Chapter 457: 423 The inside of the organism
——"Radiant Golden Red Body".
As previously mentioned, this is a form within "Breath of Thunder" that originally did not exist.
"Breath of Thunder" has a total of six types of sword forms, namely "Thunderclap and Flash", "Rice Spirit", "Gathering Swarm of Thunder", "Distant Thunder", "Hot Showers of Thunder", and "Electric Shock Thunder Roar", from the First Form to the Sixth Form. There is no such thing as a Seventh Form.
However, Agatsuma Zenitsu, who could only use the First Form of "Breath of Thunder" and was not capable of utilizing the other five forms, managed to surpass his limits through his own efforts and reached a realm that other inheritors of the "Breath of Thunder" could not achieve.
He focused solely on developing the First Form of "Breath of Thunder", refining it to the ultimate extreme and subsequently developed extended techniques such as "Thunderclap and Flash: Sixfold", "Thunderclap and Flash: Eightfold", and "Thunderclap and Flash: Godspeed". In the process, he combined other forms to create his unique sword technique.
That is the Seventh Form of "Breath of Thunder"——"Radiant Golden Red Body".
It possesses speed and explosive power that can even surpass "Thunderclap and Flash: Godspeed". When used by Agatsuma Zenitsu, it allows him to perform a high-speed thrusting slash that is completely undetectable to the eyes of Upper Rank Demons, leaving a trail like a golden thunder dragon in its wake, as if the dragon itself were dancing.
It boasts tremendous power; even if the opponent is an Upper Rank Demon who is difficult for even the Pillars to handle, a single slash can sever the demon’s head, instantly ending their life.
Keep in mind, when this form was developed, Zenitsu was at most equivalent to Lv.3 and had not reached the level of a Pillar Swordsman. However, with this sword form, he could pose a lethal threat to Upper Rank Demons, who were considered high-level even among Lv.4. This shows just how powerful this sword form is.
Reiger already had intentions to explore this form. Thus, when he was improving the secrets of "Breath of the Sun", he promptly discerned the composition of this sword form, understanding roughly which forms Zenitsu had combined to create this technique.
As a result, Reiger successfully recreated it and incorporated a bit of his own interpretation, blending in the essence of "Breath of the Sun". This made the sword form even more formidable and terrifying.
Consequently, in the hands of Reiger, now at Lv.7, this sword form unleashed tremendous power, suppressing Revin, who launched a reckless attack.
Reiger could feel distinctly, when the entire training ground was engulfed in blinding white due to the earth-shattering roars and impacts, his own golden lightning strike had also hit Revin’s body, shattering his armor.
Revin was swallowed by the golden lightning, blood spraying from his body as he fell into the collapsing ground below.
However, Reiger was not left unaffected.
Revin’s Sword of Rebels was known as the weapon with the most formidable attack power in the Kingdom of Gennas, not only incredibly sharp but also possessing a variety of special effects, particularly those that could break through magic and defenses, allowing the Sword of Rebels to penetrate all of an enemy’s defenses upon hitting.
In front of this sword, even the "Refusal of Life Cocoon", a magic that could nullify slashing damage, was useless against the armor-piercing effect, which could directly cause injury even through magical defenses.
Even if Reiger employed a massive shield and wore thick armor, the defense-breaking effect of the sword would easily shatter these defenses, unless their quality surpassed that of the Sword of Rebels.
Moreover, by recklessly activating Uluo Sword Techniques, Revin unleashed power far greater than usual. Had his strike landed solidly on Reiger, even Reiger as he was now would sustain serious injuries.
Therefore, in a critical moment, Reiger activated the effect of the sacred treasure Meloai God, placing himself in an invincible state for one minute, thereby nullifying Revin’s desperate attack.
The Meloai God was truly a mystic treasure that could stir Reiger’s heart, and its power was not breached by the Sword of Rebels, ensuring Reiger remained unharmed.
But, the current situation seemed to have become a bit peculiar.
"...Where is this?"
Reiger is momentarily stunned.
At this moment, he found himself in a cavernous space akin to a huge cave.
Walls and stones surrounded him on all sides; a rock wall was overhead as well, utterly devoid of any man-made objects.
This was abrupt.
Just a second ago, he was in the majestic and refined training ground, and the next second, as if thrown into a wilderness deep within the mountains, he appeared inside a vast cave. No matter how you looked at it, it was unexpected.
"Is this beneath the training ground?"
Reiger could only think this way.
Due to the earth-shattering collision, the entire ground of the training ground collapsed. Not only did Revin fall into the depths, but Reiger was also buried under the overwhelming debris.
