"Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!"
Within the dense forest, a gale stirred. Streams of divine light, compressed to the extreme, swarms of Hermes curses, and sharp Orichalcum secret arrows came from all directions, emitting a shrill whine as they tore through the air. Like meteor showers, they fell relentlessly, creating explosions one after another.
"Boom boom boom boom!"
At the center of the concentrated fire, Luo En directed a small portion of his magic power toward vital areas, unfolding layers of defensive charms. The vast majority of his power he channeled into his legs, nimbly dodging the continuously incoming rubble, wood chips, curses, and arrows, all to maximize his speed of escape.
Even though the two Atlantean demigods had undergone their ascension long ago, and in terms of both divinity and magic power accumulation, they generally far surpassed Luo En, they could only watch, slack-jawed, and eat dust behind his eloquently fluid steps and a physique as slippery as an eel.
However, as battle-hardened veterans, when they saw that their dense offensive had not managed to slow down their target, they decided to abandon their fruitless efforts. They, too, channeled all their magic power to accelerate to the maximum.
But after only a few steps in pursuit, they heard a crisp "crack, crack" from beneath their feet.
The demigods involuntarily stiffened, mechanically lowering their heads to look at the crystal rune stones at their feet etched with Hermes script.
Blazing light was bursting forth along with the shattering of the runes.
"Boom! Boom!"
Two explosions rang out behind them, fierce heatwaves sweeping in all directions. Luo En's lips curled into a satisfied smile, but he didn't slow down for a moment, not looking back as he continued to sprint towards the southwest of the small island.
Such impact was just a drizzle for demigods and, though unexpected, was unlikely to inflict any real damage; it could only delay them briefly at best.
If only there had been seven times more of those, it might have been a different story.
Unfortunately, those were the last few he had in hand.
As Luo En hastened his pace to break away from the battle, he even felt somewhat grateful to the foolish bird teacher who had trained him to have such a robust physique and ability to survive against all odds.
Although the process had been painful, without a doubt, he had directly or indirectly mastered a plethora of life-saving skills.
In the Sea of Okeanos, a land filled with Titans and monstrous creatures, he might not be the most powerful demigod, but he was definitely the best expert at fleeing.
As everyone knows, being alive is the prerequisite for dealing damage.
Luo En kept his eyes and ears open in all directions while trying to maintain a good mindset, finding humor amidst adversity.
Finally, after about a quarter of an hour of intense running, he arrived at the dense forest where he had previously found a beehive.
But at the same time, the two dusty and disheveled Atlantean demigods were gradually closing the distance due to their superior divinity and magic power levels, appearing on a gentle slope a hundred meters away. Their bloodshot eyes stared coldly and mercilessly at Luo En ahead of them.
"Gentlemen, come in and let's finish this, I'm right here waiting for you, I promise I won't run!"
At once, the footsteps outside the dense forest paused again, and no further steps were taken.
Time slipped away, second by second; it was unclear whether it was but a brief moment or several long hours.
Finally, the forging light died, and the battered Wings of Icarus had perfectly assimilated the other two materials, unveiling a new form.
Luo En breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at the still, quiet entrance to the dense forest behind him, he couldn't help but mock in jest.
I'm giving you a chance, but you just can't take it, can you?
However, just as Luo En was about to scoff in secret, a sudden change occurred.
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz!"
Within the oppressive, dull drone in the air, magic power from all around crazily converged above the dense forest, creating an etheric tide that stretched for kilometers. Water-blue tridents filled with a murderous aura emerged above, their mighty force capable of blasting the entire desolate island into rubble!
They might not have been able to discern whether their foe had truly laid an ambush, but clever people have their own ways, and the simple-minded have theirs.
If reaching into a burrow and failing to catch the mouse lurking inside risks a bite,
Then better to just overturn the entire burrow!
In that moment, feeling the danger as the rite imbued with Poseidon's might activated, Luo En's scalp tingled, and he grabbed the Wings of Icarus in front of him without hesitation, pressing them onto his back and frantically infusing them with magic power.
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!"
As the water-blue tridents began to fall from the sky, Luo En, having completed the final step, vibrated the Wings of Icarus on his back, soaring into the sky.
"Boom boom boom boom!"
Bursts of explosive sounds shook the earth, and the entire island shattered to pieces, as a graceful figure rode the wind towards the vast expanse of the Sea of Okeanos.
"Damn it! That bastard got away again!"
Having failed once more, the two demigods who had jointly invoked the rite seethed with anger, their eyes bloodshot and teeth clenched in frustration, only able to helplessly jump in rage on the disintegrating island.
"To the ship!"
Just then, a rough voice came from the sea. The other demigod vice-captain, who had previously escorted the wounded, was steering a shuttle-shaped battleship pulled by several Sea Beasts, gesturing them to come aboard.
The people on the island were overjoyed and leaped onto the ship, embarking once again on this relentless chase.