I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

Chapter 203: Chapter 168: Tomb Treasure Vault, Running Out of Time

At that very moment.

The tomb chamber suddenly began to tremble violently.

A low rumble echoed, like the cry of a dying planet.

A web of ethereal blue, living Energy, like the very blood of Kemola, rippled outward in waves from the depths of the Saint’s Remains chamber.

An ancient sigh resonated deep within everyone’s souls, and in that instant, every Transcendent present sensed the dissipation of a will.

It was the last lingering will of the Wizard Saint.

Meanwhile, a Wizard standing guard outside the tomb entrance scowled. "That bastard Nico got the Ancient Black Box. We can’t let him escape."

Before he could finish speaking, members of the Oreno Family were already filing in, led by an Earth Knight whose expression was grim.

If the Ancient Black Box, which recorded a vast amount of Witchcraft Technology, fell into the hands of Grand Lord Kles, the legions loyal to Baze World could upgrade all their weapons and equipment in three hundred years at most.

The balance of power in the Ash Soil Star Zone would be shattered.

That ambitious Wizard would undoubtedly ally with the Void Demons and launch a grand war to conquer the entire Ash Soil Star Zone!

This was a future that none of the other Four Great Forces wished to see.

Or rather, to the Vanguard Teams of the major powers, the Ancient Black Box was only safe in their own hands! No one else could be allowed to have it!

Reinhardt hadn’t moved yet when Agate’s voice came through via Telepathy.

’The chamber of the Saint’s Remains has multiple entrances. Kles’s men must have left through another passage. It’ll be hard to catch him if we just chase after them.’

’Lord Reinhardt, please wait a moment.’

Agate’s right hand was wrapped around the neck of a Tormentor Mage. Ignoring the man’s pained struggles, he brutally shoved the muzzle of his mechanical arm’s gun into the Mage’s mouth. A fluorescent green Thermite Beam instantly melted the Mage’s cerebellum and spine, piercing straight through.

His Mechanical Eye dilated and contracted rapidly as a dense projection of green text appeared before him.

He seemed to be parsing some kind of heavily encrypted information. After a moment, Agate’s voice came through via Telepathy again. ’The main Kemola Tomb Complex is eleven thousand meters deep, with a maximum diameter of fifteen kilometers.’

’There are three passages connected to the Saint’s tomb chamber. One has collapsed and is unusable... Tomb Treasure Vault... We’ll take the other route.’

After parsing the encrypted data, the eerie green light from Agate’s Mechanical Eye projected a schematic of the main structure of the Kemola Tomb Complex, which then dissipated.

’If we’re fast enough, we should be able to intercept Kles’s people at the Tomb Treasure Vault.’

At this point, the lowest level of the tomb complex was littered with corpses. Craters and ruins from the Transcendents’ battles were everywhere. Aside from the Vengeance Angel Squad, only Robie and Slaughterer Dane remained, locked in a fierce battle in the distance.

Raphael’s brow furrowed. He was deeply displeased with Agate’s deliberate concealment of key information.

’If you knew the structure and layout, why didn’t you tell us sooner? Is it that damned secrecy protocol from the Mechanical Order again?’

The Vengeful Angels were a single unit, and it was vital for members to maintain trust in one another. Especially during a mission, concealing key information could even be considered a betrayal.

Even the usually good-tempered Manon couldn’t help but frown slightly.

But Agate’s voice remained cold.

’This top-secret data was encrypted information implanted in my memory banks by the Mechanical Order before the mission. It would only activate after the Ancient Black Box was taken.’

’And it’s set to self-destruct after a single use.’

’Raphael, you’re not the only one with the power to steal memories from living beings. When it comes to the Saints’ Tomb Complex, these security measures are necessary.’

The structure of the Wizard Civilization’s Saints’ Tomb Complexes followed a standardized construction process. Even if the details varied, the main structure would remain consistent.

The Old Empire and the Mechanical Order had excavated more than one Saints’ Tomb Complex, so it was expected that they would understand the internal structure.

Reinhardt didn’t hesitate. He chose to execute Agate’s new tactical plan.

Before leaving, he glanced at Robie, who was still locked in combat with Slaughterer Dane. The madman seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of taking a beating, letting out fits of deranged laughter from time to time.

However, as they were leaving the lowest level to take a shortcut and intercept their target at the Tomb Treasure Vault, the voice of Seventy-Six, who had been silent for a long time, sounded in their minds via Telepathy.

And from the sound of his voice, he was badly injured.

’Everyone, what’s the situation at the tomb complex?’

Reinhardt’s response was cold and merciless.

’Kles’s men took the Ancient Black Box. I thought you were dead.’

’Tsk, you’re warming my heart, Captain Reinhardt. I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?’

Raphael let out a breath. He was probably the only one on the squad who had been worried about Seventy-Six’s safety. Shaking his head slightly, he said, ’Don’t waste time. Report your situation.’

’I was targeted by an Elemental Dominator earlier. Killing it took a lot out of me. But the Space Dragon Race should be aware of our presence by now.’

’These Aliens are fighting the Demon Legion for surface control of Kemola. A large force of the Space Dragon Race has landed near the tomb complex entrance. When you get out, they might skewer and roast you.’

Here, Seventy-Six paused slightly. ’Agate, I need you to remotely activate the Punisher Battleship and then give me control authority. There’s a Biochemical Master from the Space Dragon Race trying to crack the Punisher’s security protocols right under my nose.’

’Also, you might only have one or two hours of mission time left. The Space Dragon Race has already blockaded many of the planet’s orbits to prevent the Demon Legion from landing.’

The current situation was that if either the Space Dragon Race or the Demon Legion occupied Kemola and completely blockaded the planetary orbits, no one would be able to escape under their watch.

But they were trapped nearly ten thousand meters underground, and Seventy-Six was the only one near the ship.

If this guy from the Assassin Court betrayed them, took the ship, and left by himself, abandoning them on Kemola, their deaths would be certain.

Giving control of the Punisher Ship to an assassin—who was neither a Technician Soldier nor an Imperial Knight—at a time like this was an extremely high risk.

After a moment of silence, Agate replied, ’Authorization requires Lord Reinhardt’s approval. I don’t have the authority to hand over control of the ship to you on my own.’

Reinhardt considered it carefully for a moment.

’Don’t let us down, Seventy-Six.’

’If by ’letting you down’ you mean accidentally dropping the Punisher into the ocean, then I’d say that’s a distinct possibility.’

Having received authorization, a burst of electricity erupted from Agate’s modified spine. He then replied, ’Control has been transferred. I’ll notify you before we evacuate.’

’Seventy-Six. The mission shall be accomplished. My lovely teammates.’