The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 762: Titles Vs Titles, Horn of Calamity Stopped? (6)

He had fought Astaroth once before. But that had only been an avatar. An incarnation possessing only a fraction of the true Heavenly King’s power.

Even that avatar was extremely powerful. But now…

Vaerion stared at Astaroth. The real body had appeared, and the gap was enormous.

Back at the center of the demonic camp, feeling pleased with himself, Astaroth declared.

“Do you understand now? Before me, even heroes are nothing but mortals. Remember this name, human. For today… you stand before the one who will personally end your legend.”

Yet even after all that great speech and aura farming, Reinhardt remained unaffected. Even unseemly digging his ears with his pinky finger.

“Are you done? Now then, it’s my turn.”

With a cheeky smile, he activated his titles.

[Divine Paladin exerts his titles].

[Executioner of the Lord of Divine Wrath]:

Description – The blade of Dioanax, the enforcer of holy judgment upon all evil.

Effects –

[Wrath Incarnate] (Passive): Reinhardt emits divine wrath in a wide area around him. All attacks deal +200% true damage to enemies afflicted by sin, corruption, or demonic energy. Damage ignores armor, resistances, and regeneration effects.

[Heavenly Reckoning] (On Kill Effect): Upon slaying an enemy, Reinhardt and those around him gain [Divine Burst], boosting their next attack’s damage by 30%.

[Wielder of the First Light]:

Description – The first and purest light of creation.

Effects –

[Sovereign’s Presence] (AoE Debuff): All enemies within ten miles of Reinhardt suffer from [Terror], reducing their attack power and movement speed by -40% and causing a 20% chance to flinch upon engaging Reinhardt.

[Divine Recompense] (Aura Buff): All allies gain +50% attack speed, +35% resilience, and +25% mana regeneration when within a two-mile radius of Reinhardt. Holy attribute abilities gain +100% effectiveness.

[Arbiter of the Heavens]:

Description – To stand before the Arbiter is to stand before divine judgment itself.

Effects –

[Authority Absolute] (Passive): Enemies within ten miles of Reinhardt suffer from [Divine Judgment], reducing their evasion, critical hit rate, and attack power by -30%.

[Celestial Dominion] (AoE Buff/Debuff): Creates a vast holy domain where allied stats increase by +25%, and all enemies suffer a -20% debuff to movement speed, attack power, and magical resistance.

One by one, the effects of titles exerted their power.

The air trembled. A vast holy authority spread outward.

Every demon within its range suddenly felt as though something was watching them from above. Their sins, corruption, demonic energy… all of it seemed to be purified.

Not only that, under this divine pressure, demons began trembling. Some couldn’t even bring themselves to look directly at Reinhardt and wanted to run away from this suffocating pressure.

At the same time, the knights felt a surge of strength. Their attacks became faster. Their bodies became tougher. Their Holy Energy flowed more efficiently.

Of course, this was not all. More and more Titles exerted their force.

[Bearer of the Celestial Vanguard]:

Effect – +80% defense against dark and infernal magic. Allies near Reinhardt gain a temporary holy shield when their HP drops below a certain threshold. Can only activate once.

[Edict of the Gods] – …

With Reinhardt and Astaroth each exerting their titles, the two opposing authorities collided.

Crimson darkness. Golden radiance.

The battlefield became divided between them.

But…

The difference was obvious.

Astaroth’s titles felt like an oppressive kingdom. Reinhardt’s titles felt like the laws of the heavens themselves.

The moment Reinhardt’s titles fully manifested, Astaroth’s authority collapsed.

Like a sandcastle meeting a high tide.

There was no struggle. No clash between equal powers.

His crimson demonic domain was extinguished as effortlessly as a candle flame being swallowed by a hurricane.

The darkness that had covered the battlefield vanished beneath golden radiance.

Seeing this, Astaroth’s eyes widened.

“W-What?”

His voice was barely audible.

The titles he had released with such confidence were gone completely.

It was not just him; the demons behind him felt it too. Their lord’s authority had been crushed.

And now… Reinhardt’s presence covered everything.

Astaroth stared at the Divine Paladin as though he were looking at something that should not exist.

“How… How can this be?”

His voice trembled.

“I am the Eighth Heavenly King. How can a human be this powerful?! There were no such humans like you three hundred years ago.”

