Chapter 66: The Lightning Emperor Key

Reinhard looked up, and for a moment, he remembered the Mirror of Possibilities and the futures he had already seen.

"Did we really reach one of the other possibilities?" he asked.

Seraphine looked around the strange battlefield before nodding. "It appears so."

Rhea gave a nervous laugh. "Our luck really isn’t that good."

Nobody laughed with her.

Archon studied the environment carefully before saying, "We’re trapped."

Adrian looked at her. "What?"

"Pocket realm."

Reinhard looked toward the battlefield. "The clock."

Archon nodded. "Find it."

Reinhard activated Emperor’s Insight, but something was immediately wrong. The mental map shifted constantly as distances refused to remain consistent. Buildings appeared to move, paths looped back into themselves, and locations changed whenever he looked away.

"This place isn’t following normal space."

"Which means?" Rhea asked.

"The clock isn’t necessarily where it appears."

Before anyone could say anything else, a deep rumbling sounded overhead.

Everyone looked up.

One meteor appeared, followed by another, then dozens more until hundreds of them filled the red sky.

Rhea’s expression changed. "Those aren’t stars."

"Run!"

The team sprinted forward as a meteor crashed behind them, sending a shockwave across the battlefield. Another struck ahead and forced them to change direction.

"Left!" Mara shouted.

"There’s an opening!" Kael called.

"Move!" Rika shouted.

The team moved together, relying on everything they had learned during the previous battle. Adrian protected the center while Rhea and Rika cleared the sides. Kael watched for incoming threats, Seraphine controlled the terrain, and Mara kept everyone moving while Reinhard remained behind them, watching the sky.

A meteor suddenly broke apart overhead, scattering several fragments in different directions. One of them changed course and headed directly toward Seraphine.

"Seraphine!"

She turned, but the fragment was already too close.

Reinhard activated Spatial Step, compressed the space between them, and appeared directly beside her. He pushed her out of the trajectory just as the meteor fragment slammed into the ground where she had been standing.

The explosion threw debris across the battlefield.

Seraphine stared at him. "You used Spatial Step."

"Yes."

"To save me."

"You were about to get hit."

She looked at him for another second before nodding. "Understood."

They continued running, but another meteor soon appeared above them. This one was much larger.

Reinhard’s expression changed. "Tyrant Tower."

A massive defensive force erupted around him as the Demon God Tyrant Body awakened, expanding outward and forming a protective barrier around Reinhard and two nearby Nephilim.

The meteor crashed directly into the barrier.

The impact shook the entire battlefield, forcing Reinhard’s feet into the ground as the Tyrant Tower absorbed the force. A moment later, the meteor shattered against the barrier.

"Keep moving!" Reinhard shouted.

The remaining Nephilim continued forward, but another wave of debris came toward them.

Reinhard activated Aegis of Eight, causing eight shields to appear around the group. They rotated automatically, intercepting the falling fragments before they could reach the Nephilim. One shield shattered, only for another to immediately regenerate in its place.

Another meteor struck.

Reinhard pushed his Demon God Awakening further, reinforcing the Tyrant Tower while keeping Aegis active. The combined abilities strained his body, but he continued protecting the group.

"Don’t stop!" Mara shouted.

The Nephilim kept running until Kael suddenly pointed ahead.

"There!"

The clock had finally appeared in the center of the ruined city, surrounded by dozens of Abominations.

"We’re close!" Rhea shouted.

The team charged forward while Reinhard maintained his defensive abilities long enough for them to reach the clock.

"Destroy it!"

Rika struck first, smashing her blade into the clock and spreading a crack across its surface. Adrian followed with a stored impact, creating several more cracks.

"Again!" Reinhard shouted.

The entire team attacked together.

The clock shattered, and the pocket realm collapsed instantly.

The battlefield disappeared as everyone was thrown back into the original room. They hit the floor hard, breathing heavily.

Rhea rolled onto her back. "I hate this place."

"Agreed," Reinhard said.

For a moment, everything was quiet.

Reinhard then reached into his inventory and pulled out three Family Vitality Elixirs.

"Drink these."

He tossed one to Rika, another to Adrian, and the third to Mara.

The three caught them, and Rika examined the bottle. "What is it?"

"Something that will replenish your strength."

Adrian immediately opened his, while Mara looked at Reinhard before drinking hers.

The effects appeared almost immediately. Their exhaustion faded, their breathing stabilized, and the strain left behind by the previous battles began disappearing.

Rhea stared at them. "You had those the entire time?"

"Yes."

"You could’ve given us one earlier!"

"You didn’t need one earlier."

Rhea opened her mouth, then closed it after a moment. "Fair."

A massive roar suddenly shook the room, and everyone turned toward the corpse of the enormous Abomination they had defeated earlier.

