Chapter 64: Chapter 50: Weapon Upgrade, A Hopeless Situation

Even though Reinhardt was already alone, trapped deep within the enemy ranks.

But the terrifying aura of his Knight Power was like an invisible force field; not a single Dragonfolk Soldier dared take a step closer!

Watched by the utterly terrified gazes of the Alien Race, Reinhardt strolled as if through a garden. He walked over to the Black Cutter, which was embedded in the ground, and pulled it free with a single hand.

He walked over to the Mixed-blood Dragonman Warrior that had collapsed on the ground, unable to move.

The terrifying creature, as massive as a grizzly bear, roared in the Scaya tongue—a language Reinhardt couldn’t understand.

But its roars were nothing more than impotent fury.

And the more it roared, the more the ordinary, trembling Dragonfolk Soldiers gathered nearby feared the Giant Axe-wielding Human Empire Knight.

Under the horrified gazes of the Alien Race, Reinhardt seized the Mixed-blood Dragonman Warrior’s head with his left hand, lifting it as if it were a mere rag.

Then.

The Giant Axe swung across its neck, and the behemoth’s head and body fell to the ground.

Eerie blue text from the system flashed across Reinhardt’s vision.

[Giant Devouring Current Layer Number: 1958.]

[Physical Enhancement Coefficient: 1.958]

[Slaughter Points +15]

[Current Total: 45]

—

Although Reinhardt’s immense power and intimidating fighting style kept the surrounding Dragonfolk Soldiers at bay, the Scaya Dragonfolk’s massive invasion showed no signs of stopping.

Perhaps Reinhardt could hold back the Dragonfolk Soldiers on this hundred-meter stretch of the front, but this was not Frostfire Fortress. Out on the vast plains, the Scaya Dragon Race Army was boundless, the battlefront stretching to the horizon.

The resistance from the Iron Blood Battle Group and the three Dragon Hunter Knight Orders was perhaps valiant, but as one’s perspective pulled back to a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield, the Empire’s resistance was but a tiny skiff on a vast ocean.

In less than five minutes.

Even Baihe Town was completely swallowed by the endless Dragonfolk army!

Had the town’s residents not been evacuated far from the border, the town would have become a veritable Hell on earth!

Time crawled by.

The sun over the Northern Lands slowly turned a deep crimson as it sank below the horizon.

Reinhardt had lost count of how many Dragonfolk Soldiers he’d slain. Mutilated corpses lay piled at his feet, and the very earth was so saturated with the viscous blood of the Dragon Descendants that it formed puddles, then pools, resembling a lake of blood.

In his vision, the system’s eerie blue text pulsed continuously.

[Slaughter Points +1]

[Slaughter Points +1]

[...]

The ’Solid’ and ’Anti-Magic’ Imperial Technology upgrades had long since been completed.

[Solid: The Black Cutter is forged with the Empire’s latest Manster alloy technology, allowing it to withstand the impact of an Abyssal Great Demon without shattering.]

[Anti-Magic: The head of the Black Cutter is infused with inert materials, giving it strong resistance to Extraordinary Power. It can be used to pierce the defenses of an Extraordinary System or serve as a shield.]

[You have unlocked the weapon upgrade system. All Imperial Technology upgrades in this system must be purchased with Slaughter Points.]

The Giant Axe in Reinhardt’s hands had changed dramatically in appearance. The ’Solid’ Imperial Technology property meant the Black Cutter was no longer plain steel; it was now adorned with intricate, dark patterns.

The ’Anti-Magic’ property made its already black-coated head even darker, as if light itself could not escape its surface.

Wielding the Black Cutter, Reinhardt had personally slain three Mixed-blood Dragonman Warriors in succession, and his Heart Steel Layers had now surpassed two thousand.

[Giant Devouring Current Layer Number: 2185.]

[Physical Enhancement Coefficient: 2.185.]

But the Scaya Dragon Race Army was an endless tide. No matter how many he killed, reinforcements poured in ceaselessly. This war of attrition, with no end in sight, tested not only a Knight’s physical endurance but also placed a crushing weight on their mind.

At this moment.

The sun had completely set.

The last light of dusk clung desperately to the horizon as everything in Reinhardt’s vision rapidly darkened.

The vast plains offered no defensible terrain.

Even the bravest Knights of the Dragon Hunter Battle Group, facing an endless tide of enemies from all directions, exhausted their last ounce of strength and fell, one by one.

The defiant war cries that had echoed at the start of the engagement now fell utterly silent.

Amidst the gusts of cold wind, only the horrific screams of tearing flesh and the dull groans of those falling to the ground remained.

Dietlinde’s hands were completely sore and numb. The standard-issue Knight’s Longsword she held was riddled with nicks, and a massive crack ran the length of the blade.

Under the strain of such high-intensity combat, her Knightly Aura grew fainter and fainter.

Two members of the Ninth Tactical Squad, Schelf and Koch, had already died at the hands of a Mixed-blood Dragonman Warrior while protecting her. All around her, her comrades were falling, one by one.

「Several hours ago.」

The defensive position they had bravely carved out from the tide of enemies was now gone.

The young Knight, Maxim, leaned against her back. The One-star Military Rank New Recruit Knight had long since exhausted his stamina, his face deathly pale as he desperately tried to stay on his feet.

Only in the face of death can a person truly see themselves.

The immense pressure from the Dragonfolk Soldiers, who had closed in and completely surrounded the two of them, was making it hard for Maxim to breathe.

A resigned smile played on his lips.

"Commander, I really thought that after this war, no one would call me the Braggart Knight again. What a shame. Say, you think that bastard Reinhardt is still alive?"

Once the battle lines and defensive formations were shattered, it was nearly impossible to regroup with allied forces.

Maxim wanted to laugh.

He’d never dreamed that he, a man from the Blood Corps, a mere low-ranking, Third-class Knight of the Empire, would one day die on these cold, godforsaken plains for some damned, intangible knightly glory.

’In truth, his only dream was to make some money, go back to his village, marry a pretty wife, and live out his days basking in the villagers’ reverence for the ’Lord Knight’.’

’War?’

’Glory?’

’That was the kind of thing for genius Knights and natural-born leaders like Reinhardt. He knew he was just a mediocre man who wanted a simple life. A shame that wish wouldn’t be coming true.’

At that moment.

’He also had a sudden realization about all the political bullshit.’

’Perhaps from the moment he became an Imperial Knight, he had been a lone boat sailing on a dark ocean. In this turbulent Empire, he was powerless to change anything, forced to be dragged into the waves and whirlpools of the murky depths...’

’Dammit.’

Maxim cursed inwardly. ’If I had power like Lord Heinrich, I’d kill every last one of these bastards who betrayed the Empire! As long as they’re alive, how can I ever have the good life I’m always dreaming of?’

’A beautiful wife... or better yet, several.’

’A spacious manor, exquisite food...’

’Just thinking about it was bliss.’

As a Scaya Dragonfolk’s Curved Saber swung toward his chest, Maxim tried to block, but his limbs wouldn’t obey; they felt like noodles.

’It hurts.’

That was his final thought as he collapsed to the ground.