Chapter 226 - 191: Breakthrough, Three-star Earth Military Rank

The sky was as azure as the ocean.

A dense barrage of fire wove a crimson curtain of death.

The Punisher, like an elegant dancer in the sky, weaved at high speed through vast ruins and relentless gunfire.

Reinhardt stood firm on the Punisher’s outer hull. The roaring wind streamed over his Power Armor like a blade, its frigid touch instantly flash-freezing into a layer of ice.

As the corpse of the last Dragon Blood Warrior to board the ship fell away, its shattered chest bursting into a mist of blood...

...the crisp sound of Steel of the Heart rang in Reinhardt’s ear.

CLANG—!

Then,

The aura of an Imperial Knight shattering their limits erupted from him, a surging, scorching wave of energy that billowed around his body.

Simultaneously, ethereal blue text scrolled rapidly across his vision.

[Giant Devouring Current Layer Number: 18580]

[Physical Enhancement Coefficient: 18.580]

[Heart Steel Goliath Giant · Current Permanent Physique Boost: 54%]

This surging Mighty Power flowed through Reinhardt, nourishing his flesh and bone. Every inch of his muscle pulsed with explosive strength. His Knight’s Physical Ability had been completely depleted by the strain of his Second Great Power, the Destruction Force Field. But as his limits expanded, his stamina surged back, instantly recovering by more than a quarter.

For an Imperial Knight, the great battlefield was both a tomb for the brave and a crucible for forging their Mighty Power.

To learn in battle, to grow in battle.

This was no mere empty platitude. The strength of a Knight’s Power genuinely increased under the intense pressure of combat!

Every Pure-blood Centurion Reinhardt slew granted him seven hundred stacks of Steel of the Heart. Even a common Pure-blood Level Dragon Blood Warrior provided a full five hundred.

’Forging my Mighty Power from the blood of my enemies!’

He had just gained a staggering five thousand stacks.

The two gains combined.

Reinhardt, who had only just advanced to Two-star Earth Military Rank in the catacombs an hour ago, broke through again, forcibly ascending to the Three-star Earth Military Rank!

When everyone in the Punisher’s cabin sensed this familiar aura of Mighty Power, they were all stunned.

Manon and Matthias exchanged a look, their eyes filled with shocked disbelief.

’His Lordship’s power is *still* growing!’

Even the expression on Agate’s alchemically altered face shifted, though he had been focused on piloting the ship.

When the Vengeance Angel Squad was first formed, their willingness to accept Reinhardt’s leadership had been largely due to Grand Governor Sedon’s arrangements.

But now, after experiencing one life-or-death battle after another...

...after enduring the high-pressure trials of a great battlefield...

...they finally understood the rumor that circulated among the Radiant Angels: that the greatest honor for an Imperial Knight, the title of Empire’s Chosen One, was itself honored by the existence of Reinhardt.

He had personally slain the Warlord Nico.

Single-handedly, he shouldered the burden of fighting the elites of the Space Dragon Race.

Even the elite Pure-blood Centurions, feared like Death Gods on the battlefield, were but spirits claimed by his war axe.

As members of the Vengeance Angel Squad, perhaps one day, they too would be cloaked in glory because of him.

Irenia felt the overwhelming aura of his Knight Power, and her eyes flickered. Her right hand tightened its grip on the bulkhead. Her emotions were a complex mix of jealousy and sheer wonder.

It wasn’t just because of their shared past.

It was because she, a possessor of a Four-star bloodline, had to be so careful, advancing one agonizing step at a time under the control of Florant and Anatol, just to reach the rank of a Researcher Level, Tier Two Mage.

’But that guy Reinhardt...’

Her thought was cut short as an artillery shell exploded far from the Punisher. The one who had intercepted it was none other than Reinhardt, still standing out on the hull in the roaring wind.

Seeing this, she suddenly laughed, a sense of release washing over her.

If a Wizard’s Mighty Power comes from an endless sea of arcane knowledge, then Reinhardt, on this vast battlefield, was like a Wizard swimming in that dangerous ocean.

And even Wizards could drown in that vast, infinite sea of arcane knowledge.

At that very moment.

The Space Dragon Race ships docked in low planetary orbit launched another ten vessels to intercept the Punisher. Among them was one with a particularly unique design.

It looked like a colossal dragon’s head, with long horns sweeping back from its skull.

Like a living creature, the ship’s hull pulsed rhythmically, expanding and contracting as if it were breathing.

When Agate and Manon saw this unique vessel, the color drained from their faces.

A living warship.

Each one was a masterpiece of the Space Dragon Race’s biological engineering.

In other words, any member of the Space Dragon Race qualified to command such a ship had to be incredibly powerful—most likely a Battle Group Leader!

A Battle Group Leader was not the same as a Battle Group Commander.

It was an honor reserved only for the most powerful individuals with the most distinguished combat records.

The Vengeance Angel Squad was strong, to be sure, but they were nowhere near powerful enough to confront an expert of the Battle Group Leader level.

Agate’s Mechanical Eye whirred. He spoke via Telepathy, ’My lord, you must return to the cabin immediately. I’m preparing to engage an unverified piloting maneuver.

If we stick to our current flight pattern, we’ll never escape before the Space Dragon Race blockades Kemola.’

Reinhardt wasted no words, simply telling Agate to open the hatch.

The worry on Manon’s face didn’t ease until he had returned to the cabin. The look she gave him could only be described as worshipful.

She lowered her head slightly in a show of reverence.

"My lord."

Matthias was no different.

The once-arrogant and rebellious candidate from the champion program stood on the other side of the cabin, also bowing his head to Reinhardt in respect.

"My lord."

Reinhardt’s face was impassive. He strode past them, his iron-willed presence almost a tangible force, and went straight to the Punisher’s control room. Staring up at the intercepting fleet, he asked in a low voice, "What are your chances?"

’Professional matters should be left to the professionals.’

Reinhardt didn’t care for the technical details. He just wanted results.

Agate’s voice was mechanical and cold. His six mechanical arms moved in a blur as he answered, "After the Mechanical Order excavated the Punisher, they discovered an undocumented technology on board the ancient vessel.

The Sages of the Order named it Radiant Teleportation.

Because it’s still in the validation phase, its stability can’t be guaranteed."

Regardless of the planet, the nearest entrance to the Cosmic Net Path—or Radiant Channel, as it’s also called—always appears in low planetary orbit. This was why the Vengeance Angel Squad had to break the encirclement and reach Kemola’s Orbital Port before the Space Dragon Race could complete their blockade.

Once the enemy established their blockade,

their only option to enter the Radiant Channel would be to fly the Punisher straight through the cosmic battlefield raging between the Space Dragon Race and the Demon Legion in search of another planet.

The danger of such an action was no less than tying a noose around one’s own neck and hanging oneself from a tree.