The creature began moving.

Its body twisted violently as golden light appeared beneath its flesh.

Reinhard activated Emperor’s Insight, and his expression changed.

"The Key."

Archon immediately understood what he was seeing. The creature had absorbed the Lightning Emperor Key.

Its body began expanding as machinery fused deeper into its flesh and lightning exploded across the room. The creature rose again, this time far larger than before, while its chest split open and revealed a golden core buried deep inside its body.

The Lightning Emperor Key was embedded within it.

Seraphine stared at the creature. "It absorbed the Key."

"And now the Key is powering it," Reinhard said.

Archon studied the creature carefully before speaking. "This is different from the others."

Reinhard looked toward her. "Different how?"

"Normal Abominations consume living things and mana. This one is consuming supernatural energy and objects."

She tightened her grip on her sword.

"That’s a Devourer-class."

The creature roared again.

"Graven Maw," Archon said. "That’s what they’re called."

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed. "So the Key made it stronger."

"More than stronger. It may have integrated the Key’s properties into itself."

Another notification appeared.

[Investment Opportunity Available.]

[Target: Emily Ashcroft.]

[Current Value: A+.]

[Objective: Defeated the Graven Maw and retrieved the Lightning Emperor Key.]

[Difficulty Grade: S.]

[Success Probability: 30%.]

"Of course."

The beast charged.

Rika tightened her grip. "Then we kill it again."

Reinhard smiled. "Exactly."

The Nephilim immediately moved as Mara took command.

"Formation!"

Adrian stepped forward while Rhea moved to the flank, Rika prepared her weapon, Kael disappeared into the creature’s blind spot, and Seraphine began gathering mana.

Reinhard activated Emperor’s Insight and the Merchant King’s Lens simultaneously. The battlefield unfolded inside his mind, revealing the creature’s energy flow, its unstable points, the places where its movements were inefficient, and the exact position of the Lightning Emperor Key.

"There," Reinhard said.

Seraphine followed his gaze. "The chest?"

"Not yet. Its defenses are strongest there."

The beast attacked.

Reinhard released Ice Shard Bullets, and the frozen projectiles struck its legs, slowing its movement for an instant.

"Now!"

Rhea baited the beast toward her while Rika attacked from the opposite side. Adrian absorbed the creature’s counterattack, Kael struck the exposed joint, Seraphine manipulated the terrain beneath it, and Mara directed everyone into the next formation.

The beast roared and unleashed a massive wave of lightning.

Reinhard raised his hand. "Aegis."

The eight shields appeared around him and the team as the lightning crashed against them. Several shields shattered, but they regenerated almost immediately.

"Keep attacking!"

Taru strengthened their offensive power, Sparu accelerated their movements, Varu reinforced their defenses, and Mia closed the wounds appearing across their bodies.

Reinhard continued switching between abilities, using each one exactly when it was needed while the Nephilim followed his directions without hesitation.

Rika’s attack shattered one of the beast’s outer defenses, allowing Adrian to release the energy he had stored and force the creature backward. Kael slipped beneath its attack and struck another weak point while Seraphine used the opening to trap one of its legs.

Mara called out the final formation.

"Everyone, now!"

The six Nephilim attacked together, and their combined assault slammed into the beast’s chest, exposing the golden core.

Reinhard saw the Lightning Emperor Key inside.

"Again!"

They attacked once more.

The beast staggered as its chest cracked open, finally exposing the Key.

Reinhard moved immediately.

Spatial Step carried him across the battlefield, allowing him to appear directly in front of the exposed core. He reached forward and pulled the Lightning Emperor Key free.

The beast released one final roar before collapsing behind him.

Reinhard landed on the ground with the golden Key in his hand.

For a moment, he simply stared at it.

Then a familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

[Stage Three: Gnosis Recovery.]

[Objective: Find the S-Class Items capable of restoring access to the target’s Gnosis.]

[Materials Acquired: 2/3.]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed.

Two out of three.

Only one remained.

Another notification appeared immediately afterward.

[Investment Objective Completed.]

[S-Grade Investment Successful.]

[Calculating Returns...]

Reinhard’s expression changed slightly.

An S-Rank mission.

Whatever came next would not be ordinary.

The first reward appeared.

[Legendary Reward Granted: Spatial Tear Enhanced.]

[Effect: Compresses spatial energy into a short-range cutting plane capable of severing matter and magical constructs.]

[Limitations: High mana consumption. Most effective against stationary or restrained targets. Cannot casually bypass extremely powerful defenses.]

Reinhard’s eyes brightened.

The next notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Iron Mind Enhanced.]

[Effect: Greatly increased resistance to mental pressure, fear, illusions, and hostile mental influence.]

