Chapter 458 405: A Troubled Heart, Reinhardt's Overt Scheme

Elsewhere.

Ambushes, murder, and theft were commonplace in the Wizard World.

And no Wizard would be foolish enough to use their real identity to openly rob Grand Lord Kles.

Clearly, this was not the first time the Daughter of the Death Star, Irenia, had done something like this. From gathering intelligence to lying in wait and finally succeeding, her every move was fluid and seamless.

Her methods were identical to the ones she had used years ago in the catacombs of Kemola.

A Wizard's Divine Artifact, even a severely damaged one, was valuable enough to make every Wizard in the Ash Soil Star Zone fight to the death for it.

If it weren't for Silencer Enok, who was backed by the Tier Three Mage Grand Lord Kles, she wouldn't have been the only one trying to steal the Wizard's Divine Artifact in Cyrenaica.

Or rather, her original escape plan had been completely thrown into disarray by one person's unexpected appearance.

Reinhardt.

Irenia had to admit, her mind was in turmoil.

It was no secret that the Vengeful Angel, Reinhardt, had died in a Void Storm. Half the Ash Soil Star Zone knew, and she was no exception.

She had secretly returned to the Imperial Administrative Region and even contacted Lady Catherine in the shadows.

But the only information she received was of his disappearance and death.

Even though she and Reinhardt had a history rife with conflict and complications, and even though she had long since dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the pursuit of Wizard's Power, losing an old friend she had known since youth was not a pleasant feeling.

To obtain the Chaos Mother Box, Irenia had formulated a series of detailed plans, which included using the Imperial Knights landing on Cyrenaica to delay Enok and give her a chance to escape.

But a window of opportunity can vanish in an instant.

Stunned in both body and mind by the reappearance of her supposedly dead friend, she had already missed her chance to divert the disaster.

Bolstered by her Death Star Bloodline, Irenia's power had grown with incredible speed, and the ancient memories within her blood grew clearer as her strength increased.

The Mechanical Order had launched costly expeditions just to find the ruins of ancient civilizations in the vast sea of stars.

But within Irenia's bloodline, the entire Ash Soil Star Zone was a massive treasure map, with countless Witchcraft Creations and Ancient Divine Artifacts waiting for her to unearth them one by one.

"Since you've obtained the Chaos Mother Box, the Wizard's Divine Artifact should rightfully be yours. But I swear to you in Grand Lord Kles's name that if you're willing to trade, you can take your pick... Bator Nobility, Prophetic Knowledge, Supreme King Technology..."

Silencer Enok's voice clung to Irenia from behind like a maggot on a bone.

Though his voice was gentle, refined, and graceful, she was no longer the naive apprentice who had just stepped into the Wizard World. In the world of Wizards, trust was a meaningless word.

The only thing one could trust was strength!

Irenia sneered inwardly. She glanced back and retorted, "If that's what you believe, then why are you still chasing me?"

...

The Quarry.

Reinhardt strode over and jumped into the cabin, with Matthias and the other three close behind.

A large section of the front of Urus's Power Armor was missing. A massive, cauterized scar from being stitched up ran across his abdomen. There were even some excised necrotic organs and intestines left on the floor.

He was now sitting in a seat, his face deathly pale.

Seeing Reinhardt enter, he tried to stand and greet him, but even with his Earth Knight Level Physique, his legs gave out, and he collapsed back into his seat.

Finally, he could only manage a weak, "My lord."

Seeing this, Reinhardt inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He turned and asked Kael the Alchemist, "How is he?"

Compared to these veteran Imperial soldiers, Kael the Alchemist looked as green as a young follower on his first day at a Knight Training Camp.

His skin was fair and unweathered.

His voice was calm and steady.

"His life isn't in danger for now, but he'll need a long time to recover."

Urus also spoke up. "My lord, you don't need to worry about me. I heard you talking outside just now. Did an order to retreat come from above?"

The sky after the rain was not bright, but rather a gloomy expanse of dense clouds.

This already dim light, filtering into the relatively enclosed cabin, made everything seem even more murky and difficult to see.

Everyone's shadows stretched out endlessly, merging with the darkness in the depths of the cabin.

As he spoke, Urus's gaze swept cautiously over Matthias and the other three, secretly gauging their strength and threat level through their Knightly Auras.

Especially Matthias.

He could clearly sense a peculiar power hidden within this strange Knight, something that wasn't purely Knight Power.

In that respect, he was very similar to the Alchemist who had treated him.

But he couldn't tell where this power came from.

"I was the one who gave the order to retreat," Reinhardt said. "The Grand Governor's negotiations with Claudius have broken down. We only have one hour to evacuate."

Hearing Reinhardt's reply, Urus fell silent.

He didn't know Reinhardt's true intentions for giving such an order, but his intuition, honed by years on the front lines of intelligence work, told him that this matter wasn't so simple.

Just then, a violent tremor came from the distant hills. The Avenger Flagship, which had previously crashed headfirst into the mountainside, was now slowly pulling itself free from the wreckage.

Reinhardt glanced behind him. "This is no place to talk. Let's head back to the bridge."

On the bridge,

The command crew, once fully staffed with sixty people, was now reduced to a mere five. Two of the wounded were resting on a long bench, while two clerks were verifying the identities of the deceased and recording them. For those whose bodies were crushed to pieces or reduced to pulp, the clerks could only search the surrounding debris for anything that might prove their identity.

For these clerks, recording everything they witnessed was the 'war' they had to face.

Whether it was sacrifice or meritorious service, someone had to pass on their deeds to the Ministry of Internal Affairs so that subsequent rewards, punishments, and condolences could be processed smoothly.

As for the veteran Kurs, the tough, taciturn Navy man, now over fifty, was quietly cleaning the bloodstains and debris from the floor with a mop, all by himself.

After they returned, Koller, who had been resting on the second-level command platform, voluntarily stood to greet them. He looked to be in terrible shape, as if he had aged a hundred years.

During this time, Urus requested an encrypted Spiritual Energy communication channel from Koller to report to Reinhardt privately.

"My lord, do you remember my subordinate, Frost? He's alive. He contacted me secretly just now. He's disguised his identity and infiltrated the Mechanist Cult."

Reinhardt paused on the steps and glanced at Urus. Though he didn't know what method these Children of the Night Demon used to communicate, Urus's demeanor was exceedingly serious.

"I understand."

...

Tania Flagship.

Claudius held the report he had just received, his brow deeply furrowed.

"That Reinhardt fellow... he really agreed to withdraw?"

The person reporting the news lowered their head. "The message is from the Verne Front Line. It can't be false."

Claudius knew, of course, that Reinhardt wouldn't just turn tail and run, but for the moment, he couldn't figure out what his opponent was planning.

'Is he planning a decapitation strike?'

But he and Sedon had already made a deal: as long as he let the Vengeful Angels withdraw, the Administrative Region wouldn't resort to a mutually destructive conflict and pull forces from the Verne Front Line to deal with him exclusively.

To put it another way, the Imperial Rebel Legion entrenched at Verne was like a sword hanging over everyone's head.

With Sedon's faction bearing the brunt of the pressure, they had the opportunity to stir up trouble from behind. But if they completely enraged the other side and triggered a fight to the death, not a single one of them would escape.

The Empire's Rebel Legion wouldn't play by any political rules or games of compromise.

Including Cicero, all three factions currently in the Administrative Region were holding back for fear of collateral damage.

Since Reinhardt had officially announced that the Vengeful Angels would be withdrawing from Cyrenaica, Claudius had no reason to obstruct them. The only thing he could do was remain on high alert.