Chapter 49: The Flood Dragon Presents Its Claw

Rainy night, battlefield, trenches.

A shadow struck. Empowered by blood wings, Kahn moved with a phantom-like speed. He descended from the heavens, his rapier carving razor-sharp remnants across the battlefield. Wherever he passed, severed limbs and broken arms flew into the air, while headless corpses spewed fountains of blood.

In the blink of an eye, nearly ten soldiers perished. Rifles mounted with bayonets appeared sluggish and unresponsive against the assault.

Jiang He activated his active skill, Fervent Rhythm, to mark the enemy, then raised his gun and fired. The bullet grazed the enemy's cheek, leaving a clear bloody trail.

Kahn wiped away a bead of blood and turned his gaze toward his prey. As his wound slowly healed, he pushed off the ground, the rain vibrating off his black tailcoat. Closing a distance of dozens of meters in an instant, he thrust his rapier straight and fierce, producing a piercing shriek.

Jiang He swung his rifle in a wide arc, gripping the barrel with his wrist and lashing it outward like a giant hammer, viciously smashing into the rapier.

The moment iron collided with steel, he decisively let go. Metallic light burst from his palm, and the Spear of Longing manifested instantly.

The spear swept outward like a ferocious dragon, dragging a gale of cracking wind as if bearing a heavy colossal object. The silver-white shaft was heated to a glowing red by air friction, then billowed with white steam under the soaking rain.

Boom!

The moment it struck the enemy's body, a deafening, muffled thunderclap exploded.

Kahn was sent flying sideways. A creeping chill rose from the depths of his heart, and the crisp sound of his bones fracturing assaulted his eardrums. He crashed heavily into the trench wall, bounced back into the air by the unrelenting residual force, and tumbled backward without stopping, finally hitting the ground like a lump of mud.

Yet very soon, Kahn propped himself up and stood. His fair, healthy skin was withering, and his lithe physique became terribly emaciated, as though every ounce of nutrition in his body had been squeezed dry to repair the horrific injuries on his abdomen in a race against time.

"Despicable wretch, actually sending ordinary people to the front line."

Kahn tore away his tailcoat. Because the officer had died without any suspense, he had initially categorized this fellow among the "ordinarily brave soldiers." He had never expected him to be a Knight—and a strength-based one at that, akin to a tiger, lion, bear, or elephant.

Unfazed by the enemy's twisted logic, Jiang He extended his left hand and raised four fingers.

"Come."

Kahn grinned hideously. He crossed a distance of over thirty meters in what looked like a single leap, a bloodthirsty aggressiveness bursting from his eyes. He slashed downward with his blade, combining sharpness and precision as if cutting through thin paper.

Jiang He raised his high spear, meeting the blade with the close-quarters spearmanship technique, Hegemon Lifts the Tripod. Blade and spear intersected, the friction-generated sparks instantly extinguished by the wet rain.

Kahn withdrew his blade and thrust again, continually probing his opponent's defenses. His form remained in constant motion, his speed ghostly. While his baseline speed was only comparable to nine points, the pair of blood wings seemed to cleave the airflow, granting him a formidable enhancement.

Jiang He flipped the spear in both hands, unleashing his strength. The vigorous spear shadows were dazzling—at times gentle, at times heavy, and moving at a speed that left onlookers dumbfounded. The whistling friction of the wind grew increasingly shrill, eventually forming an invisible barrier visible to the naked eye.

Flowers of sparks bloomed across the spear shadow enveloping his body. Catching the right moment, blood-red energy imbued with corrosive properties spread from the blade, and the rapier erupted in a magnificent flurry of thrusts directed straight at his enemy's forehead.

Pure azure armor surged over Jiang He's entire body, noticeably heightening his speed, strength, and defense. Garuda Modes Two and Three activated simultaneously, a violent heartbeat thundering from his chest.

Metallic light roared forth, and a raging gale of wind engulfed the enemy like a tidal wave.

