Chapter 334 - 291: Conflict Erupts

Seeing this, Fedor and the other Imperial Knights looked at Reinhardt with even greater reverence.

During their earlier conversation with Bach, they had learned that these men were the Ash Guard—an elite formation from the Death Battle Group of the Old Empire’s Seventh Group Army.

It was personally founded by Sedon Van Dael, a scion of the High Table Nobility and an Imperial Meritorious Knight.

For these Imperial Knights, draped in glory and backed by immense power, to willingly submit...

Reinhardt merely walked before Bach. His towering, oppressive silence was far more potent than any verbal reprimand.

It wasn’t until a hoarse voice sounded by his ear that Bach, the Ash Guard Think Tank, finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

His back, however, was already drenched in a cold sweat.

Even though they were allied Imperial Knights who fought side-by-side, the immense pressure of facing Reinhardt directly was still almost too much for him to bear.

"I need to know the details of how you became trapped in the Demon Void Realm."

Reinhardt knew the Explorer Ship Bach commanded must have run into trouble while breaking through the Void Storm. And while Imperial law was harsh and unforgiving, in this case, there were extenuating circumstances.

In other words, even if Bach and his men had wanted to desert, they wouldn’t have tried to escape the warzone by plunging headfirst into the Demon Void Realm.

As the Think Tank of the Ash Guard, Bach had personally experienced the methods of the bureaucratic insects in the Old Empire Regency Council on more than one occasion.

Greedy, despicable, unscrupulous...

As the one in charge of the Explorer Ship, he had his own calculations to make.

The Vengeful Angel was not Lord Sedon, and Bach had never been familiar with Reinhardt’s methods. If this lord were to punish their dereliction of duty according to Imperial law, it was better to be proactive and show his remorse upfront.

However, it now seemed he had been overthinking all of it. This lord was not one of the power-hungry insects from the Old Empire’s upper echelons.

Even though Reinhardt hadn’t directly responded to his plea for punishment, his attitude was crystal clear.

’Lord Reinhardt wants to know the details of how we ended up in the Demon Void Realm. He’s clearly acknowledging the sacrifices and contributions we made during this rescue mission.’

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have responded this way.

At this thought, Bach stood up and looked at Reinhardt. The disdain and mistrust from their first meeting were gone, replaced by an attitude of pure reverence from the young Think Tank.

He then recounted how the Explorer Ship had fallen into the Demon Void Realm.

It was, perhaps, just pure bad luck.

Just as they were about to break through the storm and enter the Dark Side of the Empire, a Demon Mother Ship had appeared right under their noses, using Void Teleportation to enter the Real Cosmos’s Net Path.

The Technician Soldiers had tried to correct their course, but it was too late.

The Explorer Ship, with them aboard, plunged headfirst into the teleportation gate leading to the Demon Void Realm.

According to Bach, they had been in the Demon Void Realm for over six years and had only recently rendezvoused with the Red Flame Son. However, that Battle Group—which had been trapped here since the Great Rebellion—claimed they had only been defending this position for less than three years.

Time was so distorted here that it had lost all meaning.

The biggest problem they now faced was how to escape.

"...My lord, I’ve tried many methods, but without a Dark Mage or some powerful Demon to open a path for us, we might never be able to leave."

Bach sat on a large rock, cupping a container of thick military rations—a mix of minced meat and beans. Unshaven and weary, his face was a mask of exhaustion. Brown, slightly curly hair was plastered to his scalp, and his expression was exceptionally grim.

Fedor’s brow was also knitted in a deep frown.

As a Battle Group Leader, he shouldered not only the future of his brothers in the Battle Group, but also the lives of the six million soldiers of the 33rd Infantry Corps.

Three years had depleted more than eighty percent of their supplies.

If this dragged on any longer, they’d starve to death long before the Demons had a chance to kill them all.

"So you’re saying we have to capture a Dark Mage or a powerful Demon to escape the Demon Void Realm?"

"If Lord Albert were here, his Spiritual Power could tear a path through the Demon Void Realm for us. But my power is nowhere near sufficient.

It’s the only way."

As he spoke, Bach glanced at Reinhardt.

After the Great Destruction Domain expired, Reinhardt’s Knightly Aura had temporarily waned, its intensity dropping to the level of a Seven-star Military Rank Official Knight.

The three of them sat in a circle before the crude encampment.

A pile of empty ration cans was stacked at Reinhardt’s feet. One couldn’t say the mixed military rations were disgusting, but they were as tasteless as wax.

Just then, a squad of six figures appeared at the entrance to the forward command post. They were clad in black-painted Power Armor and wielded Knight’s Broadswords.

Their Power Armor was spattered with demon blood.

Their once-fair faces were now weary and numb from prolonged, high-intensity combat.

Upon entering the command post, they marched menacingly straight toward Reinhardt.

Instead of the joy that should accompany two Loyalist factions meeting, their first encounter was tense and hostile, charged with explosive potential.

"You’re the one who executed the Fear Knight?"

Reinhardt raised his head to look directly at the Battle Sister standing before him. Her face was aged, but her Knightly Aura was immensely powerful. "I did," he answered coldly.

Upon receiving his confirmation, the Battle Sister asked no more questions. Her gaze turned frigid as she waved a hand dismissively. "In the name of the Inquisition, seize him! Place him under close surveillance!"

The two Battle Sisters behind her, who had just withdrawn from the front lines, were completely undeterred by Reinhardt’s Knightly Aura—which, even in its weakened state, was still at the level of a Seven-star Official Military Rank.

Gripping their Knight’s Broadswords, they marched straight for him.

Seeing this, Bach shot to his feet, blocking the two Battle Sisters. "This is Lord Reinhardt!" he roared. "What do you think you’re doing?!"

The other Ash Guard members also dropped their ration cans, drew their Knight’s Broadswords, and blocked the path.

The leading Battle Sister was rigid and merciless. "I don’t care what big shot this suspect is," she retorted. "I suspect he has been corrupted by Void Power."

"Do you want to betray the Empire as well?"

These Battle Sisters, part of the Judgment Court’s establishment, were perhaps so fanatical in their faith that their every word and action bordered on obsession.

Even in the Demon Void Realm, where they could die at any moment, they never forgot their duty.

However, to the Knight Perception of these Battle Sisters, the evil aura from the Slaughter Death Arena lingering deep within Reinhardt’s soul was potent enough to make any Imperial Judge’s blood run cold.

Bach and the Ash Guard stood their ground, blocking the way without yielding an inch. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown.

"Sister Superior Eleonor, I am issuing a formal warning. You have no authority to handle any matter concerning Lord Reinhardt. If you have your doubts, you can take them to the Judgment Court after we leave the Demon Void Realm."

The Nun Superior, Eleonor, gripped her blood-stained Knight’s Broadsword with both hands. "In that case," she said icily, "you’re his accomplice?"