I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

Huffman was different from other Void Knights whose minds had been shattered.

He had belittled the Emperor and the Imperial Knights while taunting Florian, but only he knew the truth: this world had always respected strength above all. Or rather, compared to the Human Empire that valued mortal lives, the barbarity and cruelty of the Dark Abyss far exceeded anything he had imagined before he fled there.

Knowledge about Demons was so strictly controlled by the Judgment Court and the National Church that he had fallen for the lies of rebels and Mages. He’d believed that by defecting to the Dark Abyss and worshiping the Supreme Afnas, he could break past the plateau his Knight Power had been stuck on for over a hundred years and obtain even greater strength.

But after barely surviving the trials of the Slaughter Death Arena, he finally understood one thing: the Dark Abyss does not nurture weaklings and trash.

Although his power was nowhere near enough to become champion of the Death Arena and earn the gaze and blessings of the Supreme Afnas, he had, thankfully, still received a blessing of Mighty Power from the arena. With it came a wealth of extraordinary knowledge he had never before encountered.

So when he sensed that Reinhardt, an Imperial Knight loyal to the Pseudo-Emperor, possessed a blessing from the Supreme One in his soul so potent it would make even a Great Demon jealous... well, if Huffman didn’t feel a surge of envy, jealousy, and hatred, he’d have been canonized as a saint by the Imperial State Church long ago.

At that moment, beyond his initial shock, he was stunned to discover that Reinhardt’s Power Armor was a model he had never seen in his three hundred years of service. Even the extraordinary aura emanating from the crimson Energy Shield was a form of Imperial Technology he had never before encountered.

Furthermore, the power of this Imperial Technology Outfit’s shield was in no way inferior to his own Destructive Bone Claw.

Obviously, Huffman failed to realize that the Empire’s systems and technology were in a constant state of change and development. Of course, rediscovering ancient, advanced technology through archaeology also counted as development.

Twenty years had passed since the Great Rebellion, and everything was changing.

Meanwhile, Reinhardt had no intention of giving the traitor more time to think.

Thanks to the series of bloody battles just fought, the Imperial Technology—the Blood Shield—was already fully charged. It could block one full-power blow from a Five-star Earth Military Rank combatant. Otherwise, an Extraordinary Creation of the mere Artificial Level could never have withstood a Furnace Cast Level weapon like the bone claw.

The cost was steep. In Reinhardt’s Angel Vision display, the remaining energy in his Power Backpack plummeted from 76% to 26%. It wasn’t enough to power the Blood Shield for another full-charge activation.

However, he still held the initiative.

After blocking the claw’s attack, Reinhardt decisively jettisoned the Sleeve Sword on his left arm. The Master of Casting who had designed this Imperial Technology Outfit had anticipated this very weakness, foreseeing that the Sleeve Sword could become a liability.

He then drew his Slaughterer’s Weapon. As the Blood Hand Bullets finished charging, he aimed at Huffman’s forehead and emptied the magazine.

Though Huffman’s demonic forehead was as hard as steel, the barrage of five Extraordinary Bullets still shattered three of his Demon Spikes, sending blood streaming down his face.

Realizing Reinhardt had broken free, and then being shot point-blank in the face—this utter humiliation, this challenge to his authority and power, made the Combat Gang leader Huffman see red. The power of the Death Arena surged into his brain, overwhelming his reason and plunging him into absolute rage!

”ROAR—! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you—!”

Two massive, fleshy demon wings burst from Huffman’s back. An aura of Mighty Power surged from him, rising like his own frenzied bloodlust, and crashed down upon the Orbital Port!

In that instant, from the Ash Guard to the Mortal Auxiliary Army, everyone who sensed the terrifying Demon Power erupting from Huffman turned pale with fright, their eyes wide with terror.

Even the Mechanical Sage Agate, who was immersed in the vast data streams of the ship’s repairs, was affected by this power. Several metallic tendrils connected to his spinal column sparked and detached.

Leaning against the bulkhead, Florian’s heart sank as well.

’Only those who have actually fought that traitor can know just how much his power has swelled since he received Demon Power.’

’In fact, I’d say that aside from a Five-star Earth Military Rank powerhouse who has mastered Domain Power, almost no Imperial Knight below Four-star Earth Military Rank is a match for that traitor.’

’And yet Reinhardt, who bears the name of the Emperor’s Vengeful Angels, is just a Three-star Earth Military Rank Imperial Knight according to my Knight Perception. His power level is a full Military Rank star below my own.’

This was not him boasting.

Ash Guard Iron Crown...

Among the major Legions of the Empire, this title denoted the absolute strongest warriors within an Elite Formation who had not yet reached the rank of Battle Group Commander.

Reaching the Seven-star Military Rank during the Official Knight stage only granted one the qualification to become an Iron Crown; it wasn’t a guarantee. And that level of power was already enough to qualify for entry into the Radiant Angel Legion.

Florian found it hard to imagine how that young Imperial Knight could possibly defeat Huffman, whose power was surging once more to the very Peak of Four-Star Earth Military Rank. ’No... how can he even survive?’

He turned his head to look at Agate.

With a single glance, he could identify this individual’s status: a Mechanical Sage...

’Which makes me wonder... in a squad where someone as mighty as a Mechanical Sage is just the Technician Soldier, how in the world did Matthias even get in? And that assassin outside... the power he showed when he saved me earlier... even I would be wary of it. If I had been his target, I’m not sure I could have reacted in time.’

He saw the Mechanical Sage—a being whose status put him on par with the high commanders of the major Legions in any Imperial Administrative Region—merely turn his head, cast a cold glance outside with a Mechanical Eye, and then return to his work.

It was as if he had absolute trust in Reinhardt’s abilities.

It was as if... the Combat Gang leader Huffman’s surging power wasn’t even enough to startle him.

In that instant, Florian felt a tremor in his heart. He realized that leading a team like this—a team composed of top-tier experts from the various major armed forces of the Imperial Administrative Region—required far more than just wisdom and personal charisma.

His gaze passed through the narrow viewport of the ship, trying to look outside.

’Emperor’s Vengeful Angels...’

Florian was beginning to understand why that young Imperial Knight was held in such high regard by Lord Sedon, and why he had been granted a revered title on par with the ’Radiant Angels’.

「Three hundred meters from the ship, in the port’s combat zone.」

Huffman, his strength suddenly increasing by a third, lunged like a wild beast, his cavernous mouth snapping at the right leg Reinhardt had planted on his chest.

At the same time, the Mighty Power of the Earth Ring gathered in his hands.

As Reinhardt dodged back, propelled by his Micro-Aikacia Nozzles, a Dark Red Slaughter Knife, woven purely from Demon Power and a Destruction Force Field, materialized in Huffman’s hand!