The sea outside the ruins had now returned to calm.

Five whole hours had passed since the people of Great Xia Country left.

The beast tide's offensive had long since ceased, leaving behind only a scarred battlefield and countless corpses of exotic beasts floating on the sea.

The teams from various countries remained in place, waiting patiently.

Everyone knew that the struggle within the ruins had truly entered a white-hot stage.

Suddenly.

A faint blue electric light, without warning, shot out from the enormous blue light curtain.

The electric light was dim and flickering, not like a declaration of triumph, but more like a desperate escape.

On the Free Federation's airship, everyone's spirits lifted.

"It's Your Excellency Thor!"

"Your Excellency Thor is out!"

The cheers had just begun when they abruptly stopped.

Because the figure that should have drawn a perfect arc in the air and landed gracefully, instead plummeted towards the deck like a kite with a broken string!

Bang—!

A dull thud.

Thor fell miserably onto the hard deck, splattering blood.

The joy on everyone's faces instantly froze, replaced by incomparable horror.

The Thor before them no longer possessed any of the might of the God of Thunder.

His face was ashen, and his aura was extremely weak.

The legendary quality Thor's Armor on his body was already shattered beyond repair, with charred wounds all over his body.

Most terrifying was the area below his waist.

It was empty, leaving only a bloody, mangled cross-section that continuously seeped fresh blood.

"Your Excellency Thor!"

On the deck, chaos erupted instantly.

Several healing-type professionals rushed forward immediately, and holy light continuously illuminated his body.

However, no matter how desperately they cast healing spells, Thor's health continued to drop at an alarming rate!

It was as if some strange force was preventing his wounds from healing!

"Move aside!"

A majestic low growl sounded.

Archbishop Andrew had appeared before Thor at some point.

His expression was solemn, and he slowly extended his withered hand, in the palm of which a pure white orb emitting a sacred aura condensed.

He gently pushed, and the orb merged into Thor's body.

The next second, Thor's health bar, which had almost bottomed out, finally stopped its downward trend and began to slowly recover.

Everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

However, Thor's health could recover.

But limb regeneration was not possible.

This meant that this dazzling Prodigy of the Free Federation...

Without precious Materials to help...

It was very likely... he would remain a disabled person for the rest of his life.

Andrew slowly withdrew his hand, his deep eyes calmly watching Thor.

"Thor, what exactly happened?"

Thor slowly opened his eyes; those eyes that should have been as brilliant as lightning were now dim and filled with humiliation and resentment.

He struggled, using his remaining arms to prop up his broken upper body.

"I'm sorry... Archbishop..."

His voice was hoarse, like two worn-out pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

"I... I couldn't bring the pendulum of life back..."

"It was stolen by that Gandalf from Great Xia Country!"

What?!

At these words, everyone present changed color.

Even the powerhouses on the other ships, who had been watching the developments here, showed expressions of disbelief upon hearing this.

What did Thor just say?

The pendulum of life... was stolen by that guy named Gandalf?

How is this possible?!

Andrew's brows furrowed tightly.

"You mean the pendulum of life that Gandalf brought out is real?"

Thor nodded heavily.

"That's right!"

"The pendulum of life in that guy's hand is real!"

Boom—!

These words were like a heavy bomb dropped on a calm lake!

Everyone felt as if their brains had been hit hard by a sledgehammer!

That Gandalf... actually possessed such deep cunning!

He had deceived everyone present!

"Then your injuries..." Andrew's voice grew even more solemn.

A deep hint of apprehension, even... fear, flashed in Thor's eyes!

"That guy... he harbors an extremely terrifying killing move!"

"Not only did he deal with a Hell-level BOSS!"

"Even I... almost died by his hand!"

Another clap of thunder!

Everyone present was completely numb.

They even began to wonder if they were dreaming.

That Forbidden Spell Mage from Great Xia Country, could he even deal with a Hell-level BOSS?

