Chapter 299 - 260: The Last Hour, Will You Fight With Me?

Albert, another Senior Think Tank surveying the entire battlefield, clearly noticed that the Mind Power of the frontline commander—the young Imperial Think Tank Raphael—was fluctuating wildly.

His voice projected across via Spiritual Power. ’If needed, I can take over for you.’

Raphael took a deep breath.

’I’m... fine.’

Although Matthias had joined the Vengeful Angels project, he was, in the end, a member of the Ash Guard. It reminded Raphael of the look on Reinhardt’s face when he had once spoken of the Steel Knight Order.

That deep-seated sense of honor had not weakened with his rise in power and status. Instead, it had grown firmer, prouder.

He understood why Matthias would make such a request.

Because for a man on the verge of death, dying with the identity he was most proud of—a member of the former Death Battle Group, the Ash Guard—was perhaps his only request as he felt his life reaching its limit.

Elsewhere.

After escorting the six Technician Priests to safety, Reinhardt didn’t pause for a second. He turned and charged toward the Demon Legion deep within the defensive line, rushing to support the beleaguered Second Company Commander, Stearns.

Simultaneously, he communicated with Agate via their shared telepathic link.

’Report on the ship’s repair status.’

「Inside the Punisher Ship.」

When the Technician Priests—men who had spent half their lives tightening bolts at the Orbital Port—saw the hooded cloak on Agate that marked him as a Mechanical Sage, they were all stunned. Then, they dropped to their knees and began to pray fervently.

But Agate had no time to wait for them to complete the tedious rites of the Mechanical Order.

He assigned jobs to each of the new Technician Priests before replying, ’I’m preparing to activate a piece of Heterodox Technology from the Ancient Black Box. It should significantly shorten the repair time.

’A conservative estimate is one hour.

’And I forgot to mention, the Phase Cube’s teleportation tech has finished deploying.’

Though Agate made it sound easy, it clearly wasn’t that simple.

If this Heterodox Technology could repair the ship without any risks, he wouldn’t have felt the need to report it.

Raphael, listening to their exchange, interjected at the opportune moment. ’Manon and Matthias just contacted me using an encrypted Mind Mark, but Matthias might not hold out for much longer.

’Agate, I need you to divert some of your attention to guard the ship’s perimeter for a while.

’Seventy-Six, I’m sending you the coordinates of their Mind Mark. I don’t care if you have to carry him, but you and Manon will bring Matthias back. Understood?’

At that moment.

Seventy-Six, who was sitting on a pile of Demon corpses, shouldered his rifle and stood up.

Perhaps sensing the gravity in Raphael’s voice, the bastard—who usually loved dark humor—for once cut the crap. He simply said in a cold tone, ’Coordinates.’

Regardless of the alchemical modifications he’d undergone, the Wizard’s Secret Treasure embedded within him, or the specialized combat training he’d received, direct, frontal combat was simply not where Seventy-Six excelled.

He might be able to use lightning tactics to assassinate an Elite Slaughter Demon or two, but faced with an endless tide of Demons, Seventy-Six had precious few ways to engage them.

Back in Kemola, he had nearly died on the ship when besieged by just a small detachment of the Space Dragon Race.

That was why Raphael had only tasked him with protecting the ship from the rear, and, if the situation allowed, to use his own judgment to support the distant defensive lines.

After receiving the precise coordinates.

Seventy-Six, standing atop the pile of corpses, fell straight backward and vanished, teleporting away.

With Seventy-Six gone, Raphael glanced at Götz, who had returned with the rank-and-file troops. There was no time to reminisce with this old subordinate who had fought alongside him in the Verne campaign. He simply gave a cold command via Telepathy: ’Station yourself near the ship. Protect the Technician Priests while they work.’

From afar, Götz knelt on one knee in Raphael’s direction, a gesture of reverence.

’Understood, My Lord.’

After delegating these tasks, Raphael turned his attention to Reinhardt, who was charging to the front lines alone.

After reporting the news about Matthias and Manon, he had deliberately paused, hoping to get Reinhardt’s opinion on the matter, but...

As he thought of this, and then saw his old subordinate Götz—one of the founding members of the Caster Battle Group—he couldn’t help but sigh internally. Even after so many years, Lord Reinhardt’s iron will hadn’t changed one bit. Or perhaps, the intense pressure of battle and the mountain of corpses filling the entire port simply didn’t allow the Emperor’s Vengeful Angel any time for sentiment.

’The burden of frontline command rests on my shoulders, it’s true. But to face the Combat Gang leaders and Elite Slaughter Demons pouring out of the Net Path one after another... to fight to the death against terrifying powerhouses, each capable of single-handedly annihilating an entire Imperial Thousand-Man Battle Group... If I were in Reinhardt’s position... I can’t even imagine the terrifying, immense pressure!’

In the distance.

Second Company Commander Stearns had volunteered to cover the rear guard, but ambushed by two Elite Slaughter Demons, he was now completely trapped within the encirclement of the Demon Legion, unable to escape.

This fierce Imperial warrior, clad in Power Armor modified from the Death Battle Group’s iconic Anti-Magic Steel Armor, dual-wielded Knight’s Broadswords. In his Knight Perception, his Attributeless Destruction Force Field blazed like a fire, engulfing his entire body.

His movements were savage and powerful, utterly fearless.

Even trapped alone, he roared in fury, desperately hacking down every Demon in sight.

"Come on, you bastards—!"

Facing two Elite Slaughter Demons, each comparable to a Four-star Earth Military Rank, he fought without fear, refusing to retreat even though he was heavily wounded.

It wasn’t until a War Axe slammed into an Elite Slaughter Demon from behind, its terrifying, blood-soaked blade bursting from the Slaughter Demon’s chest, that he paused. The Second Company Commander—one of the first to be modified from the Death Battle Group—was stunned for a moment before roaring in his gravelly voice, "Lord Reinhardt! There are too many of them! We have to break out of here, now!"

Reinhardt yanked his War Axe from where it was lodged in the Elite Slaughter Demon’s ribs. He unleashed a salvo of Torrential Rain Missiles at the charging Demon Legion, not immediately responding to Stearns’s roar.

Then, he contacted Raphael via Telepathy, his voice almost completely hoarse.

’Give me the current location of Matthias and Manon, and their ETA to the port’s combat zone.’

Reinhardt had, of course, heard Raphael’s report. He knew the Vengeful Angels would likely lose a Battle Brother who had fought alongside them for a long time.

But rather than moping and mourning like a woman, Reinhardt preferred to let his axe and his violence do the talking. If Matthias died, he would make his killers pay in blood! He would honor the fearless spirit of his Battle Brother with the blood of his enemies.

Raphael’s reply came swiftly.

’They’ll be in range of the shared telepathic link in two minutes.’

After getting a definitive answer.

Reinhardt, War Axe in hand, stood back-to-back with Stearns. Facing the surging Demon Army, he posed a question to test the fierce warrior’s mettle.

"Stearns, are you willing to fight here alongside me?"