Chapter 428 379: Gods' Plan, Battlefield Division Plan, The Dark Mechanist Cult's First Appearance

When Atlas and his four companions appeared, though their attitudes were arrogant and condescending, they had already formulated a series of battle plans targeting the Vengeful Angels.

Besides killing Reinhardt, their other mission was to seize control of the Avenger Flagship.

A direct confrontation on the bridge would likely cause severe damage to the ship, and they would be unable to answer to Lord Enok.

According to their established tactics, if Chaos God Chaos was thwarted in his attempt to seize control and Atlas couldn't kill Reinhardt quickly, they would immediately execute their backup plan: splitting the battlefield.

At that point, Chaos would step in, teleporting all Vengeful Angels on the bridge capable of resistance off of it. Their own people would be dispatched to engage them; even if they couldn't kill their targets, they had to stall them and prevent their return to the ship.

The only one left on the bridge would be Wisdom Goddess Minerva, who would then take full control of the Avenger Flagship.

After Death God Thanatos's unexpected and violent death, and with Atlas forced to block Reinhardt's fierce assault, Chaos knew it was time to activate their backup plan.

The black-robed Chaos, a modified being from the Gods' Plan, was the only one among them to have mastered both Cosmic Magic and Spiritual Power. His own power was second only to Atlas, yet he had originally been just one of Silencer Enok's many students.

Back then, his strength was average and his bloodline weak.

The so-called Gods' Plan was an experiment to replicate 'Ancient Armaments,' secretly led by the Silencer in collaboration with the Dark Mechanist Cult, and authorized by Grand Lord Kles.

The ancient Wizard Civilization had reached the zenith of armament manufacturing and human Alchemy Transformation Technology!

A Mortal Soldier with no talent for Magic, so long as they could withstand one hundred and thirty-seven surgeries and Spiritual Energy evolutions, could in a short time become a powerful weapon of war, strong enough to contend with an Earth Knight.

Moreover, these armament manufacturing technologies had already achieved mass production in the ancient era.

In the current era, no one could imagine the terrifying combat power of an army of millions, or even tens of millions, composed entirely of Earth Knights!

Warlord Nico, and the Spiritual Artisan Level Secret Treasure within his body—the War Witch Skeleton Structure—were the original reason this plan was conceived and established.

After he died in Kemola, Silencer Enok, who was active in the Administrative Region, had been trying to recover that Spiritual Artisan Level Secret Treasure. But no matter how he searched, the skeleton structure seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

The only thing known for certain was that the item was in the hands of the Mechanist Cult.

As for the plan authorized by Grand Lord Kles, its fundamental purpose was to raise his military strength and break his dependence on Hired Knights and Wandering Mages.

Just like the Human Emperor, he wanted to build an army loyal only to him, to conquer and annex the entire Ash Soil Star Zone!

However, just as Chaos God Chaos was preparing to initiate the backup plan—to make a sudden move and teleport both Reinhardt and Atlas off the ship—a muddled, cold voice, laced with the static unique to a Technician Priest, suddenly echoed across the bridge.

At the same time, a Combat Boat radiating a strong demonic aura leaped out of the Demon Void Realm, flying at high speed right alongside the Avenger Flagship.

"(STATIC)...By order of Great Sage Hash, from this moment on, this Supreme Royal Court escort vessel belongs to the Shadow Temple. All who dare to obstruct us shall be considered great enemies of the Temple."

'People from the Dark Mechanist Cult?'

Chaos frowned upon hearing the voice. 'What are these bastards doing in Cyrenaica? And they want to fight us for control of the ship?!'

He wasn't the only one. All combatants on the bridge, friend and foe alike, stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the massive Combat Boat outside the window.

Atlas's expression darkened. He nodded at Chaos, signaling him to negotiate with these uninvited guests and tell them that this ship already belonged to Lord Enok.

The Shadow Temple had no right to interfere.

But before Chaos God Chaos could even finish his opening remarks, a malicious sneer rang out over the bridge's broadcast system, followed by a menacing warning. "Atlas, this is an order from Great Sage Hash. Do you intend to defy the will of the Shadow Temple?!"

The Shadow Temple.

During the Great Rebellion, numerous tech-heretics within the Mechanist Cult also began an era of great apostasy.

And the group lurking in the Ash Soil Star Zone, collaborating with Grand Lord Kles, was just one of the Dark Mechanist Cult's many branches.

These tech-heretics had been instrumental in the advancement and execution of the Gods' Plan.

Chaos sneered and shot back, "Isn't the Shadow Temple overreaching a bit? We follow only the will of the great Enok. Any outside force that dares set foot on this bridge will be killed without question!"

After a short burst of static-laced insults from the broadcast system—the kind perhaps only Technician Priest Pavlo could understand—the brief negotiation between the two sides broke down completely.

At this moment, the expression on the face of Atlas, Chief of the Gods, was utterly foul. He had boarded the ship on Lord Enok's orders, made a heap of threats, and not only failed to secure control but had also allowed Reinhardt to kill Death God Thanatos right under his nose.

He was already struggling to save face.

Now, the Shadow Temple had interfered, not only ignoring Lord Enok's orders but also completely disregarding his own threats—and in front of a faction from the Administrative Region, no less.

This blow to his dignity made him burn with fury.

Unfortunately, Atlas was unaware that to the Shadow Temple, the lofty Chief of the Gods from the Bator World was nothing more than a weapon of war—a replicable, expendable one at that.

"These oil-brains... Chaos! Execute the backup plan immediately! Seize control before they do!"

As he spoke, the bald, fierce man glared ferociously at Reinhardt, his anger flaring. "I'm going to twist this Angel's head off with my own two hands!"

Spiritual Power and Rule Magic are two completely different Extraordinary Systems.

The former is the pure power of the 'mind'; spirit is the weapon, will is the power. It projects 'concepts' from the brain into reality, with applications including but not limited to Spiritual Control, memory extraction, Telekinesis, interstellar communication, and short-range teleportation...

The latter relies on a single rule, from which various forms of Cosmic Magic are extended. It must adhere to strict causality and cannot, like Spiritual Power, take a simple thought like [I want to control his mind] and amplify it with Spiritual Power to affect reality.

And the teleportation method Chaos used was a part of his Spiritual Power.

Koller frowned. 'Backup plan?'

They had yet to deal with the first wave of enemies, and now a second was hot on their heels. For them, deep in the heart of rebel territory, this was like pouring salt on the wound!

The next second, when Chaos's Spiritual Power appeared in his senses without any warning, the color drained from Koller's face!

"Reinhardt! They're trying to—"