The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 673- Bomb Testing Site

For some reason, the aura leaking from this finger reminded him of the fragment sealed within the Queen.

That fragment similarly released a kind of potent evil not even the likes of Heavenly Kings could match.

Reinhardt did not dwell on the matter for long. Whatever that finger was, leaving it exposed on the battlefield was too dangerous.

He raised one hand and calmly activated his skill.

"[Judgement Lock]" Reinhardt slowly muttered. Divine energy surged out and, from the void, an enormous holy gate materialized.

The holy gate was covered in ancient murals, on one side were angels, on the other demons. Just like all of Reinhardt’s skills, the [Judgement Lock] was quite flashy.

All the knights looked at the holy gate as if it were a real gate of heaven.

CREAAKK... The gates slowly creaked open, and through it, countless golden chains burst forth like serpents. These chains shot toward the finger and wrapped around it.

The black finger violently trembled, and potent black mist exploded outwards, in an attempt to resist. However, under the immense suppression effect of the Holy Gate and Divine Chains, it could only be dragged in. The finger was mercilessly yanked inside the gate.

BOOOOM...

The doors slammed shut and the holy gate disappeared.

"It’s sealed for now," Reinhardt said calmly.

Around him, many knights looked at the scene with astonishment. Even Vanessa gazed at him with slight curiosity. Her Ultimate Skill had failed to purify the thing. Yet Reinhardt had effortlessly sealed it away.

She looked at him thoughtfully.

"It appears that after recovering from that curse, you have become much stronger."

She had known Reinhardt for a long time. In fact, it could be said that the timing when they became heroes was not far apart.

Although Reinhardt reached level 10 earlier than her, she quickly caught up to him. Now however...

Looking at the faint pout on her face, like a child dissatisfied after losing, Reinhardt did not know what to say.

He could only say that the curse really had killed him and that a new soul housed inside this body by God Dionax and gifted with his powers.

"Haha... I was just worried." Reinhardt laughed awkwardly.

The moment the words left his mouth, his eyes widened.

Ahh... he messed up.

Hearing his words, Vanessa’s silver brows twitched. Then a beautiful smile laced with extreme danger appeared on her face.

"Hoh~ So you rushed here all the way from the frontlines because you thought I would lose?" Her tone was frigidly cold. So cold that one could actually feel it.

The surrounding knights immediately backed away. Even Kevin, who was an airhead, took several steps back instinctively.

"No, that’s not what I..." "Oh?" Vanessa folded her arms beneath her ample chest. Given her looks and the holy aura covering her, one might mistake her for a goddess. Yet at this moment, this goddess was exuding a ruthless killing intent.

"You were worried about me? Should I feel touched?"

"Vanessa, listen first..."

"Or perhaps," she continued mercilessly, "Commander Reinhardt thinks I’m weak?"

The nearby heroes immediately looked away.

Absolutely nobody intended to get involved in their complicated relationship.

"Commander’s dead." Vangeance slowly whispered.

Kevin nodded solemnly. "I wonder who will be our next commander."

Even Gwen, who worshipped Reinhardt, pressed her forehead and sighed. "Why does Commander always get involved in such kinds of complex situations?"

Meanwhile, Reinhardt, who could calmly face dozens of Heavenly Kings, felt himself getting strangely cornered.

"I never said you were weak."

"But you rushed here personally."

"That was because Baccarat’s plague is troublesome."

"So you think I cannot handle troublesome things?"

"That’s not what I meant either."

Sweat trickled down from Reinhardt’s forehead.

Thankfully, a stroke of luck saved him.

BZZZT.

His transmission device suddenly buzzed loudly. Reinhardt inwardly thanked the heavens. He swiftly picked it up before Vanessa could continue grilling him.

"This is First Division Leader Reinhardt. Report."

A voice quickly sounded from the other side. "This is the headquarters. The Second Division has successfully eradicated the demonic horde."

The Second Division was led by Brutus and many powerful heroes, including Sigurd. Exterminating a demonic horde of that size was never a question.

"Any casualties?"

"None, the operation was successful."

That was good. Reinhardt was just about to nod, when his brows furrowed.

"Wait, did you just say Second Division? Wasn’t Third Division the one shadowing the horde? Didn’t Hell Marshal coordinate with them?"

