Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 280 The Spy's True Identity

Chaos spread throughout the area; flames, screams, attacks, and blood turned it into a true hell on earth.

This is the underground city and territory of cultists, yet they still lack sufficient lighting; the light sources that illuminate the roads were all cleared away immediately.

If they were rational enough, they would know that the absolute number of attackers was not large.
"Where? Where exactly is it?"

"The war beasts have gone out of control!! Get out of the way!"

"Many adults have also lost control; we must avoid them!"

The Beast Order's base here contains a whole host of dangerous items.

Rean and his group's surprise attack using "the road" completely disrupted their planned operations.

If you give them just one more day—no, just 12 hours—a large number of hostages and prisoners will be converted.

Members of the Beast Order who had just been fighting on the ground all day were able to "cool down" and recover most of their combat power.

Beasts have powerful and useful abilities, but the more they are used, the easier it is for them to "overheat," especially when they still possess a certain degree of humanity.

The more "hybrid" a beast is, the more limited its self-control is, and the lower the upper limit of its abilities.

The day's bloody battle left most of the believers in a state of overload. Just as they were falling asleep, they were jolted awake again. Their physical and mental exhaustion was further aggravated by the life-or-death crisis, causing many of them to quickly "lose control."

Especially since this is the base of these cult members, most people have an almost instinctive sense of security when it comes to "home".

When this sense of security is shattered, the fear will erupt several times over, and the uncontrollable fear and anxiety will cause the "defense instinct" to erupt further.

"Damn it, calm down! We haven't seen the attackers, but so many people are dying inexplicably."

"Something's not right, something's not right, why do I feel so irritable?"

In fact, this is also somewhat related to Rean's arrangements.

Among the potions scattered was an alchemical potion called "Dragon's Dignity (Aura)".

It is actually an extract from dragon-like creatures, and can have a certain effect of "repelling insects" and "driving away wild beasts".

However, these bottles are Victoria's special products, and the extracts come from Rean.

"The aura of a true dragon can drive beasts into a frenzy and even cause them to lose control."

This is fear and hatred etched into his genes. Rean's dragon nature is the purest, and therefore has the best effect.

Rean even had one of his accompanying mages use a "wind spell" to spread the "evaporating potion" around the area.

For "hybrids" of mixed blood, the effects of these dragon auras are not so obvious, and they may not even recognize them.

However, in a herd of beasts that was already in an unstable state, the aura of a natural enemy could easily accelerate the rate at which they went out of control.

Time is always the foundation of tactical planning. Rean's surprise attack disrupted all their plans, and the advantages of a surprise attack are gradually becoming apparent.

This was also due to Rean's ability to "path," which allowed him to avoid several traps and sentries that should have alerted him.

Even so, the raiders' tactics remained quite clear.

"Don't be greedy, saving lives comes first."

Even though they were all elites and outnumbered, their primary focus remained on saving lives.

"Die, evil."

As time passed, amidst the chaos, Rean finally found his goal.

He simply swung his sword calmly and killed the few low-level Beast Cultists blocking his way.

The cage guards, who had only undergone slight bestial transformation, probably didn't even have one-tenth the strength of the Horned Disciple.

In front of Rean, he was just a target with average feel.

They didn't even have time to roar and charge forward before they easily fell to the longsword.

Rean glanced at the cage behind him and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, there's still time." Although most of the hostages looked dejected, they were at least still alive and well.

This is already deep within these ruins. Rean has come relatively smoothly, having fought his way here.

Inside the cage were some unfortunate souls who were dressed relatively well. They were perhaps the more valuable hostages, and so far, they hadn't been subjected to any cruel treatment.

Come to think of it, these people are either bargaining chips or future infiltrators; turning them into beasts would be tantamount to rendering them useless.

"Lord Rean! Lord Rean!"

Rean, who had just approached the cage, was called by name.

"I am Lant Solna, the second son of the Solna family. I had the honor of witnessing your heroic bearing at your investiture ceremony."

This guy seems to be quite eloquent. But the gray "dog-man" behind him looks quite ordinary.

He wore a high-quality enchanted leather armor, and his weapons appeared to be disarmed. If Ugu hadn't mentioned him, Rean would probably have subconsciously ignored him. There were several other similar security personnel in the cage, seemingly all guards for these elite individuals.

Rean glanced at Ugu, who was still looking down, silently unlocking the door.

Rean knew that he could see everything around him, and this "acquiescence" without immediate denial was enough.

Rean grew to appreciate this usually quiet boy more and more. He was quite surprised when he found out that the boy was only sixteen years old.

When I was sixteen, I was just an ordinary kid who was a little precocious, but the other person was unusually mature in every way.

"Oh, young master of the Solna family, I'm coming to your rescue."

It was the second son of the Earl of Solna who opened his mouth, but said nothing.

It's good that I was saved and didn't turn into a beast or a lump of flesh. "Clang!"

Finally, the lock was opened by the clumsy minotaur slave, and all eyes turned to him. Then...
"when!"

