Chapter 470 - 413: Executing Claudius

Claudius tried to resist, but his Knight Power posed no threat to Reinhardt. His Body Techniques were even more laughable, pathetically weak.

The terror of facing death made him scream like a madman. With no weapon in hand, he could only flail his fists wildly, aiming for Reinhardt’s face.

"I am a descendant of a Knight General from the Ash Soil Star Zone, protected by the laws of the Empire! You have no right to pass judgment! Other than the Imperial Regent, no one has the authority to judge me—!"

However, as Claudius’s fist flew toward Reinhardt’s face, something happened that filled him with even greater terror.

This was because a dark purple, living substance precisely materialized at every point his fist struck the helmet, even though he had already activated his Knight Power—the Cutting Force Field.

Unlike the traditional Attributeless Destruction Force Field, which required immense Body Technique Ability, the Knight Power enveloping Claudius’s body possessed the Extraordinary Trait of cutting.

His punches seemed simple and unadorned, but the Cutting Force Field enveloping them could easily tear through steel and rock.

Yet, even with all his power, his strikes couldn’t even breach Reinhardt’s defenses. How could he not be terrified?!

After six fruitless punches, Claudius finally recalled his battlefield combat instincts. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he took a step back, and an extremely powerful Knightly Aura erupted from within him!

Then, Claudius dropped low. His Cutting Force Field converged and condensed around him. The next moment, his body shot past Reinhardt like a streak of light.

Earth Ring·Death Cut.

This was the most powerful Earth Ring he had ever constructed, created sixty years ago. Though he hadn’t used it in nearly two decades, there was no rustiness as he unleashed it upon his foe.

Beyond the terrifying destructive power of Death Cut itself, the technique’s most frightening aspect was its element of surprise.

At a glance, it seemed he had merely passed by Reinhardt empty-handed, but countless microscopic blades, condensed from the Cutting Force Field, had already invisibly swarmed their target.

It was with this very technique that he had fought his way off Tania World, rising from the heir of a local Knight General’s family to become the Lord of the World itself.

As if rediscovering the fire of combat, Claudius turned to face Reinhardt after his counterattack.

He admitted his opponent was strong, but no one had ever withstood the destructive force of Death Cut head-on. Even if Reinhardt didn’t die, he would pay a heavy price for his arrogance!

However, when Claudius turned, the sight that greeted him first left him stunned, then filled his heart with endless despair.

In his line of sight, the dark purple, living substance clinging to the Power Armor’s surface was slowly receding. Reinhardt, whom he expected to be grievously wounded, simply turned and stared at him with cold indifference.

Pointed at him was the dark, gaping muzzle of a gun.

The heavy, deep-black gun frame, the Loyalty sights forged from golden Sun Rings, and the massive, winged skull Holy Emblem fixed to its side all proclaimed it to be a blessed Extraordinary Creation.

Messiah’s Gift·Thermite Mode.

"Is this your strongest move, traitor?"

As Reinhardt’s finger squeezed the trigger, Claudius’s adrenaline spiked. In his Knight Perception, the weapon aimed at his head radiated an overwhelming threat of death!

BOOM—!

A projectile of superheated thermite roared from the muzzle and slammed into Claudius before he could dodge.

The next second, a headless corpse, its head and neck instantly vaporized, remained frozen in its attempt to flee. It swayed stiffly twice before collapsing to the ground.

Then, the unique, synthesized mechanical voice of the Messiah’s Gift—a sound only a Technician Priest could hear—rang out across the corpse-strewn bridge.

[The Om Messia commands me to redeem your filthy soul! Bathe in the baptism of the holy fire! Rejoice! Your salvation has arrived!]

Governor Claudius, a man who had once wielded immense power on Tania World and even within the Imperial Administrative Region, fell silently at Reinhardt’s feet.

The traitor’s execution was over in an instant.

It was only after Claudius’s headless corpse hit the floor that even Matthias and the others processed what had happened. Reinhardt had actually pronounced the man’s crimes, bypassed the Judgment Court and the Dome Council, and executed a Governor—a man at the pinnacle of power—right on the spot!

With the exception of Nelom, all four Holy Fire Guards, including Matthias, drew a sharp, cold breath.

They knew full well that even if Claudius had instigated a rebellion and intended treason, the political risk of executing a Governor without a public trial was beyond terrifying.

Because Reinhardt hadn’t simply killed Claudius; he had killed a member of the Administrative Region’s supreme ruling body.

How could those in power not be terrified?

’To those in power, the only ones who can kill them are their own.’

’Perhaps such an act would be permissible in wartime, but once the war is over, who knows what the future holds...’

Matthias let out a heavy breath. He couldn’t help but reflect that even after so many years, the young Knight who had once shattered the head of an Abyssal Great Demon with a single punch remained unchanged.

But that was also why he was the Vengeful Angel of Verne, one of the men Matthias revered most, the Lord of Vengeful who struck terror into the hearts of countless Demons and traitors!

Metaron and Skolov exchanged a look, each seeing the immense shock in the other’s eyes.

’That was one of the Governors of the Administrative Region! And he just killed him? Just like that?’

HISS—

As veterans, they were momentarily unsure whether being stuck with such a bold and utterly lawless Battle Group Leader was a good or a bad thing.

At that very moment, an agonized roar echoed from one side of the bridge. A Knight was on his knees, the Power Armor over his chest completely shattered, revealing ribs and organs. He looked as though he couldn’t accept the fact that Claudius had been killed.

He snapped his head up and glared at Reinhardt, the fury in his eyes like an erupting volcano, as if he wanted to devour his master’s killer whole.

"My lord... You bastard—! What have you done?!"

Just then, Nelom stepped forward to Reinhardt’s side, positioning himself between the two men. In an almost pleading tone, he said, "Sir, let me handle him."

Reinhardt met Nelom’s gaze and said coldly, "I hope you know what you’re doing, Nelom. Don’t disappoint me."

’To plead twice, to actively request the right to execute Jens himself...’

’Clearly, Nelom’s relationship with the man was anything but ordinary.’

’If he dared to let the man escape, Reinhardt wouldn’t hesitate to execute Nelom right here as an accomplice.’

’The only reason he was keeping Nelom alive was his extraordinary combat prowess and the fact that his betrayal wasn’t absolute.’

’He had no need for an unstable time bomb at his side.’