Chapter 469: Crushing Battle, Pronouncing Sentence

Chapter 469: Chapter 412: Crushing Battle, Pronouncing Sentence

Reinhardt ignored Claudius’s rebuke. He unslung his War Axe and stepped forward, treading through the blood and corpses on the ground.

As he moved, the Aikacia Nozzles unfurled behind him like Angel’s Wings, and the Imperial Technology·Decomposition Blade silently enveloped his Black War Axe.

The sight was reflected in Claudius’s eyes. This Governor, who once soared high and wielded immense power, stumbled back two steps, his legs moving on their own. His face twitched, and the fear in his expression became almost palpable!

Only now, facing Reinhardt directly, did Claudius truly understand. This time, his opponent wasn’t some fat-brained Local Lord, nor was it a Knight Warlord content with his own little corner of the world.

This time.

His opponent was an Imperial Knight who had slaughtered countless foes.

A Vengeful Angel who had crawled out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. A Battle Group Leader.

Even though he possessed the Knight Power of a Three-star Earth Military Rank and believed he had the strength for a life-or-death battle with Reinhardt, he had been away from the battlefield for far, far too long.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d held the hilt of a sword.

The temptations of a comfortable life and immense power had dragged him deep into a bottomless Abyss of personal gain.

The terrifying pressure from the Lord of Vengeful washed over him as he stared at Reinhardt. It felt like a boulder was on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Until his retreating body bumped into his Guard Captain, Jens, who stood behind him.

A large hand steadied his back.

“Sir.”

The taciturn Imperial Knight lowered his head to meet Claudius’s gaze, then gripped his Knight’s Broadsword and gave it a sharp, downward flourish.

“These men are not worthy of you dealing with them personally.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jens stepped past Claudius to stand protectively in front of him, meeting Reinhardt’s gaze.

In a standoff between Knights, words were pointless. A battle was imminent!

Jens activated his Knight Power: Cosmic Element·Cold Frost.

An extreme cold began to radiate from him. Water vapor in the air condensed into flurries of ice and snow as it drifted past, and a sheet of dark blue frost spread across the floor from his feet.

If Reinhardt had also been at the Four-star Earth Military Rank, the sheer power radiating from the Guard Captain protecting Claudius would have made him a formidable foe.

Unfortunately, against Reinhardt—who was at the peak of the Five-star Earth Military Rank and only a step away from advancing to Six-star—Jens’s power was utterly insignificant.

The next second.

From Jens’s perspective, Reinhardt was still stepping forward, but then he abruptly vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already right in front of him.

Earth Ring·Time Sand Reverse Flow.

His towering figure, clad in Avenger Armor, was like a fearsome behemoth. In the darkness, a pair of crimson lenses, like the eyes of a Demon God, stared down at Jens from above.

The Black War Axe swung down, smashing toward Jens’s chest with incredible weight!

It all happened too fast—so fast that besides Nelom, who was also a Domain Level Powerhouse, no other Knight on the bridge had the power to track Reinhardt’s movements!

Jens, who had been on full alert and ready for battle, felt every hair on his body stand on end. His eyes could only faintly catch an afterimage; his brain couldn’t react at all.

Only his battle-hardened body reacted, instinctively bringing his Knight’s Broadsword up to block the fatal blow.

But.

The immense gap in raw power could not be bridged by courage or combat skill.

Before he could even raise his Knight’s Broadsword, before the power of the Earth Ring could even surge from his Physique, the War Axe had already roared past his clumsy block, viciously smashing into his chest!

BOOM—!

Only after Jens’s body was sent flying like an arrow from a bow, slamming into the wall, did the deafening sonic boom from Reinhardt’s sound-barrier-breaking attack finally explode in everyone’s ears!

Upon seeing this, Claudius and the three new Holy Fire Guard members all turned pale with horror!

Metaron, a former member of the Ash Guard, had never participated in the top-secret mission to rescue the Radiant Angels, but he had heard of the Lord of Vengeful’s power on more than one occasion.

It was only now, seeing it with his own eyes, that he realized just how terrifyingly powerful this legendary Vengeful Angel of Verne—Reinhardt—truly was.

Skolov, a former instructor for the Emperor Shield First Group who had been recommended by Manon, felt his pupils contract sharply.

As a fellow Body Technique Knight, he knew exactly what that level of speed and power signified.

He stared silently as Reinhardt landed with a heavy thud. Back when he worked for Lady Catherine in the Golden City, he had witnessed the power of Matthias and had deeply respected his Battle Brother’s strength.

That was why he’d always been curious: what kind of person could make Matthias speak of them with such palpable reverence.

And now.

He knew why.

Jens was no weakling; he was a Governor’s Guard Captain, after all. On the contrary, if the Holy Fire Guard had been tasked with handling him, it was uncertain if all four of them together could have taken him down.

A Four-star Earth Knight at their peak was no small matter.

‘And yet, this formidable opponent didn’t even have a chance to retaliate against the Lord of Vengeful… and that was without the Lord even using his Domain Power.’

Morphis, a former member of the Shadow Knight Order, watched in silence. With his black hair, black eyes, and somber demeanor, the Holy Fire Guard member showed little surprise in his eyes.

As for Claudius.

A trickle of cold sweat slid down his temple. His pupils trembled with fear as he looked up at the Lord of Vengeful standing before him.

Whatever resolve he might have had moments before, it now crumbled in the face of this immense power gap. The Governor’s pride collapsed completely with each backward step.

Reinhardt looked down at Claudius, his right hand tightening on the handle of his axe. His cruel voice echoed through the bridge, delivering the traitor’s death sentence.

“For rebellion, treason, colluding with the enemy, and hoarding munitions, Claudius, in the name of the Supreme Commander of the war against this insurrection, I hereby strip you of your title as Administrative District Governor.”

“Your crimes require no trial. The sentence is summary execution.”

Claudius’s expression twisted into one of absolute terror. He pointed a trembling finger at Reinhardt, his lips quivering, but he couldn’t manage to form a single complete sentence.

“You…”

‘He had never dreamed that Reinhardt would be arrogant enough to publicly execute him here, without a trial from the Judgment Court or the Dome Council!’

‘Just as he’d thought, even if he were to be tried, Reinhardt’s authority was nowhere near sufficient.’

‘But this madman…’