Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1414 - 482: Nether Sea Domain (Part 2)

"Benito, have you run into those ghostly entities over there yet?"

"That ghost is definitely an undead! It phase-shifted right through the demon statue and breached my control room! Heavens! What are we supposed to do?" Ald, visibly terrified, stammered frantically over the private channel.

"Maintain your composure, Ald. Their numbers are limited. For a Third Level Crystalized Wizard, dealing with them shouldn't be an overwhelming task," Rebecca’s sharp, clear voice rang out.

"Limited? Seven or eight of those souls just swarmed into my cockpit simultaneously, and you're telling me there aren't many?" Ald shrieked.

"I've had enough! I'm getting out of here!"

"Survival is only possible if we break through this rain curtain!" At this point, his desire to look cool in front of the girl he liked was completely forgotten.

With those words, Ald piloted the Ajax Magic Statue, which was missing an arm, and retreated toward the perimeter at high speed.

It wasn't long, however, before his screams echoed again:

"How can this be! I can’t break through!"

"It’s over! We are trapped and unable to escape! Rebecca, Benito, please, help me!"

"Stop moving aimlessly, Ald. Haven't you seen it? Because of your running, the souls swarming you are far more numerous than those around Benito or me," Rebecca said, her voice laced with disappointment.

"It seems to me that your disturbance of this fog is what draws the souls' attention!" Benito’s composed voice chimed in over the channel.

"What! Is that really how it works!" Ald shouted in frustration.

"But there are dozens of souls clinging to me now... if I stand still, they'll flood the control room..."

"What do I do? What do I do?"

"Damn it, you two need to find a solution fast!"

Ald was spiraling into despair!

If he remained stationary, dozens of spirits of various power levels would invade the small cockpit; even as a wizard in the early stages of Foundation Establishment—the crystallization phase—he likely couldn't withstand them.

The control room was far too cramped for evasion; he would have to take every hit.

Yet, if he kept moving, he would only lure more spirits. Eventually, the horde would grow to an impossible size, and they would inevitably breach his defenses during the flight...

He was currently trapped in a devastating paradox!

...

High in the sky, some distance beyond the rain curtain.

A group of high-ranking generals aboard the Federation Giant Airship stared at the massive, dark gray clouds blanketed over the center of the conflict.

Initially, the majority assumed it was a natural weather event.

However, after a few minutes, the anomaly became obvious to many.

Furthermore, once several wizard apprentices in charge of communications reported they couldn't reach Sword Saint Terrio or Rebecca inside the storm, the situation became undeniable.

"The appearance of this cloud is far too suspicious!"

"Did anyone see how this mist actually formed?"

"No, my attention was entirely on our engagement with the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian."

"Same here..."

Several generals began whispering among themselves.

Only by discovering the origin of the cloud could they identify the culprit and stop the phenomenon at its source.

"Report! We have lost contact with the small scout airship after it entered the rain curtain," a messenger announced.

This caused Vice Chairman Bertrand’s brow to furrow deeper.

No one present, including him, had anticipated such a sudden reversal when victory seemed so close.

"Have we still not identified where this cloud came from?" Bertrand asked in a low, heavy voice.

Who was this enemy?

Where were they hiding?

The total lack of information made the leaders feel extremely vulnerable.

"Report, it seems... a moment ago, I noticed the cloud drifting in from the direction of the Fadil Mountains," a lookout officer noted nervously.

Under normal circumstances, an officer of his rank wouldn't be permitted to speak among these high-ranking generals.

But he had indeed seen the mist moving from the Fadil Mountains by pure chance.

He recalled the cloud's movement being incredibly eerie—it looked slow, yet it covered the distance in what felt like a heartbeat.

The group turned their gaze toward the direction he indicated.

"Wait? Isn't that the path 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian took during its initial retreat?"

"Could there be some hidden secret in those mountains?"

"Vice Chairman, shall I investigate?" the ambitious young officer from earlier volunteered.

"Very well! Take two medium airships as backup and find out what's happening immediately," Vice Chairman Bertrand agreed after a brief pause.

Whether there was a lead or not, a search would provide answers.

Besides, they had no other clues to follow regarding the source of this mysterious fog.

...

At that same moment.

Upon a small peak within the Fadil Mountains.

The figure of the black-robed girl was becoming translucent, likely due to the massive expenditure of Qi required for her last technique.

Inside the witch array, the Sea God Sect devotees who had sacrificed their blood looked like walking corpses, their faces drained of all color.

Even the others appeared exhausted.

It was clear that maintaining this witch array required a heavy toll.

The girl in black peered toward the distant storm, her gaze seemingly piercing through the clouds to see what was happening inside.

"That red-clad descendant of the Dragon has decent strength, but it isn't enough to shatter the domain's seal."

"..."

"As for that irritating human brat... he's nowhere near capable!" The girl’s bright eyes lingered on Rein for a moment; remembering something annoying, she let out a cold snort.

"The only one who might break the domain is Gazrian."

"But if it tries, it will be severely weakened. Forcing it into my service will be much simpler then."

"And if it doesn't try to break out, my Nether Sea domain will slowly drain it dry, just like the human elites."

"The only problem is these believers; they can't hold out much longer... they really are too pathetic..." Hela, the Nether Sea Goddess manifesting as the black-robed girl, looked at her followers with pure contempt.

"It won't be much longer. Just a little more time and it will be finished."

...

Within the rain curtain.

Rein had already dispatched three waves of souls with ease, but he noticed a strange, pervasive cold beginning to seep into his marrow.

This wasn't the sharp frost of Gazrian.

This chill felt heavy and wet, like a damp rot.

"My cultivation's effectiveness has been dampened, dropping by nearly half."

"The metal element particles in the air haven't changed, so the suppression seems to be targeting my spiritual power and physical vitality."

"Is this the effect of the domain?" Rein pondered.

While practicing the Metal Morphing Spell during his recent skirmishes, he had detected these subtle shifts.

"It's been less than ten minutes. If this continues, my physical state will deteriorate... almost as if my body is being eaten away..."

Rein quickly grasped the gravity of the situation.

He was currently unable to flee or communicate with the outside world.

After moving quickly for a short time, Rein noticed the soul count was rising rapidly.

Consequently, he retreated to his starting point.

This spot was barely a hundred meters away from Gazrian.

Perhaps because of the energy spent isolating it, Rein could just make out the massive silhouette of the 'Ice Sea Giant Demon' Gazrian nearby, standing almost perfectly still.

Shards of ice were falling off the creature in large chunks.

Yet, Rein couldn't sense any energy coming from it.

"Does this domain also block energy signatures?"

"It makes sense. If it didn't, we would have found each other by now." Rein nodded to himself, deep in thought.

"If that's the case, then..."

"This domain doesn't just spawn souls and weaken its victims; it also provides total isolation... truly impressive."

"However, this also gives me the perfect... environment to use my Fourth Level Dawn Killing Move without any restraint."

"I don't have to worry about anyone seeing what I can do."

Rein looked back toward the Ice Sea Giant Demon, a sharp, predatory light flickering in his eyes.

...