Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1493 - 513: The Returning Airship (Part 2)

Suddenly, Menia surged between Rein and Hela, unleashing a torrent of flames that successfully obstructed a significant portion of the swirling black water vortex.

"Mortal, I shall grant that I underestimated you. However, you have no hope of victory this time." Hela’s beautiful countenance grew increasingly grave.

It was evident that she had been startled by the unexpected intensity of Rein’s explosive power.

"No hope? I wasn't the one who was just sent flying," Rein retorted with a sneer, maintaining a mask of composure despite the shock lingering in his heart.

Judging by the aura Hela was currently radiating, she appeared largely unchanged, perhaps only marginally weaker than before.

In other words, despite landing a full sequence of combo strikes on his opponent, the attack had yielded almost no results while she remained over the ocean.

Fortunately, the Red Queen Menia appeared to have moved past her previous state of mourning.

Without a single outward sign, Rein quietly allocated his attribute points. A surge of warmth radiated from his heart, instantly restoring his physical stamina to its absolute peak.

....

On a nearby section of the battlefield.

Egil, the Pope of the Sea God Sect, let out a laugh at the sight. He turned to Reginald, who looked stunned, and remarked:

"How can a mortal possibly comprehend the scale of divine power? Even as Dawn Wizards, we are nothing more than slightly larger ants in the presence of the divine. Reginald, surrender to my Lord! If you do not, both you and your Giant Dragon companion will surely meet your end here."

"What of gods? During the ancient era, the greatest wizards possessed the strength to slay Evil Gods. It is people like you, who choose to debase themselves, that bring shame upon all of humanity."

"You believe your Goddess is destined for victory? Then we shall wait and see," Reginald declared, his voice low and heavy.

Though he felt an immense sense of dread for Menia and Rein, he kept his expression cold and unreadable.

"You!! How stubborn!" Enraged by the response, Pope Egil of the Sea God Sect gestured sharply, commanding the High Rank Evil Sorcerers behind him to resume their assault.

....

Meanwhile, across the distant horizon.

The Imperial Airship fleet had just managed to pull away from the center of the conflict. Of the ten-plus vessels that had departed from Zetaya, only seven remained. Nearly half the fleet had been decimated by the Whale Spring Spurt unleashed by Jorgandman’s Leviathan Giant Whale.

Inside the command bridge of the flagship, the Queen.

"Messenger, broadcast an immediate notice. With the exception of the Storm, every airship—including the Queen—is to turn around at once and re-enter the fray!" commanded an elderly man in the uniform of an Imperial Vice Admiral, standing tall and speaking with authority.

"General!" The Messenger stared at his superior in disbelief, his face pale with shock.

They had only just managed to break through the encirclement of the Giant Beast and the Sea God Sect; were they truly going to charge back into that death trap?

This was madness...

Furthermore, it wasn't even a matter of cowardice; their weapons and spells seemed like nothing more than a joke when faced with such a colossal Giant Beast.

Nevertheless, the Messenger was well aware that with Prince Menia and Reginald occupied, this old man was the supreme commander of the Imperial Airship fleet.

"We are soldiers of the Empire. It is not our tradition to leave a member of the Imperial Royal Family behind to cover our retreat. Carry out the order!" the old man barked.

"Yes, sir!" As if jolted awake, the Messenger saluted sharply and shouted his acknowledgement.

Once the Messenger had sprinted out of the room, a nearby officer whispered a suggestion to the old man: "General, if we must send a dispatch, wouldn't it be more appropriate for the Queen to continue toward the Empire?"

The Vice Admiral understood the officer's hidden meaning immediately; the man was trying to convince him to save himself.

"No. Since I have made this choice, I must participate in the coming action. If I do not, how could the soldiers of the Empire ever respect their commanders again?" The old man shook his head with grim determination.

....

At that very moment.

The fierce struggle between Rein, Menia, and Hela, the Nether Sea Goddess, raged on.

Rein and Menia were striking with every ounce of their power, yet their efforts felt insignificant against Hela. Her form seemed to stretch across the horizon, and by drawing strength from the ocean itself, she only suffered minor disruptions to her aura.

Furthermore, Red Queen Menia did not possess Rein's ability to recover through attribute points. At this stage, both her physical endurance and her spiritual power were reaching their breaking points.

Rein, despite showing no outward exhaustion, had already replenished his stats for the third time. He had only three attribute points remaining.

To make matters worse, their position was now swarmed by an endless tide of Flying Fish Knights and Manta Knights. Driven by the terrifying pressure of the Nether Sea Goddess, these Flying Knights attacked without fear, blocking Rein's path every time he tried to fall back toward the island.

While they could only stall him briefly, these interruptions gave Hela the openings she needed to strike and impede their movements.

Consequently, Rein was still roughly five kilometers away from the safety of the island.

If the tide of battle did not shift, Rein would reach the island only to find his attribute points depleted, leaving him with no strength left to fight back.

"Rein, I am going to launch one final, all-out strike. You must use that moment to break through!" Menia's voice echoed in his mind via spiritual power.

Though she sounded composed, Rein could feel the absolute finality in her words.

"Prince Menia..." Rein’s heart hammered against his ribs as he heard this.

"The descent of the Nether Sea Goddess is different this time. It appears the vessel she is inhabiting is the body of a powerful ancient mermaid. This allows her to manifest her full power—she currently possesses strength near the peak of the Epic rank. We simply have no chance."