed give him more room to dodge, but it also led him straight to a dead end!

"Ah!!!"

Just as the black-robed man's scream echoed, the Plague Messenger Gaelsi also leaped out from the same opening in the room.

After losing three subordinates in quick succession, Gaelsi realized that winning this battle would be difficult, especially with a powerful Crystalized Peak Wizard watching from the sidelines.

So, when he saw his last subordinate retreat through a hole in the room's wall, Gaelsi followed closely behind, leaping out as well.

However, just like his subordinate, Gaelsi's hair stood on end as he looked down from mid-air. Fortunately, as one of the three major Plague Messengers of the cult, his strength far surpassed that of his subordinates.

For them, this was a dead end, but not for him.

Moreover, in this critical moment, Gaelsi's mind raced, and he immediately thought of a solution.

He quickly cast a Levitation Spell on himself, then chanted and released the 'Plague Fog' once more.

Instantly, a large cloud of dark green fog appeared before him, but this time, instead of directing it downwards or towards the Stone Jaw Golems in a particular direction, he concealed himself within the fog.

As he neared the ground, the Stone Jaw Golems surrounding him, waiting for his descent, began to sway, their footing unsteady.

Several nearby Stone Jaw Golems clutched their necks and foamed at the mouth.

When Gaelsi's dark green fog truly touched some of the Stone Jaw Golems, these highly defensive creatures, with their rock-like surfaces, visibly bubbled and began to rot.

The blisters varied in size but soon burst, releasing a foul-smelling yellow pus.

The Stone Jaw Golems' screams filled the air! Those who had intended to surround and tear apart the intruder now retreated in terror.

The area within seven or eight meters around Gaelsi, who had just landed, was now clear, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked up through the fog, catching a glimpse of the room in the sky and Reyn and the others, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

At that moment—

Inside the room, including Moriah, the members of the Academy watched as Gaelsi disappeared into the large cloud of dark green poison gas below, their faces filled with regret.

"He's really quick to flee!"

"Yeah, with so many Stone Jaw Golems down there, he would've been caught for sure."

"No, he won't get away," Reyn said with a slight smile.

Before he finished speaking, he leaped out from the opening in the room's wall and pursued the Plague Messenger Gaelsi.

"Don't go down there, Reyn! There are too many Stone Jaw Golems!" Moriah exclaimed in shock.

"Too many."

Gaelsi, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly felt a sound piercing through the air above him. He quickly looked up.

The sight that had startled him before now caused his heart to race again.

The impression left by Reyn's silver metal ring was simply too profound.

"Damn, has this young man gone mad?"

"He's chasing me down!"

Gaelsi watched Reyn's figure, his eyelids twitching, unsure what Reyn was relying on to face so many Stone Jaw Golems.

However, even more agitated and furious than Gaelsi were the Stone Jaw Golems below.

Seeing another human fearlessly jumping down, they seemed to say, 'The black-robed man has poison fog, but can't I kill you without it?' They crowded beneath Reyn, eagerly awaiting his fate.

Suddenly, Reyn's figure in mid-air expanded, his muscles knotting, dragon scales appearing, and his body rapidly transforming from its original size of around two meters to three, four, and eventually fourteen meters!

A powerful aura that dominated the entire area spread out! The Stone Jaw Golems below seemed to witness a multi-ton meteorite falling from the sky, and in an instant, a huge dark shadow appeared before them, followed by a wave of intense pain!

"Boom!!!"

Dust and smoke filled the air!

The impact of Reyn's landing crushed seven or eight Stone Jaw Golems beneath his feet into meat paste, and the shockwave and air currents hurled the nearby Stone Jaw Golems over ten meters away.

Transforming into his third form, Reyn aimed for a swift and decisive battle!

"Epic! He's an Epic-level powerhouse! This is a Draconic Transformation!" As a Legendary Peak powerhouse of the Plague Cult, Gaelsi immediately sensed Reyn's terrifying aura.

"You forced me to do this!"

"Damn it!"

In this critical moment, Gaelsi knew that if he didn't use his life-saving abilities, he might die here.

He grabbed a green crystal pendant hanging around his neck and quickly began to chant.

This was a high-level evil artifact, the 'Toxic Halo Pendant', a special evil object blessed by supreme divine power during a prayer ceremony.

Once released, it unleashes a Toxic Halo, an incredibly powerful dark art that only a fourth-rank Dawn Wizard could cast. This spell inflicts multiple damages, including toxicity, weakness, organ failure, and high fever, to all living beings within a hundred-meter radius.

Even for an Epic Powerhouse, this spell poses a significant threat.

Especially within the range of the Toxic Halo, prolonged exposure could lead to death.

Of course, casting this high-level dark art also depletes Gaelsi's psychic energy and essence blood, but he believed this move would cause Ren tremendous trouble.

