Chapter 494: Take Up Your Weapon and Fight Me (Part 2)

‘And when had he ever sworn allegiance to that traitor?’

‘Strictly speaking, he just lacked political acumen and had misjudged the situation.’

‘He wouldn’t regret dying at the hands of Reinhardt, the Master of Vengeful.’

The weather was gradually turning cold. Even though the rainy season had ended, Surt’s Stereoscopic City was still shrouded in a gray haze, the air damp and frigid.

Not until a combat boat descended from the sky did Nelom sheathe his Knight’s Broadsword and step aboard.

Stearns remained expressionless, leading three of his Personal Guards to follow close behind.

He was only following orders, but in Nelom’s eyes, it looked less like an escort and more like a prisoner transport.

「En route.」

Two of the Second Company Commander’s Personal Guards sat on either side of Nelom, while Stearns sat opposite him. The two men simply glared at each other until the combat boat landed.

Neither was willing to back down.

Upon arriving at the designated coordinates, Stearns saw Matthias waiting below. He was the first to rise and disembark, striding over to give a military salute. “Sir, I’ve brought Nelom.”

Theoretically, Stearns’s rank of Second Company Commander was on par with Matthias’s rank of First Company Commander, but Matthias’s concurrent title of Honorary Guard Captain still made him Stearns’s superior.

Matthias gave him a slight nod, then looked toward Nelom, who was now walking off the boat.

“Stearns, you and your men wait here. Nelom, the Lord is waiting for you. Come with me.”

…

Unlike the humidity of Cyrenaica, the climate of the Gobi Desert was harsh and scorching.

The swirling wind and sand lashed against Nelom’s face, making it hard for him to keep his eyes open.

Stopping beside a massive boulder that offered some shelter from the wind, Matthias said coolly, “The Lord of Vengeful is waiting for you in the distance. Go on your own. I won’t be escorting you any further.”

Nelom glanced at the four Holy Fire Guards stationed there. Without a word, he lowered his head and started walking.

However, his strange behavior puzzled Matthias. He frowned, watching Nelom’s figure disappear into the swirling sandstorm. “Nelom seems strange,” he said in a low voice. “Could he be…”

Metaron frowned as well.

“Are you suggesting he might pull a fast one during the duel?”

Skolov, who had short blond hair, raised a hand to signal them against wild speculation that could undermine the Battle Group’s unity. “Don’t say things that damage our solidarity without proof. I understand how he feels. He clearly swore his allegiance, yet the Lord of Vengeful has been deliberately marginalizing him. Few could accept such treatment. But this is both a trial from the Lord of Vengeful and a test from the Vengeful Angels. If he can’t even handle this level of marginalization and exclusion, if his Knightly ideals waver and he rebels again, then even if the Vengeful Angels were to accept him, he’d be a ticking time bomb in the future.”

Standing some distance from the other three and leaning against the rock by himself, Morphis said coldly, “Can’t you see? That traitor is going to meet the Lord of Vengeful with the resolve to die.”

Not far away, outside the combat boat, a Personal Guard walked up to Stearns and said in a low voice, “Commander, should we warn the Guard Captain? That traitor gives me a very dangerous feeling.”

Stearns didn’t respond immediately. He just frowned, his gaze fixed on the direction Nelom had gone.

‘The Ash-Burning Tyrant.’

‘Back when he was still an Adjutant for the Second Company of the Death Battle Group, he’d heard of that moniker. A supreme powerhouse of the Justice Temple Legion, even Lord Sedon had praised Nelom’s strength.’

The Personal Guard who made the suggestion, Alrum Kando, had only been promoted to the Earth Knight Military Rank last year.

“Before the Ash Battle Group was disbanded, Nelom was its leader. It’s normal for you to feel danger sitting next to him. His power is far beyond what you or I can imagine.”

「Meanwhile.」

The swirling wind and sand lashed against his face. Even with the Physique of a Domain Level powerhouse, Nelom still felt a stinging pain on his skin.

Every step he took felt exceptionally heavy.

It was as if this short distance was longer than all the roads he had traveled in a lifetime of war.

