Chapter 291 253: War, Fuel and Ladder | Dog-Eat-Dog (Part 2)

"Artur—! You bastard..."

But here in the lower port, the formidable enemy he faced was not just the Dark Mage, Iskander.

The presence of the Fear Knight was like a shadow, threatening to swallow him whole!

Matthias didn't get to finish.

BOOM—!

Slammed by the Knight's Broadsword of Fear Knight Carlos, Matthias's Energy Shield flickered erratically, on the verge of collapse. His body shot backward like a cannonball, smashing viciously into the wall!

At that very moment,

Götz, who stood beside Thinker Bach, was a veteran of the Verne Defense Army and a hero of the Caster Battle Group who had clawed his way out of piles of the dead. His terrifying, scar-covered face stared coldly and mercilessly at the Dark Mage, retorting to his taunts and temptations.

"Shut your damn mouth, traitor."

Receiving such a reply,

Iskander was taken aback.

He had used such rhetoric to tempt hundreds of Imperial Knights, luring them to betray the Empire and embrace the Demon Void Realm, only to become slaves to Extraordinary Power.

But he never would have dreamed that this local Knight—whose battered equipment screamed that he wasn't from a proper Imperial Battle Group—would possess such unwavering knightly ideals.

Moreover, the man had unabashedly expressed his fury and disdain.

The implication was clear: 'What's a traitor like you doing, spouting nonsense?'

Even though Iskander, now a Dark Mage, had considerable composure, a surge of fury shot straight to his head.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger.

If a Fear Knight hadn't shown up out of nowhere, he would have immediately made this pathetic insect pay the price for its insolence!

Matthias let out a muffled groan. He reached out, grabbing a piece of exposed rebar on the wall to steady himself. He couldn't suppress the sweet taste of blood in his throat as it trickled from his mouth and nose.

His Power Armor had been upgraded with prototype technology, allowing it to withstand a frontal assault from a Six-star Military Rank Official Knight without deforming.

But facing the Mighty Power of a Fear Knight…

Not only was there now a horrifying, massive dent in his Power Armor's chest, but a sharp bone fragment was also embedded within it, tearing his skin and sinking deep into his muscle.

Though he was badly injured, the powerful retort from the local Knight whose name he didn't know made him see this rookie, who only held a Five-star Official Military Rank, in a new light.

'Such Loyalty!'

Bach seemed to have heard Götz's rebuttal as well. He gripped Götz's wrist, his hand trembling slightly as he continued to cough up blood, as if to express his approval.

However,

even if Götz had won a complete victory in the battle of ideals against Iskander, the situation Matthias faced had not changed at all.

A Fear Knight whose power far surpassed that of an ordinary Seven-star Military Rank Official Knight.

Carnivorous Hunting Dog Carlos.

This monster, with sharp bone spurs growing all over its body, was draped in a tattered gray cloak. Its Knight's Broadsword was covered in countless sharp bone fragments. Its massive, stooped form resembled an Abyssal Hound. It twitched its nose, its gaping maw full of sharp teeth, and let out a low growl at Matthias.

Its brownish-yellow, lizard-like eyes were cold and full of contempt.

After sending Matthias flying with a single strike, it turned its head toward Iskander. A terrifying, inhuman roar rumbled in its throat, filled with irrepressible fury. "You are courting death, Dark Mage."

Faced with the Fear Knight's death threat,

although Iskander was wary of Carnivorous Hunting Dog Carlos's power, his apprehension went only so far. What truly infuriated him was that cunning Wizard, Kles, who not only wavered between them and the Dark Abyss but had even dared to ruin his grand conspiracy.

This wasn't over between them!

According to his plan, he was supposed to plant a seed of rebellion among these Imperial Knights, instigating them to resist the Empire's tyranny. Then, after the Vengeful Angels thwarted the Dark Abyss's attempt to convert the Radiant Angels, he would secretly guide these Imperial Knights to incite a rebellion from within.

If the conspiracy had succeeded, he could have used it to please the supreme Formless Divine Monarch and obtain even greater power!

But the Fear Knight's appearance had completely ruined all his arrangements.

'And that damned, lowly insect.'

...

Carnivorous Hunting Dog Carlos.

