Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1583 - 546: The Emperor’s Demise (Part 2)
Previously on Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys...
An unexpected burst of power from the far-off Imperial Palace suddenly shattered Rein's concentration.
"Huh? What's going on?" Rein instinctively whipped his head around to stare.
A grand presence was swelling within the Imperial Palace, carrying an air of solemn authority and splendor, yet it differed somewhat from the sacred majesty of the divine.
"Could His Majesty be hitting the pivotal point of his breakthrough?"
...
High above the Imperial Palace.
The senses of the various gods picked up on it with even sharper clarity.
"We must hurry this along."
"Hela, forget about that human for the moment. This mission is all about stopping another human from climbing to Demigod strength."
"Agreed, even if that human grows powerful, it'll be ages before he hits Demigod level. By that point, we would've already sent down our Demigod-level avatars. He won't be any danger."
The Nether Sea Goddess Hela felt like pushing back on a couple of those ideas.
But recalling her three clashes with the Blasphemer, none of which ended with his capture, Hela bit her tongue to avoid embarrassment and simply nodded along with the other gods' views.
"Alright, let's move as one!"
"Sword of Judgment!"
With a furious bellow, the multi-armed Evil God Grek slammed the massive Two-Handed Greatsword gripped in his primary arm straight into the Imperial Palace's floor.
In a flash, countless arms mimicked the strike, driving their Greatswords downward!
As brilliant crimson waves erupted, the earth, columns, and all structures etched with intricate Defensive Witch Arrays started fracturing bit by bit.
For an instant, the palace shook like it was caught in a magnitude-ten quake, fissures spreading as it began to tumble apart entirely.
"Black Water Soul!"
The Nether Sea Goddess Hela lifted her pale arm, summoning thick clusters of dark water vortices in the sky, each one swirling with tormented ancient spirits showing agonized expressions.
"Attack!"
She flicked her wrist, sending those hundreds of dark water vortices surging toward the broken terrain, triggering a chain of devastating blasts!
At the same time, the remaining divine avatars unleashed their own strikes!
Right away, the heart of the Imperial Palace lay in utter ruin!
"This is bad! Halt them now!" Elder Ivan's eyes bulged as he yelled.
"They're after the Emperor!"
"Safeguard His Majesty!"
Even as the Imperial Guardians fired back with fierce resistance to block the foes, the moment had already slipped away.
Right then, a potent aura erupted from below the surface.
This force matched the might of the divine avatars arrayed against it.
A towering form glowing with golden radiance gradually rose from beneath the earth.
It was the human emperor himself, Carlos II!
And up in the air, Rein—whose wounds were mending at a rapid pace—finally laid eyes on the supreme ruler of the Dragan Empire: Carlos II.
Clad in a flowing golden robe, crowned regally, his face stern and commanding, he clutched a Golden Scepter while encircled by Five-Colored Dragons at the Extremely Old Dragon Level.
"This... this presence means His Majesty pulled it off!" one Guardian cried out.
"Indeed! His Majesty has broken through to Demigod rank at last!"
"Incredible!"
...
"He made it?" Rein shared the surge of that realization in his mind.
Just then, Carlos II swept his gaze over the encircling gods and declared:
"So the tales hold truth—you dread humans attaining Demigod power and possibly wielding that divine artifact."
"That's why you're burning through so much Divine Power to descend as avatars and block my rise."
At those words, Rein's face grew tense.
"Divine artifact?"
Though Carlos II kept it brief, the hints dropped were telling.
Like how this mysterious divine artifact probably held sway over these gods.
If not, why would the gods waste Divine Power on such a futile effort?
"Dragan's heir, emperor or not among humans, you mustn't eye that divine artifact—it's beyond your grasp," the Evil God Grek snarled with venom.
"Any desire for it spells doom for you and your Empire, exactly as you're seeing," the Nether Sea Goddess Hela remarked coolly, eyeing the wrecked palace remnants and the seven or eight slain Five-Colored Giant Dragons.
The skirmish, barely ten minutes long, had demanded a steep price from the Empire.
Almost a dozen grown Giant Dragons gone, plus multiple dead Imperial Guardians, hundreds of Elite Griffin Knights, and thousands of Empire troops aboard airships.
"Are you still fantasizing about subjugating humans like in ancient eras?" Carlos II intoned gravely.
"Our forebears sealed away you invading Evil Gods once before—this age will repeat that feat!"
"Losing all your avatars here will definitely delay your full revival!"
"Five-Colored Dragon Flame!"
With his words done, Carlos II thrust his Emperor’s Scepter skyward, prompting the nearby Extremely Old Dragon Level Red Dragon, Green Dragon, Yellow Dragon, Blue Dragon, and Black Dragon to bellow in unison and spew their breaths toward the space over the scepter.
"Fiery Breath!"
"Acidic Breath!"
...
The scepter blended the five breaths with a strange force, crafting a huge rainbow-hued energy sphere. Its power ripples dwarfed those from Rein’s earlier ’Molten Core Flame’.