Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 275 Removing the Mask
"This seems to originate from the power of the eagle."

Rean looked thoughtfully at the corridors of light on both sides.

The prerequisite for being able to traverse is the ability to see; the prerequisite for being able to interfere is the ability to touch its characteristics. Before activating this ability, the "Eagle Eye's" high-dimensional vision seems to be the trigger.

"Is this the power of a dragon?"

Rean had always underestimated the power of the "dragon," believing that the power of the beasts was far more useful.

But in reality, the era of dragons was far more glorious and powerful than the era of beasts, and how could the "true dragon," which could become the mortal enemy of beasts, be weak?

The Dragonborn's "Dragon Language" is a variant of Dragon Magic.

How could such a fighting system, which has created an era and history in the past, possibly weaken?

[The Dragon Vein has been further activated, and the Dragon Spellsman has advanced to the second tier.]

Dragon Words, the privilege of describing and commanding all things, combines the power of "Eagle Eye" and "Spatial Magic" to create this spell that belongs only to Rean.

Record, understand, reconstruct, shape, command.

“VOTH (Road)”

An unstoppable road, an ambitious road with ideals as its bridge.

Rean turned around and watched Dimon and the others quickly catch up. He realized that only those who trusted him and were willing to follow him could keep up on the path he had paved.

"I just want people to live like human beings." At least for now, that's all Rean craves.

Rean sighed. This was perhaps the most extravagant ambition in the world.

"Let's take a break and set off again in ten minutes."

Rean glanced around and finally spotted a safe area.

Unbeknownst to him, Rean, who wasn't the strongest, had taken command of the team.

The squad members administered antidotes and bandaged wounds as needed. It's worth mentioning that the paladins' "Minor Restoration" spell was quite effective at removing poison.

The scorpion's venom is fast-acting and highly venomous, attacking the blood vessels and nervous system; a slight mistake can cause cardiac arrest or even an explosion.

However, if you manage to pull through, low-level divine magic can effectively handle the aftereffects.

"Tsk, I'm the first one to experience this divine magic."

Rean noticed that the others were in relatively good condition, only he had taken a serious hit. The others who had been hit by the poison sting were probably already lying on the ground.

On one hand, he relied on his armor to fight back, and on the other hand, he got a little impatient and deliberately injured Lex's intuitive guidance, which may not be a good thing at this time.

The pursuit of speed and efficiency in combat naturally comes with high risks and high costs, and Rean has been accumulating wounds along the way.

"You need to be more careful in the future; you can't just eat something because you feel there's no danger to your life."

Rean had many wounds, and without "Deer Heart," he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on.

A high-defense, high-attack style of attack is overwhelming for novices, but against opponents of the same or even higher level, it can easily lead to defeat due to the accumulation of wounds.

“The armor will also take some time to recover.” Rean touched the deer heart, thinking of the purple rose that was somewhere unknown.

This wondrous artifact from the Deer Prince was truly a divine weapon to him. After the Black Dragon Armor was also regarded as part of his body, the armor also gained a certain self-healing ability.

However, outward signs of healing do not necessarily mean that one is truly cured.

Although Rean's "Black Dragon Armor" healed most of the obvious "wounds" on its own, the newly grown armor plates were much thinner and could easily become fatal wounds that could be penetrated.

"Fortunately, it's black armor" is probably the only thing to be thankful for; these newly formed light-colored armor plates don't stand out too much against the black background.

Rean himself ate heartily. As a hybrid of dragon and beast, he possessed the characteristic of "healing through food" in a certain sense.

The rest time was quite short, but it was very precious to the soldiers.

After resting, eating, and healing, a professional warrior can recover at least 30% of his condition after a short, efficient rest.

"continue."

This time, however, things were much easier for Rean, who had awakened the "VOTH" ability.

He focused on his guiding work, withdrawing from combat to some extent and devoting most of his energy to "observation".

In such an environment, Hawkeye's range is quite limited, but it's enough to avoid powerful monsters that waste your time.

"Let me rest for a bit. This godforsaken place has everything."

Rean used "VOTH" for the fourth time, and this time, he avoided a swarm of charging dragon lizards. The area didn't even need to be approached; the sheer number of humanoid "statues" surrounding it was enough to demonstrate its danger.

By borrowing Rean's abilities, they managed to avoid some monsters that were too time-consuming. Rean and his group were lucky enough to encounter a flock of more than fifty griffins. If they hadn't been so pressed for time, they could have captured and tamed them and made a fortune.

