Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1639 - 566: Node Key_3

Thanks to his bond with the Spiritual Greyhound Qu Qi and the Blood Feathered Horned Eagle, Rein vanished once more in the blink of an eye, materializing right next to his sister Bo He.

"Brother?!"

Bo He, mounted atop the Spiritual Greyhound, spotted Rein popping up beside her out of nowhere. Her large eyes flew wide open as she cried out in thrill.

"Bo He, I'm glad you're okay!" Rein tousled Bo He's hair while soothing her.

Simultaneously, his gaze caught the Blood Feathered Horned Eagle soaring overhead, carrying Cleya, his mother Emma, and their father. Yet Lagaray and Jennifer were nowhere in sight.

Before Rein had a chance to inquire, Bo He recalled something urgent and blurted, "Oh right, brother, hurry and locate sister Lagaray."

"She went off to search for Aunt Jennifer, and I'm concerned..."

"Hmm, don't worry, they'll be fine."

With a burst of intense spiritual power sweeping outward, a radar-like pulse swiftly enveloped half the Imperial City. Moments later, Rein vanished anew, teleporting to a makeshift military camp.

Right away, his eyes locked onto that familiar, elegant silhouette receiving treatment.

...

At the heart of the provisional military camp.

"Prince Menia, Demon Power infection can't be cured—what you're doing merely holds it at bay."

"Prince Menia, please accept your grief!"

"Prince Menia, guard against Evil Qi corruption."

Even those at Epic-class risk easy infection from direct Evil Qi exposure.

"Yes, Prince Menia, the Empire's security rests on you now—focus your efforts..."

Numerous voices urged the 'Red Queen' Menia, who channeled a Fire Secret Technique upon Jennifer.

...

"Crown Rein!"

"Crown Rein, how are you back so soon?!"

Rein's abrupt arrival stunned everyone there.

After the previous Imperial City clash, Rein had earned fame as one of the Dragan Empire's elite powerhouses.

"Rein, forgive me—I failed to safeguard Jennifer properly!" Overwhelmed by guilt and regret, Lagaray threw herself into Rein's embrace.

"No, you've done very well." Rein gently patted Lagaray's back to console her.

"Rein, I... I noticed too late." Menia's face lit up briefly at Rein's sight, then darkened as she rose unhurriedly and spoke.

Rein gave a nod and hastened to Jennifer's side, the one tainted by Demon Power.

"Rein... Rein... before I go... seeing you... feels so wonderful..."

Beauty had fled Jennifer by now; thick black Qi shrouded her once-pale features. Without Menia's Fire Secret Technique clashing fiercely against the Evil Qi, she might have perished already...

"Don't worry... you will be fine." Rein took hold of Jennifer's blackened, withered hand and assured her.

Rein's declaration left the Empire's warriors exchanging uneasy glances!

Uncertainty gripped them—were these just words of solace, or did Rein truly possess the means?

Instinct screamed impossibility, yet from the lips of Crown Rein, the Empire's youngest-ever Guardian famed for miracles, a hush fell over the camp.

Then, Rein lifted his hand deliberately, summoning a meter-long Key of Time aglow with vibrant hues right before their astonished gazes.

Gripping it softly, Rein promptly channeled spiritual power into it the very next moment.

With spiritual power flowing in, crystalline specks like tiny transparent grains materialized on the Key's ring base.

Suddenly, streams of vivid, ethereal crystal mist—resembling dawn fog or swirling vapor—poured from the Key of Time, seeping straight into Jennifer's form.

A breathtaking spectacle played out for all to witness!

The Evil Qi shrouding Jennifer melted away visibly, withdrawing from her head down through chest and thighs to calves, until it vanished entirely.

Jennifer's darkened visage restored to fairness and bloom, her distorted figure reverting to its voluptuous elegance...

"How... how is this possible!"

"Can Crown Rein rescue them all..."

"No, observe Crown Rein carefully." Lambert warned gravely; as a Sword Saint, his sharp senses detected Rein's faint alteration.

Hmm?

The Empire Guardians nearby snapped their eyes to Rein's features, shock dawning instantly as they grasped Lambert's meaning.

Weariness etched Rein's youthful countenance; though no white strands marred his hair, he appeared aged from twenties to past thirty.

Undoubtedly still the camp's youngest, but that vibrant youthfulness... gone!

All present, wise and experienced, grasped it at once: wielding such godlike feats exacted a toll on the user's very lifespan!

Put simply, rescuing the city's inhabitants remains a completely unattainable goal.

The first reason is that nobody would readily give up their own life for unknown strangers.

Furthermore, amid such a vast crowd, even if Crown Rein offered his own sacrifice, saving every last one proves impossible.

Though Crown Rein serves as the Empire's youngest Guardian, he could deplete his entire lifespan and perish after rescuing merely dozens, hundreds at most.

"This...I recall, isn't this the Node Key grasped by the Goddess in the underground mural of Cologne Cathedral?" An elder attired as an Archbishop, clad in a water-blue divine robe, pointed toward the Key of Time gripped in Rein's hand, shouting out.

This elder was named Mills, one of the rare high-ranking divine officials who survived the catastrophe at Cologne Cathedral.

"The Goddess's Divine Artifact?"

"Node Key?"

In that instant, every gaze moved from Archbishop Mills to the Deputy Key of Time held by Rein.

...