Chapter 54: Chapter 43: The Last Afterglow of the Sublime Era

This utterly terrifying sound wave, its frequency beyond the limits of human hearing, distorted the very air, transforming it into horrifying shockwaves that rippled outward, layer by layer!

The next moment.

Reinhardt’s body froze, like an insect trapped in amber. The air around him grew incredibly dense, crushing his organs and sealing his mouth and nose. The very real sensation of suffocation was like a sharp longsword piercing his brain!

Every muscle in his body trembled, screaming in silent, agonizing pain.

Under the direct pressure of the Earth Knight, his joints creaked and his bones made a jarring, grinding sound as they shifted.

In that brief, one-second instant, everything on the battlefield fell into a terrifying stasis. Even the howling, frigid winds of the Northern Lands could not penetrate the dense sound wave!

The Knights watching from the sidelines witnessed this scene, and without exception, their expressions changed drastically, their eyes filled with horror.

Even the other two Earth Knights, who had been watching coldly from the start, were visibly moved.

One of them tightened his reins, calming the frightened, restless warhorse beneath him. His gaze passed over Reinhardt and landed on Dietlinde.

His scratch-covered armor spoke of the weariness and hardship of countless campaigns.

A strange phrase reached Dietlinde’s ears.

"No Official Knight has ever forced Heinrich to use his Dark Gold Dragon Domain. In that, he has already won."

Hearing this hoarse, deep voice, Dietlinde’s gaze met that of the Earth Knight from the Dragon Hunter Battle Group. In that single glance, the immense gap in their strength transformed into a crushing pressure that rushed toward her, making her feel as though she were suffocating.

Before they had set out to quash the rebellion, they had received a "detailed" report from the Blood Corps. As a result, she had no idea what kind of terrifying enemy the Iron Blood Battle Group and Reinhardt were facing.

But the cruel reality spoke louder than any number of empty words. Standing in the aftershocks of that terrifying sound wave, she now understood: these three Knight Orders, branded as rebels, were far beyond their ability to oppose.

Domain.

This was the highest state an Earth Knight could achieve.

It was a power that not even Fei Ning, the commander of the Iron Blood Battle Group and an Earth Knight himself, possessed.

It was a terrifying Mighty Power that belonged exclusively to the strongest of Earth Knights—those whose legendary exploits were like epic poems, who were worthy of a place in the annals of the Empire!

A single man was an army unto himself!

At this moment, the paths of their destinies seemed to converge.

The cold sweat soaking their clothes was a testament to the terror of having brushed past death.

Dietlinde stared at Reinhardt’s tall, imposing back. A voice echoed endlessly in the depths of her heart: ’Reinhardt, just how many secrets are you hiding...?’

The Braggart Knight, Maxim, didn’t understand what kind of power the Earth Knight’s Dark Gold Dragon Domain was, but his trembling hands and terrified heart did not lie.

The aftershocks of the sound wave became a cloying current of air that made it hard to breathe, his ears aching from the pressure.

The aftershocks alone were this terrifying. ’I can’t even imagine what would happen if I were in Reinhardt’s place, facing this horrifying Knight Power up close...’

’One second? Two?’

He didn’t know how long he could last.

But the final outcome—death—would be no different.

This power from an Earth Knight could shatter his own Power in an instant! It would rip his flesh, crush his bones! His very soul would be annihilated in that terrifying sound wave!

At this moment, everyone—from the Knights of the Dragon Hunter Battle Group to those of the Iron Blood Battle Group—believed the fight was over. For Reinhardt to have forced an Earth Knight of a commander’s level to retreat and defend with his Domain... that was the ultimate proof of his strength!

Even Heinrich was preparing to rein in the power of his Domain, lest he truly and gravely injure the young Knight who dared to challenge him.

But in the next second...

...under everyone’s horrified gazes, a mist of blood suddenly erupted from Reinhardt’s body!

A guttural roar, like that of a dying beast, pierced through the dense sound wave of the Domain!

It was the bone-deep agony of having helplessly watched familiar faces fade away on the wind. It was the unyielding, overwhelming rage of facing the crushing weight of a conspiracy from the Radiant Imperial City!

Blood flooded Reinhardt’s vision.

A blazing fury contorted his features.

At that moment, the Knight Power gathering in his fists radiated a colossal, berserk aura. This power was so immense it even began to distort Heinrich’s Dark Gold Dragon Domain!

In less than a second, Reinhardt forcefully tore himself free from the solid prison constructed by the Earth Knight Power.

Before pair after pair of disbelieving eyes.

His right hand clenched into a fist. With incredible speed, it created a piercing sonic boom as it slammed heavily into the face of the Earth Knight, Heinrich!

BOOM—!

The direct collision of Knight Power was like a meteor striking the earth, kicking up a monstrous storm that churned across the vast grasslands of the Northern Lands.

A swirling vortex of yellow-green grass spread out from beneath Reinhardt and Heinrich’s feet.

Before the dust could settle, Reinhardt’s body shot backward uncontrollably, like a cannonball!

Dietlinde reacted in a flash. The instant her eyes locked onto Reinhardt, her body was already in motion.

She threw her arms around Reinhardt, who was now covered in blood, and used her own body to help him absorb the deadly force of the battle’s aftershock.

Her Steel Boots dug deep into the earth, carving a long, deep trench in the ground. Then, they crashed heavily to the ground, tumbling, bouncing, and sliding to a stop.