Chapter 445 394: Soldier, a Victorious First Battle

The rain kept falling.

Salihe Military Port Number Eleven, Salihe Region, Eastern Continent of Cyrenaica.

After the first wave of troops was ordered to launch, the small, two-square-kilometer military port was left with only three ships undergoing maintenance and a permanent garrison of fewer than one hundred people.

Although they were on the side of the rebellion, for the common soldiers, there was often no choice in the matter.

Their commander's orders dictated their path forward.

Even if it meant aiming their guns at their own people.

For those who disobeyed, summary execution was a light punishment. In severe cases, the consequences would even extend to their families back home.

For the soldiers of the Salihe Region, today was a lucky day, because two legendary Emperor's Angels had descended before them. But it was also their unluckiest day, because these two were not allies.

Nelom's gaze swept over the military port garrison kneeling before him in a neat row. He slowly lowered the Knight's Broadsword in his hand.

He glanced at Reinhardt, then said, "Have your commander step forward and speak."

A short while later, a bald, middle-aged man in a new-style Defense Army uniform stood up and stepped forward. He didn't dare to meet Nelom's eyes. With his head lowered, heart pounding with terror and guilt, he responded, "I am Kote, supervisor of the Salihe Military Port, Ninth Regiment of the Cyrenaica Defense Army."

The Nelom of old wouldn't have cared if these rebels were acting under duress. In the eyes of Imperial law, traitors must pay with their blood.

He would have personally executed them all afterward, without mercy.

But now...

He knew with stark clarity that anyone had the right to execute these rebels—anyone but him.

Having first defected from the Holy Temple of Justice, then betrayed Claudius—what right did he, a two-time traitor, have to judge these Mortal Soldiers caught between the crushing gears of power?

"One ship, one pilot. Arrange it immediately."

The military port's supervisor dared not refuse. Sweating profusely as if he'd been granted a great pardon, he quickly saluted Nelom and Reinhardt, then turned to his adjutant and gave the order to prepare a ship for launch.

「Fifteen minutes later.」

As Reinhardt had requested, an old training vessel, guided by the ground crew, slowly ascended into the downpour and accelerated away in the direction of the Giant Beacon.

Before he and Nelom arrived at the military port, Great Sage Cassio had already ordered all ships to launch. The three that remained were still undergoing maintenance.

But for the simple purpose of travel, the training vessel had no major problems aside from its slow speed.

Aboard the ship, perhaps because they were far from the military port, or perhaps because they had a temporary reprieve from the war, there was a rare moment of tranquility for Reinhardt, Nelom, and the pilot, despite the roaring engines.

With two Emperor's Angels standing beside him, the pilot finally couldn't hold back his anger and started complaining to Nelom.

"Everyone knows Claudius intends to rebel, but all of Cyrenaica is blockaded by the Spiritual Tide. Not even a fly can get out.

"I can die on the battlefield, but I can't die by the hands of my own people.

"He refuses to submit to the rule of the Grand Governor and the Administrative Region, but he insists on dragging us into his rebellion. Lord Knight, my ancestors served in the Cyrenaica Defense Army for generations, as have I.

"But I never thought I'd see the day where I'd wake up and suddenly be a rebel.

"Emperor above, I would rather die for this Empire! But I don't want to be branded a traitor and die at the hands of my own people."

Nelom's brow furrowed as he listened to the soldier's complaint.

Even when he was part of Claudius's rebellion, he rarely interacted with low-ranking soldiers, let alone spoke with them face-to-face.

For an ordinary soldier in the Defense Army, even an Imperial Knight with a One-star Official Military Rank was a rare sight.

To say nothing of an Earth Knight like Nelom, the infamous Ash-Burning Tyrant.

Even the supreme commander of the Cyrenaica World Defense Army had likely few opportunities to meet him.

The soldier only knew that these two Emperor's Angels were Loyalist Knights from the Administrative Region; he was unaware of Reinhardt and Nelom's true identities or the extent of their power.

But for someone who prided himself on his loyalty, he had every right to stand tall and speak his mind, even before Emperor's Angels.

Nelom did not respond to the soldier's complaint.

He had no answer to such a question for himself, let alone for anyone else.

'Politics, power... Are those things really so important?'

If he had an answer, if the path before him was clear, he wouldn't have repeatedly switched sides until he met the Lord of Vengeful, Reinhardt.

Hearing the soldier's complaint, Reinhardt's thoughts seemed to drift back to the winter of 1442...

Just as the soldier's complaint cast a somber mood over the ship, the Spiritual Tide that covered the entire system—surging with dark undercurrents in his Knight Perception—began to weaken at an extremely rapid rate.

Sensing the change in the Spiritual Tide, Nelom, who had been sitting on a bench, shot to his feet. "Could it be Koller and the others?"

The words had barely left his lips when a voice came over a spiritual communication channel in Reinhardt's ear.

"Sir, this is Lu Jia. Commander Koller is in the process of shutting down the Giant Beacon. He has already reported the situation on Cyrenaica to the Military Affairs Department, and he asked me to relay the following points.

"After receiving the report, the Eleventh and Twelfth Infantry Corps, as well as the Fourth Fleet, have suspended their deployment to Cyrenaica and are holding their positions.

"Stearns, leading the second company, and Matthias, the first company commander, are on their way to provide support.

"Lord Governor plans to initiate a round of peace negotiations with Claudius in the near future. He has ordered us to do everything in our power to withdraw from Cyrenaica immediately. The Grand Governor specifically emphasized that your safety is the absolute top priority."

After finishing the official report, Lu Jia's pace quickened. "Commander Koller's temporary spiritual comms link is very unstable, so please listen to me carefully.

"A minute ago, I made contact with Commander Urus. He told me that an unidentified Wizard has stolen the Wizard's Divine Artifact.

"Also, the Mechanical Order has deployed a Glory-Class War Titan on Cyrenaica. He's going to try to break free, but if he doesn't return to the Avenger Flagship within an hour, he wants us to—"

Lu Jia's voice stopped abruptly. It seemed Koller was under immense pressure while deactivating the Giant Beacon, and the spiritual comms link instantly broke.

'Glory-Class War Titan?'

Nelom frowned. "If it's a Harvester Titan, Urus and his people might be in serious trouble."

Clearly, he knew exactly what kind of terrifying machine the War Titan Lu Jia had mentioned was.

"You've seen one?" Reinhardt asked coolly.

"It's an Elite Specialized War Titan, personally designed by Great Sage Cassio. I've seen that thing on the battlefield. Elite Slaughter Demons are supposed to be tough opponents, right?

"Well, a Harvester Titan crushes one of them like it's stepping on an ant."

Having gotten his confirmation, Reinhardt ignored the evacuation order from Sedon—relayed through Lu Jia—and turned to the pilot. "Change course. Head to the Cyrenaica mining quarry. Now."