I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

According to Hymes’s report, the strike team that had pushed deep into the Orbital Port clashed violently with Dark Mages and Fear Knights.

Bach was gravely wounded, his Spiritual Power shattered. He had fallen into a semi-comatose state and could only maintain contact with Raphael using faint Spiritual Energy.

They had waited twenty seconds in the elevator shaft during the retreat, but Manon and Matthias were pinned down by the Fear Knights and had no chance of escape. That was why the team had been forced to leave without them.

On the other hand.

A minute later, Ash Guard Model, who was covering the Technician Priests’ retreat, also contacted Raphael. He reported that they had been ambushed by five Void Knights on the 176th floor. All the Auxiliary Army soldiers with him were killed, one Technician Priest was dead, and two others were critically wounded. He was requesting backup.

At this moment.

After reporting all this to Reinhardt, Raphael’s gaze swept over the warzone at the top-level Barge Port.

Since the arrival of a hundred Void Knights, Ports 5 and 4 at the far end had already fallen. The defensive line was barely holding in front of Port 3, but only at the heavy cost of over six thousand Auxiliary Army soldiers, three Ash Guards, and sixteen Death Battle Group Knights.

Most critically, the elevator shaft, which was only accessible through Port 5, had now fallen into enemy hands.

As the front-line commander coordinating the warzone, even though his Battle Brothers had likely perished in the lower port, Raphael simply took a deep breath. After making his decision, he issued the following orders to the two Ash Guards.

’Hymes, you and Bach are to proceed immediately to the 176th floor and support Model’s besieged position. No matter the cost, you must ensure at least five Technician Priests survive.’

’Model, after you rendezvous with Hymes, fall back to the safe zone on the 291st floor and await orders.’

Meanwhile.

Heavy breaths rasped from within Reinhardt’s Full Coverage Helmet. Viscous Demon’s Blood dripped steadily down his Power Armor. Hundreds of Slaughter Demons crowded before him, shoving and squirming, yet not a single one dared to take another step forward.

They stared in terror at the mountain of Demon corpses piled at Reinhardt’s feet, at the two mangled carcasses of Elite Slaughter Demons, and... at the Combat Gang leader, who was barely breathing.

Even the Void Governor, observing the battle from a safe distance, was frozen in shock by Reinhardt’s power!

According to their battle plan, a one-hundred-strong Void Realm Combat Gang, two Combat Gang leaders, and an assault force of eight thousand Slaughter Demons should have been able to clear out all human defenders within two minutes of breaching the stubbornly defended Orbital Port. This would have opened a new landing zone for the main Legion.

But the reality of the battlefield far exceeded its expectations and imagination.

The combat prowess of the human defenders was terrifying, their resistance tenacious. If the intelligence reports hadn’t explicitly stated that this Orbital Port was just a minor, fringe warzone, the Governor would have sworn it was one of humanity’s main defensive lines.

This was especially true after it witnessed that Imperial Knight, blessed by Avernus, descend upon the battlefield like a Great Demon. Not only had he single-handedly held a thirty-meter-wide section of the line, but both Combat Gang leaders had also fallen to him!

It wasn’t just this Imperial Knight.

The entire garrison of the Orbital Port was terrifyingly strong—far beyond what they could handle!

The Void Governor wasn’t like the battle-crazed Void Realm Combat Gangs, whose minds were warped by Mutated Transformation. This situation was too unusual; something was clearly amiss. The cunning Mage quickly deduced that the human defenders must have a very important reason for being stationed at this Orbital Port.

To avoid Raphael’s Spiritual Energy detection, it handed over command to a subordinate Commanding Mage. Then, it slipped away, quietly retreating from the warzone alone through the Net Path. Once it was clear of the enemy’s Spiritual Energy detection, it planned to report the situation to its superior.

Meanwhile.

Reinhardt looked down at the Combat Gang leader at his feet. The massive traitor, its body covered in barbs, was on the verge of death. Yet, its furious gaze looked as if it wanted to devour him whole. Blood gushed from its mouth as its body trembled and struggled on the ground.

’Fear Knight...’

The battle outside Frostfire Fortress was still vivid in his memory.

He knew from personal experience just how powerful these terrifying beings loyal to Avernus were.

But he believed Manon and Matthias wouldn’t have fallen so easily in the lower port. Their strength had been acknowledged by Sedon, and by Reinhardt himself.

Meeting the Combat Gang leader’s death glare, Reinhardt raised his right foot and mercilessly crushed the traitor’s head.

Afterward.

Ethereal blue text from the system flashed across his vision as a crimson ball of a powerful being’s essence rapidly merged into his Extraordinary Armament·Morphic Armor.

[Giant Devouring Current Layer Number: 23430]

[Physical Enhancement Coefficient: 23.430]

[Heart Steel Goliath Giant Current Permanent Physique Amplification: 69%]

[The unspeakable parasite has absorbed enough of the powerful being’s essence and is now evolving...]

As the third Earth Ring completed its evolution, Reinhardt could clearly feel his Knight Power undergoing a metamorphosis—like a rusted war blade being polished smooth, its old gears tightened anew.

The dark purple light of the second Earth Ring, Mimic Evolution Body, pulsed like a living thing. At the same time, its Talent Tree appeared in his vision.

As the vascular purple cocoon ruptured, the icons for the evolved Special Abilities appeared. Living Bomb and Overload Drive had been completely transformed.

The icon for ’Living Bomb’, which originally showed only four missiles, now depicted a dense missile barrage.

On the Overload Drive icon, the blue, high-temperature energy stream from the Aikacia Nozzle had turned a blazing white.

[Torrential Rain Missiles: Your Morphic Armor can now launch a volley of twelve Living Missiles with greatly increased power. You can freely choose between single-target tracking and strategic bombardment modes.

The destructive power of the evolved Living Missiles scales with the strength of your Knight Power.]

[Extreme Overload: The energy ignition structure of the Aikacia Nozzle has been completely optimized. It can now maintain stable overload operation without any negative side effects.

The maximum thrust of the super-heated energy stream is now double the original.

However, operating the Aikacia Nozzle at overload places immense stress on your Power Armor and physical body, and cannot be sustained for long periods.]

[The unspeakable parasite’s hunger has been sated... for now.]

When the third Earth Ring finished evolving.

Reinhardt used a modular armament Combat Technique, activating the components of his Morphic Armor that carried these two new abilities.

Dark purple, living matter oozed from his major joints and shoulders.

The position and number of the Micro-Aikacia Nozzles granted by Extreme Overload remained unchanged, but through his Knight Perception, he could clearly sense the increased intensity of the Energy within them.

The launch port for the Living Bombs, previously almost invisible to the naked eye, transformed into a distinct cannon barrel that mounted itself on his right shoulder.

Reinhardt’s gaze swept over the teeming horde of Slaughter Demons before him.

Twelve dark purple Living Missiles traced brilliant, deadly arcs through the air, then slammed into the enemy ranks!