Chapter 260 - 224: A Perilous Situation, Members Regroup

The Iberian Glory.

The frontline command mothership for the Imperial Administrative Region.

As the heavy, massive metal bay doors opened, billowing white smoke spewed from both sides. The dull drone of machinery and the shriek of alarms intermingled as red lights flashed relentlessly.

Gwen, the Oil Girl, her heart still pounding with fear, piloted the ship, slowing as she flew into the mothership’s hangar bay.

Before the ship’s ramp had even opened, an Iberian Guard was already waiting outside with a squad of elite infantry.

His black-painted Power Armor was thick and sturdy, the Golden Oak Leaf Crown upon it brilliant and dazzling. Upon seeing Reinhardt, the Guard bowed his head in respect. Behind him, the twenty elite infantrymen, split into two squads, knelt on one knee, their heads bowed low.

"My Lord, please follow me."

The Guard seemed to be acquainted with Matthias; they exchanged a glance and a nod of greeting.

Gwen stood near the ramp, her first time entering a mothership-class creation of Witchcraft Technology... or rather, Imperial Technology. The feeling, like a pilgrim entering a holy site, even overshadowed the terror of breaking through the enemy encirclement.

She stared up, mesmerized, at every steel plate and every pipe in the hangar bay.

Even the signal lights flashing ceaselessly overhead, warning the crew that the mothership was under attack, seemed sacred and inviolable in her eyes.

How grand! How sacred!

Praise the God of All Machines!

But what shocked her most was her own naivete. ’I originally thought that the Emperor’s Angel, someone who could speak with Lady Catherine and whose identity was a closely guarded secret, must have a status and power comparable to the Sages of the Mechanical Order.’

But after witnessing the Iberian World Guard bow their heads to him in salute...

Gwen suddenly realized her imagination was far too limited when it came to power and great figures.

’That was an Administrative District Guard!’

Even a low-level Artificial Creation Officer like her understood what that title meant.

They were beings who obeyed the commands of the Grand Governor alone, whose status was transcendent throughout the entire Administrative Region. They were figures that even the Sages of the Mechanical Order had to treat with respect!

She saw that Reinhardt and his group were already walking away, no one paying any mind to her. Whether out of awkwardness or her duty to Lady Catherine’s orders...

After a moment’s hesitation, she broke into a trot to catch up.

Along the way, at the Guard’s request, Raphael switched the Radiant Beacon to planetary communication mode and contacted the frontline command on the bridge.

A familiar voice, refined but with a cold edge, came through.

"Reinhardt, it’s me."

Raphael froze for a moment, then snapped to attention. "May the Divine Emperor’s light shine upon you, my Lord!" he responded hastily.

Upon hearing the voice, Manon, Matthias, and even the Forbidden Guard all snapped to attention, a display of their Loyalty and reverence.

Of course, seeing these important figures react with such reverence to the voice from the Radiant Beacon, the clueless Oil Girl, Gwen, didn’t dare to be disrespectful either. She hurriedly stood still, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

Reinhardt reached out, took the Radiant Beacon, and asked coldly, "What are you doing here?"

"The senior Think Tank predicted that a Great Demon might lead its forces to land on Verne..."

The voice on the other end of the Radiant Beacon went silent for a moment before continuing. "I have finished preparing the operation to rescue Albert. Time is short. Blairder will take you to the rendezvous point.

Remember.

If the mission fails, your first priority is to evacuate the Demon Void Realm, not to die in there."

Perhaps due to the heavy workload of frontline command, Sedon disconnected the Radiant Beacon as soon as he had finished his instructions.

Reinhardt handed the Radiant Beacon back to Raphael, his brow slightly furrowed.

’Iberian World is the absolute brain and heart of the Imperial Administrative Region. It’s a great risk for Sedon to leave.’

’The current situation isn’t just threatened by the Rebel Legions. If Grand Lord Kles were to learn of this and launch a surprise attack on Iberian World, the entire Administrative Region would be caught in a pincer.’

’The Cicero Faction might also seize this opportunity to make a move, starting a civil war to forcibly strip Sedon of his power as Grand Governor and install a new leader.’

’But compared to those two threats, the danger posed by a Great Demon is just as real.’

’Once a Great Demon lands on Verne and transforms the planet into an outpost for the Demon Legion, the crisis facing the Administrative Region will be even greater than it is now.’

After the call ended, the Forbidden Guard, Blairder, led the way, with Reinhardt and his group following behind.

Along the way, they even encountered a small squad of Slaughter Demons attempting a boarding action against the mothership. Unfortunately for them, after the stragglers broke into the lower hangar of the Iberian Glory, they ran headlong into Reinhardt.

Before these bloodthirsty Demons even had a chance to laugh, their cruel cackles were drowned out by Raphael’s Mind Storm.

However, the incident still caused Forbidden Guard Blairder’s brow to furrow in concern.

’It was only an insignificant Slaughter Demon assault craft, but for it to break through the defensive line and reach the Iberian Glory... The state of the war seemed to be showing faint signs of slipping beyond their control.’

While waiting for the heavy bay doors of their destination hangar to open,

Gwen, the Oil Girl, could no longer suppress her confusion. "Sir," she asked, "what about me?"

According to the mission Lady Catherine had given her, once she delivered Reinhardt’s group to their destination, she was supposed to depart for Hurst World and return to her endless life of tightening bolts.

But after breaking through the blockade at the Verne Front Line, she understood all too clearly why that Emperor’s Angel had asked for her opinion before they departed.

It was a one-way ticket.

With the Net Path completely blockaded, it was impossible for her to return before the war was over.

Reinhardt glanced at her and said coldly, "There are no idle hands on the Verne Front Line, Priest. I will arrange for someone to send you to the surface. Good luck."

"The front line?"

Gwen was taken aback, then gave an awkward laugh. "Can I refuse?"

Unfortunately, her voice was drowned out by the deafening roar of the opening gate. No one heard her, and no one cared.

On the Verne Front Line, thousands of loyal soldiers died every second. In this giant meat grinder, not even an Imperial Knight was special, and Reinhardt was no exception.

Or perhaps, the mission into the Demon Void Realm was more perilous than anything faced by any soldier on the Verne Front Line!

Once drawn into a war of such magnitude, life and death only gain value in the moment of victory.

And as the gate opened, a familiar, massive ship came into view.

Atop the highest point of the Punisher Ship, a tall, slender, jet-black figure was lying down, legs propped up as if sunbathing on a beach, cradling a massive, strangely shaped rifle.

At the same time, a tall figure in a crimson hooded cloak, mechanical arms on their back working tirelessly, was performing final maintenance checks on the exterior of the Punisher Ship.