Chapter 128: Chapter 96: Leader of the Wolves, Crusher Stein! Glory of the Vengeful Angel
Reinhardt’s thoughts moved like lightning.
’Even the fastest Knight Powers leave a discernible trajectory, but Stein’s movements are utterly untraceable.’
’In other words, it’s less movement and more a form of teleportation—a Special Ability.’
’And the force that had pierced his Morphic Armor wasn’t a mere shockwave... it was something more, something hinted at by Stein’s very name.’
Crush.
That was the sensation Reinhardt felt in that instant—as if some force were tearing at his heart and lungs.
The other Six-star Military Rank Wolf Guard blocking him clearly possessed a Power from the Elemental Domain, allowing him to manipulate air currents and storms.
Reinhardt had suffered at the hands of Elemental Knights more than once, especially the powerful ones.
If he couldn’t overwhelm them with the strength of his Power, their unpredictable Special Abilities and flexible Combat Techniques were far more troublesome than Destruction Knights and Extraordinary Knights of the same level.
After a full day of fighting, Reinhardt had already expended nearly half his stamina.
The Leader of the Wolves’ heavy footsteps grew closer, and a dark purple living substance seeped from his skin, writhing as it repaired the defensive breach at his throat.
The next moment.
A dim, blood-red mist began to emanate from Reinhardt’s body.
The internal spikes of the Morphic Armor stabbed into his flesh—the preparatory Combat Technique, Bloodletting—to activate his Second Great Power: Bloodthirsty Madness.
In the span of a single breath.
Reinhardt’s Power surged, its intensity climbing sharply.
His Physique, amplified by his Mighty Power, tore apart the restraints at his feet with brute force. The high-pressure airbags shifted form, and the Aikacia Nozzles extended from his back like Angel’s Wings.
Reinhardt tightened his grip on his War Axe. Twisting his body, he planted his left hand on the ground and vaulted into the air. In the same motion, the stream of superheated energy he had been charging was unleashed with a deafening roar!
Stein, who was closing in from behind to cut Reinhardt down, took the full force of the blast!
Faced with an energy stream hot enough to melt steel, his expression faltered slightly. He thrust his bent left arm forward as his Power Backpack roared to life. A deep blue Energy Shield materialized in front of him, colliding with the superheated blast. The destructive aftershock exploded into a brilliant shower of sparks, scattering in every direction!
The deadly light illuminated Mortal Soldiers who were crossing the combat zone. Expressions of terror froze on their faces as they faced the spreading shockwave, unable to escape!
But before the deadly shockwave could reach the Mortal Soldiers, Reinhardt had already closed the distance to the Elemental Knight attempting to control the air currents.
In that moment, it was as if time had frozen.
Through his Full Coverage Helmet, Reinhardt could see the Knight’s eyes, filled with shock, disbelief, and horror.
His Six-star Military Rank Knightly Physique allowed his eyes to track Reinhardt’s movements, but unless one was a Body Technique Powerhouse, instinct alone wasn’t enough for the body to react in time.
Having reached the Six-star Military Rank, this Elemental Knight’s combat experience and proficiency in Body Techniques surpassed even most Attributeless Destruction Knights.
Unfortunately for him, he was facing Reinhardt!
Time resumed its flow.
"AHHH—!"
"Aaaahhh..."
The destructive aftershock slammed into the advancing Plunderer ranks. Hundreds of soldiers shrieked in agony as the intense heat consumed them, turning them instantly to charred husks.
Even among the Plunderer Knights, one failed to dodge in time. The horrifying blast melted a gaping hole clean through his armor, charring his flesh black!
Augmented by his Destruction Force Field—which provided a 40% boost to his Physique—Reinhardt’s incomparably destructive Black War Axe came down like a tidal wave crashing across the battlefield, slamming heavily into the Elemental Knight’s chest!
Even though the Elemental Knight had already used his Special Ability to cloak his body in Air Flow Armor—enough to deflect most physical attacks—it mattered little.
Absolute speed meant absolute power!
The Air Flow Armor dissipated instantly. The magnificent Anti-Magic Armor tore open. The thrumming Giant Axe plunged into his chest, shattering his heart and lungs, severing his spine, and finally slicing clean through the armor on his back in a spray of blood!
The speed boost from the Aikacia Nozzles’ energy stream far surpassed that of the high-pressure airbag configuration. The Elemental Knight’s mangled body, not yet fully dead, hung from the War Axe. His eyes were wide with agony and rage, fixed on Reinhardt.
