Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1449 - 496: Prototype_2

"Attack!"

Rein signaled with a sharp sweep of his hand, sending six serrated metal rings soaring in elegant arcs to strike the prototype's rear.

The spinning rings whirled at incredible velocities, grinding fiercely against the prototype's plasma shield!

Rein understood that these six jagged rings lacked the power to pierce the plasma defense; his true intent was to create a strategic opening for Sword Saint Terrio.

The energy within the plasma shield visibly shifted, concentrating its arcs toward the back to counter the rings, which caused the blue barrier at the front to dim significantly.

Recognizing Rein’s tactical maneuver, Sword Saint Terrio capitalized on the moment. After a rapid accumulation of power, he unleashed another cross-shaped beam of sword light at the machine.

It was his signature finishing technique: the "Super Divine Cross Slash"!

"Screech!"

The elongated silver blade of light sliced through the weakened forward shield instantly. Without losing momentum, it carved an X-shaped gash through the prototype.

The central six-barrel Gatling gun was obliterated, and both mechanical arms were severed entirely, stripping the prototype of its combat capabilities.

Terrio had carefully steered his blade away from the prototype's cockpit.

He held onto the slim hope that Haleem might still be inside, perhaps corrupted by the black worms, and wished to at least recover his remains.

With a flash of movement, Sword Saint Terrio cut through the control room's protective plating, only to find a withered goblin within.

Unlike the goblin pilot of the mechanical land bird they had seen before, this one wore a human-like military rank on its shoulder.

This indicated that the creature held a relatively high position among the goblins.

Despite its rank, the goblin’s eyes remained hollow and vacant, making communication impossible.

"What a waste!" Terrio grumbled, cleaving the creature in two and destroying the black worm in the process.

"Haleem isn't here; perhaps that is a blessing in disguise."

"Indeed!"

"We must move quickly; time is of the essence."

Rein noticed a faint sheen of sweat on Terrio’s brow following the exertion of the Super Divine Cross Slash.

....

Five minutes passed peacefully without any further ambushes from mechanical monstrosities.

The group ignored the silence, focusing all their efforts on scanning the area for any sign of survivors.

"This should be the right spot; why is it empty?" Sword Saint Terrio muttered, recalling the exact coordinates where he had seen the red signal flare.

"It was the right spot then, but things change. Lord Terrio, remember that the terrain here is constantly shifting," Rein reminded him after a moment of reflection.

"Then how are we supposed to locate them? We can't simply sit around waiting for another flare, can we?"

Terrio's brow furrowed. Then, struck by a thought, he turned and asked, "Lord Hernandez, is it possible to use your divination skill?"

"It would be difficult. My divination only provides Haleem’s general vicinity. In this place, a deviation of twenty meters could mean being on an entirely different street," Hernandez replied with a shake of his head.

"Allow me to try. If my theory is correct, they shouldn't have drifted too far from this point," Rein intervened. He knelt down, pressing his palm to the floor as a thick, dark silver light radiated from his hand.

Both Terrio and Hernandez watched him with expressions of bewilderment.

They were well aware that Rein was a Metal Series Wizard, yet they had never encountered a metal-based spell designed for tracking.

Their confusion soon turned to understanding.

In the following heartbeat!

Ripples of dark silver metal surged outward from Rein’s palm like waves upon the sea.

The marble flooring shattered instantly as small metallic bumps began to sprout from the earth below.

These were mere protrusions, not lethal spikes!

This was a restricted version of his domain-level Dawn Killing Move, "Steel Forest."

Rein had dialed the intensity of the Steel Forest to its lowest setting, causing the steel bumps to rise only twenty or thirty centimeters as they rolled outward in waves.

Fifty meters!

One hundred meters!

One hundred and fifty meters!

"Pop!"

Suddenly, nearly a hundred and eighty meters away to the right, startled human shouts echoed out of nowhere.

"I’ve found them!"

A look of triumph crossed Rein’s face!

Terrio and Hernandez realized immediately that the survivors had been located.

...

While Rein’s party felt relief, those hidden within the jammer's field were gripped by sudden panic.

Many stared in terror at the shimmering dark silver ripples on the ground, leaping back as the metal protrusions broke through the surface.

"Curse it! Did that signal flare bring the monsters right to us?"

"We've used it before without issue; why has our luck run out now!"

"These are clearly fluctuations of metal-series Qi. With such a massive area of effect, it must be some ancient goblin tech from the ruins."

"It seems our flare has summoned something truly formidable."

Even Haleem, the Director of the Federation Mechanical Research Institute, looked grim as he observed the steel growths on the floor.

Wasting no time on regrets, he raised his voice and commanded:

"All hands, prepare for battle!"

"When the fighting starts, scatter and break out in different directions."

"If even a single one of you survives, make sure the observation report is delivered immediately."

The survivors took on expressions of grim resolve, yet none wavered.

They knew that against the mummified goblin horrors, there was no such thing as surrender; their only choice was to fight to the end.

However, the moment they charged out from the camp's jamming field, the entire group—Haleem included—froze in their tracks.

Magical energy orbs of various colors remained gathered in their hands, yet they stood like statues, unable to release their spells.

"Lord Terrio!"

"Lord Hernandez!"

Haleem’s fear was instantly replaced by shock and joy!

As a veteran Third Level Crystalized Wizard and head of the Institute, Haleem was a contemporary of Hernandez and actually older than Sword Saint Terrio.

He recognized these two legendary figures of the Federation immediately.

His attention, however, was quickly pulled toward a younger man.

The tall youth remained bent over, his hand still glowing with a dense, dark silver light as it pressed against the floor.

Haleem perceived at once that the massive metal energy field originated from that young man’s palm.

Such immense coverage! Could it be domain-type magic?

Even as a Metal Series Wizard at the peak of the Crystalization stage, Haleem could not perform such a feat!

Was this young man actually a Dawn Wizard?

But since when did the Federation possess such a terrifyingly powerful young wizard?

"Haha, Haleem! I had a feeling you were still kicking," Sword Saint Terrio bellowed with a hearty laugh.

"It is good to see you safe, old friend," Hernandez added with a warm nod.

Noticing Haleem’s stunned stare directed at Rein, the two veterans shared a glance and broke into laughter.

Terrio slapped Haleem on the shoulder, teasing, "This young man is Lord Rein of the Empire, a rare Metal Series Dawn Wizard. And look at you, still stuck at your level at your age... sigh~"

"What? Lord Rein of the Empire? But... the intelligence suggested he was a Crystalized Wizard, how could—" Realizing he had spoken too much, Haleem bit his tongue.

Rein stood up slowly, unbothered by the slip of the tongue. He gave a thin smile and said, "It appears Lord Haleem is quite well-informed about my affairs."

"My apologies, Lord Rein. Your incredible talent is a topic of discussion even within the Federation..."

Just as Haleem began to offer his respectful flatteries to Rein.

A series of heavy 'thud-thud' noises began to rumble through the area, approaching rapidly from all sides.

The sound was accompanied by a frantic clattering of metal.

"Danger! Those goblin corpses and mechanical beasts are coming!"

"My Lords, follow me into the camp quickly!"

Haleem gestured urgently, and an invisible veil in the air parted to reveal a small, hidden campsite nearby.

...