Chapter 314 - 274: Such Terrifying Strength, the Intangible Threat of the Fear Knight

After being implanted with the Mighty Melting Furnace, Matthias’s strength had reached the level of a Pseudo-Two-star Earth Military Rank.

Agate had explained that this prototype Mighty Melting Furnace, personally forged by Great Sage Gneus, was merely an Artificial Level Extraordinary Creation.

However, its greatest difference from the mass-produced models was that the Creation Level of this item, practically a Knight’s Treasure, would continuously increase based on the amount of Legendary Power it contained.

Containing the Legendary Powers of Steel Cable Muscles and a Pure Heart, the Mighty Melting Furnace had long ago become a fine, Furnace Cast Level Extraordinary Creation.

Assassinating Transcendents like Wizards and Mages had always been the exclusive domain of the Ash Guard.

It was with this equipment that Matthias obtained Mighty Power far exceeding his own Seven-star Official Knight Level.

His extremely high Spiritual Resistance, combined with the power of a Pure Heart from the Radiant Angels, now made him a pure Wizard Slayer.

After Agate’s modifications, Matthias could feel the Legendary Power infusing him. He wanted to test these new abilities and see how they performed in actual combat.

’Leave it to me.’

Leaving those words behind, Matthias became a streak of lightning before everyone’s eyes, vanishing in an instant.

Iron Crown Florian sensed something strange about the Knightly Aura that erupted from Matthias. Frowning, he glanced at Reinhardt.

Like most of the Ash Guard, he had resigned himself to the fact that Matthias had died during the retreat from Verne Orbital Port.

His internal injuries had been too severe, and the Blood Burning Needle had drained his body dry. Barring a miracle from the Emperor himself, Florian couldn’t imagine any way his former comrade could have been saved.

But now, Matthias was not only alive and well, but his power had also surged dramatically in a short time. Florian could only pray that these Vengeful Angels hadn’t resorted to some Forbidden Power, the kind the Judgment Court harshly cracked down on.

Still, after sacrificing so many Battle Brothers, seeing Matthias alive brought Florian a measure of relief.

「Elsewhere.」

Battle Sister Lu Jia’s nerves were stretched taut. Haunting memories of past battles flashed through her mind, and the powerful auras of the Elite Slaughter Demon and the Void Governor made the hair on her neck stand up.

A trickle of cold sweat ran down her temple.

She remembered the bloody battle on the African World three months ago—the terrible price she and her sixteen sisters from the Monastery had paid to kill an Elite Slaughter Demon under the leadership of Nun Superior Eleonor.

Four died, six were gravely wounded, and even Nun Superior Eleonor herself was severely injured.

However, she had only just tightened her grip on her Broadsword, preparing to warn Reinhardt over their shared telepathic link.

’Sir, my sisters and I once encountered an Elite Slaughter Demon on the African World. These monsters...’

Before she could finish her warning, immense horror completely filled her dark eyes.

For in that instant, the Elite Slaughter Demon—a foe that even her Nun Superior had to give her all to fight—was facing the wrath of the Emperor’s Angel named Reinhardt.

Like casually crushing two oversized insects, they were instantly obliterated!

His Black War Axe, brimming with overwhelming fury, hacked violently into the chest of an Elite Slaughter Demon—a beast strong enough to fight a Four-star Earth Knight. The sharp, grating sound of shattering bone and tearing sinew set everyone’s teeth on edge.

As she watched Reinhardt plant a foot on the Elite Slaughter Demon’s corpse and rip out his gore-slicked War Axe, Lu Jia gripped the hilt of her Knight’s Broadsword even tighter.

She had suspected this Emperor’s Angel was a high-ranking individual, possibly at the Battle Group Leader Level, but this terrifying display of power was still beyond belief.

Elite Slaughter Demons.

These Demons, which were little more than cannon fodder in the campaigns fought by the Vengeful Angels, were far more powerful than their pathetic showing against Reinhardt would suggest.

In any great war against the Dark Abyss, over a third of all fallen Imperial Knights typically die beneath the axes of these terrifying creatures.

They possessed brute strength comparable to a Four-star Earth Military Rank.

They were the elite forces of the Bloodsucker Legion.

There was even an incident where a single Elite Slaughter Demon wiped out a Thousand-Man Battle Group, even with its Battle Group Commander present.

Their true terror—that almost suffocating sense of pressure—could only be understood when facing one directly!

Lu Jia was at a loss for words to describe the power of this Emperor’s Angel named Reinhardt, but she now understood one thing.

This man.

He was likely far more than the ordinary Battle Group Leader she had imagined.

She recalled the Mechanical Sage she had seen aboard the Punisher Ship—a powerful being of such lofty status that she would normally never be qualified to even approach—and how he had treated this man with the utmost reverence.

At this thought, Lu Jia took a deep breath to calm her reeling mind.

She had sent the distress signal hoping to contact her missing sisters, or perhaps to get support from an Imperial Navy Fleet patrolling near the Hiniya World.

She had never even considered the possibility of an Emperor’s Angel descending upon the battlefield.

The number of Emperor’s Angels was far too few compared to the vast expanse of the Empire.

A remote, feudal world like Hiniya might not see an Emperor’s Angel for a thousand years, let alone have one answer a call for help.

But not only had she received aid, her rescuer was likely a powerful being far beyond her wildest imagination. The odds of such an event were akin to a dying Mortal Soldier receiving a personal response from the great Divine Emperor himself.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

And she wasn’t the only one left in awe by the scene.

Even the Ash Guard who had fought alongside Reinhardt at the Orbital Port, despite having witnessed the Vengeful Angel’s power before, were still in awe of his savage fighting style—crushing Elite Slaughter Demons head-on with sheer, raw strength.

After Reinhardt brutally dispatched the two Slaughter Demons, a battle erupted on a distant Bone Mountain.

But the commotion from the fight quickly subsided.

Everyone looked over to see Matthias striding back toward the exit, dragging the grievously wounded, near-dead Void Governor like a sack of meat.

He then tossed the Mage—who was barely breathing, his tongue cut out and a dagger plunged into his throat—to Raphael.

"He’s all yours."

Raphael understood immediately.

His gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold, merciless gaze. He slammed his Mental Power through his right hand and into the Mage’s mind, completely ignoring the man as he convulsed wildly on the ground.

Once he found what he was looking for, he gave a slight nod to Reinhardt, who was watching from a distance. His expression was extremely grim.

Then, with a single stomp, he crushed the scumbag’s head.

’Lord Albert’s foresight was correct, but... in this traitor’s chaotic memories, I detected the presence of a Fear Knight.’

When Raphael shared this intelligence with the Ash Guard, a grim, heavy atmosphere began to spread through the rescue party.

Albert had been promoted to the Earth Military Rank over a decade ago. For a Fear Knight to be able to hunt someone that powerful...

Manon and Matthias exchanged a look, their hearts sinking as well.

The two of them, by joining forces and paying a heavy price, had only managed to repel a fledgling Fear Knight. But this traitor hunting the Radiant Angel... his power was likely far beyond anything anyone present could imagine.