"About that..." The voice on the other side became tense. "It appears Dark Knight Vaerion discovered a Labyrinth midway through the operation and..."

Reinhardt already had a bad feeling.

"He recklessly rushed inside alone. Hell Marshal and the rest of the Third Division tried to stop him... but they couldn’t make it in time. In the end, they had no choice but to follow him into the Labyrinth as well."

Hearing this, everyone was startled. As for Reinhardt, he fell silent and contemplated in his head.

Individual actions like this, especially during a large scale military campaign, could easily create widespread disorder. It was a dereliction of duty and an offense of the highest level.

As one of Aetherion’s Level 10 Heroes, Vaerion should understand that better than anyone. Yet despite that, he still rushed into the Labyrinth recklessly.

Which meant the situation was not simple.

Reinhardt recalled something from around a year ago. Back then, he had visited the Kingdom of Aetherion alongside Diana during one of her whims.

It was during that visit that he learned a shocking truth. One of Aetherion’s Five Heroes, Caelum Argentis, the Skybearer, had died inside a Labyrinth.

Another Hero returned gravely wounded. The knight order accompanying them suffered catastrophic losses.

The incident had shaken the entire kingdom. A Hero, a symbol of humanity’s power, had fallen.

The Kingdom of Aetherion attempted to suppress the news initially while they investigated the matter.

But such a massive incident could never remain hidden forever. In the end, the truth still spread across Valdonia.

Vaerion, as one of Aetherion’s Heroes, was close to the Hero who died. Perhaps this was the reason why he chose to dive into the Labyrinth recklessly. Or perhaps he feared another tragedy repeating itself.

Whatever the reason was, Reinhardt had to make his decision.

"Relay my orders. Tell Erza to halt the First Division’s advance temporarily. We will maintain our current positions and fortify the established camps."

"Understood," the voice replied respectfully.

"Inform the Fifth and Sixth Divisions to remain on standby. If anything happens on the frontlines, they are to mobilize immediately. Also, I will personally reinforce the Third Division."

With that, the transmission ended.

Reinhardt put the device back in the pocket of his coat and looked at Vanessa. The two of them stared at each other for a moment without saying anything.

"Go, I’ll handle things here."

As if the cold aura was all just an illusion, Vanessa returned to her warm, bright self. A beautiful smile blossomed on her face, one that was radiant like the aura surrounding her.

Golden wings unfurled behind Reinhardt. Then, without another word, he shot into the skies, leaving behind powerful shockwaves.

Vanessa watched his disappearing figure quietly. The golden streak rapidly vanished into the dark horizon of the Tainted Lands.

Then she exhaled softly. "Honestly, he really never rests."

.

.

Three days later.

Deep within the labyrinth.

Reinhardt and the Third Division finally reached the deepest region.

The architecture around them was unlike anything from the current age. It was far too advanced.

Yet despite all that, the place was in ruins. Moss crawled across the walls, and dust covered the hall. It appeared like the place had seen the tides of time.

Reinhardt silently observed the surroundings.

With his speed, he had originally arrived at the Third Division’s location in less than half an hour after leaving the Fourth Division.

After arriving here, they continued investigating the labyrinth. Thus, after three days of exploration, he could confidently say there were no enemies.

No traces of the beings responsible for killing Caelum Argentis, Aetherion’s Hero. This wasn’t the labyrinth they were looking for.

"I heard it could disappear and appear anywhere. It was a good call to investigate it." Reinhardt spoke.

Since this was an undiscovered labyrinth within the Tainted Lands, investigation was necessary.

If possible, salvaging ancient technology or historical records would be invaluable to humanity.

Unfortunately, their hopes were quickly crushed.

The demons had already discovered this place long ago. Anything remotely valuable had either been looted or deliberately destroyed.

The destruction was so severe that it was as though the demons intentionally wanted to erase the existence of this place.

However, since the labyrinth was built to survive the era when demons were pouring out of the abyss, in the end, they could not destroy it completely.

"Let’s head back."

There was little point in remaining here any longer.

Vaerion clenched his fists slightly before eventually nodding. Although he was disappointed that he could not avenge his friend, he could see the bigger picture right now.