Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1410 - 480: Upheaval (Part 2)

This development forced Reginald to glance back, unable to help himself.

What met his eyes, however, left Reginald completely stunned.

In that moment, he finally grasped why the 'Red Queen' Menia had committed such an uncharacteristic blunder just moments ago.

He had previously witnessed Rein’s prowess during the conflict in the Ferdinand Forest. He truly believed that Rein, paired with the Federation Sword Saint Terrio, possessed strength superior to the Magic-tailed Three-headed Sea Dragon and the elite Sea God Sect squad.

Nevertheless, he had assumed that achieving victory would still require several minutes of intense combat.

To his utter disbelief, in the mere ten seconds since he had last checked the battlefield, the entire enemy force had been annihilated!

“Rein didn’t even resort to his Dragon Bloodline Transformation... this is...”

....

Standing near the carcass of the Magic-tailed Three-headed Sea Dragon.

Rein approached Sword Saint Terrio with a brisk pace and a calm smile:

“Lord Terrio, we must move at once to reinforce Prince Menia.”

“Oh, yes! Precisely!” Snapping out of his daze, the Federation Sword Saint Terrio nodded urgently.

His demeanor was remarkably cordial, showing no signs of the arrogance typical of an old Epic-level expert; he was clearly deferring to Rein as the leader of their group.

Rein then addressed the three pilots stationed within the Ajax Magic Statue:

“Miss Rebecca, if you three are still capable of fighting, please join us. Your long-range support could significantly diminish the pressure we face.”

Rein had noted that while two of the Magic Statues suffered from damaged limbs, engaging an ancient titan like the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian in close quarters was essentially a death sentence anyway.

Therefore, the mechanical damage was largely irrelevant to the task at hand.

The crucial factor was the Ajax Super Giant Magic Statue's formidable long-range arsenal.

By bringing the three statues along, they were effectively gaining three mobile batteries of artillery, which would serve as a vital distraction for the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian.

“Of course, Lord Rein, we are at your disposal,” Rebecca replied without hesitation.

“Understood, Lord Rein!” Benito echoed her sentiment immediately.

Even the usually loquacious Old remained quiet this time, silently maneuvering his Magic Statue to follow behind Rebecca and Benito.

...

Rein was hesitant to immediately unleash his Dawn Killing Move against the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian as he had done before.

This wasn't due to a lack of confidence in his Cultivation, but rather because Rein feared being perceived as something other than human.

Logically, if the Magic-tailed Three-headed Sea Dragon could endure two 'Steel Forest' strikes from his Dawn Killing Move after triggering its Dragon Soul Strike, how many would Gazrian survive?

Would it take eight?

Perhaps ten?

Even if Rein could utilize his points to chain multiple Dawn Killing Move strikes together.

The real issue was: would anyone still view him as a mortal man after witnessing that?

Would he still be considered a normal person in the eyes of his peers?

Having wiped out the Sea God Sect team and the dragon using the Dawn Killing Move twice was within the realm of possibility for a genius among Dawn Wizards.

However, firing off eight or ten consecutive killing moves to slay the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian would surely lead others to suspect he was a Divine Avatar.

Whatever they decided he was, they certainly wouldn't see him as human anymore.

Rein wished to avoid such scrutiny.

Furthermore, Rein harbored another worry regarding Gazrian; was it possible the beast possessed a devastating final counterattack?

He suspected the probability was high.

There was no reason to take such an unnecessary gamble.

...

The group of two warriors and three statues surged toward the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian.

In the meantime.

Unnoticed by anyone, the Sea God Sect Elder, who lay dying in a pool of his own blood, suddenly relaxed his tight grip.

A massive black pearl tumbled from his hand, rolling across the blood-soaked earth.

The moment the pearl made contact with the gore, a strange and haunting aura began to fill the surroundings.

Within seconds, a spectral figure of a girl in black robes emerged from the pearl, expanding until she reached the size of a human.

The girl in black robes first scanned the battlefield, her expression shifting as if she were piecing together the situation.

Her dark eyes lingered on the distant 'Red Queen' Menia in her crimson Wizard Robe as she fought the demon, before shifting to Rein’s receding back. Her beautiful face suddenly twisted with displeasure.

It appeared as though she had been reminded of a particularly bitter memory.

Then, like a popping bubble, her form vanished into thin air.

As Rein was rushing forward, he suddenly came to a dead stop!

He whipped his head around to survey the area behind him.

Yet, he saw nothing but the carnage they had left behind.

A faint sensation had pricked at his senses, as if an invisible pair of eyes had been boring into his back.

“Is something wrong, Lord Rein?” Sword Saint Terrio asked, pausing and looking back at Rein with confusion.

“It’s nothing,” Rein dismissed the feeling after a moment of thought.

He noted that Terrio, an experienced Federation Sword Saint with incredibly sharp instincts, hadn't detected anything unusual.

If even Terrio felt nothing, Rein concluded it must have been a trick of his mind.

Perhaps it was just the dying gaze of that Sea God Sect expert?

...

Several kilometers away, perched upon a ridge in the Fadil Mountains.

A group of more than ten men in black robes watched the clash between the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian and the Imperial Dragon Knight with grim expressions.

Behind them sat a black Witch Array spanning over ten meters in diameter—the very array used to rouse the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian from its slumber.

These were clearly the agents the Sea God Sect Vice Pope had been in contact with earlier.

“Lord Jonas, the Vice Pope has fallen; what are our orders?” one of the cultists asked, his voice trembling with shock.

The middle-aged leader, Jonas, stared at the distance, his face deathly pale and his eyes shifting rapidly.

Like his subordinates, he was stunned by how a single young man had completely dismantled their perfect plan.

The Magic-tailed Three-headed Sea Dragon and the elite squad led by the Vice Pope had been erased in a mere ten seconds by that monster of a youth!

Damn it! Where did such a freak come from?

While they could potentially escape with their lives if they fled now, the thought of the Church’s retribution made them shake with terror.

Crucially, the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian remained largely unharmed.

Jonas believed they still held a winning hand.

They simply needed to decide on their next move.

As he deliberated, the black-robed girl suddenly manifested, hovering several meters above the Witch Array.

The unique aura she emitted froze Jonas in his tracks before he hurriedly turned and threw himself to the ground.

“Great Nether Sea Goddess, your loyal servant Jonas offers his deepest devotion!”

The others followed his lead instantly, prostrating themselves toward the girl and chanting Jonas’s greeting in unison.

“My followers, I have a task for you. Let these mortals witness... the true might of the Nether Sea Lord...”

“As you command, Great Nether Sea Goddess!”

Trembling with religious fervor, Jonas immediately directed his men to recalibrate the Witch Array.

Certain followers took their places at the array’s key nodes, clutching ritual daggers with faces flushed in fanatical ecstasy.

Once the adjustments were complete, the Sea God Sect members began a low, rhythmic chant.

Those at the nodes suddenly dragged the blades across their wrists, letting their blood flow into the grooves of the array.

Within seconds, the intricate patterns of the Witch Array began to pulse with a dark, Black Radiance.

Most importantly, the shadowy projection of the black-robed girl above the array began to take on a solid, physical form!

...