A surge of powerful energy erupted from Gaelsi's body, followed by a greenish-black ring of light that shocked and enveloped the entire area.

"Huh!" Ren witnessed this scene, slightly startled, wondering if he should initiate the Fourth Stage Transformation.

But soon, he realized that with his above-average poison resistance and dragon scales protection, although he felt some discomfort in his skin and breathing, it wasn't unbearable.

This was something Gaelsi hadn't anticipated. Ren's transformation wasn't an ordinary Dragon Bloodline transformation; it was a mutated one. One of its critical special abilities was poison resistance, and it was even more potent after merging with the 'Deadly Poison Master.'

As a result, Gaelsi, already weakened by the psychic energy, suddenly felt darkness before his eyes and completely lost consciousness.

From a bystander's perspective, it was as if Ren had struck Gaelsi, the Plague Messenger, with a lightning-fast claw attack, turning him into a meat paste!

However, when Ren looked around, he was slightly startled.

"What a coincidence!"

The Toxic Halo hadn't caused him much harm, but it had completely devastated the thousands of Jawed Golems! Its range was too vast.

At this moment, all the Jawed Golems on the lower platform were engulfed by the halo.

Their once-sharp vertical pupils now appeared scattered, their steps unsteady, and their bodies began to stagger. Although no blisters appeared on their skin, a strange reddish hue emerged, followed by pus-filled swellings and melting.

Yes, they were melting, like candles encountering flames.

This terrifying scene caused the Jawed Golem Chief, who had intended to attack, to roar in fear and immediately turn and flee into the nearby cave.

But the pus-filled blisters on its body seemed to indicate that it wouldn't escape unscathed, either.

A few minutes later, when Ren returned to the upper room, the three members of the Wizard Academy stared at him with eyes as wide as lightbulbs, as if trying to see right through him.

"Ren, is this the Dragon Bloodline talent you further awakened in the Dragon Valley Secret Realm?"

"This is already the third stage of the Dragon Transformation, right?"

As the master of the Byss Armory Academy, Moriah had extensive knowledge and was privy to many royal secrets. Naturally, she was the first to recognize Ren's Dragon Transformation.

Connecting this with Ren's previous explanation about his rapid strength increase, Moriah now had no doubts whatsoever.

Or, she had mentally filled in sufficient reasons.

Albert, standing beside her, wore an expression of 'Oh, that's why! No wonder!' as if Ren's current strength was entirely due to the Dragon Bloodline.

People often feel this way; if someone else's luck is much better than theirs, it's hard not to feel envious.

But if the other person's success is due to their bloodline inheritance, it's easier to accept.

"That's right, Master," Ren smiled slightly, without elaborating further.

"By the way, how are these two?" Ren asked, glancing at the two unconscious Wizard Academy members.

"Their condition isn't good; they need to be treated in a suitable environment."

Please...collect...6...9...books...!

"Originally, with this sorcery array to counteract radiation, we could have treated them in this room. But now, to fully repair the anti-radiation sorcery array, it will take at least two days," Fiona frowned, looking at the sorcery array that was already half-destroyed.

Moriah pondered for a moment but quickly made a decision. She turned to Ren and said,

"In that case, Ren, do you need to recover first?"

"I think it's best if you and I head into the core area now. I'm worried that more members of the Plague Cult might come later."

"Look, the Jawed Golem horde that gave us a headache is now mostly dead or injured. We have two sets of radiation shields, and now is the best time to enter."

"As for Lady Fiona and Albert, they can take these two and evacuate the ruins, returning to the nearby Imperial Sentinel Post Five for rest."

"I don't need to rest, and I agree with the Master's suggestion." Ren thought for a moment and replied.

Thinking about the personnel the Viper Cult had deployed, Ren added, "The Plague Cult might have sent more people to the Ferdinand Forest."

After all, considering the Viper Cult, aside from the legendary peak 'Evil Snake,' there was also the epic-level Deputy Cult Leader Quelrut. If the Plague Cult followed a similar pattern, they might also have an epic-level powerhouse leading the group.

Hearing Ren's words, Moriah glanced at Fiona and Albert. Seeing no objections, she immediately decided, "Alright, let's do it!"

"You should also retreat quickly; we'll split up and act immediately!"

Thus, the team split into two. Deputy Master Fiona and Albert took the two injured members and evacuated swiftly, while Moriah and Ren, each carrying a backpack-shaped radiation shield, descended to the lower entrance.

Due to possessing the high-level Nature-type treasure, the 'Ancient Tree Core', as a source of energy, Reyn didn't need to expend any Psychic Energy to cast spells to resist the current radiation.

Suddenly, Reyn felt a sudden awareness and looked towards the northwest. He had just sensed an incredibly powerful energy fluctuation.

