"Shit! I really thought I was done for!"
"This sea is not normal! I swear something was dragging me to the bottom earlier."
"I felt it too! Thank God General Ethan saved us!"
"So, how are we supposed to attack them?"
"No idea. Maybe with long-range magic and skills?"
"It’s challenging to complete the mission if we only do that."
"Well, we have no other choice for now."
"Let’s just hope General Ethan comes up with a solution."
They gritted their teeth in anger as they stared at the citizens because they had lost many people at once.
"Stay there for now." General Ethan commanded, "Don’t leave the ships until I say so."
"Understood, General." They responded in unison.
When General Ethan lifted his staff forward, the sea trembled and the water beneath Ren surged, twisting and spiraling upward like a living serpent.
The descent of the Moon God!
General Ethan was a 5-star mage, so Ren used the final form immediately.
Despite seeing the massive water avatar, General Ethan didn’t panic; instead, his lips curled up into a grin as if he had been waiting for Ren to use his trump card.
The sea shook, and the roar of the waves echoed across the endless ocean.
Even though Ren’s rank was lower than General Ethan’s, he was not at a disadvantage in the fight.
The Moon Rising Over the Sea was one of the best skills in the world, so it could cover up the gap between them.
However, he kept replenishing his energy as maintaining the water avatar consumed a lot of spiritual energy.
"Try blocking this." General Ethan raised his staff and used the Abyssal Stone magic.
A colossal stone dropped from the sky.
Its size was almost as big as Nightshire City.
As it fell at an incredible speed, the wind howled around it, and the air crackled with pressure.
Not only that, but the emerald sea also trembled uncontrollably as if it could feel the immense weight of the stone descending.
Ren swung his giant water sword several times, intending to destroy the massive stone with water slashes.
But before his attacks landed on the giant stone, another massive stone appeared.
This time, its target was not him but the city behind him.
Some of the citizens of Nightshire City froze in fear as they stared at the massive falling stone while others gritted their teeth in helpless frustration.
Even though the city was protected by a rank 6 defensive formation, a wave of fear still surged in their hearts because they felt like the barrier would get destroyed instantly once it hit it.
Scarlett, who noticed it, stopped attacking her enemies because her people were in danger.
Panic flickered in her eyes as she rushed toward the city.
But just before she arrived, the massive stone struck the barrier.
The barrier shattered into countless pieces, sending its shards flying in all directions.
Terror overtook their faces when the citizens saw fragments scatter in the air. They were in a state of panic, so they forgot to use skills and magic to protect them.
Even if they used their defensive magic and skills, they believed it would be meaningless as the massive stone carried enough force to shatter everything in its path.
Just when they thought they were going to die, the seawater swirled upward, forming a protective shield of water around them and the city.
Unbreakable Water Shield!
Ren felt dizzy right after using the sixth form of the Moon Rising Over the Sea as his energy dropped drastically.
Luckily, he had health potions and a system, so he could recover instantly.
"You let your guard down." General Ethan’s lips curled up into a grin because he knew Ren’s weakness.
Right after Ren turned to General Ethan, a massive stone flew toward him. He was previously focused on protecting the citizens, so he had no time to dodge or block it.
The water splashed high into the sky as Ren’s Avatar fell into the sea.
"Ren!" Scarlett shouted in worry.
"Well done, General!"
"Haha! He is only big, but he is nothing compared to General Ethan!"
Cheers of joy filled their side as General Ethan landed a powerful blow on Ren.
On the other side, the citizens of Nightshire City wore expressions of frustration, blaming themselves for being a burden to Ren.
Ren rose to his feet and fought General Ethan again.
Like before, General Ethan attacked the citizens while targeting him.
Ren really cared about the citizens, so General Ethan used their presence to gain an advantage in their fight.
Since General Ethan continued targeting the citizens during their fight, Ren kept using a water shield to protect them.
Not only that, but he also attacked General Ethan’s subordinates.
General Ethan was not willing to risk his life to protect his subordinates, so Ren managed to kill many of them.
If their numbers were previously sixty thousand, now only forty thousand were left.
However, they were all powerful awakeners, so the outcome of the war was still uncertain, especially since General Ethan only had minor injuries.
’System, restore my energy to its full capacity.’
It was the tenth time he had replenished his energy because he fought while protecting the citizens.
[Ding! 10,000 gold coins have been consumed to replenish the Host’s spiritual energy.]
Ren glanced at General Ethan before finally attacking him again.
As they fought fiercely, Ren thought of a way to kill General Ethan because his death would secure victory in the war.
’Should I drag him somewhere far away?’
He could not keep fighting General Ethan while protecting the citizens as it drained his energy quickly.
Once his money ran out, their fate would be sealed.
Even though he didn’t want the citizens to die, he also didn’t want to meet his end because he still had a dream he wanted to achieve.
That was when the thought of taking General Ethan somewhere far crossed his mind because it would allow him to focus solely on their fight.
[Host, the system also thinks it’s the best option.]
His system said he could not protect the citizens all the time.
They also needed to grow stronger on their own because that was the only way to survive in this cruel world.
If they died in this war, it would not be his fault.
It would simply mean they were too weak to survive in this world!
Ren clenched his fist as he glanced at the citizens.
’Sorry, everyone, but I also have dream. I failed to achieve it in my previous life, so I can’t afford to fail again in this life.’
He deactivated the skill, restoring the world to its normal state.
"What?! The world return to normal?!"
"What’s going on? Can Ren not fight anymore?"
"Does that mean we are going to lose the war?"
"Is it because of us?"
They were shocked when Ren deactivated his skill because he had only done so after the war in the previous battle.
General Ethan’s lips curled up into a grin. "It looks like you are about to run out of energy."
’Well, in the end, we are still the winners of this war.’