The clash between the sword and the knife occurred at that moment, and Hela's sneak attack was actually blocked!

Unbeknownst to them, the other party had already climbed onto the roof, and the ambush, which had drawn their attention, had no effect.

"what happened!"

The nobleman's question was now meaningless.

Hela, the great swordswoman who had lost face, murmured softly.

"WIERK!"

In an instant, a violent storm arose.

Part of it was concentrated on the twin swords, and part was concentrated on Hela.

The girl floated up, her dragon eyes flashing within them, lightning gathering within them, like an enraged god.

Rean then noticed that this girl was not only a dragon descendant, but she probably had already awakened her dragon language ability.

Previously, she hadn't shown her full strength?
Dragon-speech incantations combined with top-tier swordsmanship—or perhaps, this is the true essence of a top-tier magic swordsman.

"when!"

Even so, Hela was still cleaved back by the dog-man's sword as soon as she launched her dive attack!
At this moment, anyone who wasn't a fool would know that something was wrong with this "bodyguard." Putting aside how he secretly kept the weapons, how could such a powerful monster be so obediently imprisoned?

"move."

Rean didn't rush to make a move. He told the hostages to leave quickly, and that someone would naturally come to their aid.

He kept watching as the cage in the area where Hela and the dog-man clashed vanished in an instant; the area was no longer even big enough for them to fight.

He didn't even look back at the noblemen and their hostages; Hela's safety was infinitely more important than the noblemen whose names he couldn't even remember.

Rean looked at her. The girl had silently begun to transform into a dragon.

Only then did Rean realize that this was the first time she had used the power of her bloodline.

Rean remained uninvolved, focusing instead on the dog-man.

"A swordsman? No, the scent is off. A demon swordsman, not that either. A high-ranking thief."

One by one, incorrect conclusions were eliminated, and Rean inexplicably felt that the dog-man was somewhat familiar. His silver dagger danced wildly like a dragon or snake, as if it possessed its own consciousness.

"Hela, he's a sorcerer! A demon contractor!"

Rean's voice earned him a furious glare from the dog-man.

He completed the transformation right before everyone's eyes.

A black dog with long horns and sharp teeth, its four hooves with reversed joints, the original black dog-man, transformed into a deformed demon reeking of sulfur, stood up.
"Holy crap, the Order of the Beasts even has Hell Demons?"

Rean exclaimed in surprise, but it was still more of a test.

Devil and devil are two different things. Devil is a very utilitarian creature. When they appear, they are usually in a group, and they are for a certain conspiracy.

The appearance of such a monster from purgatory among cultists who worship beasts seems suspicious.

The demonized dog-man still did not respond to Rean. It seemed that he did not care about Rean's probing.

But Rean was somewhat pleased. If the opponent were just an ordinary beast, it would be a bit difficult to deal with, but if it were an evil infernal creature from a lower plane...
"SOL (Sun)!"

The sacred sun appeared and immediately suppressed the dog-man completely.

Ordinary orcs might only be able to fight to the death, but as a paladin, Rean has many additional means to deal with evil from the lower planes.
-
While Rean began eliminating the "hidden danger," the war on the other side had barely begun when it became mired in a stalemate.

This time, Claire brought three Radiant Guardians with her; except for one who was escorting the hostages away, all of them were brought along.

Three warriors or higher-level professionals should have little difficulty dealing with an elderly archmage, especially if they launch a sneak attack.
"Boom!"

45-year-old Radiant Guardian Kuhn was killed instantly with a shattered skull.

And on that face that died with its eyes wide open, just a moment ago there was the joy of victory. When a great warrior has forced the spellcaster to get close, he will probably show a similar expression.

At this point, the archmage Julian no longer resembled a human being.

But unlike the beast transformation in the plan, at this moment, his thick limbs were like pillars, surrounded by chains. It was those thick and deformed arms that twisted the Radiant Guard to pieces in an instant.

This shouldn't have happened. Even when faced with a monster that suddenly transforms into a beast, the Radiant Guardians are capable of handling it.

But once bound by those chains, the unfortunate Kuhn lost all ability to resist.

"A Hell Chain Demon?! The kingdom's archmage, one of the leaders of the Beast Order, is actually a great demon from purgatory?!"

This is a reality that no one expected. You're not even a beastman, so what reason do you have to worship the Beast Ancestor?
Clearly, this is an unusually humorous development, yet it reflects a helpless reality.

These extreme "racists" are actually spies from other races?!
The ironic turn of events left Claire, who was not good with words, completely at a loss for words.

“Little Claire, I really didn’t expect it would be you who came to find me. Actually, I have no hostility towards the kingdom.”

The Hell Demon sighed, its skull-like head shaking incessantly.

"I just came here honestly to be a mage, and after a while, I became the Grand Mage of the Court. The followers of the Beast Order recruited me, and I joined them thirty years ago. I don't know why I became the High Priest." The devil's words seemed a little aggrieved.

But Claire didn't believe a single word. Anyone who believed a single word of the devil's words deserved to go to hell.

(End of this chapter)