I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

Although Manon and Matthias were now assigned to the Vengeance Angel Squad, their new Power Armor paint jobs still followed the primary styles of the Emperor’s Shield and the Ash Guard.

One was dark yellow, the other deep black.

The only difference was a large golden badge on the front of their chest armor, identical to the one on Reinhardt’s Avenger Armor.

It was shaped like the twin-winged Divine Emperor’s Fury, a symbol of the Vengeful Angels.

In addition to its standard universal loadout, which included a Power Backpack, Energy Shield, and Knight’s Broadsword, Manon’s Power Armor also featured a massive, 1.8-meter-tall Shield Tower.

Its surface was gold-plated, and it was internally fitted with Imperial Technology for a wide-coverage Anti-Magic Force Field powered by the Power Backpack.

According to Agate, this Shield Tower was a relic from the Wizard Civilization found on the Aquitaine Casting World. Its Extraordinary Creation Level was ”Constructed Holy Artifact,” and it could withstand the Spiritual Storm of an ordinary Tier Two Mage.

The Shield Tower’s composite structure itself could also withstand physical attacks from Demons below Tier Four.

Its defensive capabilities were immense.

The term ”Tier Four” referred to Demons with a Power Level below the threshold of an Elite Slaughter Demon or a Destiny Singer.

In addition, the left arm of Manon’s Power Armor was equipped with a Power Hammer personally designed by Agate. The head of the hammer was fitted with Ancient Witchcraft Black Technology from the Ancient Black Box.

Since it was still in the experimental stage, Agate only told Manon that the Power Hammer could shatter the flesh of a Demon, and warned him to use it with caution.

Compared to his old Ash Guard standard-issue Anti-Magic Steel Armor, Matthias’s new Power Armor was a massive leap in strength, also ranking as a Constructed Holy Artifact-grade Extraordinary Creation.

Based on his combat style, Agate had equipped the arms of this Power Armor with Ejected Sword Blades. While they operated similarly to a Sleeve Sword, the built-in Imperial propulsion technology allowed the blade, when sheathed in an Energy Sword Blade, to be ejected at an astonishing initial velocity of Mach four, making it incredibly lethal.

In terms of mobility, Matthias’s Power Backpack had been specially modified with High-Temperature Energy Flow Ejection Ports on the back. While it couldn’t match the speed of Reinhardt’s Extraordinary Armament, it was capable of short-term, low-altitude flight and hovering. It could maintain full thrust for three minutes, reaching an extremely high speed of fifteen meters per second.

The most astonishing modification, however, was the ’Radiant Teleportation’ function added by another Mechanical Sage, which allowed the user to teleport onto the battlefield to support allies within a ten-kilometer-diameter sphere.

The only drawback was that ’Radiant Teleportation’ required a twenty-minute recharge after each use.

Even if it couldn’t achieve the planetary-scale rapid transit of Seventy-Six, it still possessed immense tactical value.

Perhaps it was because Agate’s usual image was that of a quiet, reserved Technician Soldier, and he rarely spoke so much at once in front of everyone.

Even though they were about to enter the Demon Void Realm, Manon couldn’t help but laugh heartily upon receiving his new equipment, giving Agate an appreciative thumbs-up.

Agate’s tone remained cold and detached.

”All the technological equipment you are using is prototype technology from the Vengeful Angels project. It will eventually be mass-equipped to the Imperial Knight Battle Groups. During the design process, the Mechanical Order referenced the Special Abilities of Reinhardt’s Extraordinary Armament for some components, while others were derived from ancient technology found in the Ancient Black Box.”

”The reason your Power Armor isn’t fully outfitted with all features is that the power supply issues with the Power Backpack have not yet been resolved.”

As he spoke, Agate’s mechanical arm lifted a large metal case from beside his feet, placed it on the workbench, and opened it. Inside were two firearms with a deep black finish.

”These Explosive Arrow Guns are the product of one hundred and sixty iterative upgrades within the Aquitaine Casting World. They have a 19.5-millimeter caliber and fire standard fragmentation Explosive Bombs.”

”They can easily tear the flesh of a Second Level Slaughter Demon to shreds.”

”The current unresolved issue is the immense recoil; a standard Official Knight would find it nearly impossible to use.”

”However, your strength is sufficient to control it. The firearms will have metallic wires that link to your arm’s nerves, but rest assured, this feature is only for collecting your usage data.”

As Imperial Knights and hardened warriors, it was impossible for them to be uninterested in weapons of slaughter.

Moreover, for a century-old veteran like Manon, using these weapons—which, compared to a Knight’s Broadsword, were so simple that killing was just a matter of pulling the trigger—required no training at all.

He could master them easily, relying solely on his combat instincts and superhuman visual-neural reflexes.

Agate continued, ”The Mechanical Order has conducted internal lethality assessments. In a breakout scenario, if the kill-efficiency of a Knight’s Broadsword is rated as the standard Level I, the Explosive Arrow Gun is rated Level II, with over ten times the efficiency.”

”Even with its limited ammunition, it will be a much greater asset in helping you break through.”

Matthias lifted an Explosive Arrow Gun from the case. Proportional to the frame of an Imperial Knight, the firearm was just the right size for one-handed use. In the arms of a Mortal, however, it would be like trying to cradle a massive section of a ship’s cannon barrel.

Though the campaign on Grillers World was more than twenty years in the past, Matthias felt a wave of emotion wash over him.

Back then, even though he had been a candidate for the ”Champion Program,” the Ash Guard was just a standard elite formation within the Seventh Group Army. This was clear from the fact that they were only equipped with basic Anti-Magic Steel Armor.

If the Great Rebellion hadn’t happened, he might have gone his entire life without earning the right to even touch these prototype weapons developed by the Mechanical Order.

And now.

These weapons, once reserved only for the most powerful elite formations among the Empire’s legions, were now laid out right in front of him. He was overcome with a profound sense of wistfulness.

It wasn’t just about having immense power and a distinguished combat record.

If your Legion was financially strained, as the Death Battle Group had once been, you would never have had access to this kind of gear.

After finishing his explanation of the technology in Manon’s and Matthias’s Power Armor, Agate’s gaze fell upon Raphael, who was now wearing his new equipment.

Unlike the other two Imperial Knights.

As Raphael held the dual roles of Think Tank member and Combat Priest, his Power Armor was painted the deep blue exclusive to the Think Tank. In addition, white, scarf-like metallic accessories unique to Combat Priests were added to the pauldrons.

At the same time, the back of Raphael’s Power Backpack featured an upright golden skull insignia, symbolizing his status as a member of the Imperial Think Tank.

Strictly speaking.

If the Vengeful Angels were a thousand-strong Battle Group, Raphael would have been its Reclusiarch and Think Tank Director. The only shame was that their current formation was merely a six-person tactical squad.

This wasn’t just because of the young man’s power and experience.

Agate knew every detail of the Verne campaign. He also knew that even now, this young Priest was silently using his carbon pen to record every battle, every campaign they had ever experienced.