Chapter 242 - 207: The Power of the Treasure, Combat is a Man’s Romance

A thick layer of frost condensed on the surface of the metal hourglass.

The radiation of a Mighty Power capable of distorting time spread slowly outward from the hourglass like azure ripples, extending to a three-meter radius.

This was different from the frost created by Elemental Power.

This frigid power directly affected the space-time of the Real Cosmos.

At the same time, Reinhardt’s Knight Perception could clearly sense the connection between himself and the Metal Hourglass. With a single thought, its power would distort the flow of time around him.

The only drawback was that each use required a three-minute recharge.

As a trade-off,

During the Knight’s Treasure fusion process, his Extraordinary Armament, Frost Fist, could not be summoned.

However, this didn’t diminish Reinhardt’s combat power at all; in fact, it was a considerable boost.

Reinhardt exhaled slowly, the Mighty Power from the Knight’s Treasure quickly receding. He turned to look at a row of training posts nearby and walked to a spot three meters away from one.

After planting his feet, he lunged at the post.

With a thought, he activated the Metal Hourglass’s Mighty Power: time acceleration.

Meanwhile, Manon and Matthias, standing guard outside, sensed the aura of Mighty Power within the training room gradually weakening. ’Reinhardt must have finished creating his Knight’s Treasure.’

For Manon, who had served in the Emperor’s Shield for years, even taking a vacation was a luxury, let alone witnessing a power-up on the level of the Earth Military Rank. This was nothing like his time in the Vengeance Angel Squad, where he’d already been on leave aboard the Fearless Expedition for nearly twenty days in what felt like the blink of an eye.

The culture of the Emperor’s Shield was also different from most other Imperial Battle Groups.

Manon was used to a more relaxed and lively atmosphere. Compared to the Ascetic-like Matthias, even though he was a century-old veteran, he still had the curiosity of a child.

Standing guard outside the door, he felt like he had ants in his pants.

If the immense responsibility of protecting Reinhardt hadn’t been resting on his shoulders, he would have rushed in to watch long ago.

The moment the aura of Mighty Power in the training room weakened, he eagerly pushed open the door and called out in a gruff voice, "My Lord! Did you succe—"

He never finished the sentence.

Before his eyes,

Reinhardt, who was standing in front of the post, began to accelerate into a short sprint. The instant he took a step, it was as if the world glitched, like a torn image or a dropped frame in a video.

In the span of half a breath, Reinhardt was suddenly in front of the post, as if the entire motion of lunging forward had never happened.

One moment he was starting his stride, the next he had arrived.

Manon froze, his brow furrowing deeply. The movement defied all intuition and perception.

After the Kemola Battle, he had been promoted to the Seven-star Knight Military Rank and was only a single step away from becoming an Earth Knight.

As a veteran, he knew that any tactical maneuver, no matter how fast, left a trail. Even if your eyes couldn’t keep up, there should have been a faint afterimage.

But this...

Matthias finished his meditation, opening his eyes and rising to his feet.

He hadn’t seen the display, but his Knight Perception had keenly detected Reinhardt using a peculiar type of Extraordinary Power.

’The power of a Knight’s Treasure?’

Reinhardt stood beside the post, his wild, shoulder-length black hair cascading down his back. Beneath a thin training shirt, his body was a mass of gnarled muscle, exuding an imposing and heroic air.

Although the Metal Hourglass’s power only radiated in a three-meter sphere, this time-skipping form of movement was more than just a "huge" boost to his close-quarters combat ability. It was revolutionary.

If he were to face Warlord Nico now, he wouldn’t need to analyze intelligence reports to find a weakness. With this Knight’s Treasure, he was confident he could take Nico by surprise and cut him down.

’Once the Treasure finishes fusing with the Extraordinary Armament, Frost Fist, I’ll awaken my third Earth Ring.’

’This time-distorting Mighty Power still has room to grow.’

Hearing Manon’s voice, Reinhardt turned toward the doorway. But before he could respond, a familiar figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

"Reinhardt, old friend. We meet again."

The heavy, dull thud of hard-soled leather boots echoed on the marble floor.

The rhythmic clacking of human skulls sounded like ritual instruments from an ancient death rite.

Hearing the vaguely familiar voice, Manon’s and Matthias’s faces darkened. They turned to see Judge Robie Hiling—that notorious "plague" of the Imperial Administrative Region—stride past them and into the training room.

Four Knights from the Secret Order followed behind him.

Reinhardt put away the Metal Hourglass and said coldly, "I thought you died at Kemola."

Robie still wore the signature uniform of a Judge, a massive Knight’s Broadsword strapped to his back. Messy bangs obscured his forehead and eyes, his face was pale, and his posture was slightly hunched.

His laughter was unnervingly pathological.

"If you’re not dead, how could I be? Hmm... I still haven’t found the time to have a proper chat with you about Kemola. Where’s your Combat Priest?"

As he spoke, Robie’s eyes—bloodshot and radiating a deep-seated madness—glanced toward Manon and Matthias.

It wasn’t just his intimidating reputation as the "plague" Judge; the Knightly Aura of a Four-star Earth Military Rank was more than Official Knights like them could withstand.

The moment Robie’s gaze fell on them, Manon and Matthias felt their blood run cold as a bead of sweat trickled slowly down their spines.

Reinhardt’s face was impassive. The Destructive Suppression of his Second Mighty Power, Bloodthirsty Madness, erupted from him. It became a tangible force, descending upon the training room to clash head-on with Robie’s Knightly Aura!

The two Earth Knight Powers collided like a pair of warring storms!

The overflowing auras of Mighty Power distorted the very light. The pressure crashed down on the six Official Knights’ perceptions like a collapsing mountain, making them break out in a cold sweat and struggle to breathe!

Just as the conflict was about to spiral out of control, a displeased voice rang out from the end of the corridor.

"Gentlemen, this is the Fearless Expedition."

Lady Catherine strode into the training room, her fine brows knitted in a frown.

’I was only a minute late. How did these two already start fighting?’

Besides Sedon and Irenia, no one else in the Ash Soil Star Zone knew that Reinhardt and Robie had come from the same Knight Training Camp.

Lady Catherine was naturally unaware of this. She simply assumed Judge Robie’s targeting of Raphael had drawn the ire of the Vengeful Angels.

In reality, the conflict between Reinhardt and Robie could be traced back twenty years.

In fact, over all these years, Robie’s primary motivation had never changed. If he saw Reinhardt and didn’t start something, he wouldn’t be Robie Hiling.

It was just that...

...the knight’s attendant who used to hide behind the stables in the snow, always ready to pop out and get a beating, had now become the Judge standing in the doorway of the training room.

By now, their conflict was far more than just a personal grudge.

Or perhaps...

...they had gone from humble followers to Imperial Knights, fighting each other since they were children, with neither ever willing to yield to the other.

They just couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

If they didn’t have a proper battle, befitting of Imperial Knights, they would feel an itch they couldn’t scratch.

Because for men like them, combat was a form of romance!