I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

Chapter 192: Chapter 157: Equipment Upgrade, It Must Be the Blessing of the God of All Machines

A choice?

From the very beginning, Reinhardt had pursued only the path of the Knight.

The Ancient Black Box possessed immense power, but it was already tainted by the Void Realm. It would be an exhaustive effort to forge it into a Knight’s Treasure just to grasp a greater Extraordinary Power.

He might as well dive headfirst into the Dark Abyss and pledge allegiance to Avernus.

At the very least, he would gain the Mighty Power of the Supreme Great Demon Level.

Interestingly, the moment this thought crossed Reinhardt’s mind, he clearly felt something watching him. The Divine Emperor’s Fury, slung across his back, spontaneously ignited with the Divine Emperor’s Flame.

Then, Reinhardt laughed.

The low chuckle sounded especially muffled as it came from his Full Coverage Helmet.

It was so strange that the other members of the Vengeance Angel Squad traveling with him thought Reinhardt might have suddenly gone mad.

Raphael glanced at the Iron Sword—the one Reinhardt had once picked from a garbage heap—now spontaneously burning with the Divine Emperor’s Flame. His brow furrowed. "Sir, what are you laughing at?"

Agate’s brow furrowed even more tightly. He had been maintaining a serious and professional demeanor while briefing the others on important intelligence about the ruins.

He instinctively thought Reinhardt was mocking him for being too cautious.

But Agate was, after all, a four-hundred-year veteran. He was experienced, and having spent so much time with Reinhardt, he knew that while the young Imperial Knight’s fighting style was excessively brutal, he possessed the same golden spirit as all the great Knights of the noble era of the past.

Brave, unyielding, protecting the weak and opposing the strong...

And when he noticed the Divine Emperor’s Flame ignite on its own, he realized things might not be as simple as he had thought.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Reinhardt didn’t directly answer Raphael’s question. He just said coldly, "If you could be elevated to a Venerable Great Demon, what would you choose?"

On the narrow Teleportation Waymark platform, Reinhardt’s voice was like a bomb suddenly detonating in the ears of Raphael and the others.

Because in this world, any topic related to the Four Gods and the Void Realm was forbidden!

It wasn’t just because it was blasphemy. Once a Transcendent even entertained such a thought—without even needing to say it aloud—the terrifying things from the Void Realm would surely sniff you out and find you.

Cold sweat broke out on Raphael’s face. He was so shocked he even forgot his subordinate relationship with Reinhardt, as if they were still friends back at Caster Monastery. "Reinhardt—! For the Divine Emperor’s sake!" he exclaimed.

The other three fell completely silent.

It wasn’t just that they didn’t dare speak carelessly on such a topic. More importantly, they had thought that bastard Seventy-Six, with his love for dark humor, was already outrageous enough.

But they never expected something even more shocking was yet to come—and from the mouth of Reinhardt, one of the Emperor’s Vengeful Angels!

If the Judgment Court heard such blasphemous words, being shot ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough for Reinhardt to atone for his sins.

Although Reinhardt didn’t answer the question, his laughter had already said it all.

Then, Agate activated the Teleportation Platform. Space seemed to compress into a black singularity, and their figures vanished from the platform in an instant.

When they reappeared, they were already at the bottom level of the tomb complex.

The moment they landed, the massive body of an Imperial Knight came hurtling toward them like a cannonball.

The aftershocks of the Transcendents’ battle were like an energy tide woven from storms and tsunamis, each wave higher than the last, echoing continuously in the entrance hall of the bottom level!

"In the name of Grand Lord Kles! This place now belongs to Baze World! Any action you take will be considered an invasion and a declaration of war!"

A Grand Master Level Tier One Mage guarding the entrance roared furiously.

But he was immediately charged by a Seven-star Military Rank Knight wearing the Power Armor of the Secret Order, and the two began to fight.

A Knight from the Oreno Family heard this tyrannical declaration and retorted loudly, "Every planet in the Ash Soil Star Zone is the property of the Empire! For the Divine Emperor—!"

Manon reacted with incredible speed. Arcane golden Runes instantly covered his body as he caught the flying Imperial Knight in a bear hug. The two of them slammed into the wall behind the platform together.

Reinhardt’s gaze swept quickly over the Transcendents who had entered the bottom level.

Aside from the five major powers of the Ash Soil Star Zone, there were local warlords, Free Knights, Warlock Governors... and even a considerable number of Wandering Mages participating in this battle for the Ancient Black Box.

This place was less the entrance to a tomb complex and more a massive, empty city.

The fierce battle had blasted hundreds of buildings into ruins. Transcendents from various factions, or those fighting only for themselves, were locked in combat. The entire bottom level had already descended into a chaotic free-for-all.

Even the Warlock Governors, who had planned to remain hidden and snatch the prize at the last moment, were forced out of the shadows by the war between the Space Dragon Race and the Demons, joining the massive brawl.

Among all these people, the only one unaffected was the Master Level Tier Two Wizard under Grand Lord Kles’s command.

Because he was trying to open the gate to where the Saint’s Remains and the Ancient Black Box were stored.

The Knight saved by Manon was coughing up mouthfuls of blood. The terrifying power of a Spiritual Storm coursed through his skin and veins, making his appearance utterly horrifying.

He was clearly beyond saving.

With a thought from Reinhardt, the system-bestowed Imperial Technology Upgrade Components began to take effect on his Power Armor and flintlock gun.

Ethereal blue system text scrolled unceasingly across his vision.

[Power Armor Upgrade Components: Partial Clay Steel Armor Plates deploying...]

[Clay Steel Armor Plate: Provides enhanced resistance to physical and energy particle impacts. Physical resistance increased by 10% relative to standard Fortress Level Power Armor.]

[Weapon Upgrade Components: Firing Gun mechanical modification in progress...]

[Firing Gun: More accurate, longer range, and more powerful than a flintlock gun. A single bullet can now blow away a Convicted Demon, but it requires manual reloading and can hold a maximum of four rounds at a time.]

[Micro-upgrade Component·Deflection Force Field, deployment complete.]

[Your Power Armor’s Defense Force Field has now gained a random damage deflection characteristic.]

[Your equipment can be further upgraded with technology components to improve its attributes.]

At the same time, Reinhardt’s Power Armor and the flintlock gun fixed to his leg were quietly changing.

The previously ordinary Composite Steel Breastplate thickened slightly. Without any change to the paint job, additional Clay Steel Armor Plates were added. On top of that, an ethereal blue Energy Ripple flowed across the surface of the Power Armor, and its once-ordinary Defense Force Field now had the added property of deflection.

As for the quaint flintlock gun, its Mechanical Structure became more refined through a self-evolutionary process that sounded like whirring machinery. A firing mechanism now appeared behind the chamber.

Although these changes were extremely subtle and not easily noticeable on the chaotic battlefield.

However, Agate, with his background as a Technician Soldier, was as sensitive to these things as a Judge is to the presence of Demon Power.

His Mechanical Eye was fixed on Reinhardt’s Power Armor and the prototype-style firearm, and he stood there, completely stunned.

To Agate, the fact that Reinhardt was one of the Emperor’s Vengeful Angels held no great practical significance, because the Mechanical Order worships the God of All Machines.

But when he observed Reinhardt’s weapons and gear actually self-evolving, the immense visual shock nearly shattered his perception of reality. It almost caused his augmented brain to crash on the spot.

’God of All Machines above—!’

’Reinhardt’s weapons and equipment... they actually have the blessing of the God of All Machines?!’