Chapter 323 282: Domain: Slaughterer's Death Forest, Plunging into the Void Realm

With Reinhardt providing cover, the first of the Ash Guard's ships began to retreat from the Demon Mother Ship.

An Ash Guard standing before the hatch of the second ship shouted, "Lord Florian! You can't hesitate any longer! We must evacuate immediately!"

Florian gripped the hilt of his Knight's Broadsword, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, his eyes wide with fury.

In principle, this rescue mission was for the Ash Guard to cover and support the Vengeful Angels' operation, and he was the leader of the Ash Guard's expeditionary rescue team.

If he abandoned Reinhardt to board a ship and retreat first...

Even if he managed to make it back to the Imperial Administrative Region, he would never be able to answer to Lord Sedon should anything happen to Reinhardt. Not even his own execution would be enough to atone for it!

However, the evacuation plan, which Raphael had full authority over, was established before they even landed on the Demon Mother Ship. The Ash Guard was tasked with evacuating the surviving Radiant Angels first.

If they encountered a powerful enemy, members of the Vengeful Angels would cover the retreat.

After they had covered the evacuation from the Demon Mother Ship, the Mechanical Sage Agate would use the Punisher Ship's onboard technology to Phase Recall the Vengeful Angels who stayed behind to provide cover.

The entire plan was meticulously arranged.

But.

The enemy they encountered on the Demon Mother Ship was far more powerful than they had ever anticipated.

'Dammit...'

After two seconds of hesitation, Florian made his final decision. He would follow the original plan: cover the rescued Radiant Angels and evacuate first.

If he stayed here and died a glorious death, the evacuation ships, lacking his powerful presence, would be vulnerable. If they were attacked while navigating the Dark Side of the Empire, the entire rescue mission would be a complete failure!

Reinhardt's sacrifice in his death match against the Fear Knight to buy time would become meaningless.

Before turning to board the ship, his right hand gripped Raphael's arm forcefully. He spoke quickly, "I'm choosing to trust your plan. Don't let me down. Nothing can happen to Reinhardt."

Raphael, in a state of Mind Release, gripped the Golden Warhammer in his left hand. His Mental Power transformed into a raging, brilliant white storm that enveloped the entire evacuation zone, holding back the onslaught of Abyssal Demons to buy time for the ships to leave.

He nodded to Florian.

Once the Iron Crown was aboard, he spoke to Reinhardt via encrypted Telepathy. 'My lord, the Ash Guard and Radiant Angels have evacuated. Agate will initiate the Phase Recall in thirty seconds...'

Although this was the established plan, Raphael hesitated just before being the last one to board.

If he were the only one here, he would have stayed without a second thought to fight alongside Reinhardt, unafraid of death.

But.

As the Vengeful Angels Think Tank and the architect of the entire evacuation, he had other responsibilities. Aboard the Punisher Ship, Albert—gravely wounded, near death, and in a deep coma—was still waiting to be treated.

More than just his own life rested on his shoulders.

Any indecisiveness or error in judgment would only endanger more of his brothers.

He turned resolutely, stepped onto the Punisher Ship's ramp, grasped the outstretched right hand of Seventy-Six, and vaulted aboard.

Before he could even look back at the battlefield, Manon had already grabbed the manual lever for the hatch and yanked it shut. The engines roared to life.

Just as the Punisher Ship vanished from the hangar bay, Reinhardt, who was locked in a death match with Flayer Du Ma, stretched out his right hand. In the brief moment he used Time Dilation to stall his opponent, the Radiant Holy Artifact·Divine Emperor's Fury flew into his grasp.

Then,

Wreathed in terrifying Radiant Power, the Divine Emperor's Flame roared to life.

Reinhardt looked up, met Du Ma's terrified gaze, and let out a roar. Gripping his sword with both hands, he drove it down toward the creature's heart!

At that very moment,

all prior contempt vanished from Flayer Du Ma's eyes.

Domain·Slaughterer's Death Jungle.

A terrifying and suffocatingly oppressive aura erupted from its body, seemingly freezing the very space-time around them in that instant.

Hundreds of Steel Execution Racks, each hung with a corpse like something from an illusory nightmare, erupted from the floor of the hangar bay!

Hooked chains shot out from these phantasmal racks, piercing Reinhardt's body on the spiritual plane and pinning him in place.

In that same instant, Du Ma forcibly broke free from the binding flow of the Time Sand and scrambled backward like a startled dog.

Afterward,

time began to flow again.

A bead of cold sweat, born from its narrow escape, trickled slowly down Du Ma's cheek. It was the first time in a millennium that it had felt such a real and immediate threat of death!

Bar none.

Because the Radiant Holy Artifact would completely obliterate its existence on the spiritual plane!

If it died within the Divine Emperor's Flame, its soul would not even have a chance to flee back to the Slaughter Death Arena and be reborn. It would be incinerated on the spot, utterly and completely destroyed.

It never would have dreamed that an Imperial Knight who possessed the blessing of Avernus, who craved battle and slaughter, and who could transform into a Venerable Great Demon at any moment, would also simultaneously possess a Sacred Artifact bestowed by the Radiant Divine Emperor!

Having escaped, it stared intently at Reinhardt, who was now trapped by its Slaughterer Domain.

If not for its Domain Power, which could freeze time for the first second of its activation, it would already be howling in agony beneath the Divine Emperor's Flame.

The terror of having faced death head-on still left it shaken.

'This guy...'

The speed of thought of a Seven-star Earth Military Rank was far beyond what any Mortal could imagine.

Though these thoughts were vast and complex, only a tenth of a second had passed in the Real Cosmos.

Quickly, Du Ma shed all its contempt and arrogance. Its attitude toward Reinhardt became one of extreme caution, and it decided to end this pleasurable game of slaughter ahead of schedule.

It was going to drag Reinhardt onto its home turf.

There, it would use the Demon Void Realm's powerful suppression of Radiant Holy Artifacts to completely annihilate this enormous threat!

Just as Imperial Knights and Mortals feared corruption by Demon Poison,

so too did it fear the Divine Emperor's Flame. Wreathed in Radiant Power, that flame was the Mighty Power of the Emperor himself. Even if it only grazed its skin, a Fear Knight like it stood no chance of resisting.

It might not die, but it had no desire to underestimate its enemy and end up like some other unlucky soul, suffering the daily agony of the Divine Emperor's Flame burning its very soul.

Having made its decision,

The sharp, demonic nails of Du Ma's left hand glowed red-hot, like steel in a forge, as it sliced down through the air.

A rift connecting the Demon Void Realm to the Real Cosmos tore open before it.

Then,

Du Ma clenched its right hand into a fist, grabbing the hundreds of chains that pierced Reinhardt's body in the Spiritual Domain. With a leap, it dragged him along, and together they plummeted into the Demon Void Realm.

Meanwhile,

after barely managing to stabilize Albert's vital signs, Agate initiated the Phase Recall for Reinhardt as planned.

But as a deep blue light flared within the Punisher Ship, his cold voice echoed grimly through the shared Telepathy link.

'Lord Reinhardt... Something's gone wrong.'