It was as if he couldn’t believe he had been killed by Reinhardt’s War Axe in a single exchange.
Then, a thunderous crash echoed from the framework of the Steel Bridge Corridor, resounding across the entire battlefield!
BOOM—!
The two bodies flew sideways, violently snapping a bowl-thick steel cable. The entire bridge shuddered and roared from the impact.
Combat between the powerful is like a clap of thunder—life and death decided in an instant.
The Mortal Soldiers couldn’t follow the details of the fight with their naked eyes. But they all saw what happened next: Reinhardt leaped down from the steel cable, wrenched his Black War Axe from the corpse’s chest, and casually tossed the dead Wolf Guard’s body off the bridge.
Every soldier and Knight who witnessed it was stunned.
A storm raged in their hearts, especially those of the Plunderer Knights and their Auxiliary Army!
Because in a single exchange that took less than four seconds, Reinhardt hadn’t just killed an elite Wolf Pack Knight. He had killed one of the Great Lord’s Guard—a veteran of a hundred years!
The Executioner’s Sword of the Baze Legion!
A personal guard of the Leader of the Wolves, Crusher Stein!
The elite of the elite! Each one possessed the terrifying power to single-handedly end a battle of a hundred thousand soldiers, or to slaughter an entire hundred-man Imperial Knight Battle Group!
And yet, this Knight, as powerful as a God of the Human World, had died without a sound at the hands of that Imperial Knight who fought like a God of Slaughter.
But this was not what terrified them the most.
What terrified them most was that Reinhardt’s aura had now reached the Seven-star Military Rank. To the senses of the Plunderer Knights, it was a raging storm rising to meet Crusher Stein’s head-on!
Caught in the wake of the two powerhouses’ clashing auras, an immense pressure spread through the very soul of every Plunderer Knight.
’A Destruction Force Field... He’s a Dual Attribute Knight.’
In that moment, they finally understood how a single, seemingly ordinary Six-star Military Rank Knight could single-handedly re-establish the defensive line on the Verne Bridge.
He was cutting them down with devastating ease!
Because this Imperial Knight, this veritable God of the Human World, was not an existence they, mere ordinary Knights, could ever hope to face! He was an absolute powerhouse, on par with the Leader of the Wolves, Crusher Stein, himself!
The soldiers of the Defense Army didn’t understand the significance of the fallen Knight or his magnificent armor, but they knew one thing: as long as Reinhardt stood with them, their defensive line would never fall, even if the lines on the other three bridges were already collapsing!
Then, an inspiring roar rose up from the ranks of the Defense Army.
The Defense Army, who had been plunged into despair by the strength of the enemy and the fall of the Upper City District, felt their fighting spirit rekindle.
They knew this battle was likely their last and that their homes were doomed. But the Vengeful Angel stood alone against overwhelming odds and had not backed down. What reason did they have to fear or flee?!
The blood of Verne has never lacked for courage or sacrifice. Though they might die, their glory would be eternal.
"Brothers of the Defense Army! The Divine Emperor and the Empire may have betrayed this world, but the Vengeful Angel has never abandoned us! Today! For our homes! For the glory of the Vengeful Angel! We fight to the death! We will not retreat! CHAAARGE—!"
With their homes and families at their backs, the soldiers of the Defense Army were already driven mad with bloodlust. After seeing Reinhardt cut down a clearly powerful Plunderer Knight in a single clash, and spurred on by the cry to fight for the Vengeful Angel, they descended into an even deeper frenzy.
Their collective morale surged, overpowering even Stein’s terrifying aura, as they charged recklessly at the enemy on the Verne Bridge!
Some Mortal Soldiers even launched suicide charges at Stein’s four remaining guards, fearlessly offering their own flesh and blood to buy Reinhardt even the most fleeting of moments.
This scene.
It even moved Stein and his four guards—all veterans of ten thousand battles. They had never seen a mortal army fight with such indomitable will!
It was also in that moment.
They learned the second name of Reinhardt, the Empire’s Chosen Knight: Vengeful Angel.
This was different from a title bestowed by the Empire, a gift from the Divine Emperor that makes a Knight great.
This was a Knight’s highest honor. Reinhardt was not made great by the name "Vengeful Angel"; on the contrary, the name "Vengeful Angel" was made glorious by his very existence!
