I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

"Anand, it's been years, and you still haven't kicked those bad habits."

The words were spoken in a deep, resonant voice.

A powerfully built man over two and a half meters tall strode onto the bridge. He had a square face, a buzz cut, and a scar that ran the length of his right cheek. With long, purposeful strides, he crossed the threshold of the entryway in a single step.

Unlike typical Imperial Knights clad in Anti-Magic Steel Armor or Power Armor,

this man wore an ornate, modified military uniform of dark green. It appeared to be stitched from common canvas at first glance, but the unmistakable power fluctuations of an Extraordinary Creation emanated from it ceaselessly.

On his left hand, he wore three jeweled rings—one blue, one yellow, and one green—that seemed utterly at odds with his appearance.

In his right hand, he clutched a short blade—also an Extraordinary Creation.

Striding right past Anand, the man with a commanding presence looked up toward the second-level command platform. His voice was even-toned as he spoke. "Undead Koller, I'd heard your name even back when I was just a scout in the Imperial Firstborn Auxiliary Army.

"Meeting you in person here today... I'm not sure whether it's your misfortune or mine."

After this initial greeting,

the man made no attempt to conceal his power. The Knightly Aura of a Five-star Earth Military Rank, one who had mastered Domain Power, swept through the bridge like a gale, an unrelenting pressure.

Then, he turned his gaze to Reinhardt. With a mere lift of his left hand, the Knight's Broadsword embedded in the floor—the one radiating an intense cold—quivered once before flying into his grasp.

At the same time, a large contingent of his men filed in from the corridor beyond the entryway, taking up positions behind him.

One of them leaned in and whispered in his ear, "My Lord, we've captured the one you wanted."

The man gave a slight nod, then gestured for his men to throw the prisoner forward.

"Worthy of a Child of the Night Demon," he commented. "Just a mere Official Knight, yet he still managed to hold us up in the corridor even after I wounded him grievously. My men had quite a time capturing him."

As if presenting Reinhardt with a welcoming gift,

the man held the sword in his left hand, first bringing it upright before him and then swinging it out to the side—the standard pre-battle salute of Knights from the ancient days of the Human Empire.

Then, a Silencer—one who had gone out with Urus to lie in wait for the enemy outside the *Cambridge*—was brutally thrown to the ground before Reinhardt. His limbs were broken, a short blade was plunged into his throat, and his Full Coverage Helmet was gone. He was barely breathing.

The Silencer painfully extended his right hand toward Reinhardt, as if trying to crawl back to his side.

But the man planted a foot on his back, grinning at Reinhardt as he made his introduction. "I am the Lord of the Ostia World, ennobled by the Regent Council.

"Some like to call me a great warlord, but I much prefer Knight General Sipia.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you'll accept this little gift.

"Reinhardt."

The instant his words faded, Sipia's expression turned grim. With the foot still planted on the Silencer's back, he kicked out viciously, sending the man's massive body sliding across the floor to stop at Reinhardt's feet, leaving a long smear of blood in its wake.

Even in his final moments, the Silencer still tried to grasp Reinhardt's Power Boots, as if desperate to tell him something. But the short blade lodged in his throat prevented him from making a sound.

To have survived an attack by a Domain Powerhouse and two other Earth Knights long enough to return to the *Cambridge*—he had already given it his all.

Anand, who had just been snatched from the jaws of death, froze when he heard the name "Reinhardt." His gaze shot toward the man, and his pupils contracted.

'This man is the legendary Emperor's Vengeful Angel?!'

But in the face of Sipia's rebuke, he didn't dare to utter a single word of protest. Though he was internally cursing the credit-stealing bastard to hell and back, he remained outwardly respectful.

Lowering his head, he retreated behind Sipia.

"I was too reckless, Lord Sipia."

Seeing the Silencer's body tossed in, the mortals among the bridge's command crew were all struck with terror.

Even the Navy veteran Kurs grew pale, his right hand unconsciously clenching into a fist.

In the minds of these mortals, the enemy's ability to so easily kill one of the Emperor's Angels filled them with a profound and terrifying sense of dread.

But mingled with their fear was a burgeoning, grief-stricken rage.

None of those present were new recruits; they had all been hand-picked by Sedon to be Vengeful Angels.

Take the three Battle Sisters behind Lu Jia, for instance. They had just watched the enemy toss a Silencer—a Knight with a Six-star Official Military Rank—onto the *Cambridge*'s bridge like a piece of garbage.

As only Four-star Official Military Rank Knights themselves, the terror in their hearts was difficult to suppress.

It was the genuine fear one feels in the presence of overwhelming power.

Especially now that they had lost the protection of Sister Superior Eleonor. Stuck in a terrifying warzone teeming with powerhouses, they had no idea how long they would survive.

"Lu Jia... what really happened to Sister Superior Eleonor?"

The Battle Sister who spoke was four years her senior. And while she had served for some time, compared to the Imperial Knights on the bridge, she was a complete novice.

Perhaps sensing something, the Battle Sister felt that if she didn't ask now, she might never get another chance to learn the truth.

In contrast, Lu Jia remained composed, standing guard firmly beside the two Technician Priests. She turned to glance at her sister, her voice as cold and unyielding as ever. "She betrayed the Empire, and she betrayed the Monastery, Sasha."

Hearing the same answer as always, the Battle Sister named Sasha felt a wave of resignation.

She wasn't some naive thirteen-year-old girl; she refused to believe that Eleonor would betray the Empire and the Monastery.

She found it far more likely that the Nun Superior had been caught in one of the Administrative Region's internal power struggles and had paid a terrible price for losing.

As for who had truly betrayed the Holy Rose Order, Eleonor or Lu Jia, she wasn't about to take Lu Jia's one-sided account as gospel.

She even doubted Lu Jia's claim of having endured a month of interrogation and torture at the hands of the Judgment Court.

Having served in a department directly under the Inquisition, Sasha was well aware of the Judges' methods. She didn't believe a passionate, hot-blooded idealist like Lu Jia could possibly withstand a month of their "interrogation."

But now that she had chosen to join the Blood Flame Order, certain matters were no longer her decision to make.

Facing the predatory, wolfish gazes of the invaders, she tightened her grip on her Knight's Broadsword. Taking a deep breath, her eyes fell unconsciously upon the back of the man standing at the fore.

It had been less than an hour since Nelom had pledged his allegiance, but Sipia's taunts and the sight of the Silencer's corpse made veins bulge on his forehead. He clenched his left Iron Fist so tightly it audibly creaked.

'Battle and death were one thing, but he would not stand for this mockery!'

Reinhardt remained standing where he was. He didn't spare a single glance for the fallen Silencer at his feet. Ignoring Sipia's taunts, he spoke in a cold voice, "You seemed to be in a great hurry to board my ship. Are you that eager to die?"