134 Chapter134-Soul Blood Pact
As Howard beheld the Oriental Divine Dragon, it transformed into a streak of golden light with a 'whoosh' and plunged directly into him.
In that instant, Howard felt his blood boil, and in his mind's eye, the shadow of a golden divine dragon emerged.
Instinctively, Howard wanted to resist the presence of the golden dragon, but recalling the voice he had just heard, he subdued his soul instead.
The next moment, to Howard's amazement, he found his soul merging with that of the golden dragon.
With a mighty roar, golden light surged within Howard's eyes.
Stamping his right foot on the ground with a clang, armor began to spread like liquid gold from his legs upwards.
This spectacle made even Solyes gape, halting him in his tracks.
And those behind him?
They were thoroughly startled by the sequence of transformations!
In the span of a few breaths, Howard was clad in a suit of golden armor, from which a regal and profound aura emanated.
Emblazoned upon the armor were the patterns of multiple golden dragons, and the scales shimmered as if they were real dragon scales.
"What... what is this situation?"
Even Solyes, a level 90 or so powerhouse, was confounded. It was his first time witnessing a level 30 awakened manifesting armor from within his body.
With a swooshing sound, Howard, sheathed in golden armor, shot forth like an arrow released from its bow, sweeping past Solyes in a flash.
Then, a sharp glint of golden light, like the blade of a sword, fiercely cleaved through the bodies of the numerous awakened behind Solyes.
Thud, thud, thud!
The sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed incessantly, blood flowed from their wounds, and the rich scent of blood immediately pervaded the space.
Howard was utterly astounded as he witnessed the unfolding events.
He hadn't anticipated that transforming into this armored state would bestow upon him such incredible power!
Even more surprising was the fact that he wasn't in control of the earlier offensive maneuver.
The crisp chimes of the system alerts still echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations to the awakened Howard for successfully establishing a Soul Blood Pact with a prematurely born Oriental Divine Dragon. The pact is irreversible, linking both lives and souls—
should one perish, neither can survive alone!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the awakened Howard for mastering the Divine Spirit-level Pact skill—Soul Fusion! The initial usage requires no expenditure and is beyond the awakened's control!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the awakened Howard for receiving the strength nourishment of the prematurely born Oriental Divine Dragon's blood covenant. Your HP has increased by 10,000 points, MP by 10,000 points, spirit by 300 points, strength by 2,000 points, and agility by 2,000 points, enabling the casting of Dragon Language Magic without any conditions!]
"!!!"
"I've actually entered into a Soul Blood Pact with an Oriental Divine Dragon?!"
These abrupt notifications made Howard's breathing quicken, disbelief seizing him.
Typically, the contracts signed with familiars are of three kinds: the unilateral Servant Pact, the bilateral Collaborative Pact, and the conjoined, life-for-life Soul Blood Pact!
The nature of the pact brings different levels of constraints upon the awakened and their familiars.
Among these, the Soul Blood Pact is the most advantageous yet concurrently the most challenging to establish!
It requires the voluntary consent of the familiar; without it, the pact is null, an impossibility to be forged.
While Howard was still grappling with astonishment, the Oriental Divine Dragon had already taken command of his body—or more precisely, their shared form—and once again lunged towards Solyes.
Under the state of Soul Fusion, the flesh was Howard's, and the golden armor was the manifestation of the Oriental Divine Dragon.
Thus, Howard's capabilities could no longer be gauged by mere levels.
The defense of that golden armor was extraordinarily formidable.
Even when clashing with Solyes's great sword, it did not fall short but instead stuck sparks, promptly sending Solyes hurtling through the air.
Yet Solyes, being a level 90 powerhouse, managed to dissipate the force of the shock midair.
"Damn it, I refuse to believe that a level 30 vermin can make any significant waves!" Solyes cursed.
"Flame Whirlwind!"
With a fierce sweep of his great sword, Solyes spun rapidly, conjuring a whirlwind in the blink of an eye.
Blazing flames burst forth from the sword, swiftly engulfing the entire vortex.
The wind lent its might to the flames, causing an instantaneous eruption as the Flame Whirlwind skill took shape.
It possessed not just the pulling force of the wind and the keenness of wind blades but also the scorching heat of the flames, racing towards Howard in his golden armor with breakneck speed.
