I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

It is true that an Imperial Knight’s power can only grow through combat.

But no one ever stipulated that these battles had to be glorious ones, fought on the battlefield against Demons and Space Aliens.

For a Knight Warlord like Franz, his heart was devoid of ideals and honor. Even his faith in the Emperor was not as devout as it appeared.

Or rather, battles fought for power and profit, coupled with a bit of dumb luck, could increase his power all the same.

Just like that Lord Knight who sold his soul to a Demon: Crusher Stein.

Through a series of battles against opponents of similar strength or in one-sided stomps, Franz had clawed his way up from an ordinary Knight in a Mercenary Corps to where he was today.

Greed had won him power and status.

And one day, greed would take it all away.

The tempting reward of becoming an Administrative Region Lord with a fief of ten planets was like a Demon’s whisper, steadily stripping away Franz’s reason and sense.

When he finally came face to face with a powerful enemy on Reinhardt’s level, no matter what bravado he had spouted before setting out, his weakness and incompetence were utterly exposed for his faction allies to see.

Like a maggot, utterly laughable.

Because for an Imperial Knight, death is never a disgrace. Cowardice and betrayal are!

In Nelom’s eyes, this damned traitor, just to save his own skin, had brazenly betrayed Knight General Ticky—who was fighting right alongside him—right under his very nose!

Nelom, the Ash-Burning Tyrant.

No matter who he was now or whom he served, his past service in the Justice Temple Legion had left an indelible mark on his very soul.

What is justice?

To fight for the weak.

To remain loyal to one’s own ideals and beliefs.

In this dark age, to spare no cost for the future of the Human World.

This—this was the knightly path and the way of justice in which he believed.

And everything Thunderlight Battle Commander Franz had just done made it impossible for Nelom to suppress the rage he had held back for so long for the sake of his plan. The veins on his forehead bulged.

In this world, no faction was ever a monolith.

Especially Governor Claudius’s faction, which was plotting a rebellion behind Cicero’s back while the war on the Verne Front Line still raged. One could only imagine what kind of monsters and scoundrels filled the ranks of the governor’s camp.

And Thunderlight Battle Commander Franz was just the tip of the iceberg.

Nelom had his own agenda in joining them. Once Claudius seized power, he planned to launch another rebellion to kill the traitor, a man obsessed with power who was secretly colluding with Grand Lord Kles.

In his view, any decision to revive the systems of the Old Empire would only drag the Ash Soil Star Zone into the Abyss of another great rebellion.

Especially Grand Governor Sedon.

The Eternal Lord blood flowing through his veins was the ultimate evil!

To let such a person rule the Imperial Administrative Region was tantamount to roasting the last sanctuary of the Human World over an open flame!

He had even once greatly admired Reinhardt, respecting the young Imperial Knight’s courage and determination—until Reinhardt threw his full support behind the Grand Governor.

Now, he wanted nothing more than to kill him.

「In the corridor.」

The power Urus used to appear was the Earth Ring · Wind Demon, constructed through his Legendary Power · Assassin.

Besides allowing him to conceal his presence to the greatest possible extent.

The ability to drag an enemy away in an instant also came from this Ring of Earth. He would use his elementalized body to silently approach an enemy, cover their mouth and nose, and quickly exit the battle zone.

Using this technique, he had assassinated countless powerful Imperial Knights. His proudest achievement was undoubtedly from before the great rebellion, when, at only a Four-star Earth Military Rank, he had successfully assassinated a Five-star Earth Military Rank expert who had mastered Domain Power.

This was the resume that had earned him entry into the Vengeful Angels and a position as one of its three commanders.

Unfortunately, while Franz was a coward, his Mighty Power Traits happened to counter Urus’s assassination techniques. The instant Urus appeared, Franz’s Electric Field Perception detected him.

Covering his Knight’s Broadsword in Di Current, he spun and slashed violently behind him.

But Urus, having undergone Wind Elementalization, excelled at speed. He dodged the Broadsword, grabbed Franz’s left ankle, and used the power of his Earth Ring to violently yank him to the ground!

While those two were grappling...

Nelom saw Reinhardt first point the gun at his head, then lower the Extraordinary Armament—a weapon capable of nullifying Earth Knight Power—and deliberately take a step back.

In Nelom’s eyes, this act of sparing him was more insulting than any taunt!

Reinhardt’s condescending gaze in particular, which seemed to mock him for overestimating his own strength, drove him into an even greater rage!

He rolled to his feet, meeting Reinhardt’s deathly stare with eyes wide in fury, and bellowed, ”I don’t need your pity or your mercy! Recruit—!”

Though his rage was uncontrollable, Nelom knew the assassination had failed. He was no match for Reinhardt.

In fact, if Reinhardt had truly wanted to kill him, he would already be dead.

But he didn’t want pity. What he wanted was for one of them—himself or Reinhardt—to die here in this blazing corridor!

Since his Special Ability couldn’t breach Reinhardt’s defenses, Nelom abandoned it entirely. He snatched up the Knight’s Broadsword from the floor, roared, and swung at Reinhardt with all his might!

This time, Reinhardt did not activate the Imperial Technology in his War Axe, making it a duel to the death between two Knights, just like in the great era when their light shone upon the Human World.

The War Axe and Broadsword crashed together, sending sparks flying with a heavy THUD.

It was as if their opposing philosophies were clashing in that very moment.

With their weapons locked, Nelom made the first move, attempting to kick Reinhardt away to break the stalemate and seize the initiative. However, he was facing Reinhardt, a man renowned for his Body Technique Ability.

An attack like that posed no real threat.

The instant Nelom raised his head, Reinhardt released the axe handle with his left hand, simultaneously striking Nelom’s knee with his elbow and forcing the raised leg down.

Nelom seized the opportunity to press forward with his Broadsword, attempting to break through Reinhardt’s guard head-on.

But the massive difference in their Physique was too great. Even though Reinhardt was wielding the axe one-handed, to the Ash-Burning Tyrant, the Black War Axe between them felt like a heavy iron rampart, impossible to budge an inch!

Nelom let out a hysterical roar. He’d been overpowered in the contest of strength and his kick had been dismantled. Frustrated, he took a step back, trying to create some distance to mount another attack.

But Reinhardt gave him no such chance. He let go of the War Axe’s handle. As the axe fell, the chain fixed to his wrist rattled loudly.

A simple, unadorned side kick, propelled by a Micro-Aikacia Nozzle, shot out like a fired bullet. It unleashed a terrifying sonic boom as it moved faster than Nelom’s optic nerves could even register, slamming violently into his midsection!