Chapter 130: Chapter 97: The Most Unsatisfying Battle (2)
At the Power Level of an Official Knight, Reinhardt was the first opponent he had ever met whose Extraordinary Armament could withstand his Special Ability, the Shattering Impact of his Destruction Force Field.
Just as Reinhardt was wary of his Instant Movement ability, Stein was also wary of Reinhardt’s unparalleled speed.
The two consecutive disruptions to Reinhardt’s control over his body weren’t random attacks; they were deliberate.
A Knight’s thoughts moved dozens of times faster than a Mortal’s. Their combat analysis was instantaneous. As Reinhardt attempted to regain control of his Aikacia Nozzle and use the seven-second window to cut Stein down with lightning speed...
...Stein, who had charged to within five meters of Reinhardt on foot, suddenly erupted with power!
He activated another Special Ability: Explosive Propulsion.
The energy shockwave from his Crusher Force Field shattered the ground, launching his body forward like a cannonball. He crashed toward Reinhardt at a speed the naked eye could barely follow, his Knight’s Broadsword aimed straight for the heart!
Reinhardt’s Aikacia Nozzle had yet to recover.
In this life-or-death moment, Stein’s cunning combat style gave him the upper hand!
Reinhardt’s eyes were fast enough to track Stein’s trajectory, but without the kinetic support of his Extraordinary Power, completely evading the attack was impossible.
Stein had anticipated this. He had even resorted to charging on foot to mislead Reinhardt about his Special Abilities, all for the sake of this one killing blow!
Sparks flew as the Black War Axe collided with the Knight’s Broadsword—a clash between Imperial Technology and Knight Power.
A cruel smile, one of a successful scheme, flashed across the face hidden within Stein’s Full Coverage Helmet.
He had predicted that Reinhardt would try to guess the cooldown time of his Instant Movement.
The seven-second interval was a trap he had deliberately laid for Reinhardt.
’Die—!’
His figure vanished. Ignoring the inertia of the Real Cosmos, he teleported a short distance to the right. The Knight’s Broadsword, wreathed in the Crusher Force Field, viciously pierced into Reinhardt’s body!
But.
The result was completely different from what he had expected—Reinhardt’s body didn’t explode on the spot.
Because in that instant, the Knightly Aura he perceived from Reinhardt—which was already at the level of a Seven-star Military Rank—suddenly soared like a raging inferno! A presence like the shadow of a colossal beast crashed down before him!
He sensed the ever-thickening scarlet mist and, with it, the Mighty Power of Avernus—an energy so faint that no ordinary person could perceive it, only someone possessing a Void Divine Artifact and a Demon’s Blessing.
Stein’s pupils constricted. His body jolted as if shocked by electricity. He released the hilt of his Knight’s Broadsword and shot backward in retreat!
He was utterly horrified!
’This guy...’
Stein’s battle plan had been an undeniable success. From the very beginning, he had been secretly observing Reinhardt’s Special Abilities, weaving this killing blow into his scheme.
But he had never predicted this one outcome: that his Knight’s Broadsword, imbued with the Shattering Force Field, could pierce Reinhardt’s chest and fail to kill him. ’How is this possible?!’
His battle plan was flawless, but Reinhardt had already predicted his prediction.
The Knight’s Broadsword should have pierced his heart directly. But Reinhardt had used the living matter of the Morphic Armor to forcibly shift his body. Only a quarter of the blade cut through skin and muscle before getting lodged in his ribs.
The rest of the blade only pierced the Morphic Armor beneath, creating the illusion of a sword run through his chest.
But even so...
...the terrifying destructive force of the Shattering Power instantly destroyed his right lung and four ribs. The torn muscles almost exposed his internal organs to the open air!
This horrifying wound also pushed the amplification from his Bloodthirsty Madness to its absolute limit!
His stamina was draining rapidly.
Steam rose from the wound as it was steeped in the scarlet mist, slowly healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
His Physique strength was amplified by 100%, doubling the strength of his muscles and bones.
It was only with the support of Bloodthirsty Madness that Reinhardt could, with his mortal flesh, withstand Stein’s Knight Power!
