Chapter 276 - 240: Battle of the Strong: Huffman, the King of Durability

Huffman’s Knight Power had originally been an Attributeless Destruction Force Field. But after receiving the blessing of the Slaughter Death Arena, his Knight Power birthed an exceptionally potent Special Ability: Devouring.

Much like how Imperial Knights constantly grew stronger in battle.

The Dark Abyss’s promise to these traitors—a knightly truth of gaining strength through slaughter—seemed far more simple, crude, and intuitive than the Emperor’s guidance.

By killing powerful foes and pleasing Avernus, Huffman could devour the Knight Power of his vanquished opponents, drastically increasing his own strength.

In a mere twenty years, its power had soared from the Two-star Earth Military Rank to the peak of Four-star, all because it had devoured the Knight Powers of countless powerful Knights.

Furthermore, the Earth Rings that Knights with different Mighty Power Attributes could construct were endlessly varied.

The weapon now materializing in Huffman’s hand was called the Devourer’s Slaughter Knife.

Its true form was an Extraordinary Creation of the Fine Craftsmanship Level.

As long as it remained in battle, the weapon would devour the blood of any creature it killed, restoring its wielder’s injuries and stamina for endless combat and Slaughter.

"With the blood of the enemy, an offering to the Blood God—!"

Rising once more from the flesh, corpses, and ruins, the Warband leader, Huffman, suddenly swelled in size. Its height surpassed four meters, making it even more imposing than an Elite Slaughter Demon!

With huge, fleshy wings and Demon Spikes sprouting from its face, it had completely lost its original human form. It had fully transformed into an Abyssal Demon.

Forged from crimson Mighty Power, the Devourer’s Slaughter Knife was over two meters long. Its horrifying, unholy energy dimmed the very light. It greedily tore at the corpses surrounding Huffman, drawing their dark red blood into thin threads. These threads converged on the knife’s surface, writhing slowly like veins connecting to an arm, constantly transfusing it with fresh Life Force.

Sulfurous flames roared within its eye sockets. Its terrifying warcry drowned out even the thunder of cannon fire!

To the ears of the Abyssal Demons, this was a prayer of slaughter akin to "For the Emperor," inciting the Demon Legion to a frenzied roar. The port’s defensive line, already under immense pressure, became even more precarious under the demons’ invigorated onslaught.

An endless aura of fear permeated the Orbital Port, threatening to overwhelm the fearless courage Raphael had bestowed upon the Mortal Auxiliary Army through his sublime prayers to the Emperor.

At the same time, Raphael’s grave voice echoed through the Telepathy link.

’Lord, I can’t hold out against its terrifying warcry for long...’

Before he could finish, Reinhardt was already charging. His target: the Warband leader, Huffman, whose power and aura had just entered a second phase.

A stream of superheated energy became a deadly, iridescent tail flame as he skimmed low over the port. The furious sonic boom of his Black War Axe breaking the sound barrier was like the roar of a great beast as it slammed viciously into Huffman’s Devourer’s Slaughter Knife!

It was a direct clash of Knight Power. The embers of their Mighty Power billowed outwards in all directions like a high-velocity shockwave.

Huffman, relying on its massive size, loomed over Reinhardt and roared like a defiant Giant Dragon. Their weapons were locked in a stalemate, neither willing to yield a single step!

Reinhardt looked up, meeting Huffman’s terrifying gaze. In contrast to the demon’s fury, Reinhardt’s eyes held only cruelty and cold indifference.

’If this is the best this Warband leader can do, then he isn’t worthy of me unleashing my Second Knight’s Power: Bloodthirsty Madness. After my life-or-death battle with Warlord Nico, the pressure from Huffman now doesn’t even feel like half of what I faced then.’

Even someone as powerful as Reinhardt had to admit it: during the battle in the Kemola Tomb Complex, if Nico had fully mastered that powerful Spiritual Artisan Level creation, no one from the Vengeance Angel Squad would have survived.

After a brief standoff between the war axe and the slaughter knife, Huffman retreated a step and spun suddenly. Its Demon’s Long Tail, like a steel whip wreathed in a Destruction Force Field, whistled through the air as it lashed out at Reinhardt from the side!

’This traitor’s Physical Strength is terrifying, but its speed... it’s just too slow. I can see right through its tactics and intentions.’

Combat Skill: Split Armor.

In a flash, the living matter of the Morphic Armor seeped out from Reinhardt’s skin in a minimal amount. It enveloped his Power Armor and extended several Micro-Aikacia Nozzles.

Propelled by the streams of high-temperature energy, his massive form within the Power Armor exploded with unimaginable mobility. He briefly hung in the air, dodging the lash of Huffman’s long tail.

The Aikacia Nozzles on his back, like Angel’s Wings, went into overload. In that instant, Reinhardt broke the sound barrier. He closed the distance and appeared behind Huffman just a moment before its follow-up slash with the Slaughter Knife could land.

The moment the Decomposition Blade materialized, the remaining energy from his pack, visible in his Angel Vision, began to drain.

The Black War Axe struck with irresistible force! It tore through Huffman’s Demon Armor and sliced open its tough Demon Skin, the massive axe head burying itself deep in the creature’s flesh!

It only stopped when it struck bone.

Having been mutated by the Mighty Power of the Slaughter Death Arena, Huffman’s physical toughness far surpassed that of any Imperial Knight. Its defensive capabilities were even greater than standard Power Armor!

In other words, its mutated body of flesh and blood was itself a weapon, a gift from the Dark Abyss.

Its constantly regenerating muscles and skin clamped down hard on the Black War Axe. Even the Decomposition Blade couldn’t cut any deeper, and the resistance when trying to pull the axe free was immense.

Huffman roared in pain, twisting its head to try and rip Reinhardt from its back. But Blood Hand Bullets from a Slaughterer’s Weapon blasted mercilessly into its left hand, buying precious seconds for an escape.

Activating the High-Frequency Vibration Imperial Technology of his Black War Axe, Reinhardt ripped it free from the regenerating flesh. He kicked off Huffman’s broad back, wrenching the bloody war axe out, and retreated in a single motion.

Had it been an ordinary Flayer Knight or an Elite Slaughter Demon facing a direct assault from the Black Cutter, they would be half-dead, if not killed outright.

However, Huffman was entirely different from such rabble.

Although his skill in Body Techniques was far from an expert’s, and his tactics and speed were unremarkable, his true method for killing powerful Imperial Knights and devouring their Knight Power was the synergy between his formidable demon body and the extreme regenerative Mighty Power of his Devourer’s Slaughter Knife!

As long as he was on the battlefield, he was virtually immortal!

The Devourer’s Slaughter Knife continued to absorb blood from the surrounding corpses. On its back, the horrifying, meter-long, bone-deep wound began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.

It then turned its head to glare at Reinhardt, sulfurous flames roaring in its eye sockets. It bellowed in fury, "Imperial Knight, you think the likes of you can kill me—?!

Die, insect!"

At this very moment, in the Barge Port warzone, countless eyes were fixed on this battle of titans between the Vengeful Angel and the Warband leader!

The outcome of their duel would determine the fate of the entire port warzone.

If Reinhardt fell, the leader of the Flayers Warband had strength enough to single-handedly slaughter every last defender in the warzone.

As the Ash Guard watched the fight with divided attention, they saw Reinhardt facing the incoming slash of the Devourer’s Slaughter Knife. He stood his ground, neither dodging nor evading, and their faces paled in shock.

’Could it be? Did that Vengeful Angel suffer a grievous injury we didn’t see during the fight?!’