I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

The Knight’s Treasure, the Metal Hourglass, stored inside the Power Armor, began to turn.

Time distorted.

To the Void Knight’s keen perception, time and space seemed to twist bizarrely for a fleeting instant. The next thing he knew, the Imperial Knight blessed by Avernus was right in front of him!

The terrifying-looking Black War Axe was a mere fist’s-width from his Chest Armor!

Although these traitors’ intelligence had severely deteriorated after being transformed by the power of the Dark Abyss, their combat instincts, in return, had been enhanced to a terrifying degree.

The Void Knight’s body of flesh and blood groaned and cracked under the strain, but it still managed to forcibly shift its position. Its bony claws, dripping with gore and shredded flesh, slammed straight into the Black Cutter in an attempt to block Reinhardt’s assault.

On Hurst World, Reinhardt had used the power of his Knight’s Treasure, the Metal Hourglass, to gain an absolute speed advantage and kill Delany, the Withered Knight of Four-star Earth Military Rank, with a single axe strike.

He was surprised that this Void Knight, with strength equivalent to only a Two-star Earth Military Rank, could actually block his charge using nothing but combat instinct.

But his surprise was fleeting. If this was the extent of the traitor’s power after being corrupted by the Dark Abyss, it was nowhere near enough to stop his frontal assault.

Trying to block the Furnace Cast Relic Level Black Cutter with a body of flesh and blood was simply naive.

Time seemed to stand still.

Through the lens of his Imperial Technology: Angel Vision, Reinhardt could clearly see his Power Backpack’s remaining energy: 97%.

With a single thought, neural signals shot from his Full Coverage Helmet, through the metallic threads connected to his spine, and into the Black Cutter. In an instant, a transparent energy blade enveloped the war axe.

Imperial Technology: Decomposition Blade.

How could the Void Knight’s mutated bone claws possibly contend with a piece of technology designed to cleave matter at the molecular level?

The moment the Black Cutter’s blade made contact with the Void Knight’s bone claws, time resumed its flow.

Like a hot knife through butter, feeling no resistance whatsoever, the Black Cutter roared as it swung down. It sheared the Void Knight’s bone claws in two, the Decomposition Blade ripped through its Demon Armor, and the axe bit viciously into its left shoulder.

Reinhardt cleanly sliced off the entire shoulder and arm!

If not for its powerful combat instincts, which had compelled it to wrench its body out of the way—damaging its own muscles and bones to avoid a fatal blow—it would have undoubtedly died right then and there.

At that very moment, the maddened, battle-hungry look in the Void Knight’s eyes—so full of fighting spirit just a second before—vanished, replaced by a sudden clarity.

It was as if some of its lost sanity had returned.

Its mind was now filled with nothing but horror.

’This is impossible—!’

’I received a blessing of Mighty Power from the Slaughter Death Arena! Even an Earth Knight of Four-star Military Rank would be no match for me now! A mere Imperial Knight of Three-star Earth Military Rank...’

It staggered back, trying to dodge Reinhardt, but it was Reinhardt’s signature style to use the momentum from a War Axe swing to transition into suppressive Body Techniques.

As the Void Knight tried to dodge past him, Reinhardt released his grip on the War Axe. Its chain CLANGED.

The Micro-Aikacia Nozzles behind his knees erupted with a torrent of high-temperature energy, violently twisting his body. As he drew his Slaughterer’s Weapon, he unleashed a whip kick with enough force to kill a Giant Dragon, sending it whistling toward the Void Knight!

Meanwhile, the crimson mark of Steel of the Heart on the enemy’s head finished charging.

Such is the nature of Body Techniques Combat. Once suppressed, one is forced into a passive defense, searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

But clearly, this Void Knight would get no such chance.

While its attention was completely focused on Reinhardt’s incoming kick, the roar of the Slaughterer’s Weapon exploded next to its head. An Extraordinary Bullet, imbued with the slowing properties of Frost Fist, slammed into its forehead at point-blank range.

Then, the whip kick, propelled by the immense kinetic energy from the Micro-Aikacia Nozzles, smashed heavily into its neck.

CRUNCH—!

CLANG—!

The sound of shattering flesh and bone was sickeningly dull.

The neck of the three-meter-tall Void Knight erupted like a burst pipe.

Its grotesque, bone-spurred head, already hit by the Slaughterer’s Weapon at close range, exploded outright!

Shreds of flesh and bone, caught in the roaring gale, were flung out along with its headless corpse. The body first slammed against the edge of the hull breach, then was sucked through the opening in the Punisher Ship and vanished into the dark of the cosmos.

At the same time, ethereal blue text from the system appeared in Reinhardt’s field of vision.

[Heart Steel Layers Increased: 700]

[Giant Devouring Current Layers: 19,780]

[Physical Enhancement Coefficient: 19.780]

[Heart Steel Goliath Giant Current Permanent Physique Enhancement: 57%]

It felt as if he had just finished an intense, satisfying workout. A faint power coursed through his flesh and bone, silently strengthening his Knightly Physique.

After Reinhardt executed the Void Knight who had initiated the boarding action, the other members of the Vengeance Angel Squad were also wrapping up their fights.

Manon and Matthias had swiftly executed three of the traitors.

Raphael had also activated the Spiritual Enhancement Headband that Agate had installed in his Power Armor. It amplified his Pain Suppression and Mind Storm abilities by at least 30% even without entering his Mind Release state—a terrifying boost!

The Mind Storm destroyed the minds of two Void Knights almost instantly.

The head of the final enemy exploded from the impact of a bullet.

Reinhardt looked up, his gaze passing through the massive breach in the Punisher Ship to rest on the Demon Ship, which was over a hundred meters long.

He saw Seventy-Six squatting silently on the stern of the Demon Ship, his rifle trained on the battlefield inside the cabin. When he noticed Reinhardt’s gaze, Seventy-Six gave him an ’all clear’ hand signal.

’These traitors were cannon fodder before, and even after being transformed by Demon Power, they’re still cannon fodder. I thought the fight in here would be more intense.’

’Tsk.’

Then, Seventy-Six vanished from his distant perch and reappeared beside Reinhardt, completely silent the entire time.

And because Seventy-Six was just a Mortal who had undergone alchemical modifications, he was difficult to detect, even with Knight Perception.

The Punisher Ship now had a massive gash torn in its side, and its front section was almost completely destroyed. The loss of cabin pressure created a howling gale that threatened to suck them out at any moment.

Seventy-Six grabbed onto a seam in Reinhardt’s Power Armor and turned to look at Agate.

’Your mods work pretty well. Short-range jumps are much smoother and more precise than before.’

Agate completely ignored Seventy-Six. He got up and walked to the damaged front section of the ship, where metallic threads extended from him to reconnect with the vessel, apparently trying his best to keep its power systems online.

Manon, meanwhile, was holding up a Void Knight’s corpse and rummaging through it...