Chapter 504 - 437: Oath of Loyalty, a Serious Internal Problem

Vast clouds of sand and dust obscured their vision, making it impossible to see into the distance.

But within the Knight Perception of Matthias and the others, a Knightly Aura of terrifying intensity surged toward them from the far distance like a hundred-meter-tall tidal wave!

Aside from the two Six-star Official Knight Military Rank Personal Guards by Stearns’s side, the other six were all of the Earth Military Rank.

Even Stearns, whose strength was relatively average, possessed enough merit and seniority to serve as the Battle Group Commander of a typical Battle Group.

However, despite their immense power, their Knight Perception couldn’t begin to keep up with a battle of this magnitude.

In the blink of an eye,

A streak of crimson light descended from the sky, crashing down before them with incredible weight!

When the magnificent phantom of a Vengeful Angel materialized in the sandstorm, standing tall before them, every single spectator watched in horror, their pupils contracting!

This was especially true for the Holy Fire Guard, Morphis.

Every hair on his body stood on end. He looked as if he were facing a formidable foe, his eyes fixed on Reinhardt, filled with incredulous horror.

’This level of Domain Power...’

’How can this be—?!’

As the former leader of the Shadow Knight Order, Morphis had clearly told some lies. His true power was far beyond that of an ordinary Three-star Earth Military Rank Knight.

He was a Five-star Earth Military Rank Knight who wielded Domain Power.

Although Matthias’s strength was negligible to him, he admired the young Knight. Despite bearing the mark of a Rebel Legion, Matthias still faithfully upheld the truths of the Empire.

Initially, he had agreed to join the Vengeful Angels at Matthias’s request, purely out of respect for his Battle Brother.

If he encountered anything unsatisfactory during his service, his power was such that no one was qualified to stop him from leaving.

Besides, he had long since left the Empire’s formal structure. His current legal identity was that of a Clan Knight for the Capet Dynasty, so the concept of betrayal didn’t even apply.

Now, however,

As his involvement with the Vengeful Angels deepened, he was discovering that the power and history of this fledgling Battle Group far surpassed his imagination.

It wasn’t just the massive investment from the Administrative Region.

It was the Lord of Vengeful, Reinhardt.

Morphis silently gazed at the man standing in the distance. ’If it were me in Nelom’s place...’ At this thought, the former Battle Group Commander, a man with many secrets, fell silent.

He knew with certainty that if he had been the one fighting, he might not have been able to last as long as Nelom had against the Lord of Vengeful.

The pinnacle of an Earth Knight’s Physique.

’Sure enough, a true Empire’s Chosen One is nothing like the trash selected by the Regent Council.’

Although this went against his original plans, giving him the feeling he’d been tricked onto a ship of thieves, Morphis didn’t have any real objections to joining the Vengeful Angels.

Besides, having such a powerful Battle Group Leader in charge was actually a good thing for him.

He had no desire to risk his life for some clueless hack, nor did he enjoy being ordered around by people weaker than himself.

The others didn’t know what Morphis was thinking.

But after witnessing Reinhardt activate his First Domain·Great Annihilation and enter his Vengeful Angel state, everyone else was utterly stupefied!

Especially the crimson phantom of his Vengeful Angel form.

Whether visually or through their Knight Perception, the overwhelming pressure crashing down on them felt like it came from a Demigod—!

’Is this his true power?’

A Knight’s Duel was not a battle to the death. Now that a victor had been decided, the fight naturally came to an end.

Reinhardt deactivated his Vengeful Angel form and slowly walked to the edge of the crater Nelom had made. He looked down at the man lying at the bottom, who was coughing up an endless stream of blood.

"You lost."

The light on Nelom’s Ashen Battle Armor gradually faded. He struggled to pull his arm from the packed earth, and, ignoring the blood covering his face, he cracked a grin. "Your fists are too heavy. No... In all my years of service, I’ve faced many powerful foes, but you’re the first one to overwhelm my Self-Healing Ability.

But I have one question. During that fight just now, were you really using your full power?"

Reinhardt leaned down, grabbed Nelom’s hand, and pulled him from the crater. "Close to my full power," he replied.

"So you were still holding back."

Although their fight after activating their Domain Powers had lasted less than forty seconds, only Nelom himself could know the immense pressure he had been under.

If this hadn’t been an internal sparring match within the Battle Group, but a fight to the death, he would likely be a corpse by now.

Nelom ripped off his now-totaled Power Armor and glanced at Reinhardt, a lingering fear in his eyes. "You... are one terrifying bastard.

I can’t imagine how monstrously strong the enemy who managed to seriously injure you must be."

Reinhardt turned to look at Matthias and the others in the distance. He picked up his War Axe, which was embedded in the ground, and said coolly, "The Fear Knights are one such enemy."

Nelom visibly froze at the mention of the Fear Knights.

Though he had never faced these traitors to the Empire on the battlefield, he had long since heard of their strength.

Recalling the overwhelming threat of death he’d felt while fighting Reinhardt, he couldn’t begin to imagine how powerful the Fear Knights could possibly be.

Setting aside matters of combat, his thoughts returned to the present.

The smile on Nelom’s face gradually vanished. After a long silence, he said gravely, "So, what are your plans for me? I want a straight answer, not just to coast by in your Battle Group."