Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1538 - 529: Shattering the Rock with a Single Blow (Part 2)

Stuart was deeply acquainted with Rein and held a profound wariness toward him; that's exactly why he had risked exposing his secret ties to contact the Tutkash School's Sect Leader Graham.

The moment Rein appeared, a quick look was all it took for him to recognize the man's true identity, given that the Isodre School possessed only a single Dawn Wizard.

"So, you must be Lord Stuart. Excellent, I was eager to question if you're oblivious to the Tutkash School's corpse gathering and their shady operations across the Shirendil Plateau."

"Have you overlooked the grave imperial obligations assigned to you and your school?"

"Lord Rein, without any proof, I urge you to stop hurling groundless charges!" Rein's statement drained the color from Stuart's face, while simultaneously churning up fierce turmoil inside him!

"Furthermore, though you're hailed as the empire's bright hope and the youngest epic-level fighter, I expect you to show some fundamental courtesy toward a fellow Dawn Wizard."

"Oh? Yet I feel a figure like you hardly warrants my regard." Rein replied coolly.

"On the topic of proof, aren't the hordes of alien spider nests right by the city more than enough?"

"Being a Dawn Wizard yourself, you wouldn't claim you can't sense it, would you?" Rein fired back.

Those final two lines from Rein struck like thunderous chimes, rattling Stuart's thoughts!

What!

To his astonishment, this youth had actually uncovered the truth.

That damned fool Graham—he insisted that even a Dawn Wizard would struggle to spot the ties between the alien spider swarms and the Tutkash School?

How in the world did Rein pick up on this?

Yet at this point, it was beside the point.

Stuart became aware that Rein's remarks had altered how the school's wizards viewed him, and unless he turned the tide right now, his authority among them would suffer a massive blow.

In that instant, Rein shot Stuart a glance that carried a hint of mockery, then boldly strode through the school's entrance beneath their shocked gazes.

For a brief spell, Stuart found himself unsure how to gauge the young man in front of him.

Was he to applaud such boldness?

Or dismiss it as excessive arrogance?

Youth truly breeds fearlessness in the uninformed!

Very well, if that's how it stands...

Stuart's gaze sharpened just a touch.

The smartest path forward lay in seizing this Rein alive, compelling him to recant his prior claims as utter fabrications, or failing that, simply holding him captive here.

Afterward, if the empire came probing, it would be easy to justify—after all, he had come stirring trouble and met his end.

"Lord Rein, your statements gravely insult a Dawn Wizard; nothing short of blood will purify such a stain!"

"I too believe only blood can cleanse it, though not your honor—it's the empire's that hangs in the balance."

Rein’s retort drove Stuart into a fury!

…

"Rock Shards!"

Stuart lifted his arm, and through a simple motion, he summoned a Fourth Level Earth Element Dawn Witchcraft, where whirling rock fragments like spinning saucers rapidly gathered in front of him.

At his commanding gesture, these countless rock shards, each the size of grinding stones, hurtled rapidly toward Rein.

This technique bore some similarity to the Fourth Level Metal Series Witchcraft 'Blade Flying Disc' that Rein had mastered, amplifying its destructive force via swift spins and velocity, but this one blanketed an entire area with its assault.

At the same time, Malcolm grinned slyly; upon witnessing the sect leader strike, he swiftly lifted his own hand and began his incantation.

"Entanglement Rune!"

A vast and intricate witch array sprang up under Rein’s feet, radiating a yellowish-brown light while spawning endless soil-formed hands that seized at Rein’s legs, piling layer by layer and climbing fast to his knees.

Rein appeared rooted firmly in the earth, frozen in place.

As the sect leader and his deputy launched their strikes, most wizards from the Isodre School wavered in hesitation due to their doubts, yet a handful dove into the battle.

In that group were three wizards at the crystallization peak; the elderly one clutching an earth-yellow orb wasted no time in hurling a jagged stone spike, about four to five meters in length and a meter wide, directly toward Rein.

"Boom boom boom!"

The packed swarm of rock shards crashed in at blistering speeds, unleashing savage blasts, and suddenly, clouds of dust and haze filled the air.

"What nerve, barging straight inside!" Malcolm burst into laughter at the display.

He had observed it plainly moments ago—Rein stood no chance of evasion, so he must have withstood the sect leader’s Fourth Level Witchcraft 'Rock Shards', amplified by the witch array, alongside the onslaught from scores of school wizards.

Even possessing epic-level combat prowess, from his perspective, Rein was surely either slain or left in critical condition.

"Is that the best you've got? I'm honestly let down!"

A composed voice arose from the slowly clearing dust.

Rein remained steadfast there, even as the soil hands clung tightly to his legs; right now, dark silver shields enveloped him, repelling every one of Stuart's Rock Shards.

"This... isn't that the First Level Witchcraft Metal Barrier?" The silver-haired veteran wizard, rich in lore, swiftly pinpointed the source of Rein’s protective spell.

"A First Level Witchcraft? How on earth did it hold against the sect leader’s Dawn Witchcraft 'Rock Shards'!"

"Word has it that solely a Dawn Wizard can elevate lesser witchcraft to rival the might of superior spells; evidently, this adversary is a genuine Dawn Wizard, no question."