Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1643 - 568: The Goddess's True Form

"The top priority right now should be to steady the Empire's current state," Rein declared, his eyes scanning the powerhouses of the Imperial City, passing over Elder Ivan, Reginald, Lambert, and the rest.

"I propose that the Imperial Guardians assemble groups of different sizes to rush to the key provinces, all with a single demand: smash the cult operations without delay."

Rein's suggestion made numerous Imperial Guardians in attendance nod in agreement.

"Steel Throne Sir, we're sure we can handle most issues by forming teams. However, should a Divine Incarnation appear... aside from folks like Crown Walkmass who can get to us fast, we might be in trouble..." Just then, one Imperial Guardian frowned and voiced his concern.

"No need to fret; the majority of Evil Gods from the Floating City have had their incarnations defeated anew. They won't risk descending as incarnations anytime soon if they hope to heal fast."

Rein dismissed the worry with a wave of his hand.

"Hiss~" The revelation caused the gathered Imperial Guardians to widen their eyes a bit, staring at Rein in shock.

Such intelligence had caught them off guard.

Nobody questioned the truth of it, given that it came straight from the first Full Moon Wizard in a millennium.

Plus, all present suspected that the Steel Throne himself was behind toppling those divine incarnations yet again.

Tension in the meeting hall evaporated in an instant!

"Excellent news! With that settled, restoring order across the Empire should be straightforward." Crown Walkmass chuckled heartily.

"What about guarding the Imperial City?" Elder Ivan piped up abruptly.

Rein's gaze intensified as he stared at Cologne Cathedral, declaring: "I'll hold position here in the Imperial City."

"Furthermore, should any of you face a Divine Incarnation's arrival, signal me at once. If the province isn't too distant from the capital, I'll hurry over without hesitation."

His latest blow had sufficiently intimidated Fiend Demon's avatar, halting its wild proliferation.

Yet, after absorbing that setback, the foe would no doubt aim to taint additional beings.

For now, his strategy involved two fronts: persistently harassing Fiend Demon to drag out its recuperation, while scouring records for clues on the second auxiliary Key of Time.

"Perfect! Steel Throne Sir, Prince Menia, why delay? Time to move out!" Sword Saint Lambert grinned as he urged.

"Yes!"

"Let's get moving."

One by one, the Imperial Guardians voiced their assent.

Clashes with Fiend Demons had left most of them deeply frustrated!

Combating Fiend Demons bred constant fear; a minor lapse in power meant dread of corruption from wounds, breeding caution and fear. Thus, the Imperial Guardians' superior numbers failed to yield battlefield dominance—yet against cults, the tide would turn decisively.

....

Three full days passed.

'Red Queen' Menia barely snatched moments of rest, tirelessly orchestrating vital imperial matters.

After evil qi withdrew, Fiend Demons had claimed a roughly semicircular zone centered on Cologne Cathedral, spanning several miles across.

Compared to the vast Imperial City of Tamriel, this zone was moderate in scale, yet it engulfed much of the Inner Ring and Imperial Palace, grazing portions of the Second Ring.

The elite noble and affluent quarters past the Third Ring escaped severe harm. Outer commerce zones and the Fourth and Fifth Ring neighborhoods remained largely unscathed.

Still, terror gripped the Imperial City's residents, many abandoning homes for distant provinces—though most ordinary folk held firm.

They witnessed top imperial leaders, spearheaded by the 'Red Queen', refusing to flee the capital; more crucially, rumors spread of the Empire producing a demigod powerhouse!

This ignited soaring morale among the masses.

Thankfully, expansive farmlands and manors on the city's periphery—meant to provision it—sufficed to shelter and feed the bulk of evacuees.

Three days prior, per conference directives, Imperial Guardians had finalized their squads, aiding provinces by purging cults and reestablishing control. Advances were steady, with the Empire steadily rebounding.

Outskirts of the Imperial City, Rose Manor.

Formerly Dragon royal property, Rose Manor now hosted Rein and his kin as their interim abode.

With the 'Shadow Shifting' ability in his arsenal, Rein faces no real hurdles for distances that aren't excessively long; be it dashing to the camp or to Cologne Cathedral to subdue Fiend Demons, he can get there in a flash.

Up in the manor's second-floor study, Rein swiftly rifles through the chest of documents seized from Cologne Cathedral.

Through several days of on-and-off perusal, Rein has pretty much wrapped up his examination of them all.

The many entries inside aren't purposefully obscured, but stem from the writers' own ignorance regarding the Divine Artifact's location, producing heaps of materials brimming with conjectures and probes.

This forces Rein to unearth the essential clues amid a huge pile of documents that seem utterly disconnected.

"...After vanquishing Fiend Demons and a band of Evil Gods, the Goddess set off to diverse locales to seal mighty colossal beasts..."

"From then on, it appears no one witnessed the Goddess brandishing the Divine Artifact in combat once more."

Rein snapped shut the brown-bound diary, deep in contemplation.