Using this almost cheating method, Rean and his group had no idea how far or how deep they had gone.
"found it!"

Finally, when they saw the first horned figure and heard the commotion behind it, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"At least the hostages are still alive."
-
"Everything we do is for the greater good of our people,"

The long robes stretched several meters behind him.

The high priest, seated upright and floating, demonstrated his understanding of the power of the "Lord" simply by adopting this posture.

He did not wear a mask and actively used his real identity to gain the trust of his companions and hostages.

"How could that be? It's Grand Mage Julian. He's the vice chairman of the Radiant City Mage Association and the principal of the Advanced Studies Academy."

No one expected that the high priest of the Deer Order of Radiant City was Julian, a great mage with a very high reputation throughout the academic world.

Most cultists are reckless and foolish, but he was clearly not one of them. Among his disciples were four archmages who were authorities on spatial theory and sealing techniques, and were particularly skilled in teaching magic.

“Lord Julian, I never imagined that you were ‘Antler’.” Even his subordinates were seeing his face for the first time.

The High Priest of the Deer Antlers is one of the highest-ranking members of the Beast Group, and in reality, the position has been passed down for at least four generations.

The antlers, often referred to as the "Seat of the Top," are the most likely symbols to appear among middle-level managers as top leaders.

Corresponding to this are four high-ranking leaders: "Heart Deer," "Hoop of the Sea," "Rhythm of Heaven," and "King of Blood," each responsible for a part of the affairs. These titles have been passed down for several generations, and the Deer Order has been operating here for at least a century.

For them, being able to encounter this era and witness the "Lord's" deliverance in their lifetime is both a dream come true and a challenge.
“Foolish things, we have never betrayed our people, we are the ones who are right. Do you know that the demonic tide is coming and a war for the entire race is about to begin?”

Cult members often have their own set of theories and ideas. In front of the hostages, who were either angry or afraid, Julian, who had been holding back for a long time, spoke eloquently.

He was preaching, but he was also sowing the seeds of doubt.

Those who listened most attentively were actually his subordinates. In reality, he was not only brainwashing the hostages, but also telling his followers that in times of turmoil, he needed to step forward and relinquish his identity to stabilize people's hearts.

"In the tragic war of the demonic tide, the extermination of the former dominant races was commonplace. With the current strength of our race and nation, is there any other possibility for us but annihilation?"

"Awaken the Lord, let Him lead us onward, even if we change our form slightly, so that our race can continue."

“We need power. We have not betrayed them; we have merely corrected the mistakes of our ancestors and returned to the embrace of our true origin.”

Embrace the beasts, become one of them to survive this inevitable catastrophe. Isn't this blatantly the logic of the surrender faction? If you can't win, join them and become a so-called "foreign beast."

Join us, and you will gain immense power and immortality.

After explaining the noble principles, they began to offer incentives.

He was patient and hoped to get a batch of useful dolls.

Those who volunteer are all "family," and we happen to be short of people.

However, if one refuses the knowledge and blood of beasts, one can still successfully revert to their ancestral form.

It's best to be able to "persuade" them directly, but if they refuse, there are many other methods.

Some people immediately wavered on the idea that "these cowards and weaklings" were still untrustworthy, while others hesitated. However, their methods of hindering the conquest of the ruins as future "traitors" were perfectly acceptable.

"If it weren't for the fact that our passage to the lower level suddenly collapsed..."

In fact, the Beast Order had been trying to actively save their "father," and even with the guidance of the Beast Princes, they found a path leading to the depths.

But strangely, just a few days ago, that road suddenly became a dead end.

"No rush, no rush, it's the idiots upstairs who should be in a hurry." Julian smiled happily as he looked at the large number of sacrifices, hostages, reserve food, and combat supplies.

From his perspective, as long as he stalls for time, he can win; there's no way he can lose.

According to their calculations, given the administrative efficiency of Radiant City, the pursuers would arrive at least two days later.

When the time comes, new "believers" infiltrate among the hostages, and "hatched species" and "awakened ones" are buried among these sacrifices, what's wrong with rescuing some of them?

Betrayal and distrust are the biggest obstacles to his actions.

Julian was delighted. His identity was now public, which would create even more suspicion and division between the mages and the royal family, and would lead to the suspicion or even investigation of many mages.

(End of this chapter)