Reinhard smiled.

That would be useful, especially with the people he was about to meet.

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Sovereignty Enhanced.]

[New Function: Mana Optimization.]

[Reinhard can instantly determine the most efficient method of circulating mana through his body or an active ability, significantly reducing unnecessary mana expenditure.]

Reinhard stared at the notification for a moment.

This wasn’t an increase in raw power. It was efficiency, and he liked that.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Reflexes.]

[Effect: Reinhard’s physical reactions can now keep pace with his enhanced perception, allowing him to respond almost immediately after detecting danger.]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed with interest.

That was exactly what he needed. His perception could already predict attacks several seconds in advance, and now his body could actually keep up with it.

The next reward appeared.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Crown of the Unbroken.]

[Effect: Automatically reinforces the wearer against repeated attack types. The first exposure establishes resistance, while subsequent attacks of the same nature become progressively less effective.]

A defensive relic that adapted during battle.

Reinhard immediately understood its value, especially against groups. His upcoming meeting suddenly came to mind.

He continued reading.

[Additional Reward Granted: 30,977,000 Credits.]

Reinhard paused when he saw the amount.

[$1,198,000 → $32,175,000.]

[Current Balance: $32,175,000]

Over thirty million was enough money to prepare properly. He could buy relics, traps, emergency supplies, and anything else he needed for the upcoming meeting.

Then the next notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Eclipse Relic Acquisition Voucher ×10.]

[Effect: Each voucher can be exchanged through Eclipse for approved relics or restricted resources within the voucher’s assigned value.]

Reinhard’s smile widened.

Money was useful, but access was better, and Eclipse had access to things ordinary markets couldn’t provide.

The eighth reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Veil — Legendary.]

[Effect: Conceals the mana surge normally produced when activating abilities.]

[Additional Effect: When used with abilities that do not directly attack or affect a target, concealment can be maintained for up to two minutes.]

Reinhard’s expression became thoughtful.

Fooling.

Veil.

Mana Sense.

The upcoming meeting.

He could already see how useful this would be.

The ninth reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: — Black Moon Incident.]

[Classification: Restricted.]

[The Black Moon was not simply an unexplained supernatural disaster. Multiple organizations investigated the incident, and evidence suggests that something was recovered from the site afterward.]

Reinhard’s smile disappeared.

The Black Moon.

So there was more to it.

Someone had investigated the disaster, and someone might have taken something from the site.

He stored the information away. He would investigate it later.

The next notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Merchant King’s Lens Enhanced.]

[New Functions Unlocked: Compatibility, and Evolution Potential.]

[Effect: Compatibility will scan the area and point out the best object to go with the main item.

[Effect: Evolution Potential: Points out if the object can be upgraded and the chance of it being able to be upgraded]

Reinhard looked at the notification again.

The Lens had already been incredibly useful, but now it could tell him what an item was capable of becoming.

That made his upcoming trip through Eclipse’s relic market considerably more interesting.

Then came the eleventh reward.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Graviton Chain.]

[Effect: Creates spatial chains capable of anchoring targets to their current position and preventing movement.]

Reinhard’s smile returned.

Another useful tool.

Not a weapon, but control.

If things went wrong during the meeting, he wouldn’t necessarily need to kill everyone. He could simply make sure nobody moved.

Then the final reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Knowledge — Meeting Security and Combat Strength.]

Reinhard’s expression became serious as the information appeared. As he recalled, it was almost time for the meeting.

Which was in two days from now.

[B-Rank Awakeners: 8.]

[C-Rank Awakeners: 24.]

[D-Rank Awakeners: Nearly 60.]

[Additional Information: The B-Rank participants possess specialized elemental relics, giving them considerably greater combat versatility.]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed.

Eight B-Ranks, twenty-four C-Ranks, and nearly sixty D-Ranks.

That was far more people than he had expected.

Another line appeared.

[Attendees are expected to use Mana Sense upon arrival to inspect their surroundings.]

[Continuous Mana Sense after the initial arrival period is considered an aggressive action and may be interpreted as a threat.]

Reinhard went silent as he considered the information.

Then he understood.

He couldn’t arrive early because dozens of people would be actively scanning the area, and any preparation could risk exposing him.

However, if he waited until everyone had settled down, continuous Mana Sense would become dangerous and potentially provoke a confrontation.

That created an opening.

He would arrive later, let everyone settle down, listen first, and then quietly prepare the battlefield.

Reinhard looked down at the Lightning Emperor Key in his hand, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

An S-Rank mission had given him more than power.

It had given him money, relics, information, and new ways to use the abilities he already possessed. Most importantly, it had given him everything he needed to prepare for the people who had tried to take him and his family.

The Helios mission was over.

Now it was time to deal with the kidnappers.