A dark figure finally appeared in the depths of the sandstorm. Nelom’s raised right leg hesitated for a moment, but then he stepped forward firmly, continuing until he could make out the figure’s true appearance.

When the two met, there were no unnecessary words.

Reinhardt’s icy gaze was like a mountain, crushing Nelom until he could barely breathe.

“Lord of Vengeful.”

But the other man didn’t respond to his greeting.

Reinhardt picked up the Knight’s Broadsword stuck in the sand. He slowly began to circle, adopting a pre-battle stance, and said coolly, “Take up your weapon and fight me.”

Nelom said nothing. He took a deep breath, then exhaled.

He tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt. The worried look in his eyes was replaced by a cold glint as he silently watched Reinhardt’s every move.

After a brief standoff, the battle ignited in an instant!

Reinhardt held his sword with both hands, kicked off with his right leg, and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, initiating a frontal assault on Nelom.

The latter’s expression didn’t change. He raised his left arm, using his Power Armor’s gauntlet to block, while his right hand immediately launched a fierce counterattack with his broadsword!

At the same time, Nelom used the Solid shell of his Power Armor to shift his movements. He allowed Reinhardt’s Knight’s Broadsword to scrape along his arm, sending a shower of sparks from the grinding metal as it slid outward.

His left hand also shot forward, attempting to grab the other’s Knight’s Broadsword and control Reinhardt’s powerful attack in a single move.

But both of them were Imperial Knights skilled in Body Techniques.

How could Reinhardt not see through Nelom’s tactic?

The moment Nelom’s left hand reached for him, Reinhardt released his sword hilt with his right hand. The living matter of his Extraordinary Armament·Morphic Armor instantly formed a defense on his left arm. Using the exact same technique, he lunged forward, attempting to seize Nelom’s wrist.

Empowered by the Physiques of Domain Level powerhouses, their exchange of Body Techniques was lightning fast. But with their powerful visual-neural reflexes, each man saw his opponent’s every move with perfect clarity.

Nelom realized Reinhardt was copying his counter-tactic. With a cold snort, he also released the hilt of his sword with his right hand, clenched his left into an Iron Fist, and smashed it straight at Reinhardt’s face!

BANG—!

BANG—!

Two massive booms were swallowed by the swirling sandstorm as Reinhardt’s and Nelom’s bodies were thrown backward simultaneously. In that same instant, the two distinctly different Knight Powers of the Domain Level powerhouses slammed down upon the desolate Gobi Desert.

Like meteors striking the earth, the direct collision of their Knightly Auras transformed into a storm of slaughter!

Even the sand and dust that filled the Gobi Desert were torn apart by the invisible storm created by the clash of Knight Power, ripping open a vast, empty pocket within the sandstorm!

Even from a kilometer away, Matthias, Stearns, and the others on the edge of the battlefield could clearly sense the eruption of battle in the distance.

Faced with such intense Knightly Auras, all of their faces were filled with horror.

This was especially true for the young Earth Knight who had offered Stearns his advice, Alrum Kando. His pupils trembled uncontrollably as his Knight Perception was violently assaulted.

‘Is this… the legendary power of a Domain Level powerhouse?’

‘Even on the very edge of the storm, he could feel the threat of death so vividly!’

Empowered by his Ashen Battle Armor, Nelom was like a stream of fiery yellow sand, his speed so great he seemed to skim across the ground. The power and determination he displayed now made him seem like a completely different person from the one during the Cyrenaica war!

In the span of a single breath.

The Knight’s Broadsword he had released hadn’t even hit the ground before it was back in his hand mid-air. An instant later, he appeared before Reinhardt.

Hot, burning ash drifted continuously from his Extraordinary Armament.

He was like an Imperial Knight who had burned everything for a noble ideal—even if destined to die and turn to ash, he still chose to fight to the death!

The sparks of light reflected in his pupils were like the towering rage deep in his heart, filled with unwillingness. This time, Nelom did not choose to hold back.

Since he had chosen to fight, he would do so like a true Imperial Knight.

He would prove his knightly way in battle!

Nelom swung his sword violently at Reinhardt’s face, his eyes wide with fury as he roared, “Reinhardt—!”