He was not worried, for with Meloai God’s protection, he was absolutely safe for at least one minute.
So, Reiger let himself fall to the bottom, intending to wait for the isolation effect of Meloai God to expire and re-establish contact with the outside world before immediately teleporting away.
In such circumstances, Reiger naturally felt that he might still be underneath the training ground.
But how could there be such a large cave beneath the training ground?
And, if he had fallen from above and was still underground, why was the ceiling intact with complete rock formations?
The more Reiger thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss.
"No, there’s something wrong here."
Reiger immediately activated Transparent World, his eyes emitting a transparent luster as he surveyed his surroundings.
Upon looking, Reiger’s pupils constricted sharply.
In this cave, those places that seemed to be walls and rock formations were not actually stone, but masses of flesh that were writhing and moving.
Through Transparent World, Reiger could clearly see the movement of that flesh, the blood vessels hidden beneath it, and the mucus seeping through the crevices of the walls and rocks, which he had not noticed before.
This place was clearly——
"Inside a living creature!"
Just as Reiger realized this, an anomaly occurred.
"Boom!"
The entire cave suddenly shook violently, like a giant beast that had been disturbed, flinging Reiger into midair, nearly colliding with the ceiling oozing large amounts of mucus.
"Flight!"
Reiger quickly used magic, his outline flickering with a faint blue magic light as he hovered mid-air, avoiding the fate of crashing into the disgusting wall.
But the anomaly had only just begun.
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
As the entire cave began to shake violently, a series of irritating buzzing sounds also entered Reiger’s ears.
Countless dark shadows flew towards him from the other side of the cave.
They had hard shells, resembling beetles, as big as cows, their wings flapping at an astonishing rate, stirring the buzzing noise that made one’s scalp tingle.
"Monster?"
Reiger was stunned.
What’s going on?
Why are there monsters here?
Isn’t this the inside of a living creature?
Although he did not know how he had come to such a place, since it was inside a creature, it should not be possible for monsters to inhabit it, right?
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
Regardless of Reiger’s confusion, a large swarm of beetle-like massive monsters flocked towards him, their wings flapping wildly, a scene reminiscent of an insect invasion, which made Reiger a bit queasy.
"Refusal of Life Cocoon!"
Without thinking further, Reiger activated his magic, his protective shield rising from his body with a hazy halo of light.
"Bang bang bang bang bang——"
The giant beetle-like monsters immediately hit the suddenly erected protective shield, causing a loud series of collision sounds, then bounced off, unable to get close to Reiger.
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
The beetle monsters became agitated, with some fiercely colliding with the shield and others simply sticking to it, gradually covering it with beetles.
"...Truly disgusting."
Watching this scene, even Reiger was a bit overwhelmed.
"Negative Burst!"
Without any hesitation, Reiger once again used magic, and it was an area-of-effect attack spell.
In an instant, a reversal-like black surge seemed to explode out from his center, striking the surroundings in one breath.
The black surge, like a pitch-black orb of light bursting out from Reiger’s body, expanded while engulfing the vicinity, enveloping the beetles that covered the "Refusal of Life Cocoon" as well as the nearby monsters.
The beetles caught in the black surge disappeared in an instant.
The sight was not like being hit by a disintegration spell, where they were obliterated, but rather like their entire body’s structure was exploded, dispersing on the spot into unknown particles.
Reiger’s field of vision finally cleared again, no longer filled with disgusting beetles.
But the beetle monsters seemed endless, still flying in from the other side of the still-shaking cave, and more and more of them, making the buzzing noise inexhaustible, extremely unpleasant to hear.
"This is not a place to linger."
Reiger frowned, unusually retreating.
Even he did not wish to rush excitedly into a sea of insects to fight against a swarm of giant beetles.
Reiger then planned to use a teleportation spell to leave the place directly.
That was until Reiger saw a few figures.
"Swoosh!" "Swoosh!" "Swoosh!" "Swoosh!"......
This was the sound of slicing through the air that only someone with special abilities like Reiger’s, who could perceive the world with acute clarity, could notice.
Several figures came swiftly and silently, like phantoms or ghosts, appearing in this part of the cave.
Seeing those figures, Reiger, who was about to use a teleportation spell to leave, steeled himself.
There was no way around it.
Their silent movement, coupled with a ghost-like eerie state, and the bodies lacking hearts reflected in the transparent world...
There was no doubt that these were the mysterious and strange assailants who had attacked Liz.
Reiger stopped, looking at these strange beings without hearts, and a coldness gradually surfaced in his eyes that shimmered with transparent luster.