Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1585 - 547: Origin of the True Gods

Seeing Second Prince Everton appear so utterly dejected, the onlookers all felt a pang of shared grief, heaving profound sighs.

The grand Imperial Palace, once a splendor of majesty, now lay in shambles amid crumbling walls, yet the true tragedy surpassed mere destruction—the irreplaceable lives lost far exceeded what anyone had anticipated.

Once Rein's wounds had mended at the start, he made his way back to the palace, finding that numerous guards were already clearing away the fallen bodies.

Rein drew near to Menia, staring at the place where Carlos II had perished, and remarked:

"Menia, why have only the Evil Gods been coming back to life? What about the benevolent deities? Like the Seasonal Wind and Ocean Goddess, for instance?"

To him, if the revival stemmed from the energy surge, it made no sense for just the Evil Gods to awaken.

Had benevolent gods joined the fray in the Imperial City's defense, the results might have turned out far more favorably.

"The benevolent gods... they've faded away ages ago. From antiquity onward, Evil Gods have relentlessly assaulted our realm. Ancient texts reveal that roughly twenty-three good gods have utterly disappeared into the flow of history, some without even a single temple left behind."

"Right now, across the Empire's lands, the sole deity showing any trace of lingering devotion is the Seasonal Wind and Ocean Goddess."

"Yet, whether due to that sealed artifact or some other reason, the goddess displays no hint of returning to life."

"I understand," Rein acknowledged with a nod.

He was aware that deep under the Koen Cathedral in the Imperial City, a fragment of the Fiend Demon's form remained sealed away.

Rein had assumed that neither Evil Gods nor benevolent ones would tolerate a Demigod-tier powerhouse emerging among mortals, yet events proved otherwise.

...

Following the fierce clash, countless issues demanded attention in the Imperial City.

In its present chaos, it was clear Second Prince Everton couldn't shoulder the burden, so after a hasty council with the Empire's elders, Menia resumed her role as regent.

After parting from Menia, Rein set off for his dwelling.

On the path, the anguished wails of survivors tore at the heart; take, for example, a small girl in a pink frock with pigtails, hugging her doll and sobbing before a toppled home.

Under the debris of the dwelling, the still form of a young woman lay exposed.

Clearly, she had enjoyed a joyful existence before, but in this moment...

Pressing on, a shattered zone resembling a massive pit stretched ahead, where a man gripped his mangled limb, howling in agony—clearly a victim of the battle's lingering toll.

...

Federation, Zetaya.

Cave outpost in Ressero Canyon.

Sword Saint Terrio, Dawn Wizard Hernandez, and a handful of formidable senior wizards gathered gravely around an extended table, engaged in intense deliberation.

Among them stood out Haleem, head of the Federation Mechanical Research Institute, whose presence radiated the fresh aura of someone newly advanced to Dawn Wizard rank.

"Haleem, in your estimation, what is that colossal metal dinosaur lurking on the negative second level?" Sword Saint Terrio inquired.

"Drawing from the memory crystal Lord Rein provided previously, combined with historical accounts, I'm ninety percent certain it's the King of Tyrannosaurs from the elite ranks of the ancient Goblin mechanical forces," Haleem clarified.

"In the scale of the Demon Statue, ancient Goblins dubbed it 'Legion Commander Level,' though wizards typically refer to it as 'Titan-class,'" Haleem added.

He had only recently achieved the Dawn Wizard breakthrough when Sword Saint Terrio summoned him.

The cause was straightforward: the Federation's delving efforts had ground to a halt.

Even with six Dawn Wizards assembled, plus Sword Saint Terrio for a total of seven Epic-tier forces, they couldn't penetrate to the negative third level and found themselves blocked at the negative second.

The primary barrier proved to be that enormous metal dinosaur, which had shocked Haleem deeply during his initial sighting.

"Titan-class? Doesn't that equate to a Demigod-level powerhouse?" burst out an aged wizard clasping a blue crystal orb.

"Precisely. Historical lore states that a full ancient Goblin mechanical legion could rival even mighty Demigods," Haleem confirmed with a nod.

"So, does that imply we can't seize control of the Floating City?" Another senior wizard, clad in a gray robe, furrowed his brow in concern.

The Federation possessed the potential to rally more than the present seven Epic powerhouses, but internal Federation territories brimmed with tangled affairs, rendering these seven the practical maximum they could deploy.

Mobilizing additional forces risked plunging numerous regions into severe unrest.

"Perhaps... we might enlist the Empire's aid, especially Lord Rein?" Haleem proposed abruptly.

"The Floating City is utmost confidential—inviting the Empire? Lord Haleem, do you believe that's wise?" the wizard with the blue crystal orb protested in disbelief, eyeing Haleem.

Yet he quickly observed that both Dawn Wizard Hernandez and Sword Saint Terrio stayed quiet, instead seeming lost in contemplation, genuinely weighing the idea.

This reaction stunned him.

"Could it be... is the Empire's Lord Rein truly that powerful?"

"He single-handedly vanquished the Nether Sea Goddess's avatar, slew the Ancient Sea Beast 'Smoldering Eel,' and demolished the Sea God Sect's core army. Does that sound powerful to you?" Haleem retorted sharply.

The other wizard and Haleem hailed from the same cohort of mages, yet clashing temperaments had always strained their rapport, even as the former had risen to prominence far sooner than Haleem, long placing Haleem in the inferior position.