Chapter 129: Chapter 97: The Most Frustrating Battle
War was a fire, burning all to ash.
Stein’s expression was incredibly grim. The rage from his public humiliation was a tangible thing in his eyes, a look that promised to tear Reinhardt limb from limb, to flay his skin and rip out his bones!
The heaven-shaking war cries crashed down with overwhelming force.
Stein gripped his Knight’s Broadsword. He could not accept it—a swarm of mortals, mere ants, daring to launch an attack in his presence!
And the source of all this courage was a single Empire’s Chosen Knight... especially when he saw the sheer defiance in Reinhardt’s eyes.
Rage sent blood pounding in his chest. Veins bulged on his forehead.
For years, Stein had held a high position, wielding immense power and commanding respect.
Any battle, no matter how devastating, ended the moment he arrived on the field. The Great Lord’s Legion marched from one victory to the next under his command, and his enemies scattered in terror before his Mighty Power.
And yet, when he announced his name, this Imperial Knight, this Reinhardt, had not only failed to flee but had actually dared to resist?!
And these lowly, filthy mortals!
He couldn’t accept it!
"In the name of the Great Lord, I will flay you alive! Reinhardt—!"
The next moment.
Stein vanished. In the next instant, he reappeared directly above Reinhardt, his Knight’s Broadsword howling as it came slashing down!
The very air in the blade’s path seemed to shatter, cracking like warped glass.
Reinhardt was prepared, but this Special Ability, this Instant Movement, was brutally direct—much like the high-speed attacks he himself had used to cut down that Wolf Guard.
Although he was on guard and had already activated the Aikacia Nozzle, he was still too late to dodge.
The Morphic Armor, its defenses so rarely breached, was as fragile as paper in that moment.
In an instant, the blade slammed into his shoulder. The dark purple, living material of the Morphic Armor ripped apart like flesh, spraying outward in a shower of fragments!
His past battles against Heinrich and Sedon had been conflicts of ideals, honorable duels between Knights. But the true terror of Knight Power from a warrior above the Six-star Military Rank? That was something Reinhardt had never experienced firsthand.
But now, in this single moment, the true terror of such a powerful Knight was on full display!
Before the edge of the Knight’s Broadsword even touched his skin, Reinhardt’s left shoulder erupted in a cloud of blood mist! Pain, like a sledgehammer, crushed his body, savagely tearing at his mind and flesh.
Worse, Stein’s terrifying Knight Power invaded his spine and brainstem. As he was sent flying, he lost all control of his body, tumbling like a broken stone—spinning, bouncing, and scraping across the ground.
The stream of high-temperature energy from the Aikacia Nozzle sputtered and died.
Reinhardt gritted his teeth, trying to regain control of his trajectory, but it was no use. He scraped across the ground for tens of meters before finally skidding to a halt.
Then, after a moment, he was back in control of his body.
Reinhardt ignored the searing, tearing pain in his left shoulder. He let the blood flow over his skin and seep into the Morphic Armor as he pushed himself to his feet. He stared at the distant figure of Crusher Stein, who was now charging toward him, sword in hand.
Reinhardt had anticipated Stein’s sneak attack. He just hadn’t expected it to come so quickly.
He had been timing it.
Seven seconds had passed between the first ambush and the second.
Learn in battle, grow through battle—this was the only path for a Knight to reach the apex.
’If Stein could use that Instant Movement ability without any restrictions, I’d already be dead. But he didn’t. After the second teleport ambush, when I was completely vulnerable, he didn’t teleport in for the kill. Instead, he started charging on foot. That proves my guess was right.’
’Stein really can’t use the Instant Movement ability consecutively. And the cooldown between each use is about seven seconds...?’
’What’s more, the strangest part is that whenever a Knight uses a Special Ability, their Knightly Aura inevitably shifts, however slightly. It’s impossible for another Knight not to sense it.’
Reinhardt himself had killed countless raider knights by relying on the incredible speed granted by his Aikacia Nozzle, striking them down before they could even react.
’But when Stein used his Instant Movement, his Knightly Aura didn’t change at all.’
’So, his ability probably doesn’t come from his Knight’s Power. It must be some kind of equipment... perhaps ancient Alchemy Tools. If it were a Demon’s power, I would have sensed it.’
And that was what made dealing with Crusher Stein so difficult.
Reinhardt had every reason to believe that Stein had used this untraceable Instant Movement to kill many powerful Knights.
Even he knew that if it weren’t for his Morphic Armor—an Extraordinary Armament specializing in defense and speed—he would have been a corpse after their first exchange.
While Reinhardt was analyzing Stein’s abilities and methods, Stein’s own heart sank.
Arrogance and humiliated rage didn’t mean Stein was some brainless, conceited fool. On the contrary, as the Leader of the Wolves, Stein’s combat style was famously cunning, like a wolf hunting prey across the wastes.
A silent, unannounced ambush was completely at odds with the proud, disdainful image of a superior warrior he projected.
Campaigning for a hundred years in the Ash Soil Star Zone, he had slain countless powerful foes. Even a mighty Knight—a champion of the Imperial Arena who wore the Imperial’s Chosen Crown, bestowed by the Regent Council itself—had fallen to his blade.
But.
He had never encountered a Knight like Reinhardt, one whose Extraordinary Armament created a perfect trinity of defense, speed, and destructive power.
