Chapter 325 - 284: A Difficult Choice, Raphael’s Iron Will

Aboard the Punisher Ship.

Manon slammed a fist against the bulkhead. The sound of metal striking metal was muffled, seeming to amplify the deathly silence within the ship. The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt hard to breathe.

Agate knelt on one knee beside Albert. The mechanical arms on his back carefully extracted the weapon fragments, coated in Demon Poison, that remained lodged in the Radiant Angel’s wounds.

His mechanical voice was as cold and emotionless as ever.

"I have examined his vitals. The Demon Poison has reached his heart and circulated throughout his entire body. Furthermore, multiple injections of the Blood Burning Needle have caused severe, irreversible damage to his muscle tissue."

"I have stabilized his vital signs for now, but I am powerless against the Demon Poison."

After a moment of silence, Agate looked up, his Mechanical Eye emitting an eerie blue light as he fixed his gaze on Raphael. "The Great Sage might have a way to save his life, but we must return to the Aquitaine Casting World immediately."

"Three days, at most."

"If we cannot treat Albert’s injuries in time, we will have no choice but to execute him ourselves before the Demon Poison completely corrupts his soul..."

On one side, a critically injured and dying Radiant Angel.

On the other, the missing Reinhardt.

Without immense courage to face the dilemma and a will of steel, no matter which decision was made, the consequences and the lifelong regret were more than the weak-willed could ever bear.

If they chose to save the Radiant Angel and retreat at full speed... and Reinhardt died fighting on the Dark Side of the Empire for lack of support, the one who made that call would be doomed to carry the humiliation and resentment for the rest of their life.

But if they chose to turn back for Reinhardt, resulting in the Radiant Angel’s death, the rescue mission would be a failure.

What about the enormous price they had paid to enter the Dark Side of the Empire? What about the Heroic Spirits who died at Verne Orbital Port? And what about the tens of thousands of Mortals who worked silently behind the scenes for this mission, with some even giving their lives?

How could they possibly justify themselves to all those people?

If Reinhardt were on this ship right now, Agate would have accelerated toward the Imperial Administrative Region without a moment’s hesitation.

But...

The entire Punisher Ship, including Battle Sister Lu Jia, fell into a deathly silence. Even Seventy-Six, who normally had a penchant for dark humor, now sat in their chair without uttering a word.

Raphael’s gaze swept over each member of the team.

As a Combat Priest, a Thinker for the Vengeful Angels, and a former friend of Reinhardt.

In a difficult moment like this, someone had to step up, shoulder the responsibility that belonged to the leader of the Vengeful Angels, and make the hard choice.

No matter the consequences.

He took a deep breath, drew the Angel Holy Scripture that always hung at his waist, and opened it to the first page. His voice was heavy as he said, "Even now, I still remember the words Lord Reinhardt once spoke to me."

"If you wish to achieve your ideals, you must fight for them."

"I wrote it on the first page of the Angel Holy Scripture as my creed, to inspire me to press onward through adversity."

"Agate, do not forget why we came to the Dark Side of the Empire. Do not forget the responsibility we shoulder. The banner of the Radiant Angels must not fall, no matter what."

"Start the ship. Full speed, back to the Imperial Administrative Region."

"If Lord Reinhardt were here, he would command us to do the same."

Perhaps the constant, high-stress combat had drained Raphael’s Spiritual Power, or perhaps he was simply exhausted.

After making the decision, Raphael turned to sit, but his body swayed uncontrollably. He started to fall, only managing to catch himself by grabbing a handrail on the bulkhead.

Matthias reacted instantly, rushing over to grab his arm.

Manon also hurried over, her voice filled with concern. "My Lord, your condition..."

Raphael waved them off, signaling he was fine, and sank heavily onto a steel bench. His youthful face, which appeared to be in its early forties, suddenly looked much older.

Even the once-vibrant light in his eyes had dimmed.

As the ship’s engines roared to full power under Agate’s control and entered the Net Path, Raphael’s left hand, clutching the Angel Holy Scripture, began to tremble uncontrollably.

At that moment, as Matthias, Manon, Seventy-Six, and even the Mechanical Sage Agate looked upon the lonely figure of Raphael on the steel bench, the subtle, unspoken disdain in their eyes was gone.

Though their gazes held complex emotions, the awe they felt was a first in the long history of the Vengeful Angels.

It was also at that moment that these proud, hardened veterans from the elite formations of various Battle Groups finally, in their hearts, truly accepted Raphael’s roles as Combat Priest and Thinker for the Vengeful Angels.

Or rather, now that they had lost Reinhardt’s leadership, after Raphael had made such a courageous and painful decision, he had become the de facto leader of the ship.

Battle Sister Lu Jia, with only three years of service, silently witnessed everything unfold.

As a witness.

Her heart was a tangle of mixed emotions.

...

「Meanwhile.」

The Demon Void Realm. The Eternal Battlefield.

In this chaotic, unreal dimension, the armies of the Four Gods were thrown onto the battlefield every second, engaging in an unending slaughter.

Slaughter, trickery, plague, desire.

Every terrifying tide that could drag both Mortals and Demons into darkness crashed against the boundless Eternal Battlefield, wave after relentless wave.

Tens of millions of Demons died every second.

And in one corner of this vast battlefield, an Imperial Loyalist Faction Battle Group, caught in a Void Storm and lost within the Demon Void Realm, was locked in a fierce battle against innumerable Demons.

"Lord Fedor! The Demons, led by a Three-headed Elite Slaughter Demon, have broken through Sector Seven’s defensive line! Commander Ahad is requesting reinforcements from the Imperial Knights!"

The sounds of battle echoed across the field. Corpses littered the barren, scorched earth where not a single blade of grass grew. The Sector One forward command post was located here, set up inside a small ship that had landed in a cleared patch of ground.

Before a primitive command table covered in schematics, an Imperial Knight stood listening to the report, his brow furrowed. His armor was painted dark red, with three steel studs affixed to his pauldron. His Knightly Aura was at the level of a Five-star Earth Military Rank.

Two others stood beside him.

One was a tall, silver-haired Battle Sister in black Power Armor. Its surface was adorned with various religious symbols filled with mystical Elements.

The other was none other than Ash Guard Thinker Bach, who had lost contact with the rescue team!

Seeing Fedor fall silent, the Battle Sister picked up the Knight’s Broadsword that was leaning against the table. "I’ll handle it," she said, her voice hoarse. "An Official Knight can’t deal with a Three-headed Elite Slaughter Demon."

Fedor considered this for a moment. Just as he was about to give his reply, two extremely powerful Knightly Auras flared into existence. They streaked across several kilometers of the warzone like burning meteors, roaring toward their position in Sector One!

Upon sensing one of the auras, the expression on Ash Guard Bach’s face changed dramatically!