And it was all worth it.
Because Grand Lord Kles’s good little dog was now within his attack range—the absolute Domain of a Body Technique Knight!
In that instant...
Stein’s gaze pierced the scarlet mist.
He saw a terrifying figure, like a bloodthirsty Great Demon.
He watched as Reinhardt pulled the Knight’s Broadsword from his own ribs. An astounding Power and murderous aura erupted, surging skyward!
At that moment, an aura of Mighty Power approaching the very limit of the Seven-star Military Rank thundered in his perception like a storm! It was the horrifying Mighty Power of one blessed by Avernus!
’Abyssal Divine Chosen One...’
When that terrifying title, a name that represented slaughter and death, surfaced in his mind, Stein’s pupils trembled, and his very soul screamed in disbelief.
’This is impossible—!’
’How could a mere Six-star Military Rank Knight possess the attention and blessing of Avernus?!’
Shock!
Jealousy!
Unacceptable!
’How could such immense power belong to such a paltry, low-born Imperial Knight? It’s not fair... This isn’t fair!’
Through the scarlet mist, Stein’s perception saw what looked like the terrifying flames of a Great Demon burning in Reinhardt’s eyes, carrying with them an overwhelming rage and murderous intent.
The Void Divine Artifact hidden deep within his body began to whisper in his blood and mind.
It seemed utterly repulsed by the power of the Dark Abyss.
It continuously conveyed its disdain and disgust for the uncivilized Demon from the Dark Abyss, a being who knew only slaughter and brute force.
Although the Four Gods were all supreme among Demons, their wars against one another were far more brutal than their invasion of the Real Cosmos.
Upon learning Reinhardt’s identity as an Abyssal Divine Chosen One, Stein’s first instinct was to use his Special Ability, Explosive Propulsion, and create distance between them.
After all, any Knight worthy of receiving the barbaric blessing of Avernus was invariably a Body Technique Knight skilled in close-quarters combat—a barbarian who went berserk at the sight of blood.
But now, it was too late to pull away.
In a contest of combat intelligence, or pre-battle scheming, Reinhardt was indeed no match for the Leader of the Wolves, Crusher Stein.
But when it came to combat itself...
...Stein’s attempt to flee said it all.
Having exhausted all his schemes and tricks, he no longer possessed the arrogant disdain he’d had when he first arrived on the Verne Bridge. Instead, a deep panic filled his eyes, completely devoid of the composure a powerful expert should have.
Sixty years ago, Crusher Stein had been just an unremarkable Two-star Military Rank Knight in the Raider Battle Group, his strength mediocre at best.
But after a campaign to suppress a Demon invasion, his Knight Power began to inflate like a balloon.
Not only did he personally establish the elite Wolf Pack Knight, but over the past thirty years, Stein himself gradually consolidated power, step-by-step entering the ruling core of the Baze World.
No one knew why his Knight Power had advanced by leaps and bounds.
No one knew what kind of person he had once been.
After that campaign, he was the sole survivor, standing amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood like an Empire’s Chosen One.
From that day forward, he was revered by the Baze Nobility, and his deeds were sung and celebrated by the Mortals across a hundred worlds.
But only Stein himself knew how despicable he had once been... No, that’s not right. He was a wise Knight who knew how to assess the situation.
All of this was thanks to the blessing of the great Ten Thousand Changes Demon Monarch.
It granted him a Void Divine Artifact, giving him the ability to use Instant Movement three times when facing different enemies.
It granted him endless knowledge, allowing his Knight Power to grow by leaps and bounds.
Other than Grand Lord Kles, no one had ever discovered his secret. Even the Empire’s Radiant Angels, with their Eye of Punishment, could not pierce the fog to see the power of that God of Secrecy and Conspiracy.
As Reinhardt’s roaring War Axe grew larger and larger in Stein’s vision, the Seven-star Military Rank Knight’s heart lost all its former calm and confidence. His eyes filled with panic.
All that remained was the raw terror of the insignificant man who had once betrayed his Battle Brothers.
Because he knew that while the title of Empire’s Chosen One might be granted by the Regent Council, an Abyss Chosen Knight...
