I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

As the foremost Master of Intelligence in the Imperial Administrative Region.

Urus possessed detailed data on three hundred worlds—population, finances, military armaments...

He certainly knew what kind of place the slave world of Ostia was: a derelict planet, stripped of all its minerals by the Empire. The fact that Sipia had been able to trade a private armory for his life spoke volumes.

Clearly, faced with Urus striking a nerve and digging up his past, Sipia’s expression turned utterly grim.

His gaze swept warily down the corridor. Six meters to his left, Nelom and Reinhardt blocked the only way out. At the blast door leading to the bridge, Urus emerged from the shadows, guarding the path back.

The narrow, five-meter-wide corridor was forged from pure steel. Sipia knew that if he didn’t fight for his life now, he would have absolutely no chance of survival once the three of them attacked together!

Although Nelom had been defeated by Reinhardt, the power of this Ash-Burning Tyrant was by no means as fragile as it appeared.

On the contrary, the Special Ability of his Ashen Battle Armor was a nightmare for the vast majority of Imperial Knights!

It was not unheard of in the vast cosmos for a Four-star Earth Knight to defeat a higher-ranked opponent, even killing a Domain Level Powerhouse with a Five-star Earth Military Rank.

This was especially true for those Extraordinary Knights who possessed peculiar abilities.

Even though Sipia was a Domain Level Powerhouse, he didn’t dare underestimate Nelom. He knew all too well the horror of the Sea of Burning Ashes. Its intense heat was comparable to the torture of white phosphorus. Once it stuck to you, it would burn eternally, constantly draining your stamina until you were exhausted—unless you killed Nelom first.

And Nelom’s other Special Ability, Nirvana Rebirth, made him practically immortal.

Unless one’s raw power could match Reinhardt’s, only instantaneous damage dealt with absolute force was enough to kill Nelom in a single blow.

Otherwise, he would be worn down and defeated right here!

The long, narrow corridor was naturally advantageous for Nelom to unleash his abilities once a fight broke out.

Therefore, he could not afford to get bogged down fighting him. He had to escape the corridor as quickly as possible and put some distance between them.

As for the Silencer, Urus, Sipia didn’t know much about his strength. But he knew the man possessed the Legendary Power of a Night Demon and could not be taken lightly.

As for Reinhardt...

Sipia racked his brain. The only word he could think of to describe the Vengeful Angel’s strength was monstrous.

He was so unreasonably strong that Sipia had absolutely no chance of winning!

Or perhaps it was because after taking a backseat, Sipia had never faced a truly powerful enemy again. His definition of a powerhouse and his perspective were limited to the top-tier experts within the Ash Soil Star Zone.

Before a true statistical monster—the Fear Knight, Flayer Du Ma—a traitor who possessed the bloodline of the Space Dragon Race, the power of a Dragon Hunter, and the blessing of the Slaughter Death Arena, even Reinhardt would have to concede defeat.

After a brief moment of decision.

Sipia’s resolve hardened, and a vicious glint flashed in his furious eyes.

Just as Urus tightened his grip on his short blade, the grating sound of the handguard scraping against the hilt suddenly echoed through the corridor.

It was like a Governor sounding the horn for battle.

The next second.

Nelom made the first move. An Extraordinary Armament resembling a Purgatory Cloak, its surface covered in ash, materialized over his Power Armor. Extreme heat mixed with the air, sending out rolling heat waves.

He knew Sipia wanted to escape. With a cold snort, he raised his right hand, and his Knight Power surged!

Earth Ring—Burning Ash Sea.

Like ice water poured into a furnace, an explosion of high-temperature ash instantly filled the entire corridor!

But that was not the end.

In his previous battle with Reinhardt, the outcome had been decided too quickly; he still had many techniques he hadn’t had the chance to use.

Unleashing the Sea of Burning Ashes was merely the prerequisite for activating his Derivative Power.

Earth Ring—Master of Ashes.

This was Nelom’s last resort. Although the Sea of Burning Ashes could attack with high-temperature ash, its methods were extremely one-dimensional. Against an opponent of Reinhardt’s level, he would have had no opportunity to activate its second stage if his opponent hadn’t shown mercy.

Once Master of Ashes was activated, the spreading Sea of Burning Ashes would become one with his Spiritual Power, making it impossible for Sipia’s every move to escape his perception.

And that was only the most basic part. In the Master of Ashes state, his strength and speed would be greatly enhanced, and every single particle of high-temperature ash would be linked to his will.

In other words.

As long as one stood within the area covered by the Sea of Burning Ashes, this place was his ’Domain’!

This method was extremely similar to that of the Warlord Nico, whom Reinhardt had encountered years ago in Kemola.

An Earth Knight of ordinary strength would have absolutely no way to fight back!

At the same moment Nelom entered his Master of Ashes state, Sipia’s face turned fierce. The Raptor Flying Bag once again let out a violent sonic boom. Under the terrifying thrust, his body shot forward like a cannonball, vanishing from his spot in an instant!

”Hmph, trying to escape?”

Empowered by his Ashen Battle Armor, Nelom’s reaction speed was incredibly fast. His body blurred, leaving afterimages as he moved laterally through the air.

BANG—!

Like a humanoid tank, Nelom crashed straight into Sipia, who was trying to break out of the Sea of Burning Ashes. Sipia was slammed sideways into the corridor wall, and the massive impact even caused the entire bridge to tremble slightly.

But Sipia had long anticipated Nelom’s attack. He had intentionally let the hot-headed idiot ram into him. Only by feigning an opening would he have the slightest chance to slip past Reinhardt, using the momentum of the collision to escape this corridor of death!