Moriah also paused, looking in the same direction. Then, she glanced at Reyn and said, "Reyn, did you sense that too?"

"Yes, it's very clear. It seems to be coming from the central region of Ferdinand Forest," Reyn nodded.

"Judging by the distance and the intensity of the energy fluctuations we sensed, it's likely at the Demigod level. It appears the situation with the elves is worse than we imagined." Moriah pondered for a moment before speaking.

At the same time, at the Seventh Sentinel Post, Lambert, Anna, Olenna, and the other women all looked astonished. They quickly peered through the windows, gazing towards the center of Ferdinand Forest.

Even from this great distance, a visible green pillar of light shot into the sky, piercing the heavens! Then, it slowly shrank, returning to calm, but the intense energy fluctuations spread out like a tsunami in all directions.

"Energy fluctuations of this magnitude..." Even the most powerful Lambert was shocked.

"This is bad! This energy fluctuation... it's likely that one of the ancient Defense Crystal Towers has been destroyed." The Elder Druid Aldran suddenly realized something, his face filled with horror.

"What? Grandfather Aldran, that can't be..." Anna covered her mouth in surprise.

"Well, I once heard an Imperial Grand Marshal mention that there are five Defense Crystal Towers, and as long as three of them stand, the Crystal Barrier will not dissipate."

In mid-air, halfway between Sentinel Post One and Ferdinand City.

A large airship, escorted by two teams of Gryphon Knights, was flying swiftly.

After witnessing the sudden intense energy fluctuations and the green pillar of light in the distance, the airship's deck was instantly filled with powerful knights and wizards of various kinds.

Leading them was Loza, the Imperial Rampart Guardian.

An old man with a sharp mind but white hair slowly approached Loza. His expression was slightly grave as he said, "Your Majesty Loza, according to the Empire's top-secret intelligence, the most likely cause of such powerful natural energy fluctuations is the explosion of the elves' Defense Crystal Tower."

'Your Majesty' was a more respectful title than 'Your Highness,' often used for the Imperial Family and Imperial Guardians.

The old man held a short staff and wore an unassuming light gray wizard's robe. Others couldn't even sense his psychic energy, making him seem like an ordinary neighbor. However, he was an extremely rare Fourth Rank Dawn Wizard.

To be precise, he was a Dawn Wizard specializing in Earth magic.

His name was Reginald, titled 'Earth Pulse Guardian,' and he was the second Imperial Guardian sent by the upper echelons.

"Your Majesty Reginald, it seems we need to increase our speed. But what I'm more curious about is, what is the purpose of the Mother Tree Sect's actions this time?" Loza nodded, his expression also turning solemn.

Inside the Valzich Ruins.

As Moriah recited a somewhat lengthy incantation, a 'click' sounded, and one of the thick metal bars in front of her loosened.

Then, a dense sound of gears turning filled the air! The thick metal bars slowly moved to the side, revealing an entrance wide enough for four or five people and over ten meters high.

"Don't underestimate these metal bars. Although we are both Metal-type wizards and can use Metal Transformation Spells, these bars have been reinforced with special runes. Additionally, there's a Solidification Sorcery Array inside the passage, making it almost impossible to destroy them with Metal Transformation Spells."

"Fortunately, we discovered a diary among the belongings of some Valzig School wizards that recorded the passage spell."

Moriah explained to Reyn in a low voice as they walked.

Reyn nodded; he had sensed it just now.

The thick, dark metal bars before them seemed extraordinary, with obscure and intricate runes on their surface. This might be why, after so many years, numerous Jawed Golems had failed to break through and enter the core.

As Reyn stepped inside, he found himself in a spacious corridor.

The wall lamps in the corridor had long stopped working, but with Reyn's dark vision, he could see everything clearly.

The walls on both sides were thick and gray, with man-made recesses every few meters or more, and Reyn even spotted some round, pipe-like holes that resembled gunports.

At the deepest part of the corridor, there seemed to be a door, and next to it stood two enormous golems, each over eight meters tall.

The golems were made of a special stone material, with thick limbs and bodies. They had no weapons, but their tightly clenched stone fists, compared to their bodies, were enormous, like two massive millstones.

"Do you see those two golems? They are Fury Fist War Golems, and their specific blueprints have been lost for many years. If the old guys from the School of Rock were here, they'd be thrilled. But for us, it's a problem."

"When I sent a small puppet to scout this area before, it triggered these Fury Fist War Golems, which are approximately at the Legendary Peak level."

"Reyn, you take care of the one on the left, and I'll handle the one on the right. Try not to damage them too severely." Moriah looked at Reyn and spoke softly.

"Master, perhaps it won't be that troublesome. Leave it to me."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end