I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

After his tactic of feigning weakness failed, Sipia immediately adjusted his battle plan against Reinhardt.

The new battle plan could be summarized in one word: stall!

As a fellow top-tier Domain Level powerhouse, Sipia knew full well that even if his strength surpassed Reinhardt’s, it would be nearly impossible to crush and kill him in a short amount of time. Furthermore, he would inevitably face enormous risks.

The Emperor’s Vengeful Angels.

To possess such a respected title showed that Reinhardt’s strength was far beyond that of the ordinary enemies he faced.

Or rather, Reinhardt’s strength and achievements, along with the apocryphal tales and rumors circulating throughout the Administrative Region, had long ago cemented his reputation. In the eyes of others, he was a terrifying figure to be revered—one you could only hope to face by giving your all and paying a brutal price!

Sipia had absolutely no confidence in defeating Reinhardt one-on-one, let alone killing him.

Besides, his purpose for boarding the ship was simply to seize control and earn Claudius’s reward. It wasn’t worth risking his life here against the Empire’s Chosen One—a man who had forced a Demon Prince into retreat with a single sword strike years ago.

Empowered by his Knight Power, Sipia’s attack came like a thunderbolt!

The Knight’s Broadsword swung down, heavy and powerful. It carried the immense kinetic energy from his high-speed flight as it hurtled unstoppably toward Reinhardt’s back!

Of course, Sipia never expected such a simple sneak attack to actually harm his opponent.

But to Reinhardt’s Knight Perception, the aura of Mighty Power that suddenly materialized behind him was like an approaching storm, closing in on his back at incredible speed—in what felt like a matter of milliseconds.

Although he had only clashed with Sipia for a brief moment, he had already gotten a good grasp of the traitor’s fighting style. It was the same as Crusher Stein, an enemy he had encountered years ago on Verne: cunning and treacherous.

’He’s constantly avoiding a direct confrontation,’ Reinhardt thought. ’It seems he’s trying to stall me with these tactics and stop me from getting back to the bridge.’

A Domain Level Powerhouse’s mind moved fast enough to support complex thought and decision-making in an instant.

Realizing Sipia’s intent, Reinhardt gripped the axe handle with his right hand, braced his left against the flat of the blade, and spun around violently!

The next moment.

CLANG—!

The War Axe and Broadsword crashed together with ferocious might. The resulting shockwave of Mighty Power erupted into a gale, howling as it tore through the area!

The immense inertia of the impact sent Reinhardt stumbling backward. He shot his left leg back to brace himself, his Power Boots screeching against the steel-cast floor and sending sparks flying!

Sipia used the recoil from the blow to put distance between himself and Reinhardt. He backflipped through the air and landed steadily on his feet.

Their gazes locked in mid-air.

The Knight’s Broadsword in Sipia’s hand radiated the unique aura of Mighty Power that marked it as an Extraordinary Armament. The blade, a deep, oceanic blue, seemed to be forged from crystal and emitted a faint glow.

Armory-Issue: Crystal Broadsword.

This was the manifestation of the very first ’Power’ Sipia had awakened during his Domain Awakening, when he’d first transcended mortality to become a Knight!

It was also one of the Extraordinary Armaments he took the most pride in. Its destructive power was immense, and the Special Ability it manifested was exceedingly rare.

If he weren’t so deeply wary of Reinhardt’s true strength, any other opponent would now be a corpse on the floor, struck down the instant the Broadsword and War Axe had collided.

During the brief standoff, Sipia glanced toward the bridge out of the corner of his eye.

His men were already locked in combat with the Battle Sisters protecting the neural interface. Just as planned, Tulius was holding back Koller, prepared to pay any price.

In terms of pure strength, although Tulius held a Four-star Earth Military Rank, his power was far from sufficient to qualify him as one of Sipia’s vassals.

He was leagues weaker than Anand.

But as a Guardian Knight, Tulius’s Knight Power possessed immense, inherent strategic value in team-based combat.

Years ago, this same vassal—nicknamed the ’Iron Shell Turtle’—had single-handedly held up a Domain Powerhouse from the enemy ranks for a full minute.

And that precious minute had allowed him to turn the tide of battle and seize control of the Ostia World.

Or rather, as one of the three great lords of Ostia, Tulius’s greatest strategic value was his ability to tie down the enemy’s most powerful assets at minimal cost to his own side!

The forced one-on-one duel created by his Earth Ring: Arrayed Barrel Formation further enhanced that strategic value.

An ordinary Four-star Earth Knight facing Koller’s Spiritual Pressure? Anand, who was nearly turned into meat paste, was a prime example of what would happen.

They’d be dead in a single exchange without even knowing what hit them.

But inside the range of the Arrayed Barrel Formation, Koller’s Spiritual Power would be unable to pose a threat to anyone else for a short time—not unless he killed Tulius first.

Unlike Reinhardt, Sipia, who hailed from the First Legion, knew exactly what a terrifying threat a powerful Think Tank posed in a team fight.

Even the Wizard Slayer gambit was aimed at suppressing Koller’s abilities.

’If he isn’t contained, and that stubborn old coot actually gets angry and uses some of his forbidden techniques... my men won’t survive another second. I might be the only one left standing.’

Beyond that, Sipia was also considering another escape route.

This Lord of the Ostia World, famed as a great warlord, was in reality far from the bold and heroic figure he appeared to be.