Chapter 271 - 235: Everyone’s Battle

When the Combat Gang leader, Huffman, swung his Demon Slaying Blade and let out a wild, beast-like laugh, a Destructive Suppression came crashing down on Florian!

Florian gripped his Knight’s Broadsword and said in a low voice, "I’ll handle these traitors. Bach, you assist the Vengeful Angels with the Technician Priest problem.

I am now authorizing you to command a five-man squad.

If necessary, take our men and go get those Technician Priests. The ship repairs cannot be delayed."

The Orbital Port was no small, open structure where Technician Priests scattered throughout could simply walk over after a single command from a Think Tank.

Leaving aside its depth and height, its length spanned over sixty kilometers. Even with the high-speed vehicles inside the port, it would take half an hour at the fastest to get from one end to the other.

What’s more, the port was currently swarming with Abyssal Demons.

Those Technician Priests, who spent their days tightening screws in repair shops, were not the Technician Soldiers of the various Battle Groups, nor were they the Sages from within the Mechanical Order. These grease monkeys, only marginally stronger than Mortals, had no hope of making it over on their own.

Florian’s voice was drowned out by the deafening noise of cannon fire and gunshots, requiring intense concentration to hear clearly.

But Bach knew very well that giving him command of a five-man squad was already the most combat power Florian could spare after stretching the Barge Port’s defensive line to its absolute limit.

Besides, they were the only ones who could do it.

He had already covertly observed the number of people in the Vengeance Angel Squad. Including Matthias, a total of only five people had disembarked from the ship.

Although every Vengeful Angel was exceptionally powerful, their numbers were ultimately limited. It was impossible for them to escort the large number of Technician Priests back to the Barge Port where the ship was docked.

Moreover, their strength was also needed to help defend this position.

Like the Orbital Port, although the Barge Port was just an internal functional module, its space was still immense from the perspective of a single human!

It spanned over a kilometer in total and was configured with five Net Path entrances and exits.

Large cranes for loading and unloading cargo, high-speed rail cars for transporting repair equipment, automated sorting conveyor belts belonging to the Mechanical Order...

The interior was filled with all sorts of engineering machinery of varying heights. Combined with the numerous shipwrecks and ruins from artillery bombardment, the environment was extremely complex, putting immense pressure on the defensive line!

At this moment, over ten thousand soldiers of the Auxiliary Army were using the varied terrain of the Barge Port to their advantage, weaving a deadly iron curtain of bullets and artillery fire to hold back wave after wave of Demon Legions pouring out of the Net Paths.

The reinforced concrete ground was riddled with craters, and the corpses of humans and Demons were mixed together, blood flowing ceaselessly.

The Ash Guard had also broken into three-man tactical squads, deploying throughout the port to intercept the Void Realm Combat Gangs charging out.

When Huffman, leader of the Flayers Warband, appeared in the Barge Port, it was like a horn signaling the attack. Demon Legions several times larger than before came swarming in!

Hundreds, even thousands, of Abyssal Demons shrieked as they leaped from Flesh Battleships, crashing like a tide against the fragile defensive lines inside the port.

A young Auxiliary Army soldier, his face covered in blood, stared in utter terror at the three-meter-tall, tower-like Convicted Demon standing before him. He frantically pulled the trigger, but his magazine was already empty.

As the Chain Hammer in the Convicted Demon’s hand came whistling down, the soldier let out a final, horrifying scream of despair.

「The next moment.」

A bolt of white lightning roared down and struck the Convicted Demon’s body. The beast from the Dark Abyss collapsed instantly as if its soul had been ripped out, swaying before falling forward.

The soldier cried out and scrambled away, his sticky face covered in gunpowder residue and sweat.

He whipped his head around to see an Imperial Think Tank, a hundred meters away, suspended in the air and wreathed in white lightning. With a wave of his right hand, vast swathes of Demons were cut down like grass, dying instantly.

「Meanwhile.」

Raphael received tactical feedback from Bach via Telepathy.

"We’ll handle the Technician Priest situation. Personnel will be in position within an hour. However, I need Matthias to assist me."

Compared to their last, more emotional exchange, Bach’s tone was extremely serious now that they were discussing concrete tactics and mission objectives.

Raphael could certainly sense the seriousness in his words.

’Within an hour.’

Making such a precise time-based promise on the battlefield was tantamount to signing a military pledge.

Moreover, he was now aware of the situation in the Orbital Port. No matter what method the Ash Guard’s Think Tank planned to use, this mission—which required leaving the defensive line and advancing deep into the port alone—was immensely risky.

After consulting Agate for his opinion, Raphael responded, "Manon will coordinate with you to complete this difficult task. May the light of the Divine Emperor protect you, brother."

Although Bach didn’t know who this "Manon" mentioned by Raphael was, when he saw the towering giant—a warrior of the Seven-star Military Rank, just one step away from advancing to the Earth Military Rank—he was instantly filled with awe.

The Seven-star Military Rank was a major watershed in the Official Knight stage. Even among the Ash Guard, powerful individuals of the Seven-star Military Rank were few and far between.

The three Battle Group champions stationed on the Iberian World, who had never moved from their post, had once possessed such strength.

However, compared to those three difficult-to-deal-with champions who only accepted orders from Sedon, this one’s attitude seemed much more amicable.

After thoroughly inspecting the damage to the Punisher, Agate compiled a list of needed materials and relayed it to Matthias via shared Telepathy.

"If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask the Technician Priests in the port. Remember, you can get more of these materials, but not less."

Bach frowned when he received the list from Matthias, but he said nothing more. After gathering five Ash Guard members from nearby, he didn’t hesitate. The group boarded a high-speed rail car used for transporting materials in the Barge Port and fought their way toward the exit leading to the lower levels.

「On the other side.」

The battle between Iron Crown Florian and the Combat Gang leader, Herman, had already begun.

The Slaughter Knife and the Knight’s Broadsword clashed, kicking up a terrifying storm of Mighty Power.

Over three meters tall, the Combat Gang leader Herman stared down at Florian from close range, his eyes burning with sulfurous flames as he let out a low, terrible laugh.

The demonic stench of sulfur wafted continuously from his massive maw.

"It’s been so many years, and you’re still as frail as ever..."

Florian’s expression was savage. He kicked Herman away and roared in fury, "Have you forgotten the Knight’s Oath you once swore before the Radiant Holy Image?!"

"Knight’s Oath? Radiant Holy Image? Hehehe... You’re so naive. In this world, only power is everything."

"Traitor—!"