His expression twisted between disbelief and fury.

“No… You aren’t human. Who are you? Why are you pretending to be one? You cannot possibly be human.”

He even began doubting whether the person before him was a human or not.

Reinhardt merely shrugged.

“I am human.”

Hearing this, Astaroth’s expression became even uglier.

“Is this all?”

The Eighth Heavenly King was about to continue pressing when Reinhardt cut him off.

His tone and expression had changed. The relaxed amusement disappeared. His golden eyes became cold.

“If you’ve prepared something else… Use it. Otherwise… prepare to meet your end.”

He slowly raised his sword. His tone carried blatant disdain and over-the-top repulsion. As if he was not speaking with the ruler of demonkind, a Heavenly King, but rather a disgusting stink bug.

Veins bulged around Astaroth’s eyes.

“You… bastard human. How dare you look at me like I’m some foul-smelling insect? Don’t get conceited yet.”

His fury erupted.

“Beleth, blow the horn!”

The Tenth Heavenly King stood several steps away. Unlike the other demons, facing the pressure of Reinhardt’s titles, he still managed to remain relatively calm. Though his complexion was pale and his back was drenched with sweat.

When he received that order, Beleth spoke with a determined tone and executed the command.

He raised the dark horn. The Horn of Calamity- Gjahorn.

Inhaled and blew into it.

BWOOOOOOOOOOOO…

The sound did not resemble an ordinary horn. It was like a roar with a heavy bass or a cry from the depths of an ancient nightmare.

The instant its sound spread, the sky changed.

The land that had brightened with the activation of Reinhardt’s titles turned dim once again.

Furthermore, crimson cracks appeared across the clouds, and a gigantic skull emerged.

The monstrous skull was the size of a mountain range, too big and conspicuous to ignore. Its empty eye sockets burned with sinister crimson light.

With the sound of the horn, the jaw opened, and from within, countless black tendrils began pouring outward.

One… Ten… hundreds… thousands.

The entire sky seemed to be drowning in them.

When the skull appeared in the sky, the fight also momentarily halted.

The demons rejoiced while the humans stared at the skull with pale faces.

This was not their first time seeing such a sight. That enormous skull, those black tendril-like smoke coming out of its mouth, they were just too familiar with it.

After all, it was not long ago they were struck down by it.

The thing appears as a projection whenever the Horn of Calamity is blown.

Those black things were none other than 666 different curses. They emerged simultaneously.

Some resembled writhing serpents. Others took the shape of grasping hands. Some were clouds of black insects. Others appeared as chains, eyes, worms, screaming faces, and malformed beasts.

Each carried a different curse. Death, decay, pain, madness, weakness, disease, loss of senses, soul erosion, fear, aging… A curse for nearly everything the living could suffer.

The sky became a sea of calamity.

In fact, the skull was so enormous that even from the distant human lands, one could faintly see it. The pressure born from it could be felt even from here.

People stopped in the streets. Children began crying, and soldiers looked toward the sky in horror.

Reinhardt similarly also looked at the familiar sight. Although he looked indifferent, it would be an understatement to say that he felt nothing at all.

The scene where Aurelia died in his arms was still fresh in his memories. A tear streaked down his cheek.

In the background, Astaroth threw his head back and laughed.

“Hahahahahaha… Yes, just like this. Devour them. Crush them. Corrupt them. Let them understand what true despair means.”

His laughter became wanton and more crazed.

“Show them. Show these humans the power of the demons.”

The 666 curses fell from the sky, targeting all humans in the demonic camp like wailing ghosts.

It was impossible to dodge them. Even if you attacked and destroyed them, more would simply take their place.

The knights who had suffered the assault of the curses before knew that resistance was futile. Even if you resisted them, more and more curses would target you until you were completely incapacitated.

The last time, they barely managed to avoid the worst possible outcome due to the Saintess’s sacrifice.

This time, Vanessa was not with them.

That said, they did not despair. After all, they were all prepared to lay down their lives if necessary.

Besides, the plan to resist the curses was already prepared before they attacked the enemy’s camp.

THUD…

Behind Astaroth, Beleth fell to the ground, clutching his chest.

Huff… Huff…

His buffed form had suddenly shrunk, making him look like a starved mummy. His face was pale, and his aura extremely weak.