However, faced with this onslaught, Howard—now under the Oriental Divine Dragon's control—leaped into the air, hovering momentarily before taking a deep, forceful breath.
This inhalation was akin to a whale's engulfing draw, absorbing all the flames within a hundred yards radius into his maw, not sparing even the flames previously unleashed by Shelley Chan.
In the span of a few breaths, the area was utterly devoid of flames.
Apart from Nurbaski and a handful of others who were too close to Shelley Chan and quickly perished in the flames, the rest of the powerful awakened ones survived, largely due to their own abilities.
Howard had essentially liberated them!
But before they could even catch their breath, Howard unleashed a fierce, golden dragon breath.
How terrifying was the power contained within the dragon breath?
The group of awakened had no strength to resist; they were blasted away instantaneously, and even Solyes was no exception.
The dragon breath traveled over a thousand yards, propelling the group of awakened back by the same distance with its overwhelming force.
It was then that the Oriental Divine Dragon, maneuvering Howard's body, swooped down and cradled Shelley Chan in his arms.
Before darting off like a shooting star, tearing through the space, flying towards the horizon.
After what seemed like an eternity of flight, Howard finally landed on solid ground. At that moment, he shuddered, regaining control of his body.
"I... earlier... hurt... the core... need... rest..."
Before he could finish his broken sentences, the golden Oriental Divine Dragon within his mind closed its eyes and began to coil serenely within the sea of his consciousness.
"What... exactly is going on?!"
His lips twitched in confusion, Howard himself couldn't understand what had just transpired!
Where had that Oriental Divine Dragon come from?
Why was it able to communicate with him?
And how could it merge with him, transforming into a set of stunning golden armor on his behalf?
"No, this isn't right! Solyes and his men aren't dead yet; they'll surely pursue us. I must quickly take Shelley and get out of here!"
With a sharp shake of his head, Howard came to his senses. He was still in a crisis. Hastily regathering his focus, he clutched Shelley Chan and sprinted towards the direction of Crimson Dragon City once again.
As for why Wales hadn't shown up?
Howard couldn't afford to care anymore!
In the face of a life-or-death crisis, Wales's absence had been a stark revelation for Howard—it was a bitter lesson that one's safety should never be entirely entrusted to another.
Running wildly, Howard's shortcomings in strength became apparent.
Back in the Medea Ruins, regardless of what monster they encountered, it could be dealt with, the only concern was whether it would alert the pursuers.
But now, the archers and maguses had already perished, Wales was missing, and Shelley Chan was still incapacitated in her Nirvana State, unable to move.
Relying solely on Howard, it wasn't about defeating the monsters—it was already a feat to escape.
Fortunately, the onslaught of the monsters was not as vicious as that of humans.
Howard, with his enhanced attributes from the blood pact with the Oriental Divine Dragon, managed to react in time.
Yet Howard could only flee blindly, unable to choose his path carefully. He could only dash in a direction while dodging the monsters' attacks.
He couldn't even be certain of what lay ahead.
Thud—
It seemed that the extended period of running was too much even for Howard's sturdy physique, unable to maintain high-speed movement, he was abruptly struck by a fierce tiger.
Thankfully, Howard quickly turned, taking the hit on his back to shield Shelley Chan.
However, the impact sent Howard flying and he crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Crash!
No sooner had Howard hit the ground than he felt a softening beneath him.
The once solid earth cracked open abruptly, and Howard, caught in a state of weightlessness, was unable to brace himself.
Lacking the skill to navigate through the air, he found himself plummeting into the abyss.
The howling wind past his ears was a clear indication to Howard that he was falling into a vast underground space, descending what felt like dozens of feet in height.
In a desperate effort to prevent Shelley Chan from being crushed on impact, Howard gritted his teeth and strained every muscle to twist his body, cradling Shelley in his arms.
Meanwhile, above ground, the figure of Wales silently materialized.
"Not bad at all," he murmured to himself. "To think he's forged a pact with the Oriental Divine Dragon. In that case, it's best I don't show myself. He must endure this trial on his own to grow sufficiently strong!"
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on free(w)ebnov(e)l.𝒄𝒐𝙢