A hundred-year veteran who had once served in the Dragon Hunter Legion.

He had fallen to the Dark Abyss long before the Great Rebellion, becoming a champion of the Slaughter Death Arena and one of the powerful Fear Knights under Avernus.

While not a pure Body Technique Knight like Death Butcher Dortmund, his Extraordinary Armament had been completely mutated, saturated with the Void Evil Power of the Slaughter Death Arena.

Moreover, Carlos's power was on par with that of Dortmund, who had fought Reinhardt outside Frostfire Fortress all those years ago.

Sensing the Dark Mage Iskander's intent to flee, it lowered its body into a crouch. Its Knight's Broadsword, covered in sharp bone fragments, merged into its Extraordinary Armament, Evil Bone.

This Extraordinary Armament, saturated with the Mighty Power of the Slaughter Death Arena, had long since lost the appearance it had over a century ago while in service to the Empire, becoming twisted and hideous.

The endlessly regenerating bone spurs that covered its body's surface and joints were only one part of the Extraordinary Armament's Special Ability, greatly increasing its defensive capabilities and resistance to Magic and Elemental Power.

Furthermore, Evil Bone possessed an extremely wicked Special Ability: Bone Root Growth.

If a bone spur or fragment pierced an enemy's flesh, it would, after a short time, take firm root within their body. The bone would then continuously grow and spread inward until the enemy died screaming in pain and torment.

Beyond that,

Evil Bone also granted it immense Physical Strength, giving it the powerful combat abilities of a Destruction Knight!

Just as Iskander attempted to use Divine Domain Sorcery: Dark Side Teleportation to escape the lower port and hide in a Void Storm, Carlos, who was crouched like a hunting dog, erupted with Knight Power. It raged through the port like a howling gale, the reinforced concrete floor beneath its feet sinking as a web of cracks instantly spread out!

Its body shot forward like a bullet from a gun, breaking the sound barrier. In an instant, it was in front of Iskander, its gaping maw snapping shut!

'It's one thing to ruin my plans, but now it dares to block my path? It's courting death—!'

His escape thwarted, Iskander flew into a rage and immediately began to curse loudly.

"You stupid, lowly beast!"

However, rather than killing Carlos to vent his anger, Iskander's primary goal was still to find an opportunity to leave the Verne War Zone as quickly as possible.

If the Fear Knight Carlos were his only enemy, he certainly wouldn't be afraid. But he knew full well what the Verne War Zone was like. Once those barbarians from the Dark Abyss learned of his presence, they would undoubtedly try to kill him first!

Especially...

Iskander's gaze went past Carlos, falling upon the Ark of Calamity in the distant Cosmos.

There, he sensed the presence of a Great Demon.

Although the Formless Divine Monarch he served and Avernus of the Dark Abyss were both gods of the Void Realm, the history of war between their two factions in the Void Realm was even older than the civilization of the Ancient Wizards.

To this day, endless war and eternal conspiracy still played out within the Demon Void Realm.

While these two Imperial traitors were locked in a dog-eat-dog struggle,

Manon and Hymes finally arrived at the lower port. The rapidly depleting oxygen and dropping air pressure nearly suffocated them the moment they stepped out of the elevator shaft.

Manon's Shield Tower had only a few light scratches; his combat strength was fully intact.

His gaze swept over the corpses and wreckage strewn everywhere, landing on the Dark Mage and Fear Knight locked in fierce combat. His brow furrowed. 'Why are these members of the Imperial Rebel Army fighting each other?'

After locating Matthias and Bach, he said in a low voice, "You cover Bach's retreat. I'm going to help Matthias."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two split up.

Hymes helped the severely injured Thinker Bach to his feet. He glanced at Götz, whose equipment didn't look like it belonged to a standard Imperial Battle Group, and frowned. "Where's the other one?"

Götz's voice was extremely hoarse, as if his throat were lined with razor blades.

"He's dead."

Hymes didn't ask any more questions. He simply hoisted the incapacitated Bach onto his shoulder and, seeing that the two traitors were still fighting amongst themselves, turned and ran for the elevator shaft.

Götz hesitated for a moment, then followed behind Hymes, pushing against the gale-force winds created by the pressure difference as they sprinted.