With fully stacked fervent marks, the damage bonus of spear mastery, the enhancement of the energy modes, and the utilization of external force to drive a heavy spear weighing hundreds of jun, he executed the single-kill move from the Arm Classic's stabbing techniques: The Dragon Presents Its Claws.

Vaguely, both combatant and spectator seemed to hear a genuine roar. The coiling dragon extended its claws filled with hatred and malice, shattering the rapier in one fell swoop, before smashing Kahn's chest to pieces—just as the bullet had shot the lieutenant.

Kahn's eyes bulged as he slid sideways, his legs plowing two deep trenches deep enough to submerge his calves into the ground. Thick blood gushed profusely from his massive wound.

Colliding with the trench wall once more, he nearly lost the strength to stand. Reduced to skin and bones, he barely managed to stabilize his injuries through his self-healing ability before instantly ripping off a sniper rifle and firing a single bullet.

The bullet struck someone's shoulder, shattering a corner of the invisible defense provided by the Dragon Scale Armor. Jiang He looked slightly surprised and was about to step forward when a dozen blood-eyed fellows surrounded him, each wielding a rapier, looking like retainers specially cultivated by some ancient family.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Tommy arrived just in time, emptying his revolver to drop four men. In truth, not a single one of his bullets missed, though the hits to their chests and abdomens were not fatal.

Jiang He swept out with two close-quarters spear strikes, River Descending, easily bursting figures into mists of blood right before his eyes. He felt a mild curiosity as to why these fellows refused to use firearms; even if they were lagging behind the times, they shouldn't have been entirely devoid of rifles.

At that exact moment, Kahn reached forward and clenched his fists fiercely. His wings seemed to strain alongside the motion, the densely overlapping feathers acting like iron flakes wedged into flesh. As the wings beat, they roared outward, trailing sharp trajectories that intersected to form a storm.

The iron-feather storm tore through the blood mist, staining itself with corrosive, blood-red hues. This man-made tempest engulfed the target, looking from afar like a tornado brandishing blood and iron.

Jiang He once again summoned the pure azure armor, the cyan energy spreading onto the shaft of the Spear of Longing, swirling and dancing beneath his hands to forge an impenetrable cyan curtain of spears.

The two sides wore each other down, occasionally producing the sharp, ringing snaps of snapping rock and iron. Kahn's expression grew tense, his consciousness growing murky from his devastating injuries. Just as he was racking his brain for a solution, a spear suddenly hurled outward from the tornado. The terrifying weight landed on his body, causing his hard-maintained injuries to collapse and plunging him into a state of shock and unconsciousness within moments.

Iron feathers mingled with corrosive blood slashed against the pure azure armor. The dense and razor-sharp onslaught did not cease merely because its user had lost consciousness. After relinquishing the spear, Jiang He's energy value plummeted rapidly just to sustain the armor; he had to tuck his head and roll away to escape this dead zone.

Tommy carefully inspected Kahn's condition and looked up. "He's unconscious, but his vitality is immense. If this continues, he'll likely wake up. He's probably the current head of the Prussian Blood Bat family."

"Cares who he is."

Jiang He stood up and approached, shouting for Charles XI to fetch iron chains. After binding him tightly, he shoved the prey into his item pouch. Pitch black inside, it was akin to tossing someone into a solitary confinement cell for torture; he would let the captive suffer a bit before interrogating him regarding his family heritage.

Suddenly, Jiang He looked up. The young soldier standing before him wasn't particularly familiar.

"Where is Charles XI?"

"He gave his life. Before he died, he asked me to take up this honor."

"Then you must be Charles XII. Easy to remember."

"Yes, sir."

He stowed the Spear of Longing into his equipment slot. This offensive weapon had failed to provide any defense, while the item pouch had successfully imprisoned a living person—though based on prior experience, it could not transport them across realms.

"Rhine, the fight isn't over yet," Tommy said solemnly. "The lieutenant is dead. Either you or I need to take over command immediately."

Jiang He stated bluntly, "I don't know the first thing about commanding."