Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1467 - 504: Black Mist

"Vile... goblins, you employed tricks... to seize the mighty Rebry..." A raspy, low voice vibrated from the ancient Minotaur.

"This time, every single one of you... will die!"

The Minotaur spoke in the ancient common tongue. Being a Wizard, Rein possessed enough knowledge of the language to easily grasp the meaning of the words.

"Why does he harbor such intense hatred for goblins?"

Even when faced with a host of foes, Rein remained composed. He had already anticipated the possibility of an ambush before he ever committed to entering the prison.

Because of this preparation.

Rein abruptly lifted his hand and struck the floor with immense force.

"Steel Forest!"

In an instant, thick ripples of dark silver surged outward like a tide, radiating from Rein and sweeping through every corner of the hallway.

Since this was the Floating City, the flooring of every level was composed almost entirely of metal. Even though it was permanently hardened, the density of Metal Energy Particles in Subspace here was far greater than in the outside world.

Consequently, the power of Rein’s Metal Series Witchcraft was not diminished; instead, it was bolstered by more than ten percent beyond its usual strength.

"Sss! Sss!"

A multitude of jagged shrubs and briars, gleaming with a dark silver metallic sheen, erupted from the floor and shot upward with incredible speed!

"Moo~"

Detecting a looming threat, the ancient Minotaur, whose face was veiled in black mist, gave a heavy snort. It blasted two-meter-long plumes of white air toward the ground as its massive black hooves rose and slammed down!

"Boom!!"

A shockwave spanning several meters wide erupted from the point of impact.

Though the radius was limited to only a few meters, it was sufficient to halt the expansion of Rein’s Dawn Killing Move within that specific zone.

"Hmm~"

Rein was genuinely startled by this development!

To achieve such a feat meant that his adversary undoubtedly possessed Epic-level strength.

However, an even more shocking event was about to unfold before Rein's eyes!

At the far end of the hall, the female goblin interrogator suddenly burst into motion, leaving a blurry trail in her wake.

"Hmm? Such incredible speed!"

"She is nothing like those stiff and clumsy goblin corpses I fought before," Rein thought, his eyebrows arching in surprise.

It was one thing for the ancient Minotaur to reach Epic levels of power, but the female goblin interrogator’s swiftness was illogical. It stood in stark contrast to the rigid movements of the goblin engineer and the Mechanical Land Bird Operator he had previously encountered!

Rein found himself unable to explain the discrepancy.

Nevertheless, he was certain of one thing: the presence of the black mist was, at the very least, preserving the skin, muscles, and connective tissues that should have long since rotted away.

"Was she an Epic-level powerhouse when she was alive, or has the black mist empowered her?"

"Wait, is it possible that this black mist amplifies specific innate abilities?"

Suddenly, a realization struck Rein’s mind like a bolt of lightning in the dark!

"This female goblin interrogator likely possesses a speed-based specialty like a Thief, while the Minotaur is endowed with Huge Strength." Rein’s gaze sharpened with clarity.

Rein’s Dawn Killing Move, 'Steel Forest,' was a wide-area witchcraft that served as a perfect counter to the female goblin interrogator’s agility.

No matter how fast she moved, she would be targeted as long as she remained within the reach of his dark silver metal ripples.

There was no way for her to flee!

And indeed.

"Squelch!"

A massive spike, resembling a cactus, tore through the female goblin interrogator from below, leaving her skewered in the air.

However, another complication arose on the opposite side.

As Rein’s metal ripples reached the feet of the human corpse wizard, the figure suddenly raised a hand. The dark silver metal ripples were blocked like a river hitting a boulder, forced to flow around him.

Even though the sheer force of the metal ripples pushed the opponent back, he had successfully withstood the assault.

"Hmm? The power of a Dawn Wizard?"

"Is he also being boosted by the black mist?"

"No, a wizard’s witchcraft power is derived from spiritual power. It is still unclear if the black mist can enhance that."

Rein thought back to the goblin corpse in the lab coat back in the workshop. While that individual was a master of Goblin Engineering, the way he had activated the Demon Statues proved he was certainly a wizard.

Yet, the performance of that goblin had been very mediocre, showing no signs of any witchcraft enhancement.

The most crucial detail Rein noticed was that while the ancient Minotaur and the goblin interrogator were enveloped in black mist, the human wizard was not. The goblin in the lab coat had also lacked any visible black mist.

This was a vital distinction.

Rein’s wide-range Dawn Killing Move, 'Steel Forest,' had failed to yield significant results, with the exception of impaling the female interrogator.

At that moment, the ancient Minotaur launched an immediate counter-strike.

"Moo!!!"

"Rebry.... will crush... you... you cowardly... treacherous bastards!"

The ancient Minotaur bellowed, dropping his stance and raising his elbow. He aimed his single intact horn at Rein and charged. His heavy strides gained momentum rapidly, resembling a stampeding herd of bison—utterly unstoppable!

Simultaneously.

The withered human wizard extended a hand toward Rein as metal energy began to swirl around him.

One by one, jagged spikes roughly a meter long materialized in the air around the wizard, their numbers multiplying with every passing second...