Chapter 274 - 238: Imperial Technology vs. Demonic Modification, Popping the Champagne at Halftime

Meanwhile.

Sent flying, Huffman crashed brutally into a combat cluster of Convicted Demons and Slaughter Demons. Like a bulldozer of flesh and blood, the tower-like Demons in his path were cut down like grass!

Bones shattered.

Flesh burst!

Before Huffman had even hit the ground, Reinhardt, propelled by a flow of high-temperature energy, had already charged into the Demons’ combat cluster.

The chain connecting the Black War Axe to his arm let out a harsh, metallic rattle.

Combat Skill—Ruthless Iron Hand.

The sharp spike beneath the massive axe head shattered Huffman’s Demon Armor and pierced his flesh. As the chain retracted, Reinhardt’s short-range burst of speed broke the sound barrier. The intense airflow and sonic boom cloud threw aside the Demons in his path, and in an instant, he was right above Huffman!

But Huffman had been a Destruction Knight skilled in Body Techniques even before the rebellion. Blessed by the Mighty Power of the Slaughter Death Arena, his combat instincts and killer’s intuition were far beyond those of any ordinary Imperial Knight.

Even a Battle Group Commander with an Earth Military Rank from an ordinary Battle Group would find it difficult to contend with him.

As Reinhardt’s Avenger Armor deployed a Sleeve Sword wreathed in an Energy Sword Blade, he plunged it downward, attempting to pierce Huffman’s heart just as the Demon Knight was about to hit the ground.

Huffman’s eyes, burning with sulfuric flames, stared at Reinhardt’s Full Coverage Helmet as his left hand shot out and violently seized the descending blade.

The next moment.

BOOM—!

Reinhardt planted his right foot on Huffman’s chest and knelt with his left on his abdomen. Like riding a skateboard, their combined weight of nearly two tons slammed heavily onto the ground. They knocked aside the Demons in their path as they skidded across the ground at high speed.

Huffman’s Demon Armor acted like a plowshare, carving a half-inch-deep trench into the steel-and-concrete port ground, sending sparks and debris flying.

The wound on the Flayers Warband leader’s neck seared with the torment of Radiant Power, and the sulfuric flames in his eyes, which were fixed on Reinhardt, trembled violently with rage!

Gripping the Sleeve Sword tightly to prevent Reinhardt from breaking free, he suddenly extended a sharp, massive bone claw from his right arm. It pulsed with a dark, crimson glow as he swung it in a vicious slash.

"ROAR—!"

A roaring Destructive Suppression, carried on Huffman’s battle cry, pressed in on Reinhardt from all sides like the crushing pressure of the deep sea, attempting to shatter his will to fight.

But for Reinhardt, who was already at the Three-star Earth Military Rank and possessed the Second Destruction Power, such a Destructive Suppression was not enough to overwhelm his Knight Power.

Ignoring Huffman’s counterattack, Reinhardt raised his left arm to block the claw. He mentally activated the Avenger Power Armor’s Blood Shield. The neural signals from this command traveled through the wires connecting his helmet to his spinal cord, transmitted to the Power Armor at the speed of light.

In that instant, the Power Backpack on his back let out a deafening roar. The Power Armor on his left arm projected a crimson Energy Shield composed of hexagonal panels, shielding his body.

However, when Huffman saw this, a cruel sneer appeared on his enraged demonic face.

It was as if he were mocking Reinhardt for overestimating his own abilities.

Mocking his naive trust in Imperial Power Armor and its Energy Shield.

Back when he served in the Black Storm, Huffman had already been a well-known powerhouse in the Legion and a decorated Battle Group Commander.

After being enhanced by the power of the Slaughter Death Arena, his strength had skyrocketed from his original Two-star Earth Military Rank to the terrifying level of a Four-star Earth Military Rank.

Not only had he obtained a new Earth Ring Power, but his body had also undergone a Mutated Transformation from Demon Power. His bone and muscle density had increased and his neural reflexes had quickened... he now possessed combat power far exceeding what he had as an Imperial Knight.

Moreover, the weapon he was using to counterattack was no inferior piece of junk like those used by the weaklings in his Flayers Warband.

The Destructive Bone Claw.

This was the most powerful Extraordinary Creation he had obtained through demonic Mutated Transformation after his betrayal, and it was one of his most trusted trump cards.

The Destruction Runes etched onto the claw could not only tear through the steel plates of a ship with ease, but could also breach the protection of Fortress Level Anti-Magic Steel Armor in a single strike!

Even the Energy Protection Force Field of a Tier Two Mage could not stop the Destructive Bone Claw’s attack.

Relying on this weapon, he had killed many powerful Imperial Knights during the great rebellion. Even his former Battle Group Tutor had fallen to the Destructive Bone Claw.

As a former Imperial Knight himself, Huffman knew very well the level of equipment Imperial Technology provided to its rank-and-file Knights.

Even the most powerful Power Armor was nothing more than a sheet of paper before a truly powerful Extraordinary Creation.

Time seemed to stop in that moment.

Before his claw had even touched the Avenger Power Armor’s Blood Shield, Huffman could already envision the Destructive Bone Claw shredding the Imperial Knight’s shield and Power Armor, severing his arm, and dicing his body to pieces.

Of course, from the first moment he saw Reinhardt, he had sensed that this Imperial Knight seemed to have received a blessing from the Supreme Afnas.

’Hmph.’

’A fool like this is worthy of a blessing from That Being?’

At this moment, he even felt a trace of excitement. Excitement that he could obtain Afnas’s supreme blessed Mighty Power without even breaking a sweat.

To him, Reinhardt delivering himself to his doorstep was a completely unexpected and pleasant surprise.

’A Fear Knight?’

’No... As long as I kill this overconfident Imperial Knight and obtain the Supreme One’s blessing, I can undergo the Demon Ascension Ceremony and become a new Venerable Great Demon of the Dark Abyss!’

The thought processes of Knights at the Earth Military Rank are far faster than those of Mortals.

In just a fraction of a second, their combat minds can process countless thoughts.

Even though their fight had just begun, Huffman was already popping the champagne at halftime over obtaining the Supreme One’s blessed Mighty Power. He was even... already considering what his demonic true name and title should be after his Demon Ascension.

Huffman’s flaming eyes stared intently at Reinhardt, as if the searing pain of the Radiant Power on his wound no longer registered. He roared, "Die—! You fool!"

However, when the Destructive Bone Claw slammed into the Blood Shield of Reinhardt’s Power Armor, the immense recoil felt as if it had struck something indestructible. In that instant, Huffman’s eyes widened in utter disbelief!

In his peripheral vision, he saw his bone claw striking the crimson shield, and a massive cloud of energy embers erupted from the point of impact.

And his prized Demon Power, the Destruction Runes, seemed to have encountered a far more powerful Extraordinary Power. Not only did they fail to tear through his opponent’s defenses, but they were suppressed, instantly dimming.

’How is this possible?!’

’This thing is...’