Chapter 173: Chapter 138: Are You Lecturing Me? Emperor’s Vengeful Angels
The Divine Emperor’s Fury Flame, steeped in slaughter and death and wreathed in Radiant Power, descended at that moment.
Within the megastructure of the Civil Affairs Department, the grand corridor hall instantly fell silent!
Hundreds, even thousands of gazes turned to the Divine Emperor’s Fury in utter shock. Whether they were Masters of Internal Affairs or Mortal Clerks, at that moment, it was as if they were witnessing the Divine Emperor himself.
As for the Forbidden Guard and Arbitrators surrounding Reinhardt, their faces drained of color. One by one, they dropped to a knee, assuming the most reverent posture to welcome the descent of the Divine Emperor’s Mighty Power.
The Commander of the Imperial Guard had heard rumors of Radiant Holy Artifacts in the army, but those rumors were nothing compared to the immense shock of seeing one with his own eyes!
Radiant Holy Artifacts.
In the Old Empire, they were found only in the National Sacred Land, in the hands of the most ancient of the Empire’s Chosen Knights. And those ancient Knights, wielding Divine Weapons bestowed by the Emperor, were without exception ten-thousand-year veterans who had fought from the first dark millennium to the present day! They were the legends and immortals of the Empire!
To the new soldiers of the Empire and its trillions of inhabitants, these were beings of legend who existed only in the most ancient historical texts!
These were the heroes from the ancient stories that every Imperial Knight heard daily in the classroom during their younger years as followers.
And now.
The Divine Emperor’s Fury had appeared right before him, held in Reinhardt’s hand.
And at that very moment.
The Commander of the Imperial Guard and the Forbidden Guard Knights finally understood why the Angel Holy Scripture described Reinhardt as the Divine Emperor’s Vengeful Angel, and why the Cultivators of the National Church believed it without question.
When the Eternal Flame of the Divine Emperor’s Fury ignited, all the rumors and slander fell apart on their own.
And when the scarlet flame of fury reflected in Governor Sexta’s eyes, his very soul trembled in terror! A voice shrieked in the depths of his heart: ’This is impossible! How could a lowborn, Third-class Knight actually receive the Emperor’s attention?!’
At the same time, as he stared at the Divine Emperor’s Fury, the Emperor’s Eternal Flame seared his soul without cease, testing his Loyalty!
Sexta even saw a vision.
The sword-wielding Reinhardt no longer stood on the magnificent floor of the Civil Affairs Department’s corridor hall, but upon a terrifying throne built from the bones of countless traitors.
Angel’s Wings constructed of flowing blood.
And these wings, far from possessing a holy radiance, instead emanated an endless aura of death and slaughter.
In his mind, this torment seemed to last for ten thousand long years, but in the real world, it was only an instant.
Sexta’s soul could finally no longer bear the searing heat of the Divine Emperor’s Fury Flame. When the tip of the Divine Emperor’s Fury pointed at his eyes, the high-and-mighty Governor let out a wretched scream and passed out.
Fainting was one thing, but he had failed to withstand the trial of the Radiant Holy Artifact in front of the Forbidden Guard, the Arbitrators, and even hundreds of Masters of Internal Affairs.
The crimes of being seduced by a Demon and of absolute disloyalty were confirmed on the spot, with no need for an investigation or evidence-gathering by the Judgment Court!
After all, how could a truly loyal soul faint when directly facing the Divine Emperor’s wrath?
At the same time, high atop the grand steps of the Government Hall, Sedon stood side-by-side with another man who also wore the Toga Robe of Ancient Rome.
Everything that had transpired in the corridor hall below had unfolded before their eyes.
This man in the Toga Robe of Ancient Rome was tall and powerfully built, with a sharply defined, broad jawline. He carried the air of the Upper Ranks, and even his restrained Knight Power rolled off him like ocean waves, a terrifying aura spreading ever outward.
Cicero, the number two figure in the Imperial Administrative Region, a Sky Knight.
His face was expressionless as he gazed from afar at Reinhardt’s back. At the same time, he gave an order to one of his men. "Take that fool to the Judgment Court. Tell the Grand Judge not to show leniency just because of Governor Sexta’s status."
"Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty."
"Tell them to deal with him severely."
He had long been aware of Reinhardt’s secret meeting with Sedon, which was why he had arranged for Sexta to warn the reckless young man as he left the Government Hall: if he didn’t want to die, he shouldn’t stand with Sedon against his will.
The result was plain to see.
’Not only did Sexta botch the verbal warning, but he looked absolutely pathetic in his failure. What a stupid pig.’
After all, the entire Civil Affairs Department knew Sexta was his staunch ally. Such a failure was tantamount to slapping him in the face in front of everyone!
And that young Knight’s every action had been the perfect response: ’Are you trying to tell me what to do?’
Sensing the gazes from the top of the Government Hall’s grand steps, Reinhardt turned and tilted his chin up slightly.
The scarlet glow of the Divine Emperor’s Fury Flame flickered across his body. Sunlight streamed down through the stained glass of the dome, illuminating the motes of dust drifting in the air.
Their gazes met in mid-air.
One seemed to be looking down from the clouds, the other stood merely on the ground.
But neither had any intention of taking a step back.
Cicero. A Sky Knight unknown in the Old Empire, once the greatest of the Knight Warlords in the Ash Soil Star Zone. No further words were needed to describe his power and authority.
His ability to rival Sedon from the Radiant Holy City, and his status as an Imperial Sky Knight—these two facts said it all.
The invisible pressure from Cicero intensified with each passing moment, crashing down like a collapsing mountain against Reinhardt’s Knight Power. But Reinhardt just stood his ground, not retreating a single step, meeting the challenge head-on.
This continued until two tall figures moved past Reinhardt and hauled up the unconscious Sexta.
Cicero had already turned and left.
This was their first meeting. As for whether their next would be so calm, only the Divine Emperor knew.
As the flames of the Divine Emperor’s Fury gradually died down, Reinhardt slung the plain Iron Sword onto his back, glanced at Ullrich, and strode toward the exit.
With every step, his heavy Power Armor issued a metallic CLANK.
In the corridor hall of the Civil Affairs Department, the Knight’s Physique seemed incredibly imposing and tall.
And wherever Reinhardt passed, the Masters of Internal Affairs and Clerks on both sides of the corridor knelt on one knee, heads bowed reverently, showing him the highest respect.
And from this day forward.
The name of the Emperor’s Vengeful Angels would finally spread throughout the Iberian World and echo across the Ash Soil Star Zone.
Sedon stood at the top of the steps, his posture ramrod straight. He knew very well that from this day on, the struggle between him and Cicero would no longer be a game of political compromise.
Between the two of them, only one would be left standing here alive.
And Reinhardt, along with the Vengeful Angels project, would be the final piece of the puzzle he needed to complete his absolute dominion over the Imperial Administrative Region.
His vision to rebuild the Empire and restore the Emperor’s great cause in the Human World, and Cicero’s governing ideal of breaking free from the Empire’s control to achieve ultimate freedom—in the end, only one could prevail.
