Chapter 161: Chapter 126: For the Emperor
With the exception of Raphael, every member of the Vengeance Angel Squad was a battle-hardened veteran.
Even though Reinhardt hadn’t detailed his plan of attack, the twenty-four-hour evacuation window, combined with the mission to find the officer holding the Radiant Beacon, made his tactical intentions obvious.
It seemed their captain was preparing to pull off something big on Rebino World.
For the Vengeance Angel Squad, slaughtering the fifty thousand soldiers garrisoned in the military fortress wasn’t the problem. They could annihilate them all in ten hours, tops.
However, once the garrison began to rout, it would be like water spilled from a cup; no one had the power to intercept every last one of them.
In other words, the fifty thousand men making a desperate last stand wasn’t the issue. The issue was that the squad had no way to stop the fleeing soldiers.
Forget a mere five-man tactical squad like theirs.
When a legion ten thousand strong broke into a full-scale rout, not even a thousand-strong Knight Battle Group could guarantee they could intercept and kill every last man.
This was precisely why the forty-eight-hour retreat window had been moved up to twenty-four hours.
The distance between each frontline fortress was no less than two hundred kilometers.
Without communications equipment, this was the maximum distance a Mortal Soldier could flee in twenty-four standard hours.
After a brief silence, Seventy-Six’s hoarse, cold voice echoed through the shared Telepathy link Raphael had created for the squad.
"You’re a madman."
Matthias, who had been silent until now, spoke in a low voice, "If he weren’t a madman, he wouldn’t have dared to smash in the head of an Abyssal Great Demon with one punch all those years ago.
Count me in for the new plan.
I’ll complete my mission within twelve hours and reach the designated extraction point. Good luck to the rest of you."
When the others heard Matthias recount Reinhardt’s past in a darkly humorous tone, only silence remained on the shared Telepathy link.
Emperor’s Shield Knight Manon thought he must have misheard. ’Smashing an Abyssal Great Demon’s head in with one punch? That’s not madness, that’s suicide!’
Just then, Seventy-Six’s voice sounded on the Telepathy link again.
"Find and assassinate four Provincial Governors planet-wide within twenty-four hours... can I consider this a test, Captain?"
Reinhardt replied coolly, "Do what you can, Seventy-Six."
Through the shared Telepathy link, the bloodcurdling screams from the interrogation cell continued.
The utterly infuriated Interrogator roared, "You think that just by dying, your soul can return to the Divine Emperor’s light?
Let me tell you, dream on—!
I’ll personally rip out your soul and stuff it into a Mage’s Soul Lamp to burn for a thousand years! That will teach you the consequences of defying me, of defying Grand Lord Kles!"
But the only response was the woman’s weak, breathless voice.
"For... the Emperor."
"Damn you!"
CRACK—!
Hearing this, the veins on Emperor’s Shield Knight Manon’s forehead bulged. He crushed the concrete block in his hand, his surging Knightly Aura billowing through the room like a tidal wave.
He had fought his entire life, earning countless honors and witnessing endless sacrifice and death, but the number of people who had truly earned his respect could be counted on one hand.
But in this moment, he felt a profound admiration for this mortal’s fearlessness and courage. Such loyalty!
Although Raphael was the squad’s Think Tank and strategist, he was ultimately not the captain. He couldn’t overstep his authority to make decisions, and besides, he always stood with Reinhardt.
Before Reinhardt spoke, upholding the established tactical plan had been a matter of stubborn adherence to his duty—as a Think Tank, a Priest, and a devotee of the Vengeful Angels.
In his mind, the revelations of the Vengeful Angels were paramount, their sacred status second only to the Radiant Divine Emperor.
Now, he had received the Vengeful Angels’ revelation.
Raphael no longer objected. He opened the Angel Holy Scripture he had personally penned, his actions both a response to the tormented voice on the Telepathy link and a final pre-battle prayer.
But this prayer held none of the rousing spirit from the Battle of Verne, nor the death-before-dishonor defiance used to uphold the Divine Emperor’s majesty in the face of despair.
There was only, beneath his calm tone, a towering inferno of hatred.
"Fear is a void, for my faith is absolute.
I was born a mortal, and all mortals are weak.
Now I am a guardian, and death is the only weakness.
Bearing the weight of honor, I shall crush the weakness of mortals."
As the prayer ended, white lightning—his Mental Power—sparked in Raphael’s eyes. He spoke in a low voice, "There are two Radiant Beacons inside the fortress. I’ve already marked their exact locations.
I will guide you.
For the Divine Emperor."
...
For the soldiers stationed at Frontline Fortress Twenty-Seven, it was just an ordinary day.
Boring routine patrols.
Hiding in tents to play cards.
Or taking out photos of loved ones to reminisce about the peaceful lives they once knew.
Ever since the Imperial legions were routed in the Administrative Region, their only pleasure—aside from scavenging battlefields—was dealing with the local natives. A single bottle of the cheapest liquor could buy the most beautiful slave at the market for their amusement.
Or, under the banner of the Conqueror Battle Group’s Auxiliary Army, they would storm the manors of local nobles to feast and make merry.
Unlike the Empire’s Infantry Legions, these private armies of Great Lords and warlords had no convictions to speak of. To them, war was slaughter, arson, and plunder. They lived one day at a time.
There was no need to risk their lives for the noble masters of Baze World.
But this day would also be one the soldiers of Frontline Fortress Twenty-Seven would never forget.
When a soldier on routine patrol looked up, he saw a dark purple ball of light, like a meteor, streaking across the distant sky. Shrouded by the cloud of a terrifying sonic boom, it howled as it hurtled toward the fortress.
All the soldiers froze.
They stared at one another, then looked to their superiors, who in turn looked to the highest-ranking officer present.
They had received no notice of any arriving Conqueror Battle Group Knights.
Finally, a new recruit scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Is that thing... an enemy?"
With the Imperial Administrative Region’s defensive lines in full retreat and its Legions completely withdrawn, no one imagined that someone would still dare to oppose Grand Lord Kles.
"Enemy attack—! Enemy attack—!"
"Notify the Conqueror Knights! Immediately! Go!"
"Where’s my weapon?! Move!"
As the soldiers of the frontline fortress fell into chaos, everyone ran about the encampment like headless chickens.
BOOM—!
When the behemoth landed, carrying immense kinetic energy, the resulting shockwave and gale-force winds drowned out all other sound!
The earth cracked! Rubble flew!
Dust filled the air!
The horrifying blast of air was so strong that the Mortal Soldiers too close to the landing site couldn’t even breathe.
When the smoke and dust finally settled, a towering figure stood there. With an Iron Sword on his back and a terrifyingly shaped Black War Axe in his hand, he appeared brazenly before the eyes of hundreds, no, thousands of soldiers!
