I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

Matthias gritted his teeth.

He fought off three surging Mixed-blood Warriors. ”Hold on!” he said quickly, propping up Manon, whose legs had gone weak. ”Seventy-Six is here!”

Pain, confusion, despair...

Although they were Emperor’s Angels—Transcendent wielders of Mighty Power—Imperial Knights still possessed all the frailties of human emotion.

This was not shameful. In fact, Imperial Knights took pride in it.

Through pain, they proved their resilience with endurance.

Through despair, they proved their loyal fearlessness with courage.

To an Imperial Knight, death was not something to be feared.

What was terrifying was the soul being unable to return to the Divine Emperor’s light.

The face of Manon, an Emperor’s Shield Veteran, was hidden beneath his Full Coverage Helmet, but it had long since twisted into a hideous mask of agony.

The unending Elemental Fire seared his organs and wounds. That he hadn’t fainted was a testament to his Superman-level willpower, which sustained him in battle and kept him from becoming a burden to the Vengeance Angel Squad.

”I’m... not dead yet.”

Manon raised his head, his gaze fixed on the Punisher Ship appearing in the distant sky. As many as twenty Space Dragon Race vessels were in hot pursuit right behind it.

Screaming volleys of cannon fire narrowly missed it with almost every shot.

Moreover, one of the Space Dragon Race ships had even pulled alongside it. A considerable number of Mixed-blood Warriors were attempting to board, forcing their way onto the hull of the speeding Punisher Ship in an effort to get inside and kill the pilot.

Just then, Seventy-Six’s voice echoed through their shared telepathic link.

’There are too many of these Space Aliens! Where are you? We have to immediately—’

Then, as Manon and Matthias watched in horror, a Mixed-blood Warrior forced its way onto the Punisher. The ship, which had been flying steadily, immediately began to shudder violently and veer off course.

’This is bad—!’

But they had no time to worry about the ship. The Elite Slaughter Demon that had just landed had already carved a bloody path through the Space Dragon Race army and was now charging straight for them!

”ROAR—!”

The Demon’s roar, carrying a terrifying, malevolent Mighty Power, spread wildly across the battlefield!

At that same moment, there was Reinhardt, who was single-handedly holding the front line.

He was like an Imperial banner standing tall amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, one that would never fall!

Besieged by powerful foes, he had cut down three Pure-blood Centurions and now held the head of an Elemental Dominator in one hand. The Destructive Suppression radiating from him was so intense it felt tangible.

Within a five-meter radius, amidst a mountain of corpses, not a single member of the Space Dragon Race dared approach.

Meanwhile, Agate, who had been engulfed in a sea of fire, emerged like a Saint reborn from the flames. A faint blue layer of Energy Protection—the Mighty Power of the Ancient Black Box—flowed across his body.

At that moment, the Technician Soldier’s Knightly Aura surged, reaching the level of an Earth Military Rank!

The Extraordinary Armament covering his mechanical limbs grew more slender, its Mechanical Structure becoming more intricate. New muzzles extended from his forearms.

As another torrent of Elemental Fire Rain descended upon him from all sides.

Agate’s Mechanical Eye whirred. Jets of flame erupted from his back, propelling him skyward. The Thermite Beam from his Extraordinary Armament split and multiplied in mid-air, weaving into a terrifying lattice of destruction that blasted toward the Elemental Master Battle Group!

And then there was Raphael. Swallowed by the endless horde of the Space Dragon Race army, his mind suddenly erupted with a terrifying, shadowy power!

It spread outward in rapid waves, like ripples in water.

Every member of the Space Dragon Race touched by this shadowy power was cut down like wheat, falling to the ground in unison.

The Elemental Dominator who had been trying to take Raphael’s head and win favor with its superior was now pale with shock, its heart seized by utter terror!

Its reptilian, slit-pupiled eyes stared intently at Raphael. ’This is... the power of a Void Divine Artifact!’

’How could a member of the Human Empire’s Think Tank possess such a thing?!’

Raphael then rose slowly into the air as if a Demigod, defying gravity. The white lightning that filled his eyes was now laced with that same shadowy Mighty Power. His gaze traveled across the grand, bloody battlefield to meet Reinhardt’s.

It wasn’t just the Elemental Dominator. At that moment, every member of the Space Dragon Race on the battlefield, even the Abyssal Demons, sensed this malevolent Mighty Power that had no place in Kemola.

Reinhardt’s face darkened. Blood dripped from the War Axe in his tight grip. He gave Raphael a slight shake of his head.

Sensing something was amiss, Manon and Matthias also looked over, their expressions filled with absolute horror!

They never would have dreamed that the teammate fighting beside them could possess the power of the Evil Four Gods!

But Raphael’s gaze was resolute.

The Vengeance Angel Squad had no path of retreat. As time wore on, they would inevitably be overwhelmed and killed by the Space Dragon Race’s sheer numbers.

Even if escaping Kemola was only a theoretical possibility.

But as long as a sliver of hope remained, someone had to make a sacrifice—to buy time for the ship to land and for the others to escape. Raphael hoped he would be that person.

Only then could he atone for his sins.

He would express his loyalty and fearlessness to the Divine Emperor through his death.

The voice that rang through the telepathic link was like a final battle prayer for his Battle Brothers.

’For our victory... For the Divine Emperor...’

Then, with unwavering resolve, Raphael took out the Angel Holy Scripture he carried. His face was a mask of determination, filled with the will to die for victory and for the Divine Emperor. He turned the pages.

Under the watchful eyes of the Space Dragon Race and Abyssal Demons.

Under the gaze of every member of the Vengeance Angel Squad.

Mental Power turned to white lightning in his eyes. Like an Angel bathed in the Divine Emperor’s radiance, his voice was amplified by this power, becoming a high, solemn chant that echoed as if in a cathedral.

”The Divine Emperor is all-powerful! May His radiance grant His chosen protection! May the Eternal Flame heal our wounds and grant us courage!”

In that instant.

As if in response to Raphael’s prayer, the beleaguered Knights felt as though the Divine Emperor Himself had answered. A silent courage filled their hearts, and even the pain of their wounds vanished.

Manon’s eyes widened in fury!

He didn’t care where Raphael had gotten the Four Divine Powers; that was a matter for the Judgment Court. All he cared about was that his teammate, the loyal Combat Priest, his Battle Brother, was choosing to sacrifice himself to buy them time to escape.

”Damn it—! Raphael! You can’t do this! I can still fight! Matthias, never mind me, stop him!”

Matthias was a veteran Knight, but after experiencing the great rebellion and the betrayal of the Death Battle Group, his ideals and convictions were far less firm than they appeared.

He could only stare, stunned, at Raphael’s body being consumed by white lightning...

If the battle on Grillers had been Reinhardt showing him the true meaning of an Imperial Knight’s indomitable courage through action...

...then at this moment...

...he was finally learning from Raphael the true meaning of an Imperial Knight’s faith and tenacity.

It was as if time itself had frozen.

Matthias staggered back a step from Manon’s shove.

Scores of Space Dragon Race soldiers stared dumbly at the member of the Imperial Think Tank, who appeared like a descending Demigod.

Raphael held the open Angel Holy Scripture in the crook of his left arm. He pointed his right hand at the charging Space Dragon Race, and the white lightning that erupted from him was like the Divine Emperor’s own radiance, banishing the darkness.

His voice was sonorous and powerful, a rallying cry!

”For we are the fire of the Vengeful Angels! We are the wrath of the Emperor, incarnate!”