And almost killed Thor?

Is this still the strength a level 40+ professional can possess?!

Just then.

A figure quickly flew over from the Sakura Country's ship, landing steadily on the Free Federation's airship deck.

The person who arrived was Watada Heizan.

At this moment, his face was filled with deep worry.

He quickly walked to Thor, asking indirectly.

"Your Excellency Thor, I would like to ask, have you seen Yingsi Lan from our country in the ruins?"

"Did he... did he not assist you from the side?"

Watada Heizan asked very tactfully.

He just wanted to know whether the S-Class Prodigy of his country was alive or dead.

Immediately after, the person in charge of Kimchi Country also flew over in a hurry, his face likewise filled with unease.

Thor looked at the two anxious faces before him, and in his dim eyes, a perfectly timed hint of pain and self-reproach emerged.

He suddenly raised his fist and slammed it hard against the deck beneath him!

"I'm sorry!"

"It's... it's all my fault!"

His voice was hoarse and choked, filled with deep regret.

"It was I... I failed to protect Yingsi Lan and Park In-maeng!"

"They... they were all... all killed by that Gandalf!"

At these words, it was like a bolt from the blue!

Watada Heizan's body swayed violently, almost collapsing to the ground.

His already wrinkled old face was filled with shock.

The person in charge of Kimchi Country staggered back two steps.

He widened his already small eyes, shaking his head frantically, muttering incessantly.

"Impossible... this is absolutely impossible..."

"Park In-maeng is a Genius that our Kimchi Country rarely sees in a hundred years! How could he die!"

"That Gandalf... he's just an S-Class professional in his forties!"

"How could he kill Yingsi Lan and Park In-maeng at the same time?!"

It was Marcus, standing behind Archbishop Andrew, who slowly spoke.

His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.

"Gentlemen."

"Even Your Excellency Thor almost died by his hand."

"It's not surprising then that he could kill Yingsi Lan and Park In-maeng."

Marcus's words were like two sharp daggers, piercing deeply into their hearts.

Yes.

Even Thor almost died at the hands of this Gandalf.

The deaths of Yingsi Lan and Park In-maeng also seemed to become reasonable.

But while it was rational, emotionally, they could not accept it no matter what!

Those were the future hopes of their countries! 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

They were top Prodigies cultivated with countless resources!

To put it more severely.

Their untimely deaths could even shake national power.

Just like Great Xia Country.

If it weren't for the two S-Class professionals, Zhao Qingcang and Lin Zhu, openly supporting them.

Great Xia Country would probably have been completely invaded by other countries.

Instead of the current mutual probing.

At this moment, Andrew, who had been silent for a long time, slowly spoke again.

"Thor, tell us in detail."

"What exactly happened in the ruins?"

Thor nodded heavily, a perfectly timed hint of pain and recollection flashing in his eyes.

He began to slowly recount his experiences in the ruins.

Of course, he very cleverly omitted the parts where he flirted with Polina and forced Yingsi Lan and Park In-maeng to sacrifice their Origin power.

In his description, their group had found the six bronze keys under Gandalf's deliberate guidance.

Then, through the huge whirlpool, they entered the enormous beast corpse beneath the deep sea.

And within it, found the true pendulum of life.

"That Gandalf had hidden the most crucial clue from the very beginning!"

Thor's voice was filled with regret and self-reproach.

"It was he, with false information, who caused Park In-maeng and Yingsi Lan to be forced to forcibly unSeal the chains of the pendulum of life!"

"Leading to both of them having all their life Origin drained by those strange chains, dying tragically on the spot!"

"Even I fell for his trick and had a large amount of Origin power drained as well!"

"My strength was greatly weakened."

"This led to him taking advantage of my weakness and stealing the pendulum of life!"

At this point, Thor suddenly raised his fist and slammed it hard against the deck beneath him!

"It's all my fault!"

"My wrong judgment harmed them!"

"I... I'm sorry for them!"