Chapter 177: Chapter 142: Natural-Born Judge Sacred Body, Reinhardt
Perhaps the body of an Imperial Knight, encased in Power Armor, seems huge and clumsy.
Perhaps an Imperial Knight would dogmatically give their life for the ideals of knighthood and its highest principles.
But that doesn’t mean they are a bunch of witless brutes who only understand force.
Courage, Physique, and wisdom.
A powerful Knight never strays from these three core elements.
If anyone thought Reinhardt was just a madman with a cruel and bloody fighting style, they were sorely mistaken.
If you wanted Reinhardt to use his combat intellect against you, you’d better first consider whether you could withstand the swing of his Black War Axe.
Even after so many years apart, after enduring flight and life-or-death struggles, Irenia was still the exceptionally clever woman Reinhardt remembered.
When the two had chatted from a distance, Reinhardt hadn’t been able to see what she was hiding. However, Florant’s rhetoric and his excessive enthusiasm for Raphael gave him some clues.
He had to admit, Irenia was a woman more cunning than any Demon or Mage.
She was hedging her bets. Whether Florant obtained Raphael’s knowledge or she escaped his control, she stood to benefit.
Although she hadn’t said a word about why Florant was so eager to cooperate with the Vengeance Angel Squad, she kept insisting that the Tier Two Wizard wanted to kill her and seize her power.
But did he really only want to kill her?
Even using Star Form, could their conversation truly evade the senses of a Master Level Tier Two Wizard?
As far as Reinhardt knew, there was an old, well-known saying in the Wizard World: to gain anything, one must offer something of equal value in return.
And Raphael was very likely the price for her to break free.
In the eyes of the National Church and the Judgment Court, Raphael was a person of interest who required constant surveillance. The transcendent knowledge engraved in his memory, a blessing from the Formless Divine Monarch, was like a ticking time bomb.
There was no telling when it might suddenly go off.
But in the eyes of a Wizard, Raphael’s weak power combined with the knowledge in his head was practically a gift from the heavens, free for the taking.
Of course, this was just speculation.
A Master Level Tier Two Wizard’s power was enough to rival a Six-star Military Rank Earth Knight. With Reinhardt’s current strength, even if he could defeat Florant, the cost would be immense.
Irenia knew full well that they wouldn’t declare war on Lord Anatol and pay a terrible price to kill Florant just for her sake.
She must have had a plan when she made her request.
Having sorted out the cause and effect of the situation, Reinhardt asked about the entrance and Grand Lord Kles’s Vanguard Team.
According to the intelligence provided by Florant, there was nothing unusual about the entrance’s location. Its defensive systems had long since failed and could be broken through with brute force.
But Grand Lord Kles’s Vanguard Team was the real problem.
The leader was an Earth Knight named Logan, with a Four-star Military Rank. He was a member of Great Lord Baze’s Personal Guard and extremely powerful.
Accompanying him was a Master Level Tier Two Wizard who specialized in the Spiritual Ability System. His name was currently unknown; even Florant, despite his many years operating in the Ash Soil Star Zone, was seeing this Wizard for the first time.
The rest of the Vanguard Team consisted of three Seven-star Military Rank Official Knights and three Master Level Tier One Mages.
Neither the Vengeance Angel Squad nor Florant’s group could handle them alone.
Furthermore, for a Four-star Military Rank Earth Knight to be described as "extremely powerful" by this Master Level Tier Two Wizard meant he had to be a particularly tough opponent.
In the vanguard team from Grandmaster Wizard Anatol’s faction, Florant was the strongest. The other seven who came with him were all Tier One Mages, with only three at the Master Level.
The heavy rain pelted against the surface of Reinhardt’s Power Armor.
Raindrops hit Florant’s Energy Force Field and drifted sideways as if in slow motion, defying gravity.
The Tier Two Wizard frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before speaking. "Lord Reinhardt, what I’m actually most worried about is that Kles’s people might possess the power of Void Demons."
"You’ve fought Crusher Stein, so you should have a good idea of his strength."
"If they have one or two Void Divine Artifacts and a conflict breaks out, it would be extremely disadvantageous for us."
Grand Lord Kles’s secret collusion with the Void Demons was an open secret among the upper echelons of the major powers in the Ash Soil Star Zone. However, since Kles had never done anything too outrageous, and given his power, the various factions chose to turn a blind eye.
Reinhardt replied, "Your concerns are not unfounded. If the situation turns against us and Kles’s men get desperate, using a Void Divine Artifact to ascend into a Demon Prince or accepting assimilation by a Great Demon, the forces we have on hand would be hard-pressed to deal with it."
While discussing countermeasures with Florant, Reinhardt glanced at Raphael, signaling him to activate the mark for shared Telepathy.
Raphael understood immediately.
’Sir, do you have any orders?’
’When we enter the ruins, pay close attention to Florant’s actions. I suspect his true intention in cooperating with us is to get to you. Irenia is just a smokescreen.’
’Me?’
Raphael was clearly taken aback. He had been having a pleasant and engaging conversation with Florant earlier and never suspected such a thing.
Although it was partly due to a lack of information, when it came to dealing with Wizards, Raphael—with less than half a year of combined experience in real combat and field missions—was still too green.
All members of the Vengeance Angel Squad could hear the shared Telepathy; Reinhardt had instructed Raphael to let them listen in.
On this subject, Matthias, who had spent half his life dealing with Wizards, was the most qualified to speak.
’I support Captain Reinhardt’s assessment. Raphael, you don’t understand just how valuable you are in the eyes of those Wizards. You’d better be careful. Don’t give them any opportunity to be alone with you.’
Before landing, Reinhardt had already ordered Seventy-Six to arrive on Kemola ahead of them, and he had not revealed himself to Florant’s group.
He was also an ace up the sleeve for the Vengeance Angel Squad.
He would not reveal Seventy-Six’s existence unless absolutely necessary.
However, this professional assassin, who had been gradually warming up to the others, couldn’t be bothered to maintain his cold and aloof facade. His unpleasant, hoarse voice, tinged with his unique brand of dark humor, reached everyone’s minds.
’Meticulous logic, a grasp of the problem’s essence... yet every thought is steeped in hostility.’
’Captain Reinhardt, you’re far more professional than any of the third-rate Judges I’ve ever met. Tsk, it’s a waste of talent that you don’t work for the Judgment Court. Ever consider a career change after retirement?’
Just then, another small ship appeared in the distant clouds, whistling as it sped toward them.
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