Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1448 - 496: Prototype

Within a mere two seconds, Sword Saint Terrio grasped a startling truth: the individual operating the prototype was either not Haleem or a version of him that had lost all sanity.

The moment they were spotted, the prototype’s massive, cannon-integrated arms were hoisted and aimed directly at them.

A storm of metal erupted instantly!

A deluge of metallic pellets lashed out at the group, mimicking a violent downpour.

"Water Snake Vortex Cover!"

Rein’s party, however, was far from defenseless. With a swift motion of Hernandez’s hand, a surging torrent shaped like a translucent serpent coiled around the entire team for protection.

The red-hot, spherical projectiles slammed into the rushing water, creating massive splashes, yet the kinetic force of the bullets was rapidly neutralized by the vortex.

For a brief interval, it felt as though the dense barrage was being swallowed by thick layers of cotton.

Suddenly, Hernandez’s expression shifted, and he muttered in a hushed tone, "Something is wrong. The potency of my Water Witchcraft has plummeted by over thirty percent."

"I initially attributed it to the geothermal heat from the magma below, but the drop in power is far too significant for that to be the only cause."

As a Dawn Wizard who was intimately attuned to the fluctuations of his own spells, Hernandez had detected the anomaly the moment his Witchcraft was activated.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Rein focused on the Sawtooth Ring Witchcraft he was currently sustaining. To his amazement, he realized that the Metal Energy Particles in this area were exceptionally stimulated.

The effectiveness of his own Witchcraft had actually surged by ten percent.

His six Sawtooth Rings hummed with high-speed rotation, shredding a swarm of mechanical birds that were flanking from behind and leaving nothing but a pile of scrap metal on the floor.

"Lord Rein, are you unaffected?" Hernandez asked, his voice laced with confusion as he witnessed the terrifying efficiency of Rein’s Sawtooth Rings.

"I am not hindered. On the contrary... my power has increased by roughly ten percent," Rein answered honestly.

"This is..."

...

While enduring the prototype's assault, Sword Saint Terrio—serving as the team's vanguard—had already initiated his counter-strike.

He moved with such speed that afterimages lingered behind him, weaving through the hail of bullets in a zigzag pattern as he closed the distance to his target.

The prototype seemed to identify Sword Saint Terrio as the primary threat, as intense energy fluctuations began to radiate from the six-barreled Gatling gun at its core.

"Watch out for the energy cannon!" Hernandez shouted a warning.

"The cannons on the arms fire physical rounds, but those central six barrels discharge energy-based projectiles."

"When this prototype was first unearthed, it caused a sensation within the Federation. I even spent time studying its schematics," Hernandez explained rapidly to Rein.

Rein gave a silent nod, his gaze fixed on the cannons embedded in the prototype’s chest.

Just as predicted, energy flared!

Orbs of energy the size of baseballs began to rain down upon Sword Saint Terrio like a flood.

However, Terrio was both prepared and incredibly agile; he evaded the shots with ease, though this redirected the pressure back onto Hernandez.

The energy spheres whistled past the Sword Saint and detonated against the Water Snake Vortex Cover, resulting in a series of violent explosions.

This forced Hernandez to dump more of his spiritual power into the spell to keep the weakened Water Snake Vortex Cover from collapsing under the strain.

At that moment, Rein raised his hand, summoning the six Sawtooth Rings that had just finished wiping out three waves of mechanical birds to hover in a precise formation before him.

Hernandez cast a surprised look at the vibrating, jagged metal discs, sensing that the energy within them had climbed to the threshold of Fourth Level Witchcraft.

Under normal circumstances, this spell should have only reached the Third Level.

It was clear that Lord Rein possessed not only a prestigious Dragon Bloodline but also an exceptionally rare talent for the Metal Series.

It was no wonder the Federation held him in such high regard, going to great lengths to recruit him and allowing him to participate in the exploration of a vital ancient goblin site.

Meanwhile, Sword Saint Terrio had already swung his blade, sending more than ten silver arcs of sword light crashing toward the prototype.

"Plasma Shield!" (Ancient Goblin Language)

Accompanied by a shrill, mechanical voice, twin bursts of pale blue plasma erupted from the prototype’s shoulders, instantly expanding into a shimmering energy barrier around its massive frame.

In the following blink of an eye, Terrio’s silver sword beams slammed into the Plasma Shield.

The barrier merely rippled and deformed slightly, generating electrical arcs to disperse the impact, seemingly untroubled by the Sword Saint’s offensive.

Rein watched the exchange, his eyes narrowing in calculation.

The strike of a Sword Saint, even a casual one, carried power equal to a standard Fourth Level Dawn Witchcraft, yet this 'prototype' golem had neutralized it effortlessly.

He now understood why the Federation was so obsessed with this machine, designating it as Prototype One.

It was the total opposite of the 'Destroyer' he had salvaged from the Valziger ruins.

While the Destroyer was built for the brutality of close-quarters combat, this prototype was clearly designed as a master of long-range devastation.