I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

Time seemed to flow with excruciating slowness.

Much like a bat perceives the world through sound waves, Bach’s visual reflexes couldn’t keep up with combat at the Earth Military Rank level. Instead, through his Spiritual Perception, he felt a tyrannical Knightly Aura—blazing like a shooting flame—descend before him.

The power fluctuations of the Extraordinary Creation rippled like shimmering light on the surface of a dark lake.

BANG—!

The collision at extreme speed tore through the sound barrier, the resulting explosion of air deafening.

The bone claws of the Flayer Knight who had attacked him were still stuck in his Power Armor, but its body was already hurtling backward, blood spraying wildly.

Only then did Bach get a clear look at the person who had intercepted the Flayer Knight.

The surface of the deep black Power Armor was covered in crimson patterns that looked like flowing blood. The massive Golden Battle Emblem of the Vengeful Angels on the Chest Armor was particularly eye-catching.

The Power Backpack let out a series of low growls.

The Extraordinary Armament extending from its back looked like a mutated pair of Angel’s Wings.

And that terrifying, oversized War Axe in the Knight’s hand—Bach was certain that no ordinary Imperial Knight could possibly wield such a thing one-handed.

At that moment, an ”Iron Crown” from the Ash Guard had also arrived at his side to support him.

”Divine Emperor preserve us...”

From Bach’s perspective, the unidentified Imperial Knight merely glanced at him, the cold gaze from his Full Coverage Helmet oppressive. Then, the Knight strode toward the Flayer Knight that had been sent flying.

Bach stood stunned for a moment, looked down at the bone claw stuck in his Chest Armor, and pulled it out. He gave a slight shake of his head, indicating he was fine.

After the Death Battle Group followed Sedon to the Ash Soil Star Zone, its Elite Formation, the Ash Guard, had undergone three large-scale expansions, growing from the original one hundred members to three hundred.

As the Battle Group that Sedon trusted implicitly, the Ash Guard had to bear many responsibilities.

Furthermore, more than half of the Forbidden Guard in the Imperial Administrative Region came from their ranks.

Besides the Battle Group Leader, Sedon himself, and three Battle Group champions who had mastered Domain Power, the Ash Guard’s front-line command and management were handled by five powerful ”Iron Crowns,” each a powerhouse at the Four-star Earth Military Rank.

The one standing beside Thinker Bach now was one of them: the Extraordinary Knight, Iron Crown Florian.

Although the Ash Guard, unlike the Emperor’s Shield, did not have the importance of brotherhood ingrained in the Battle Group’s very blood, Florian personally placed great importance on the safety of every one of his Battle Brothers.

This was also why he had been recommended to become one of the Iron Crowns.

That the young, reckless Thinker had made it out of danger safely was a true relief. Florian raised his head, silently gazing at the unfamiliar Knight’s back. Though the stranger had never stated his name or identity, Florian had already guessed.

He was very likely the legendary Emperor’s Vengeful Angel, Reinhardt.

Just then, a somewhat familiar voice sounded from behind him.

”Sir.”

Florian turned to look behind him. He was silent for a moment. ”Matthias?”

”It’s me.”

Hearing Matthias’s voice, Bach also turned to look. ”Weren’t you...”

Before he could finish his sentence, he understood everything. Lord Sedon’s reason for transferring Matthias was that he had violated the Battle Group’s laws, a punishment that sent him to guard a border world in the Administrative Region for thirty years.

But he never would have dreamed that the real reason Matthias left the Ash Guard was to secretly join the Vengeance Angel project.

The two were clearly well-acquainted. They firmly clasped right hands, and Bach grinned. ”Welcome back, brother.”

If Bach had previously been full of hostility and deeply resistant to the idea of taking orders from the Vengeful Angels, then after seeing Matthias, his animosity toward the Vengeance Angel Squad eased considerably in an instant.

It wasn’t just arrogance.

No Imperial Knight Battle Group would be willing to hand over their command to an unfamiliar Knight they had never met and had no reason to trust. This wasn’t a game; the very survival of their Battle Group was at stake!

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Matthias said in a low voice, ”On our way here, our ship was severely damaged by a Void Realm Combat Gang. It’ll need some time for repairs...”

As he spoke, he looked up at the Void Knights being cut down one by one by Reinhardt.

”I’ve seen their emblems. These traitors used to be Imperial Knights of the Black Storm.”

Florian removed his Full Coverage Helmet. Sweat evaporated from his resolute, scar-covered face in a great cloud of white mist. His tone was heavy. ”The Black Storm is a thing of the past. These traitors now submit to the rule of a Fear Knight and call themselves the Flayers Warband.”

”We’ve lost six brothers to them. If you hadn’t arrived in time, that number would now be...”

Before he could finish, another Flesh Battleship from the Flayers Warband entered the Orbital Port. This evil creation, far larger than a typical ship, had the wreckage of half an Imperial Administrative Region vessel hanging from its side.

An Imperial Knight, his body torn in two, was even stuck in a gap in the wreckage, blood flowing ceaselessly.

He struggled to raise a hand toward the Ash Guard, as if seeking aid, but his arm fell heavily in mid-air as life gradually faded from him.

At the same time, Raphael’s voice came through the Mind Mark within Matthias.

’Have that Think Tank next to you connect to the Mind Mark. I need to know the Orbital Port’s defensive layout and troop numbers.’

The state of war was ever-changing. Although Agate had ordered them to hold their ground here until the Punisher was repaired, Raphael knew that whether the Orbital Port fell or not was not entirely in their hands.

If the Void Realm Combat Gang and the Demon Legion figured out their intentions and abandoned the landing operation, shifting their strategic objective to destroying the Orbital Port itself, then even if they could hold out, the port’s steel-and-concrete structure couldn’t possibly withstand six hours of bombardment from the ship cannons.

While Raphael was communicating with Bach.

A massive, beast-like Flayer Knight kicked open the ship’s gate and stepped onto the steel-and-concrete floor of the Orbital Port.

Unlike its kin, whose eyes were filled with madness.

Its brownish-yellow, completely demonized eyes first swept over the Barge Port, assessing the defending forces, before landing on Florian. Its cavernous mouth split into a grin.

He swung a demonic cleaver, its design comparable to a Black Cutter, and behind him, a massive horde of Demons and Void Knights poured out of the Flesh Battleship, swarming toward the defenders at the Barge Port!

Florian’s brow furrowed deeply.

Even though this traitor from the Black Storm had long since been demonized, he still recognized the traitor’s original identity.

The Battle Group Commander of the Black Storm, and now the leader of this Combat Gang—Huffman!